"Mayberry like" towns? (Charlotte, Greensboro: fit in, for sale, how much)

[bjt]

I am a seperated mother of three, and am looking to move from Sanford. Are there any small, everybody knows everybody towns like Mayberry left in North Carolina?
BJ

[just_sayin']

NO.....Mayberry was a fake town. It was based off of the town of Mt. Airy suppoedly (north of Greensboro)....but that town is practically abandoned now that the textile industry is on its way out. There are many nice small towns in NC...but that idealic mayberry town where everybody knows all of their neighbors and gets along for the most part....does not exist in NC (or any state for that matter).

[liveInNC]

Originally Posted by bjt

I am a seperated mother of three, and am looking to move from Sanford. Are there any small, everybody knows everybody towns like Mayberry left in North Carolina?
BJ

towns where everyone knows each other are usally towns where the population has been the same families for generations. 3rd or 4th generation families in the same house. Coming in as an outsider in one of these towns you'll feel more of an outcast and not one of the townfolk unless you try really hard to fit in and absorb the local customs and such.

[RedNC]

Try Locust, NC. It's a small town where everyine knows everyone.

[Prichard]

I don't know about North Carolina, but in North Georgia there are some towns that are Maybery-like. I'd say that Clayton is one. Some other mountain towns probably equally so, both in Georgia and North Carolina. Yes, there are families that have lived in these towns for many generations, and they do tend to run things. But, it's not impossible to move there and be accepted - you just have to make an honest effort to become a part of their community, leave "the way we do it in ______ville" at the county line before you even step foot in the town. Most folks are nice people, especially if you make a sincere effort to befriend them. Like, affiliate with a church; Go to Highschools football / basketball games, even if you don't have kids that attend; volunteer your time when and where you can. Even people who's families have lived in a town for generations take notice of these things when an "outsider" moves to town.

[rclement]

See http://www.insearchofmayberry.com/towns.html (broken link) for a dozen suggestions!

(My, that's funny, why doesn't it work as a link? Well, sorry, just copy and paste it into your browser, I guess.)

[Carolina_native]

Originally Posted by bjt

I am a seperated mother of three, and am looking to move from Sanford. Are there any small, everybody knows everybody towns like Mayberry left in North Carolina?
BJ

They exist. The problem is that many of these towns are tucked away far from most major cities. But most people dont want to live 30 miles from a Walmart. This is very true in NC, and Im sure most of the country. Its happened here in the Lake Norman area.

Mooresville, Huntersville, all used to be small towns far from Charlotte, and not very long ago. Now they are bustling Charlotte suburbs with every imaginable thing any city could imagine to have.

[silverwing]

I am a seperated mother of three, and am looking to move from Sanford. Are there any small, everybody knows everybody towns like Mayberry left in North Carolina?
BJ

Originally Posted by i'minformed

NO.....Mayberry was a fake town. It was based off of the town of Mt. Airy suppoedly (north of Greensboro)....but that town is practically abandoned now that the textile industry is on its way out. There are many nice small towns in NC...but that idealic mayberry town where everybody knows all of their neighbors and gets along for the most part....does not exist in NC (or any state for that matter).

*sigh*

Mt. Airy is about 40 miles NW of Winston-Salem, reached by highway 52 from that point. It’s also near the Virginia state line. It’s the hometown of Andy Griffith and an area from which he drew many ideas for his show. The “Mt. Pilot” mentioned in the series is Pilot Mountain, located south of Mt. Airy. Little-mentioned is the fact that the Mt. Airy area was home to 19th century sideshow curiosities Chang and Eng Bunker: Siamese twins who were never separated, married sisters, and fathered a small tribe whose descendants still live in the area http://www.blueridgecountry.com/newtwins/twins.html

Mt. Airy is a nice little town. I’ve been through there many, many times and have never been greeted with anything but warmth and courtesy. It’s an area that has always attracted tourists; there are several festivals each year that celebrate its “Mayberry” heritage (Floyd’s Barber Shop actually exists); and now draws retirees for its small town atmosphere, closeness to the mountains (head farther up 52 and you’ll come to an entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway) and relatively low cost of living. Near there are a couple of really neat vineyards/restaurants: Shelton and Black Wolf http://www.sheltonvineyards.com/ & http://www.blackwolfvineyards.com/ So I wouldn’t say that the area has been “abandoned”. More information can be found here http://www.visitmayberry.com/

As far as raising a family there, that depends. Some posters who actually grew up there will warn that it’s not exactly the most hopping place; the closest place for shopping and hanging out would be down in Winston-Salem; but the town is growing and more amenities (chain restaurants) are locating there. Also, one of the few remaining drive-in theaters can be found outside of town on highway 52. I’ve read several articles about the hospital growing and adding more services http://www.northernhospital.com/

As always, you can draw ideas from these postings (though some have to be corrected) but it would be best to take them as guides and visit the area yourself.

[Donna7]

Originally Posted by liveInNC

towns where everyone knows each other are usally towns where the population has been the same families for generations. 3rd or 4th generation families in the same house. Coming in as an outsider in one of these towns you'll feel more of an outcast and not one of the townfolk unless you try really hard to fit in and absorb the local customs and such.

You are 100% right. We live in a "Mayberry" type town here in NE OH. We have been here since June of 1991, and are parents to a larger family. Having had children and having had more children as we continued to live here as helped us assimiliate a bit because of our children's involvement in school activities and sports.

This small town that we live in is only 5 to 10 minutes away from the border of the towns that both my husband and I grew up in. We did not move hundreds or thousands of miles to live here. Truly, this town borders our former home towns growing up, yet one feels as if they moved to another state.

I have to list the positives of this town. Some positives include safety and safe schools, very little violence or crime. Now for the negatives/cons: The homogenous aspect is not that good because your children will never know any type of diversity, including different skin color, ethnicity, or religion unless you purposefully educate him/her on that. And finally, what LiveinNC has said - I can't say it any better. He/she is right on target. Like I said, we've been here since 1991, grew up only a few minutes from here, but we will always be considered outsiders, looking in through the fishbowl because we did not go to school here, we did not grow up here, our family "roots" are not from here. Truly, generations of families have grown up here; the houses are quietly transferred from family member to family member without ever a "for sale" sign going up. If you like that sort of thing, and can somehow find a way to "fit in" or want to assimiliate into a community like this, I think there are many across the U.S. just like this. I've found that the people that do assimiliate somewhat into this type of community act and think like the people around here. For us, we are not gossipers, not interested in everyone else's business.

As we've been here, more of the land has been developed and more "outsiders" have moved in, but the "townsfolk" really put up an eternal fight about this. Our town seems to be divided between those that want progress (want to attract some business, shopping, industry), and those that want to keep it exactly like it is.

I know several people who have been "driven out" of this town, not by physical violence or threats, but by subtle shunning, gossip, picking on their kids, ostracizing their kids in sports, etc. The people just plain gave up and quit; sold their house and moved out of this town. I also know some people who have moved out of here even after living here many years, and are finally happy living somewhere else because they experienced the type of treatment the original poster described.

This town loves sports; the only thing it supports and celebrates is sports. Again, if your child/ren is/are not from here; most likely they will feel as if they're never good enough. Things here are about "politics", not a child's ability to play.

Overall, our experience has been both good and bad living in a "Mayberry type town" as you describe.

My advice to those looking for Mayberry type towns is to know that the show was fictional, that the lovey-dovey things, the concerns for others, and all of the other wonderful things that most of us want in our life, including acceptance, is most likely a fictional reality. The reality, in my opinion,is that one must find a place that resonates with each of us within. For some, it could be a small town, for others, it could be a very large city, but with a network of people that support you and love you.

[Donna7]

I want to add that the people who were driven out by this town, through subtle actions (as mentioned in my previous post) were ones that tried to make changes as it pertains to town politics, and to their most precious commoditity and that is sports. You'd be shocked by how much politics is involved in Little League baseball or Pee Wee football. Dear Lord, you would think that the NBA and NFL reside here. Well, in their small town minds, they do. If you move to a small town, prepare to conform yourself to how the other townspeople think and act; don't cause waves, don't be different. For some, that is not easy. I feel sorry for the people that move to small towns looking for an idealized reality, looking for that mythical place where everyone knows your name, people are friendly, etc. Small towns are not always the answer for everyone. I really hope that people get that because it is true.