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These folks need to work, they have a family, they are not retired and therefore, need and have asked to be near a city where they can get jobs. Winston Salem is a great area to raise children, the Pisgah Forest is not that far to the west and they still have access to Rt. 77. The Yadkin Valley to the west is awesome and they can live a bit west of WS and still have the mountain feel.
It is one heck of a long ride from Wilkesboro to WS or the practically ghost town of Lenoir to WS. Granite Falls, north of Hickory is country, a bit west of Hickory. But if you need two jobs, and you have children in school, they can visit the mountains nearby every week .... but they honestly should not be living IN them.
All in all, they need to come down here and look around, take a good week or more, you really can't do the area in one week though or they'll be driving around in circles.
I've seen too many people go from one extreme to another seeking that low cost of living ... and make a huge mistake. Everyone is coming from a different frame of reference .... and I gave them a wide variety of areas to search out from WS west and south, even through Asheville down to Hendersonville (perfect if they could get jobs here, but slim chance); and down to the upstate foothills. Don't see anything wrong with those suggestions; as where I'm coming from is 23 years as a Realtor. I think I know the roads.
Hiker is pretty spot on, except that here in Asheville, it definitely is hotter than that in the summer. I dunno if Waynesville is just cooler or if he lives at a higher elevation, but it's in the 90's regularly in the summer. It's the South man, it gets really hot and really really humid. I hibernate in the summer, much like some folks (most folks in WNC, it seems) do in the winter. I stay inside in the air conditioning. The heat and lack of snow are why I plan to move North in a few years.
That being said, you will definitely find your milder winters. I know where you're at, about halfway between Binghamton and Utica, and yeah, it snows a lot less here. However, due to the elevation and the surrounding mountains, we get cold temperatures and some bitter, biting winds in the winter, which are made worse by the fact that this is a humid region. Still, you will be much happier in the winter here if you don't like the cold and snow. The past couple of years, though, it has snowed a pretty fair amount, but still nothing compared to upstate NY. Even your area, which isn't as snowy as the Snow Belt from Buffalo to Syracuse (or Albany, depending), gets way way more snow than us. I personally hate the lack of snow; doesn't feel like winter without it.
Generally, when it rains here, it doesn't pour. It usually just drizzles. Keep in mind I'm talking about Asheville, which is in a valley protected by mountains on all sides pretty much. Most weather systems heading our way are broken up by the western mountains in Haywood and Jackson Counties. One thing though: we get a lot of cloud cover, ESPECIALLY compared to the rest of the South, which is basically part of the Sun Belt. I'd say at least two days a week it's cloudy in the late spring and summer, and more in fall and winter and March. I personally love it when it's cloudy, because it's a nice break from the blinding, blistering sun down here. The Northern sun angle is much easier on a person; you might find that the sun hurts your eyes down here. Although NY isn't exactly that high in latitude, so I might be a bit off.
Basically, yes, the mountain region is much nicer weather than eastern NC (Piedmont and Coastal Plain areas). Milder in the summer, but definitely colder in the winter. And like I said, when it's 15˚F outside, and a stiff wind starts blowing around 11:00 PM or so, if you're outside you're going to be pretty damn cold. The East Coast wet cold is pretty bone-chilling as it is (and I LOVE cold weather), but that wind really adds to it. A lot. We had five or ten days this past winter when it was -10˚F or a bit colder due to the wind chill factor. But you will never see below-zero air temperatures here. That just doesn't happen.
As far as work and housing go, this region is notoriously difficult. If you're familiar with Vermont, it's fairly similar, except the cost of living is lower. Job market is very similar though; aimed primarily at tourism and no sign of any industry on the way. However, with the jobs you guys have, you can probably find work just about anywhere if you keep at it long enough.
I would recommend that you come for at least one visit, and you might want to come in January or something when it's not all fairy-tale looking. Coming in May or October might give you an unrealistically rosy view of what it's like here. See, you notice the foliage being gone much more here because the mountains, which are green in summer and bright red and orange in autumn, are brown from November through April. If you can love it here in January, you can love it here anytime.
Then, if you decide after careful consideration that this is the place for you, make sure you have a good bit of savings - I would recommend about $20k - to get you through until you find employment and get settled. The economy has been tough on everyone, but especially scenic areas that are in high demand. Locals have been displaced here, just like in places like Vermont and Montana, basically pretty places with mountains. I don't know what it is, but people seem to be basing their whole life decisions on scenery, and they don't carefully consider the consequences beforehand sometimes. But yeah, I would certainly recommend that you come with enough savings to where you could leave if nothing works out after a certain period of time. No shame in walking away; much better than poverty with a view, in my opinion.
I know this is long, but there's a lot to consider, so I like to be thorough. This is a beautiful place, and lots and lots of people are coming here from all over. That's actually one of the reasons it's so hard to find jobs, but that's another story for another day. Good luck to you!
Well, here's the dilemma. We both love upstate NY. It's a very beautiful area with lots of scenery. The beauty does get clouded a lot, literally. 70% of days in the winter are cloudy. But, I do like snow and cold. I have no problems with it. I grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore until I was 20 when I moved to NY, so I'm used to excessive heat and humidity and rather mild winters. I don't want to go back there because the cost of living and everything else has skyrocketed in the past 10 yrs.
My problem with the cold is, paying for heat. So far this season, we've been running our heat for 7 months, going on 8. And with Kerosene and fuel pushing 4.50 to 5/gal, it gets expensive quick. Also, to buy a house up here is reasonable, but to own it is $$$$$$$$$$$. Oddly enough, we seem to have some of the lowest electric rates in the country.
Summer times up here are generally in the 70s during the day and 50s at night, although I've seen near 100 a few times and near freezing a few times too, including snow last year on Mother's Day.
The job market here is ridiculous, but that's what I get for living in the boonies. Even near the cities (Utica, Binghamton, Syracuse), jobs are still scarce for their sizes, plus crime is very high around there.
In my research, NC has a better all around job market, easier winters, lower cost of living, lower taxes (as far as I can tell), and a better housing market. I don't mind hot summers, as I said from growing up near Baltimore. It would actually be nice to spend more than 3-4 months a year being warm, lol.
I do have several friends who want to move to NC too. I've looked at the Charlotte, Hickory and Asheville areas.
Asheville seems to be the priciest, and Hickory seems to be the cheapest. But Charlotte looks to have a great economy and lots of nice houses for sale.
We will be coming around for a visit in June as we're headed to visit some of my family in FL. We'll definitely be checking out the area.
Oh, do hurricanes usually make it around Charlotte or fall apart by then? What about tornado activity?
If you don't mind very warm/hot summers, then you need to look at the Charlotte metro or the Upstate of SC (Greenville/Spartanburg). Both areas offer much, MUCH better job prospects than Western NC.
Here in Greenville, SC we're a little over an hour south of Asheville and have easy access to the mountains (less than a 30 min drive to elevations over 3K feet). Winters for the most part include 2-3 small snow or ice "events"/year but are generally sunny and dry. (Often, it's snowing in Asheville and sunny here in Greenville). Asheville, NC averages 16.2 inches of snow per year and Greenville, SC averages 6.3 inches (both per the local NWS).
There certainly a lot for you to take into consideration as I think everyone has pointed out here. I would really suggest that you do come to western North Carolina and visit for at least a week to get a good feel for the different areas and where you would be happiest.
I wish you the best of luck. I know just how difficult it can be to try to move so far away...
If you don't mind very warm/hot summers, then you need to look at the Charlotte metro or the Upstate of SC (Greenville/Spartanburg). Both areas offer much, MUCH better job prospects than Western NC.
Here in Greenville, SC we're a little over an hour south of Asheville and have easy access to the mountains (less than a 30 min drive to elevations over 3K feet). Winters for the most part include 2-3 small snow or ice "events"/year but are generally sunny and dry. (Often, it's snowing in Asheville and sunny here in Greenville). Asheville, NC averages 16.2 inches of snow per year and Greenville, SC averages 6.3 inches (both per the local NWS).
Well, since I grew up in Baltimore, I've been through some very hot summers.
Snow doesn't bother me, lol. Up here, we had 138" this winter. What bothers me is the cost of heat and taxes up here.
From what I've read, SC has a horrible unemployment rate and jobs are scarce. NC looks to be much better in that field.
Please don't generalize what you may read in a newspaper or "on the net" as to what is prevalent statewide.
Here in Greenville, SC, the current unemployment rate is 7.7% (March 2011) - the second lowest in the state. Additionally, BMW and Michelin both have North American headquarters here (in Upstate SC). Additionally, GE, Lockheed, Fluor, and 3M have a large presence here. Two interesting business points: Greenville, SC has the highest number of engineers per capita and has more foreign economic investment per capita than anywhere in the US.
If you are looking for a low cost of living (especially with heating costs and overall taxes), SC is better than NC. I encourage you to expand your horizons beyond the borders of NC.
I apologize for hijacking this thread - now back to the weather
You can not compare WNC to the rest of NC in terms of employment. And even if we have what you call "better unemployment" just like you said, you and all your northern friends are trying to move down here now. The competition for jobs is HUGE. For every job there are 300+ applications sent in. I guarantee you WNC's job market is just as "ridiculous" as where you are coming from. Charlotte might be a bit better. But it is a ton of financial jobs that were were lost during the recession. And you will be competing with a ton of people already in NC.
As for upstate SC: I have bio degree from UNCA and am a WNC native. I looked for over 2 years for a job in WNC. I gave up looking in WNC in January, and I had a job in Greenville SC within a month.
You can sit here and think you wont be one of them who can't find a job, but just keep that in mind that we tried to warn you. Don't move without a job in hand.
Please don't generalize what you may read in a newspaper or "on the net" as to what is prevalent statewide.
Here in Greenville, SC, the current unemployment rate is 7.7% (March 2011) - the second lowest in the state. Additionally, BMW and Michelin both have North American headquarters here (in Upstate SC). Additionally, GE, Lockheed, Fluor, and 3M have a large presence here. Two interesting business points: Greenville, SC has the highest number of engineers per capita and has more foreign economic investment per capita than anywhere in the US.
If you are looking for a low cost of living (especially with heating costs and overall taxes), SC is better than NC. I encourage you to expand your horizons beyond the borders of NC.
I apologize for hijacking this thread - now back to the weather
No no, apology not needed. Jobs are important to me. Obviously I'd want to have one ready when and if I move down.
I guess you can't believe everything you read online about areas.
Does upstate SC have a good housing market or apartments, if necessary?
I'd like to stay away from the coast as I don't want to run into any hurricanes, lol.
99, I encourage you to explore other areas beyond the NC borders.
If you're interested in the mountains (or having easy access to the mountains), look at eastern TN (Knoxville/Chattanooga), far north GA, or the Upstate of SC. The largest metro cities in these areas will be Knoxville or Greenville (with the Greenville CSA being a little larger at about 1.2 million people). IMO, either TN or SC will have a lower cost of living than NC. Of course, TN has no state income tax, no ad-valorem auto taxes, and relatively low property taxes.
As this is off-topic now, I urge you to begin threads in other state sub-forums.
Unfortunately, western NC's main economic engines are tourism, service, healthcare, and government. With falling state and local tax revenues, both gov't and healthcare will be affected.
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