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Looking to possibly move from WI to either TN or NC...
Any suggestions? We love the country, fall trees changing colors, price range around 130,000, need acerage for the animals .. horses, cats, dogs... 1/2 hr drive to work & town... thanx in advance! looking forward to hearing from Y'all!!!!
Those things you described... those are some of the things that are nice about Wisconsin, in my opinion. I mean, everyone has their preferences, and maybe you're tired of flat land or something, but Wisconsin has beautiful countryside, decent autumn foliage from what I remember, and there's definitely land to be had. It will cost you a LOT more to buy land here than in rural Wisconsin, and it's not good soil generally, since it's in the mountains.
For $130k, it would be mighty difficult to find acreage within a 30-min drive of Asheville, which is where the majority of work, however scarce it might be, is located. If I were to recommend a place to look, it would be Leicester, which is northwest of town, and definitely within a half hour drive. But be aware that Leicester is a Southern country place, and the locals are very much Southern Appalachian folks. You might be in for some serious culture shock at first.
Really, this is becoming a very difficult place to buy land, and if that land can be built on, it's going to drive the price up. A lot of land here is not good for building a structure because of the steep inclines and potential for rockslides and mudslides. Hell, half of Maggie Valley went sliding down the mountain a couple years ago during a period of heavy rain. So definitely buyer beware when you're looking at mountain property; it might look really good at first, but don't wait until after you buy it to find out if it has issues. You could be stuck with a pretty useless parcel if you do.
I would recommend east Tennessee. There are some great areas around Knoxville (which has a lot more job opportunities than Asheville) that are just gorgeous, and Tennessee has a lower cost of living than NC, especially WNC. If I had to guess, I would say WNC is probably the most expensive place in the entire South to live, just based on taxes, property costs, and incurred expenses that come from living in the mountains such as mudslides, weird and unpredictable weather, and not to mention these roads can do a number on your car and your gas mileage (super steep inclines everywhere).
Yeah, east Tennessee would probably be your best bet. You should first look at Johnson City/Jonesborough/Elizabethton, and then check out the areas around Knoxville. I don't know much about it, but there's a small town near Knoxville called Seymour that always seemed real country and peaceful to me. But like I said, I don't know specifics about it, so don't take my word for it. The Johnson City area is much more mountainous, and you have better access to Asheville, Boone, Blowing Rock, and other places in WNC. JC isn't exactly tops when it comes to aesthetics in a lot of areas of town, but it's really a nice place to live. Check out the small town of Gray, TN. Friend of mine used to live there, beautiful country and nice folks there.
You don't say if 130k is for land and a house or just land? Either way, you aren't going to get more than an acre or two at that price. I would actually find jobs here first too. I can tell you from my fiance's experience, the banking/financial industry in WNC pays much lower than almost anywhere, at least in the south, and the majority of these places treat employee's like horse crap because they know there are plenty of people who will take the job being paid less than what the last person was making. It's the way the area is becuase so many people want to live here, that they take huge pay cuts to do it. And when you make so little in the banking world to begin with....you reach the poverty line fast. My fiance is a financial adviser but was only able to find a teller job in asheville that treated him horribly. Now hes making twice as much in an amazing environment in greenville sc.
Also want to point out that TN doesn't have income tax on wages.
Last edited by saucystargazer; 05-03-2011 at 07:35 AM..
McDowell County NC might meet your needs. We chose to move here about 5 years ago because of the ruralness of the area and its central location to many more employment opportunities. Marion itself is about 30 minutes from Asheville and Morganton and only about 45 from Hickory. The cost of housing here is also a lot less than in the surrounding counties. You can still get land here at a reasonable price and depending on how much land and what type of house you want, you should be able to find it in your price range of $130k.
ShipofFools had some good information. Looking strictly from the stand point of horses - the Barnardsville area in Northern Buncombe County puts you within a half hour of Asheville and is sort of a horse community. Dillingham Road ends in the Pisgah National Forest with many horse trails.
Thanx to all who responded....as the weather got nicer my husbands breathing got better(as the reason we are moving) so I didnt think much more about our move...well low and behold our cold weather is back and he is not breathing so well...so i am again on the trail to find us a place to move to!
Looking for a house and land for the animals and some work in the area 130.000.. willing to dr 45 min or so..my husband is a truck driver and I am general laborer/cust serv...
You need to contact a realtor in a few different areas and have them send you some properties. Or go to realtor.com and do a search of home sin your price range. Remember - if a property says 5 acres, do not assume it's horse property. If it is suitable for horses the ad will say so. Otherwise you can assume it's mountain land and not suitable for pasture. Pasture land around Asheville comes at a premium.
I live in Illinois, but have to move due to my aging parents who live near Asheville. I bought an acre of land and a mobile home in Leicester. I had been looking for 2+ acres for my horse, but I wanted a 'view' also. I finally gave up and now have to find a place to board my horse. I have 10 acres in Illinois, but can only afford maybe 2 acres near Asheville. Land is crazy expensive here! Acreage would have to be your first priority if you are serious; I ended up choosing the mountain views over land-something had to give. Good luck on your search
concal
McDowell County NC might meet your needs. We chose to move here about 5 years ago because of the ruralness of the area and its central location to many more employment opportunities. Marion itself is about 30 minutes from Asheville and Morganton and only about 45 from Hickory. The cost of housing here is also a lot less than in the surrounding counties. You can still get land here at a reasonable price and depending on how much land and what type of house you want, you should be able to find it in your price range of $130k.
My hubby and I just bought a little farm in McDowell County, and I cannot wait to start growing plants that you can only dream about in the high country. As much as I will miss the high country, mostly dear friends, I am looking so forward to moderate weather.
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McDowell County
