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HEY HEY! My husband and I are interested in the perks of NC living! We are currently located in rural, western TN and have began feeling like something is missing. We are longing for more opportunity both in our careers and personal lives. Here are some details to help point us in the right direction.
Us
I am 29 and work as an outpatient mental health therapist in a community health setting. My husband is 28 and works as a safety specialist (think anything OSHA-related). We are very laid back and appreciate a simple life. We have 2 dogs (a coonhound mix + staffy mix; both rescues) and like to be outdoors when the weather is nice!
Living
Looking to rent a house with a yard (ideally, if possible) or an apartment (no size preference) that allows dogs. Are there breed restrictions anywhere? Certain areas? Certain rental agencies? Suburbs of larger cities would be nice - I'd prefer not to live where I work simply due to the nature of my work.
Hobbies
We love to be outdoors - we don't get a ton of opportunity here in TN since our seasons change faster than our undies. We love working out at the gym, going out to eat (sort of self-proclaimed foodies) and exploring the history in towns/communities.
Area
So far I've been looking around the triangle and around Greensboro - which towns around here would be best to live in? Are we missing out on other hidden gems near the mountains or the coast? I think mid-state would give us more access to visit all other area, right?
Thanks for any feedback on living, working and experiencing NC!
There are many nice places to live in NC. Your post is so broad and vague that there's really no way to give you a meaningful answer.
The Triangle and Charlotte have the strongest economies and job markets. My advice would be to start there, get some job leads (and/or offers) then look for a specific place to live within your preferred commuting distance.
You'll likely find a job lead for one of you, before the other. So make good use of Google Maps and get a sense of what the distance would be like from where that initial job is, to the other nearby cities and whether the spouse is likely to find employment too.
You don't need to be too skeptical of the smaller cities, if you can at least be within 45 minutes distance to a larger one, in case your initial lead doesn't work out.
I'm LCSW, semi-retired. Be aware that state mental health is privatized, so you'll see starting salaries at agencies ridiculously low. You might want to join a private practice instead.
Regarding the dog which is a staffi mix, you will encounter apartments with breed restrictions which consider it a pit-bull type dog. You might be better off looking for a house.
Like the others have said, look for the best job for one of you. The safety inspector might have a harder time if he needs to be in a large urban area. Is this a possiblity with the State in Raleigh? https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/...ampaign=Indeed
BTW, the climate of North Carolina is not much different from Tennessee, but the climate is milder on the coast. The terrain for outdoor hiking is less interesting in coastal flatlands, but we have water sports.
Thanks Sue! This is similar in TN so I've been looking in both state and private practice options. I haven't specialized in anything particularly which might make finding work in a private practice a little more difficult but I'm putting all my feelers out there!
Along with knowing the employment location, it would be good to know what your price range for renting is. Generally speaking, the Triangle is more expensive than Greensboro.
Your post sounds a little split between preferring rural areas (i.e. wanting the simple life, wanting space for a dog) versus suburban areas that are close to urban areas (being foodies). Liking the outdoors could go either way, as you'd have a chance at a larger yard in a rural area, and typically better access to hobbies like fishing or hunting but you'd probably have better access to other outdoor amenities, like greenways, in urban or suburban areas.
Depending on where your job is located and how much of a commute you'd like to tolerate (which you said you prefer having a little separation between work and home), you can live in an urban (you don't sound too interested in that), suburban, or rural area pretty easily, especially in the Triad (which includes Greensboro), which doesn't have quite the traffic issues that the Triangle does.
Thanks Sue! This is similar in TN so I've been looking in both state and private practice options. I haven't specialized in anything particularly which might make finding work in a private practice a little more difficult but I'm putting all my feelers out there!
You can always get specialized if you think you need it. I've been a generalist but have training in CBT and DBT.
HEY HEY! My husband and I are interested in the perks of NC living! We are currently located in rural, western TN and have began feeling like something is missing. We are longing for more opportunity both in our careers and personal lives. Here are some details to help point us in the right direction.
Us
I am 29 and work as an outpatient mental health therapist in a community health setting. My husband is 28 and works as a safety specialist (think anything OSHA-related). We are very laid back and appreciate a simple life. We have 2 dogs (a coonhound mix + staffy mix; both rescues) and like to be outdoors when the weather is nice!
Living
Looking to rent a house with a yard (ideally, if possible) or an apartment (no size preference) that allows dogs. Are there breed restrictions anywhere? Certain areas? Certain rental agencies? Suburbs of larger cities would be nice - I'd prefer not to live where I work simply due to the nature of my work.
Hobbies
We love to be outdoors - we don't get a ton of opportunity here in TN since our seasons change faster than our undies. We love working out at the gym, going out to eat (sort of self-proclaimed foodies) and exploring the history in towns/communities.
Area
So far I've been looking around the triangle and around Greensboro - which towns around here would be best to live in? Are we missing out on other hidden gems near the mountains or the coast? I think mid-state would give us more access to visit all other area, right?
Thanks for any feedback on living, working and experiencing NC!
Hello! I think The Triangle would be a good fit for you guys. It's big enough to give you the city amenities and in the city of Raleigh itself there's ample opportunity for large yards. I'd recommend looking in the 27603, 27606 and 27615 zip codes. You'll have some room to breathe but still be quite close to the cities. The Greenway system here is extensive, and we have Umstead Park which is a very large wooded area with good hikes right in the middle of the city. I'm not sure of your budget, but I'm sure you could find something here.
Greensboro is indeed cheaper than Raleigh, and smaller but still with amenities. Closer to the mountains which is a perk for me. I don't know much about it, but I think it would be too small for my tastes. Raleigh is almost to small for me, haha.
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