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Yeah, we're resigned to having to give up a lot to leave Ithaca, but one of the things we like about NC is that there are a lot of the things we're looking for if we're interested in driving a bit.
If I were you, I'd load up on Short-Stop subs, you won't find anything like that down here.
(Only visited Ithaca once, and I still remember that damn sub. Stellar!!!!)
I’d also suggest looking into Greenville SC or Charlottesville VA for upscale small town charm. I’m familiar with the Ithaca and Finger Lakes areas, you won’t find anything like that here so you’ll need to figure out what you’re will to give up to live here. Lakes are really man made reservoirs. If you want water, NC beaches are beautiful but then you’re giving up city amenities. NC has it all, just not all in one place. You might also look into Charleston SC.
Charleston's just as expensive, if not more so, than the Triangle, unfortunately (because it is great). I second those that said you might want to look at Winston-Salem (which has improved quite a bit in terms of the downtown in like the last 10 years) or Davidson, though they are a little further from Topsail. I don't know much about the Charlotte area other than Davidson, but you might ask in the Charlotte forum if there is a town on the southeast suburbs of Charlotte that would fit the bill--that would cut down on the drive a bit if you don't have to go through Charlotte, but would still get you the cultural amenities of Charlotte.
If I were you, I'd load up on Short-Stop subs, you won't find anything like that down here.
(Only visited Ithaca once, and I still remember that damn sub. Stellar!!!!)
100%! They're also a huge community support in lots of ways.
The good news is that we'll be back to visit all our friends here, especially in the summer when it's nice out, so can get our fix then
The neighborhoods around UNC Greensboro are historic, scenic, convenient to downtown, shopping, and hospitals... and far cheaper than those near Duke or UNC-CH. Another thought within Winston-Salem is Old Salem, which is near the NC School of the Arts.
For a retiree coming from outside the region, the Triad offers much the same QOL as the Triangle but at a substantially lower cost, as you're not competing for housing / road space with people drawn to the Triangle's hot jobs market.
Also in that direction is Elon, NC, a town of ~10,000 surrounding a mid-sized private college, adjacent to the small city of Burlington. (Greensboro is a 30-minute drive, Chapel Hill is 40 minutes.) Median home price there is <$300K, less than half of Chapel Hill's. A downside is that Elon is quite small (the Main Street is one block) and very preppy, and so it's not as diverse as Ithaca (Davidson is similar). Adjoining Burlington is much humbler, as it was a textile mill town.
Plus, the terrain west of the Triangle is hillier and generally more scenic than the flatter terrain to the east.
(On that thought, Roanoke, Staunton, and Harrisonburg VA are pretty good analogues for Ithaca, but much further from NTB than you'd like.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by lisap8
Oh, it's going into the ocean, probably in our lifetime. We bought it with zero illusions about that, in a life's-too-short epiphany. We don't keep anything there that we can't deal with losing
The neighborhoods around UNC Greensboro are historic, scenic, convenient to downtown, shopping, and hospitals... and far cheaper than those near Duke or UNC-CH. Another thought within Winston-Salem is Old Salem, which is near the NC School of the Arts.
For a retiree coming from outside the region, the Triad offers much the same QOL as the Triangle but at a substantially lower cost, as you're not competing for housing / road space with people drawn to the Triangle's hot jobs market.
Also in that direction is Elon, NC, a town of ~10,000 surrounding a mid-sized private college, adjacent to the small city of Burlington. (Greensboro is a 30-minute drive, Chapel Hill is 40 minutes.) Median home price there is <$300K, less than half of Chapel Hill's. A downside is that Elon is quite small (the Main Street is one block) and very preppy, and so it's not as diverse as Ithaca (Davidson is similar). Adjoining Burlington is much humbler, as it was a textile mill town.
Plus, the terrain west of the Triangle is hillier and generally more scenic than the flatter terrain to the east.
(On that thought, Roanoke, Staunton, and Harrisonburg VA are pretty good analogues for Ithaca, but much further from NTB than you'd like.)
Thank you, this is helpful information!
We're sort of ruling out VA because it may be more challenging to live in one state, keep a second home in another state, and work in still another state (we're both keeping our jobs in NY remotely). But I do hear Stauton is lovely!
I'm not a fan of Elon or Burlington, but Mebane has a cute teeny downtown. You will see many more Trump flags waving in Alamance County, though. (All of those towns are in Alamance.)
I would look at Greensboro if you find yourself priced out of the Triangle, but I bet you could find something in Durham.
I'm not a fan of Elon or Burlington, but Mebane has a cute teeny downtown. You will see many more Trump flags waving in Alamance County, though. (All of those towns are in Alamance.)
I would look at Greensboro if you find yourself priced out of the Triangle, but I bet you could find something in Durham.
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