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We are looking for any an all info on smaller towns in North Carolina that would be great for raising children. Ideally, we would like to find a quaint, historic town that has solid public schools and is fairly close to a college or university. It would be great to be within an hour or so drive of a metro area also - however, we want to avoid a suburb feel. Sunshine would be nice also! We currently live in Florida were living the cost of living is still relatively cheap - no state income tax, relatively low property taxes. Therefore, affordability would be a factor.
A progressive political climate would be nice as well!
Sounds like Hillsborough--though it's probably more expensive than other places.
Generally "progressive", "near a university", and "good public schools" are going to run in opposition to "low cost". Supply and Demand, etc. (if somewhere is cheap, it's because fewer people want to live there). You'd do best to rank your criteria and see which ones you are most willing to sacrifice for the others.
Sounds like you might like Rolesville. It's a small town, yet has a lot too offer. Schools are real close and you can opt for Traditional Calander or Year Round. Lots of shopping, restaurants, Parks and really close to the new Wake Tech Campus (maybe six or seven minutes without traffic). Downtown raleigh is about 25 Minutes....just a few minutes from the new 1540 bypass and a stone throw from Wake Forest. Homes are typically between 200 and 450k.
We moved here five years ago from Long Island and it was a very easy transition.
Our ideal home would be an older two story with a basement - around 2,000+ sq. ft. We would like a good size yard for our kids to be able to run and play. We are not oppossed to a more country type setting on an acre or so either as long as we are close to town and amenities. We are not so much concerned with the cost of real estate at the moment, as we will probably initially rent until we know that we have found the "right spot" for the long haul. At this point we are more concerned with finding the "right" town / area. Quality of public schools is a large factor for us. We would like to be somewhat close to a larger metro area but are really looking for more of a historic small town feel - NO suburbia feel and no traffic! We have found a few small towns in western NC in or near the moutains that are good prospects. However, nothing has truly "grabbed us" as of yet. We are also watchful of the political and cultural climates of smaller towns throughout the south in general. By no means do we want to live with those who only share our opinions and beliefs, but we also do not want to be the only progressive leaning folks for miles and miles either! We are anything but niave. We understand that no place is going to 100% match our crieteria. However, we are willing to spend the time and energy to get as close as we can.
Thanks for any info you would like to share.
Liz-Bri real estate prices can vary depending on what area of the state you are. For example $200,000 can get you a whole lot of house and land in some areas or a condo in others. That's why I asked what you would like to spend. Full basements are uncommon in NC. However you can find half/walk outs in most areas.
NC's biggest cities are in the central area called the Piedmont. There are many small towns within an hour or so of these major cities. The other posters suggested towns in the Triangle. I also suggest looking in the Triad (Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point area) and Davidson and Cornelius in the Charlotte area.
I agree with Francois, since you are most interested in a historic small town with good schools, you can't go wrong with Hillsborough. You won't find much in town for your price range, but there are a few. Further out of town (north and west) you will though, and still be within 10 minutes of the downtown historic area. If you have a chance, come up on the last weekend of the month between May and Sept. They have Last Friday celebrations downtown with live music on the Old Courthouse lawn. You'll get a taste then. There are some wonderful historic small towns in the mountains, but I'm not familiar with the schools up that way. If you are interested in going closer to the coast, check out New Bern area or Southport. But you really can't get much older than Hillsborough when it comes to historic.
If you want progressive, you're definitely going to want to look at Hillsborough and Pittsboro near Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill and Carrboro are also small, depending on your definition of small.
In the mountains, check out Boone. There are a lot of really politically conservative areas in the mountains as well as most of non-urban NC. Asheville has a progressive bent, but may be larger than you're looking for. Boone is a mix of conservative/progressive. Chapel Hill and Carrboro are going to be the most progressive places in the state. Smaller towns near there (like Hillsborough) are going to be more progressive than other small towns as well.
Thanks so much.
We will do our research on Roseville!
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