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Hi all,
This is my first post. My husband and I currently live in the suburbs of Chicago. We’re visiting North Carolina this week and considering moving there. We’ve been doing a lot of research and are looking for some opinions. We’re staying in Raleigh, but going to be checking out different areas. Some of the cities were considering are Wake Forest, Apex, Fuquay-Varina, Wilmington, Davidson/Huntersville.
A little more input as to what we’re looking for:
1. We have two pit mixes that we love and want dog friendly towns.
2. We would really love somewhere scenic-lake or ocean breeze is something we always wanted to be by. Illinois isn’t scenic at all.
3. Fall is my favorite season, but we hate winter..so maybe somewhere that experiences cool periods.
4. Snakes and spiders are a small fear of mine- but I’m hoping that it’s not that different than IL.
5. Believe it or not, we love the suburbs and aren’t big city people. We want neighbors but huge crowds and night life isn’t our thing, we’re kind of home bodies lol.
If you guys have any more input as to where you think we should look, please let me know!! Also if you live in any of the areas we’re looking at and recommend or don’t recommend them- your opinion is appreciated!!!
Thank you in advance!!
First, thanks for making of list of what you're looking for, unlike so many who just post "Tell us why we should move there and where we should live" with no further info
1. Dogs--I don't think there's such thing as a dog-friendly nor dog-unfriendly town; more "dog people or non-dog people or afraid-of-dogs people". The fact that they are PB mixes might worry some, but there are Pit rescue places all around NC. It's basically a non-issue unless you need to rent for a spell and then of course would have to find dog-friendly places.
2. Scenic--NC is one of the most scenic states around, in both directions (mountains and beaches). we have many lakes, too. A map is a good place to start, but the coast of NC has what are generally deemed the best beaches in the Southeast until you get to mid-Florida.
3. NC is a 4-season state, though our winter is what many Northerners would think of as Fall. Most of the statte except the mountains gets less than a foot of snow a year TOTAL on average, although we do get a foot at a time sometimes...and some winters basically none at all. On average, probably one decent snow in Jan and one in Feb, but be aware that because we don't get much snow, we don't have a lot of snow-removal equipment like the North does, meaning a lot of people are trapped home. More and more office people work from home, though if you're in retail, you obviously can't do that. As a former retail manager, I remember having to get myself into work especially in December, regardless of the weather. Luckily, December snow is VERY rare in most of NC.
4. NC does have a lot more "critters" than Northern states, according to what is posted here. the main poisonous snake in NC is the copperhead, which is found in every county, and for some reason they've been more plentiful the last couple of years. Their bite is not fatal, but they can be aggressive and you don't want to get bitten. We do also have rattlesnakes (mostly in the mountains, or the underbrush in the flat eastern part) and Water Moccasins (mostly down east) but copperheads are by far the most plentiful poisonous snake--but I don't want to make it sound like they are everywhere. We have far, FAR more NON-poisonous snakes (rat snakes, black snakes, etc) that are GOOD snakes and some actually repel or EAT copperheads. I've lived in NC my whole life and NEVER encountered a copperhead by "stumbling on one". As for spiders--they are ubiquitous but usually tiny. We do have Black Widows, but most others are harmless--think "Charlotte" in Charlotte's Web I would say the worst pest in NC are **mosquitoes**
5. Suburbs are one thing you can easily find in NC...most of the populations of NC cities are in the suburbs, and our downtowns are relatively small compared to the Industrial Belt. We were a rural, farming state with small cities until the last 75 years or so, and then when Tech started moving in to places like Raleigh & Durham, the suburbs exploded in textbook "urban sprawl". Every city has more suburban neighborhoods than you can even imagine. BUT, it does mean cars are a necessity; public transportation even in cities is woeful here, thanks to said sprawl.
Thanks for doing your homework; this site will give you good leads to consider!
First, thanks for making of list of what you're looking for, unlike so many who just post "Tell us why we should move there and where we should live" with no further info
1. Dogs--I don't think there's such thing as a dog-friendly nor dog-unfriendly town; more "dog people or non-dog people or afraid-of-dogs people". The fact that they are PB mixes might worry some, but there are Pit rescue places all around NC. It's basically a non-issue unless you need to rent for a spell and then of course would have to find dog-friendly places.
2. Scenic--NC is one of the most scenic states around, in both directions (mountains and beaches). we have many lakes, too. A map is a good place to start, but the coast of NC has what are generally deemed the best beaches in the Southeast until you get to mid-Florida.
3. NC is a 4-season state, though our winter is what many Northerners would think of as Fall. Most of the statte except the mountains gets less than a foot of snow a year TOTAL on average, although we do get a foot at a time sometimes...and some winters basically none at all. On average, probably one decent snow in Jan and one in Feb, but be aware that because we don't get much snow, we don't have a lot of snow-removal equipment like the North does, meaning a lot of people are trapped home. More and more office people work from home, though if you're in retail, you obviously can't do that. As a former retail manager, I remember having to get myself into work especially in December, regardless of the weather. Luckily, December snow is VERY rare in most of NC.
4. NC does have a lot more "critters" than Northern states, according to what is posted here. the main poisonous snake in NC is the copperhead, which is found in every county, and for some reason they've been more plentiful the last couple of years. Their bite is not fatal, but they can be aggressive and you don't want to get bitten. We do also have rattlesnakes (mostly in the mountains, or the underbrush in the flat eastern part) and Water Moccasins (mostly down east) but copperheads are by far the most plentiful poisonous snake--but I don't want to make it sound like they are everywhere. We have far, FAR more NON-poisonous snakes (rat snakes, black snakes, etc) that are GOOD snakes and some actually repel or EAT copperheads. I've lived in NC my whole life and NEVER encountered a copperhead by "stumbling on one". As for spiders--they are ubiquitous but usually tiny. We do have Black Widows, but most others are harmless--think "Charlotte" in Charlotte's Web I would say the worst pest in NC are **mosquitoes**
5. Suburbs are one thing you can easily find in NC...most of the populations of NC cities are in the suburbs, and our downtowns are relatively small compared to the Industrial Belt. We were a rural, farming state with small cities until the last 75 years or so, and then when Tech started moving in to places like Raleigh & Durham, the suburbs exploded in textbook "urban sprawl". Every city has more suburban neighborhoods than you can even imagine. BUT, it does mean cars are a necessity; public transportation even in cities is woeful here, thanks to said sprawl.
Thanks for doing your homework; this site will give you good leads to consider!
THANK YOU!! This was very helpful!! Also thank you for staying on topic and helping answer my questions. I’m sorry for the delayed response- I stopped following my own post cause people decided to start their own conversations that had nothing to do with my questions. I appreciate your help A LOT!!
Just ignore people when they start talking among themselves. I think Francois
pretty much covered it. I've lived in NC my entire 58 years and don't have any complaints
about it... other than the lack of snow which I love. It's nice to have four seasons with
fall and winter being my favorites. I have no use at all for summer. Where I live I'm three hours to the beach and
three hours to the mountains. Also three hours to West Virginia which I really enjoy! All
towns have their good and bad which I'm sure you know. It's what you make of wherever
you live. Come down and check us out is the best way to do it. I would never go on what people
say about a place on the internet. I make my own choices. Good luck!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lmartini14
I’m sorry for the delayed response- I stopped following my own post cause people decided to start their own conversations that had nothing to do with my questions.
Since Asheville is one of your options, you really need to make a trip up there and check it out. It's different from Raleigh in many ways, not better or worse, but when it comes to the climate you are looking for, it might fit your bill. Just keep in mind that the roads up there were not built with the exploding population in mind, so it can be very, very bad for such a small city.
Wilmington is also a great place to live, the proximity to the water, the options for seafood (okay, I threw that one in because I love fresh seafood!), the milder winters are all good reasons to consider it, too.
I love Raleigh. I don't think it meets what you are looking for honestly.
1. We have two pit mixes that we love and want dog friendly towns.
2. We would really love somewhere scenic-lake or ocean breeze is something we always wanted to be by. Illinois isn’t scenic at all.
3. Fall is my favorite season, but we hate winter..so maybe somewhere that experiences cool periods.
1. If consistent breeze is important to you, you need the coast or the mountains.
2. Area that have true autumns (such as Asheville) are more likely to have more of a winter as well. Areas with the least amount of winter will not have as much of a true autum (Wilmington).
3. I know you said NC, but if possible you should see if Greenville, SC is an option. It absolutely meets your criteria.
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I would say the worst pest in NC are **mosquitoes** 
