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Oops... accidentally posted this yesterday on a local forum. Meant to post it on the state-wide forum...
We are fortunate enough to be retiring in our early 50's in 2011.
Question: What is the most beautiful historic residential neighborhood in North Carolina?
We are only interested in 2 criteria:
1) a high concentration of beautiful, historic homes in a nice neighborhood;
2) decent weather for most of the year. (We can tolerate cool winters, but we do NOT like extremely hot, humid summers. Are there any areas of the State that are less hot or less humid then the rest of the state?)
(Assume employment , housing costs, and all other factors irrelevant. Does not matter if its a small town, medium sized city, or large city --- we have lived in all 3, and each has advantages and disadvantages.)
Feel free to post any photos if you have them.
Thanks in advance.
Chapel Hill has several historic residential neighborhoods, one of which is the Franklin-Rosemary Historic District. It runs adjacent to the UNC campus and outwards a number of blocks, it has sidewalks and big trees, two-story houses. I think the town is around 40,000 and is right in the middle of the state towards the Virginia state line, so not too terribly cold like the mountains and not particularly humid like the coast. But like all places in the South, it does indeed get hot in the summer, but it's not as bad as its nearby city Raleigh. That historic district is also within walking distance to all the little popular cafes, shoppes, and bookstores that line Franklin Street and a couple blocks near it, which Franklin is directly across from the university and its beautiful grounds. Look on the Wikipedia website and our City-Data website to learn a lot about Chapel Hill, it's a lovely place, trees everywhere and rolling hills, easy to drive, bike, and walk, there's activities from horseback riding to fine dining, and it's centered around one of the most well-known universities in the country. You're equidistant from the mountains and the beach, about a four-hour drive either way, which is really great for summer vacations, since people come from all over the world to visit the Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail in the hills, and the Outer Banks in the eastern part of our state. But look before you leap! Most towns of any size will have their historic districts, so it kind of boils down to which one has the right feel to you, and of course meets your weather criteria.
To avoid oppressive summers, you'll need to go to the mountains. I don't know about the neighborhoods in Asheville, but that sounds like a good bet. New Bern and Raleigh get 3-4 weeks of humid, 90+ degrees weather in the summer, though New Bern, being on the coast, may have it better. Edenton is another historic area much like New Bern, for that matter.
Chapel Hill has several historic residential neighborhoods, one of which is the Franklin-Rosemary Historic District. It runs adjacent to the UNC campus and outwards a number of blocks, it has sidewalks and big trees, two-story houses. I think the town is around 40,000 and is right in the middle of the state towards the Virginia state line, so not too terribly cold like the mountains and not particularly humid like the coast. But like all places in the South, it does indeed get hot in the summer, but it's not as bad as its nearby city Raleigh. That historic district is also within walking distance to all the little popular cafes, shoppes, and bookstores that line Franklin Street and a couple blocks near it, which Franklin is directly across from the university and its beautiful grounds. Look on the Wikipedia website and our City-Data website to learn a lot about Chapel Hill, it's a lovely place, trees everywhere and rolling hills, easy to drive, bike, and walk, there's activities from horseback riding to fine dining, and it's centered around one of the most well-known universities in the country. You're equidistant from the mountains and the beach, about a four-hour drive either way, which is really great for summer vacations, since people come from all over the world to visit the Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail in the hills, and the Outer Banks in the eastern part of our state. But look before you leap! Most towns of any size will have their historic districts, so it kind of boils down to which one has the right feel to you, and of course meets your weather criteria.
Chapel Hill's population is over 55,000 and only two or so hours to the beach, but yes within four hours to the mountains. Not too far from Chapel Hill and Durham is Hillsborough. Hillsborough's population is a little over 5,500 for a quaint historic town. Yet it is only 10-20 minutes into Durham and Chapel Hill and within 30 to Raleigh so you get the city amenities too. It was founded in 1754 and I believe it was temporarily the state capital before Raleigh. Of course like and historic town you will need $$$.
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