Relocating from Buffalo - Raleigh vs Asheville (Charlotte, Durham: fit in, transplants)

[snm198]

Hello! My boyfriend and I currently live in Buffalo and are seriously considering moving to North Carolina. We are not looking to move anytime in the near future, we're thinking more in about 5 years from now or whenever our cars are paid off (we both got cars in July days apart, both with a 5 year loan. Obviously if we're able to we would pay them off sooner). Neither of us are particularly worried about jobs, we both have jobs that have locations in NC that we would be able to transfer to, theoretically at least. His is slightly more limited, the locations in NC are Raleigh, Durham, Gastonia, and Arden/Asheville. We were thinking either Raleigh or Arden/Asheville. I work in retail so I have options everywhere. My company has 3 different chains that are all the same company, so I would be able to work at any of them (points if you can guess the company ). Things we would like opinions and tips on are:

1. Weather. Is either city hotter than the other in summer? My bf handles all temperatures well (above 45 degrees that is) but I get heat sick easily if it's too hot, and the heat/sun combo tends to flip my migraine switch. Obviously this could be counteracted by staying indoors in the A/C all summer and heat is preferable to lake effect snow but...you know.

2. Safety/location. We currently live in a suburb of Buffalo in the southtowns. It's an area I feel completely comfortable walking around in at all times of day by myself, so I would like a similar feeling area (if you're a Buffalo transplant we live in the village of Hamburg). I used to live a couple blocks from a bad area and didn't like being out after dark or wearing both earbuds, etc. I don't want to go back to that if I can help it.

3. Cost. Preferably in the next 5 years I would move into a management position, which would put my salary around 50k and his around 30k. We would prefer to buy a house, but we'll take suggestions for both renting and buying. Is there an area where housing/housing costs are lower, etc. For renting we have 2 cats. I'm not paying ridiculous fees because I own cats. Currently we have a 2 BR apartment in a good area for $750 a month that includes all utilities except cable/internet. We don't pay extra for our cats and we have a small storage room in the basement. I know we'll never find as great a deal ever again, but I wanted to give some perspective.

That's about it for the big questions. Some smaller ones are:

Diversity, I guess I would say. I'm white (female, btw) and my bf is black. We haven't had any major issues in Buffalo so I'm just wondering how it is in NC in regards to that.

Sports. A very small reason we're looking to get out of Buffalo is that it's very tiring to be Patriots fans here. Honestly, most of the dirty looks we get aren't because we're interracial but because we very much support our team. True story, I was tripped in a Starbucks because I was wearing a Gronk shirt. So, anything is really a step above that

Cable/Internet Providers. It sounds very silly, I know. Our current apartment building does not allow satellites, dishes, etc. As such, we were limited to Time Warner, which was fine when it was still TWC. Since Spectrum took over it's been pretty ****ty. It's frustrating that it's our only option. One of my bf's hobbies depends on internet quality/speed. Cable we're not as fussed about besides the basic NBC/CBS channels (aka football channels). We have Sling and Netflix for our other shows.

Neighborhood. This again kind of relates to safety. I do like to take walks and sometimes run, so I want to feel safe doing so but also enjoy my surroundings.

Gyms/fitness classes. Another oddball, but I'm a big Zumba fanatic. When we move I'll be leaving behind my "Zumba family". My instructors teach very high energy and I struggle to find the same kind of classes here even. So I'm trying to scope out potential Zumba scenes in the area For gyms, basic equipment is fine, if there's a women's only area as well even better. If you could just tell me monthly costs for some gyms I'd appreciate it.

Cockroaches? Someone told me if I don't want to deal with cockroaches then I shouldn't move past PA. Are they really that inescapable down there? Are there any tips/advice/suggestions/I don't even know what I'm trying to ask. I could handle one here and there but constant infestations no thanks.

I think that's everything I can think of. Thanks in advance for any helpful tips you can give me

Oh, one last thing. We do not want kids ever, now or in the future, so schools have zero importance to us. Kids living in the area is fine, of course. We don't hate them lol we just don't want any of our own.

[919 rtp]

1. Yes, it is hot in the summer. Come for a visit in July and see it first hand. Nothing we say here is the same as experiencing it yourself.

2. Each community has its good and bad areas.

3. $750 with all utilities except cable is a bargain. I haven't looked for an apartment for a very long time so no idea of current price but I was paying more than $750/month twenty years ago.

Diversity relationships is common here.

Sports rivals around here are usually college sports related. I'm not that big of a sports fan so I won't bother you about wearing a jersey from some team

Cockroaches -- yes, we have them. Along with fire ants, ticks, mosquitoes, chiggers, spiders, and snakes. Welcome to the south.

[Dire Wolf]

Don't have time to comment on all of that, but a few things:
1) Raleigh is going to be warmer than Asheville. The difference in the peak of summer will be the difference between being hot and being miserable on some days. OTOH, that means milder winters.
2) This area doesn't have a deep allegiance to one NFL team. Between locals that grew up before the Panthers were around and transplants that were fans of a team elsewhere, fandom is very diverse.
3) You are likely to find rent more expensive for something nice/clean/safe than the $750 you are used to.
4) Roaches and ants seem to be a common problem in apartments. Even if you keep things clean, if just one neighbor doesn't, you still have to deal with it. If you have or rent a house, they are much easier to prevent and deal with if they do pop up. I haven't lived in an apartment for decades, and have not had to deal with roaches since. I have seen the occasional small ant find their way into my home during significant summer droughts, presumably searching for any water they can find.

[poppydog]

I would spend some time looking online at rental prices. $750 seems incredibly low to me. I would expect to pay double that. You might find another bargain, but that's just super low.

Tourism is a big driver for Asheville's economy. The wages are not high, but the rents are.

The Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) is a tech hub and biotech and healthcare industry hotspot.

Nobody cares enough about the Patriots here to bother hating them.

[Tabster]

You might want to rule Raleigh out if heat is an issue.

[annabanana123]

I’d say the rent will be your biggest factor. $750 may seem like a lot but it doesn’t go far in the triangle. Not sure about the areas outside Asheville but maybe it would go farther there. We do have some cockroaches but I’ve never seen more than one here or there. As long as you clean up regularly you shouldn’t have any issues. Plenty of Zumba, diversity and patriots fans around here (go pats!!). I’d suggest visiting sometime and seeing if you like it. Maybe make a longer trip and visit both areas.

[snm198]

Thank you all for your responses so far! I just want to say yes, I know 750 is ridiculously cheap and I know we'll never get anything close to it again. I scoured craigslist for weeks until this apartment came up, it was close to my bf's work and in a good neighborhood, the apartments aren't the greatest but they're not bad, they're a little old and could use fixing up but they're clean. It's not a complex just one apartment building with 12 units. So yes, I'm aware we're never going to find something like this again and that's fine! It was something we needed at the time because my bf wasn't full time at the time and my current salary is about 15k a year. Now he is full time and I'm in line to be promoted so money won't be as big an issue as it was 3 years ago when we moved in here.

[twingles]

I think the heat in this area might be too much for you. Asheville might be a better fit in that regard. Winters are worse, but nothing like Buffalo obviously.

I suspect housing, whether to rent or buy, is going to be much more expensive than you're anticipating. My company regularly has people wanting to relocate from your area and many abandon their plans once they discover how much a comparable place to live will cost.

[poppydog]

Yeah, I'm with twingles. I think you are going to be in for a rude surprise w/ regard to housing costs.

Asheville rents most expensive in NC - and still climbing

ASHEVILLE - Living with roommates to help pay the rent has become the new normal for many in Asheville - particularly for people depending on hourly wages in low-paying industries, area leasing agents say.

And that’s unlikely to change anytime soon as the average cost of renting a home or an apartment in Asheville climbed 7.6 percent from March 2015 through March 2016, the highest surge in North Carolina, according to the San Francisco-based company Apartment List.

The median rent for a two-bedroom unit in Asheville has reached $1,180 a month, the highest in the state for that size among a set of 10 large North Carolina cities selected by Apartment List, said Andrew Woo, a company data scientist.

Asheville overtook Charlotte in January to top the state's costliest rent list, Woo said.

Charlotte and Durham are second and third with respective median rents of $1,140 and $1,100 for a two-bedroom unit.

The cost of renting in Asheville is something that can catch new residents by surprise.

“We tell them that they have to have a job or significant savings,” said Kimberly Evans, broker in charge at Alpha Real Estate in Asheville. “If they don’t, we recommend that they delay their plans” until they do one of the two."

Do a search on Zillow or another site for rentals and compare the prices in Buffalo. Asheville is a tourist driven place and highly desirable. There are a lot of people who want to live there and will pay more for the privilege.