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I can understand the OPs frustration. I had friends in college who were from ENC and they absolutely loathed living there for reasons s/he stated, and swore they would never move back. To my knowledge, none did.
It's been my experience that the only ones who truly love living there are the ones who as the OP described, are content with their Wal-Mart jobs. Some might be ''ok'' with living there, but in their back of their minds, dream of moving to Raleigh or Charlotte, or leaving the state altogether.
Even my ECU friends who said they would never leave Greenville, the one "beacon" in the region as someone else called it, all left by their 25th birthday and only go back when ECU is playing State/UNC/Virginia Tech at Dowdy-Ficklen.
Can't deny the region being home to some damn fine BBQ though!(shout-out to Wilburs in Goldsboro).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Archer705
Nah. I'm 24, Born in Greensboro, graduated from UNC Greensboro and moved to Fayetteville and I like the state. I've only lived in Greensboro, Jamestown, Fayetteville (Hope Mills), and briefly Winston-Salem though. I don't plan on ever moving from this beautiful state. I myself don't really like Eastern NC. The only good thing about Eastern NC is The Sandhills which is in the Piedmont but borders Eastern NC. I've never lived outside a major NC metropolitan (Triad #3, Sandhills #4) and never plan on living rural because i'm a city guy. Father is from Chicago mother is from Winston-Salem. I am assuming by "Eastern NC" you are referring to the void of crappy KKK counties that separate Fayetteville from Wilmington. They need to build an interatate from Fayetteville to Wilmington. It would probably help the economy so much in Eastern NC. Add Bladen county to Wilmington Metro and Sampson County to Fayetteville Metro through a very good highway network.
Why? Who is going to use it? There's already one running from Wilmington to Raleigh. And I'm confident it would not "help" whatever economy is located between Wilmington and Fayetteville, at least nothing significantly.
I'm turning 29 this month. I was born and raised in eastern North Carolina. I have traveled a lot but have never had an address outside of NC.
My whole life, I liked it well enough. It was all I really knew, I guess. But now, I suppose since I've visited other places so much, I have just gotten to the point where I really do hate it here.
Sure, there are things that I love about NC. I'm a country girl at heart...I love my country music, and I love country cooking. My family is here. I love that our state has beaches and mountains.
But...I just don't want to live here anymore.
In some ways, this place feels like a total cesspool. So many people here don't value education. So many think "so-and-so is doing real good these days...she got her a job at Wal-Mart, and I guess the kids are staying with their deddy some while she's working now, I'm sure glad he stepped up a little bit since he got out of jail! She said he even got his GED!" So many rednecks with their stupid, noisy jacked-up trucks and Mossy Oak crap. So many hog houses and trailers. The smell of turkey ****. So many drugs...I know they are a problem everywhere, but my goodness.
And then you have places like Raleigh. Fewer rednecks, for sure. But Raleigh just feels like a "fake" city that was built to appease the North Carolina elite and the transplants who came here to work in the Triangle. Sure, there are places to go, places to shop and places to eat, but it still feels...well..."boring." Bland. Like everything got built because it kinda had to be, as a natural progression...I do know that tech and health care things are going on in the Triangle, so I'm not talking about that, but more like as a place to live in general...
And even the things that I love about our state are all, well, half-assed. Sure, I love our Southern food, but it doesn't have the same culture as, say, food from Louisiana. I love that we have beaches, but they're nothing compared to the beaches in Florida. Yes, we have mountains, and they're gorgeous...until you visit the Rockies.
I know this seems like a long rant, and it kinda is, but I'm just wondering if anyone else has or has had similar thoughts?
The chapter describing the cesspool sounds pretty bad. Maybe you need some new friends or maybe it is time to take your eagle wings and fly away. Nothing wrong with that.
About the only thing I hate about N. C. is so much traffic from so many people moving in filling up the roads. Don't like fire ants and snakes either. Every place has some problem.
We left our home county in North Carolina more than 50 years ago. I have 10 acres of the home place that I keep just in case I may some day want to move back. I recently started checking on properties near the beach that I could afford if I sold my 10 acres. I finally realized I love where I live.
I like traveling and have visited about 30 states. America has many wonderful places to live but I am satisfied we have found just about the best place possible with our income. We have wonderful neighbors who are very intelligent and considerate. I never thought to ask them how educated they are. My problem is trying to be as nice as they are. Walmart is an honorable job. Any honest employment is honorable or that's what I was taught in my youth. I have friends that go to our local jail and counsel the inmates there.
We all have a reason to be alive. Maybe your spirit is telling you to make changes. I hope it works out for you.
I'm turning 29 this month. I was born and raised in eastern North Carolina. I have traveled a lot but have never had an address outside of NC.
My whole life, I liked it well enough. It was all I really knew, I guess. But now, I suppose since I've visited other places so much, I have just gotten to the point where I really do hate it here.
Sure, there are things that I love about NC. I'm a country girl at heart...I love my country music, and I love country cooking. My family is here. I love that our state has beaches and mountains.
But...I just don't want to live here anymore.
In some ways, this place feels like a total cesspool. So many people here don't value education. So many think "so-and-so is doing real good these days...she got her a job at Wal-Mart, and I guess the kids are staying with their deddy some while she's working now, I'm sure glad he stepped up a little bit since he got out of jail! She said he even got his GED!" So many rednecks with their stupid, noisy jacked-up trucks and Mossy Oak crap. So many hog houses and trailers. The smell of turkey ****. So many drugs...I know they are a problem everywhere, but my goodness.
And then you have places like Raleigh. Fewer rednecks, for sure. But Raleigh just feels like a "fake" city that was built to appease the North Carolina elite and the transplants who came here to work in the Triangle. Sure, there are places to go, places to shop and places to eat, but it still feels...well..."boring." Bland. Like everything got built because it kinda had to be, as a natural progression...I do know that tech and health care things are going on in the Triangle, so I'm not talking about that, but more like as a place to live in general...
And even the things that I love about our state are all, well, half-assed. Sure, I love our Southern food, but it doesn't have the same culture as, say, food from Louisiana. I love that we have beaches, but they're nothing compared to the beaches in Florida. Yes, we have mountains, and they're gorgeous...until you visit the Rockies.
I know this seems like a long rant, and it kinda is, but I'm just wondering if anyone else has or has had similar thoughts?
I don't live in NC, but I do want to address your "redneck" comments. I'm quite offended because my family and I are rednecks. We love trucks and camo. We love our 4 wheelers and side by sides. We love just cruising down old dirt roads.
Contrary to your belief, we are not all stupid. I graduated high school in 3 yrs with honors. Received my college degree while working full time (at a bank-not Walmart) and raising my 3 kids. I passed my exams to become a life/accident/health producer after studying for only 10 days. My GPA is 3.8. My brother is a big shot in corrections and is also a leader in CERT which is a specialized emergency team that handle riots etc. His wife works at a college hefe in VT.
My nephew holds his bachelor's degree and is a cop. His wife is a pharmacist (had a 4.0 GPA throughout.) My other nephew will be graduating with his bachelor's this Spring. My son is a corrections officer. He gets pd VERY well. My daughter works for a company making sure the elderly are well taken care of.
So, there, with just 1 family I blew your theory right out of the water. Rednecks are also some of the hardest and most honest people you will ever meet. Get your nose out of the air and stop judging people. People who work at Walmart are, at least, working and taking care of their families.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hey_guy
i dont see how ENC is worse than gastonia, morganton, wilkesboro, hickory, avery county, roxboro, cherryville, lots of other small towns off and in the mountains
people post on the forums all the time where can "i get 3 acres" but the problem is then they turn around and say "30 minutes from downtown raleigh" or whatever. but you know out there if thats the lifestyle you want ENC is to place to get that for pretty cheap.
certainly the cultural life can be seen as lacking but really hands down the reason i cant live in one of these places is they're practicaly food deserts and its too easy to get fat
i dont see how ENC is worse than gastonia, morganton, wilkesboro, hickory, avery county, roxboro, cherryville, lots of other small towns off and in the mountains
True, but at least a lot of those towns are scenic and have a more moderate climate.
Hmm, this whole thread is rather puzzling to me. I grew up in NJ, spent 6 years in RI (college +), moved from college directly to Kill Devil Hills for a year then into Raleigh where I've been for the last 28 years. I could write about each place I've lived stating much the same as the OPs original post. Do I hate the places I've lived? Absolutely NOT. Do I appreciate everything about any of them? NO. But, what each place you actually live in, as oppose to just visit, does is to provide you with perspective. Until you live in a place a while you don't get to see the warts and all places have them.
Another poster already asked this in a way, but to the OP, what are YOU doing about it? Are you actually trying to find a way out to another place you think the grass is greener? Or, are you content to simply slam a place that many who read these forums are finding happiness in, who appreciate what NC has to offer, who have found their home? For you, maybe its more about your not having figured out what you want to do with your life. Are you working? If so, is it a career or a job? Find a purpose, once you have that, it can/will give meaning to other things, places, people and so on.
To be honest, reading the OPs post sounds like a lot of whining. I've not lived in Eastern NC aside from the coast. I get it, it's rural, low income and has its shortcomings. As a transplant from the North I suppose I could sit here all day and slam Eastern NC for all sorts of reasons but I've come to really appreciate that part of the state as I've traveled through it now for so many years, it's quite beautiful in its own way. I would not choose it as a place to live unless I needed to be there for work.
As far as Raleigh goes, I find your assessment completely unfair. Again, it's not the greatest place on earth but it is growing and in a lot of ways getting better all the time. Now that growth also translates into other problems (traffic, crime) that are prevalent in the larger cities that have more "character" and charm.
At the end of the day, if you don't like it here: leave. Go someplace else where you think you like it more. There is usually nothing holding any of us back, making us stay. My entire family is in NJ. When I left it was because I needed to. No jobs, expenses through the roof there. For me, NC has been a land of nothing but outstanding opportunity. A phenomenal place to raise a family (still had to work at it to make things work out) and both I and my family proudly call NC home now (despite recent political events).
OP, I wish you the best and sincerely hope you can figure out and find what makes you happy. Sounds like you're gonna have to take a chance and make a move, best of luck to you!
Last edited by stopgo; 04-21-2017 at 10:01 AM..
Reason: spelling
I'm a Winston-Salem native and I can understand where you're coming from. Winston is boring because it's slow to change and too familiar. I think most folks feel like that about their hometowns, though.
I didn't know anything about the area east of Raleigh or even Raleigh until I left for ECU. Eastern NC can be very depressing. It's economy is depressed and it shows. I love eastern bbq like someone said, but there's little in the way of entertainment unless you enjoy the outdoors. Our beaches have always seemed dull to me because they're pretty underdeveloped compared to more commercial areas like Va and Myrtle beaches. I'm sure that's done purposely, but it does make for limited options on the family vacation. I do like Wilmington a lot, though. I was there for a buddies bachelorette party and had a blast! It reminded me of downtown G-Vegas, but cleaner and more eclectic. My brother lives in Raleigh with his family. I enjoy the cultural events in Raleigh like the museums and festivals, so Raleigh is cool with me. In terms of the shopping/dining options, yes they have expanded. It feels false because up until a few decades ago, Raleigh was a sleepy Southern town. They now have a sizable transplant population to keep happy, so I get it. Charlotte is less sleepy town and more commercial in every way. It wants to be a mini Atlanta. I don't know much about the mountains. I've gone wine tasting in the Boone area and that's about it. I've never been to Asheville, but people like it. Greensboro is awesome to me. It's still a Southern town with character, but it's got a huge international population and events so it feels bigger. Also the shopping and dining options aren't all chains; there's good representation of local business.
I think you should leave and get some perspective. You may find a new home to enjoy or appreciate some things you miss about NC.
True, but at least a lot of those towns are scenic and have a more moderate climate.
Agreed.
Those towns also look less beat up than ENC towns.
The foothills towns may be past their heyday....but they don't look as abandoned/blighted as many areas of Rocky Mount, Kinston, etc. There seems to be more civic pride in the piedmont and foothills than ENC in general. As evidenced by many of the ENC natives commenting on this thread (and many that I know personally).
True, but at least a lot of those towns are scenic and have a more moderate climate.
And those town's economies are in better shape than most of their eastern NC compatriots, for the most part.
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