Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My wife and I are looking into moving to NC. We currently live in upstate NY and we're sick of the excessive cold, high gas prices and taxes, constant cloud cover for 1/2 to 3/4 of the year and horrible job market.
Obviously, we want a warmer area and someplace nice to raise kids one day.
We're staying away from the east side of the state due to fear of hurricanes and tornadoes. Plus we hear that it gets unbearably hot closer to the coast.
I like the idea of I-77 on west. From what I read, it does get hot, but not too hot. Plus the winters seem to be much easier and warmer too.
What kind of climate would we be dealing with west of 77?
We're looking for some areas to live that have a country feel but aren't too far from a city. We do also like suburbs and small neighborhoods.
I'm a professional auto technician and detailer and my wife is a banker and insurance girl.
Summers here Still get pretty hot...and Humid....so much iv concluded i could never live any further south or Lower in elevation lol....Mid to high 80's in the Summer....a few days in the 90's...winter the last 2 has been a lot colder and snowier than norm, had a few weeks straight it didnt get out of the 20's this past winter, nothing knew for you guys in upstate NY though...Summer will be your toughest time(i always Dread it and lived in the south my whole life)
oh...and we get A LOT of Rain most years...a Temperate Rain forest at times of the year....
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!
I wouldn't make I-77 the dividing line. In the very northern part of the state, it's true, but along I-40, you don't get much change in climate until beyond Morganton (about 50 miles west of I-77), although there aren't as many tornadoes and you have a lower chance of hurricanes. Look at mountains, rather than interstates.
Of course, the nicer the summers are, the colder the winters will be. When you say the winter is "easier and warmer," I hope you're comparing with NY, not with the eastern half of NC.
My husband and I moved to McDowell County NC from Vermont about 5 years ago. We chose to move here 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.
As ShipOfFool's said, it's similar to Vermont, but the the cost of living is lower. We think it's beautiful here and are a lot happier with the weather than we ever were in the northeast. When they get snow here we just have to laugh at the reactions of the people around us... what they call snow, we call a dusting.
I would suggest that you do come for a visit to see what the area is like. There really is a lot of diversity, so there's much to choose from...
My wife and I are looking into moving to NC. We currently live in upstate NY and we're sick of the excessive cold, high gas prices and taxes, constant cloud cover for 1/2 to 3/4 of the year and horrible job market.
Obviously, we want a warmer area and someplace nice to raise kids one day.
We're staying away from the east side of the state due to fear of hurricanes and tornadoes. Plus we hear that it gets unbearably hot closer to the coast.
I like the idea of I-77 on west. From what I read, it does get hot, but not too hot. Plus the winters seem to be much easier and warmer too.
What kind of climate would we be dealing with west of 77?
We're looking for some areas to live that have a country feel but aren't too far from a city. We do also like suburbs and small neighborhoods.
I'm a professional auto technician and detailer and my wife is a banker and insurance girl.
How is the housing market in Western NC?
Any help would be great.
Thanks all!
The housing market is very good, there is a lot of good inventory depending on your price range. You will find higher prices in the mountain area near Asheville and Hendersonville because it is highly desireable. The job market is not good, but we really could use a good detailer here in Hendersonville. We had one, but unfortunately he went out of business and I really do not know why. The area near Rt. 77 is not considered to be in the mountains ... even in Morganton you can really only "see" some views of distant mountains.
East of Asheville in the small town of Black Mountain NC may suit you because it has good access to Asheville, yet again, it is highly desireable and housing is expensive. West of Asheville is another lovely town, Waynesville. Same scenario, but not as close to Asheville as BMtn.
Because of your employment situations, let me suggest possibly the Winston Salem area; the town of Clemmons is lovely, and look west and south of Winston Salem. I am in Hendersonville, and know that there is a lot more employment and yet still mountain atmosphere up near WS. Plus you can easily get to Greensboro, Charlotte etc. from there. (Rt. 77 is a bear for traffic, by the way. I would not want to travel that route.)
You may also want to check on the foothills of the mountains over the state line in and around Greenville SC. Here is an excellent website to get you oriented.
there is a lot more employment and yet still mountain atmosphere up near WS.
I strongly disagree. Winston-Salem is a Piedmont town, and it does not feel like the mountains at ALL to me. The people are vastly different, there are no mountains there, and it's really Southern weather. It's friggin hot in W-S, definitely hotter than Asheville.
As far as where to draw the line, I would draw a line from Rutherfordton to Morganton to Lenoir to Boone. Everything west of that line is WNC.
I strongly disagree. Winston-Salem is a Piedmont town, and it does not feel like the mountains at ALL to me. The people are vastly different, there are no mountains there, and it's really Southern weather. It's friggin hot in W-S, definitely hotter than Asheville.
As far as where to draw the line, I would draw a line from Rutherfordton to Morganton to Lenoir to Boone. Everything west of that line is WNC.
I would agree with this. However, there is still quite a difference in temperatures between Morganton and Asheville. We live just outside of Marion and it's about 10 degrees warmer there than it is in Asheville on average. We also don't usually get as much snow as Asheville either... Personally, I think it's a nice happy medium.
Agree that the OP's arbitrary "west of I-77" is much too vague; NC is a large, wide state.
We lived in NY for 26 years, just outside the City, but like NC, NY is a big state with very diverse
weather. NC's climate is also diverse, and mostly dependent upon elevation: above 2500-2800 ft
one gets into the cooler/less warm summers, though above 3k or 3500+, is where one really finds
temperate seasons, imo.
'Western NC' is for most people/posters here, the 7-10 western counties that are close to, or border
TN, imo.
Job-wise, I rec'd using Search This Forum tab at upper right, as employment opportunities are slim, and
one may well find 'pay' to be substantially less for any occupation or skill or trade, compared to NY or
most areas in more populated parts of the Northeast.
Do some reading via the Search This Forum tab, and good luck...
But, I love western NC.
GL, mD
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
