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we are relocating and are wondering if n.c. may have a great place for us.
in brief, we're looking for:
-historic houses: 1930s or before
-shade, shade, and more shade --trees!
-good schools
-low crime
-a nice park
-Friendly people who want to make friends with a transplant family
-$300k or less
-a church to become active in --methodist, presbyterian, lutheran --something in that vein
things we love to do:
go for walks in shady streets and look at historic homes
we love to walk!
fix up historic homes
go to antique stores
have bbq. in a shady backyard during the summer
run barefoot with our oldest daughter in the sprinklers or sit in a shady sandbox
go to a nice park and play and go for a walk
hang out with friends in the backyard in the summer or have a cup of coffee in the living room in winter
my husband's job reqs. him to be gone for several months at a time. so the friendly people and low crime thing is important
i don't care what size the town is. i could live in a smaller town IF it met all the criteria, especially if it was within an hour of a bigger one with the "big box" shopping. in other words, i don't want to have to travel to another town to go for a walk on a shady street, meet with friends, go to church.
it depends on the small town. an example by comparison:
espanola, nm. and durango, co. are about the same size (10,000 people)
espanola:
looks and feels blighted.
the locals are locals since the conquistadors and don't really like "new" people. they're nice and courteous, but not looking to make friends with the new people. and as one result, no mother's clubs or playgroups to get involved in.
espanola has the "small town" problem of h.s. dropouts, rampant teen pregnancy, and concomitant poverty
crime is high
the intown shopping, outside of walmart, is things like check cashing and the lock smith. not too many "extraneous" things like a bookstore or coffee shop.
one park that is full of graffitti and beer bottles
no sidewalks
it's "only" 35 minutes from santa fe, nm, which has more to do. however, i don't want to have to drive 35 minutes to go to a park, to church, to friends....
durango, colorado
"quaint" --not blighted
lots of the "extraneous" stores
high education level as a general proposition
people in their 30s with small children
lots of nice parks and walking trails
historic homes and trees
--durango sounds like it would be right up our alley. however...
-it is toooo expensive. 800 sf. for 390,000.00 likewise, all of the extraneous shopping adventures are also very expensive. a pair of shoes for a toddler....85.00 no thanks.
-the people are very very friendly and most are transplants. however, they're pretentious in a hippie/natural fiber outfits/celebrity kind of way. i'm looking for friends who wouldn't spend 85.00 for a pair of hemp shoes for their 2 year old. (and as far as a type of people we're looking for, i don't want to hang out with the "metrosexual" gang where everyone is talking about the unfortunate death of the martini.
as a general population, our friends are college educated professionals or stay home moms, all with young kids. no one has an extravagant lifestyle, but we're all financially self sufficient and don't have to count every single penny. for example, i didn't buy the 85.00 shoes i saw today, but i did by a 12.00 consignment dress for my daughter and a 12.00 lunch --without having to balance the checkbook.
we all hang out in our backyards for bbqs and meet at the park for picnics.
Sounds a lot like Wake Forest- there are tons of neighborhoods like that. My husband & I had a great walk with our daughter & dog in the historic district & there were lots of people out walking.
There is big box shopping & there is Some more eclectic shopping in downtown WF , more in Chapel Hill & Raleigh.
Consignment? Lots of shops, and this weekend at the Factory (an ice rink-soccer-baseball-shopping-restaurant complex) there is a BIG consignment sale, run by Kidz Junction.
Many churches to choose from, too.
thanks everyone! i had no idea about the arbor day designation system! thanks again. i've written all of your suggestions down and will continue to hope for more. have a great one everyone! --amy
we are relocating and are wondering if n.c. may have a great place for us.
in brief, we're looking for:
-historic houses: 1930s or before
-shade, shade, and more shade --trees!
-good schools
-low crime
-a nice park
-Friendly people who want to make friends with a transplant family
-$300k or less
-a church to become active in --methodist, presbyterian, lutheran --something in that vein
things we love to do:
go for walks in shady streets and look at historic homes
we love to walk!
fix up historic homes
go to antique stores
have bbq. in a shady backyard during the summer
run barefoot with our oldest daughter in the sprinklers or sit in a shady sandbox
go to a nice park and play and go for a walk
hang out with friends in the backyard in the summer or have a cup of coffee in the living room in winter
my husband's job reqs. him to be gone for several months at a time. so the friendly people and low crime thing is important
i don't care what size the town is. i could live in a smaller town IF it met all the criteria, especially if it was within an hour of a bigger one with the "big box" shopping. in other words, i don't want to have to travel to another town to go for a walk on a shady street, meet with friends, go to church.
it depends on the small town. an example by comparison:
espanola, nm. and durango, co. are about the same size (10,000 people)
espanola:
looks and feels blighted.
the locals are locals since the conquistadors and don't really like "new" people. they're nice and courteous, but not looking to make friends with the new people. and as one result, no mother's clubs or playgroups to get involved in.
espanola has the "small town" problem of h.s. dropouts, rampant teen pregnancy, and concomitant poverty
crime is high
the intown shopping, outside of walmart, is things like check cashing and the lock smith. not too many "extraneous" things like a bookstore or coffee shop.
one park that is full of graffitti and beer bottles
no sidewalks
it's "only" 35 minutes from santa fe, nm, which has more to do. however, i don't want to have to drive 35 minutes to go to a park, to church, to friends....
durango, colorado
"quaint" --not blighted
lots of the "extraneous" stores
high education level as a general proposition
people in their 30s with small children
lots of nice parks and walking trails
historic homes and trees
--durango sounds like it would be right up our alley. however...
-it is toooo expensive. 800 sf. for 390,000.00 likewise, all of the extraneous shopping adventures are also very expensive. a pair of shoes for a toddler....85.00 no thanks.
-the people are very very friendly and most are transplants. however, they're pretentious in a hippie/natural fiber outfits/celebrity kind of way. i'm looking for friends who wouldn't spend 85.00 for a pair of hemp shoes for their 2 year old. (and as far as a type of people we're looking for, i don't want to hang out with the "metrosexual" gang where everyone is talking about the unfortunate death of the martini.
as a general population, our friends are college educated professionals or stay home moms, all with young kids. no one has an extravagant lifestyle, but we're all financially self sufficient and don't have to count every single penny. for example, i didn't buy the 85.00 shoes i saw today, but i did by a 12.00 consignment dress for my daughter and a 12.00 lunch --without having to balance the checkbook.
we all hang out in our backyards for bbqs and meet at the park for picnics.
i hope that this helps you help me haha.
--amy
---
Oxford NC has most of what you want, and we have two properties for sale here (call for more info).
I understand completely about the "pretentious hippie fiber / hemp $85.00 toddler shoes," which is somewhat true in nearby Chapel Hill, but Oxford NC is considered "the prettiest town in NC" with it's main street full of beautiful old Victorian houses and sidewalks and gardens and lots of large shady trees, plus azaleas, dogwoods and redbuds in bloom in the Spring. You can BBQ all you want as NC is famous for it’s special BBQ sauce!
As far as "friendly locals," you won't find much of that anywhere that there aren't a TON of transplants, but the people are "friendly enough." I actually love living out here in the country (10 minutes out of town).
There's not much to do, but the small town environment is very easy to get around and you will meet people in school and at church,with lots of transplants and commuters to Duke University. We are one hour from Henderson with big-box outlets, and 45 minutes to Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill. Myself, I go to NYC every three months for my "cultural fix," as it's an hour and a half plane ride from RDU and tickets can be had for $100.00 round trip! So I have come to be very happy here out in the country with horses and farms and fields and flower gardens. Lots in Granville County are one acre minimum so there's plenty of room.
Last edited by Jammie; 03-15-2007 at 11:01 PM..
Reason: removed personal contact info
Concord has a wonderful historic district with sidewalks and ancient trees. When we were transplanted down here we almost bought a home there (one could be had then for under $100K. now that would probably buy the garage ) because our previous home in the Midwest was an 1864 Second Empire Mansard and we wanted to recreate that home style in NC. A couple decades later, we still make a yearly trip down there just to drive through those neighborhoods. I've read on these boards that the schools there are good (albeit overcrowded, as in any transplant area), you are close to Concord Mills, and there has been a burst of growth lately with the big box stores. http://www.residentsofhistoricconcord.org (broken link)
Salisbury would be another candidate as a town that is vigorous about protecting its old neighborhoods, though you are going to be farther from Big Box shopping. While there is talk of a Target, maybe a Best Buy electronics being built, people travel the 20 miles (down I-85) to Concord or over to Winston-Salem. Salisbury does have the bonus of Dan Nichols Park, though
http://www.dannicholas.net/ (broken link)
This may be too late but I just googled "anyone looking for historic homes"
We live in a small town in North Carolina. We're 45 minutes to 1 hour from Charlotte, NC and also Concord, NC which is home to NASCAR Racing.
We're 3 hours from the beach and 3 hours from the mountains. It's a wonderful community with great community schools, sidewalks, 2 stoplights, 10 miles from a good size town with all of the things you need. Our little town has a beautiful lake, Lake Tillery. It's a great place to raise kids and also to retire. We've got a beautiful new park with great walking trail.
Our home was built in 1899. It's 3100 square feet. 2 story with 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, LR, DR, Kitchen. Great area to live in. Screened porch, small patio for grilling. A "mother in law" house in the backyard. We have huge oak trees in the front and back yard. There's the shade. Our town is great. We have a methodist, baptist and presbyterian church within walking distance. We've started a museum so you can easily find our town history!
We love our home but my husband works out of town and due to some family and health matters, we're going to try and downsize. We have a grown daughter with disabilities and need to make some long term decisions.
That's about it....I hope you're interested....glad to answer anymore questions.
Norwood, North Carolina
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Oxford NC, "Prettiest town in NC"
) because our previous home in the Midwest was an 1864 Second Empire Mansard and we wanted to recreate that home style in NC. A couple decades later, we still make a yearly trip down there just to drive through those neighborhoods. I've read on these boards that the schools there are good (albeit overcrowded, as in any transplant area), you are close to Concord Mills, and there has been a burst of growth lately with the big box stores. http://www.residentsofhistoricconcord.org (broken link)
