Are We Right For Western North Carolina (Asheville, Greenville: renting, how much)

[BLUE COLLAR]

Hi,my wife,daughter and I would like to move,we'd like to find out if we might be right for Western NC please?We live in NW New Jersey,Sussex count,semi-rural by NJ standards,it's gotten crowded and expensive.We thought about New England or upstate NY but the COL is to high and the job outlook is poor.I manage a gun department in an outdoor store,I've been selling firearms for over 25 years,we also have a small landscape company,cutting grass and plowing snow,my wife drives a school bus,is a EMT and was a police dispatcher at one time.NJ is crowded,expensive and people tend to be rude and self absorbed.We're looking for a place where we can get jobs,good schools,safe,good friendly people and afordable.We also like snow.While I like the country my wife and daughter do enjoy shopping.We'd like to buy some property,put in a garden,hunt,fish,work and be good neighbors.The only place in the South we've ever been is Myrtle Beach,it was great but we favour the mountains or hills at least over the beach.What stuck out was that people were so friendly and had great manners(something we stress with our daughter).We don't want to move to an area and try to chage it to NJ,we want to be part of the community.Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.Thank you all for your time and help.

[theoldnorthstate]

Don't see a problem, except jobs. and COL exceeds or equals jobs if you can get them.

But that gets to sound like a broken record on these threads. Most high school and college graduates have to leave home to get jobs and wouldn't leave home otherwise. Maybe go to Asheville Citizen Times on line and see what jobs are being advertised?

Wish you good luck in your search.

[motordavid]

BC,
We lived in Warwick, NY for ~20 years, so I am familiar with your current area...
Western NC/A'ville is a wonderful place to live and fills most of your reqs, with the one serious downside being good paying employment.

I agree with theoldnorthstate and all the similar posted alerts on the employment situ 'here':
while there are 'some jobs', few to none will pay similar to what you and your spouse have probably become accustomed to in NJ, even less populated northwestern NJ.

If you were looking here as 'about to be retired', it should be high on your list; looking as a fam and requiring dual employment simply expands the higher risk and may be financially difficult, imo.
GL, mD

[QuilterChick]

Originally Posted by BLUE COLLAR

Hi,my wife,daughter and I would like to move,we'd like to find out if we might be right for Western NC please?We live in NW New Jersey,Sussex count,semi-rural by NJ standards,it's gotten crowded and expensive.We thought about New England or upstate NY but the COL is to high and the job outlook is poor.I manage a gun department in an outdoor store,I've been selling firearms for over 25 years,we also have a small landscape company,cutting grass and plowing snow,my wife drives a school bus,is a EMT and was a police dispatcher at one time.NJ is crowded,expensive and people tend to be rude and self absorbed.We're looking for a place where we can get jobs,good schools,safe,good friendly people and afordable.We also like snow.While I like the country my wife and daughter do enjoy shopping.We'd like to buy some property,put in a garden,hunt,fish,work and be good neighbors.The only place in the South we've ever been is Myrtle Beach,it was great but we favour the mountains or hills at least over the beach.What stuck out was that people were so friendly and had great manners(something we stress with our daughter).We don't want to move to an area and try to chage it to NJ,we want to be part of the community.Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.Thank you all for your time and help.

Bottom line: visit the area a few weeks at a time; sit down with an experienced local Realtor who will be invaluable in giving you advice on various locales. Investigate, thoroughly, the employment situation and how much it will cost you to live here vs. there, be prepared to lower your cost of living and your income and downsize your lifestyle in general. If getting out of the rat race is what you need to do, and you want to live the rural lifestyle .... go for it. But plan ahead. Many others do it; but look before you leap. It is not adviseable to relocate anywhere unless you have a minimum of one year's expenses saved and can sustain your family for that amount of time while you build up some job security (if there is such a thing these days).

(1) Buying land here in the mountains is expensive. (2) Landscapers are a dime a dozen here. Your wife may get a job before you do. (3) Don't judge any area by a vacation or because it looks or feels good during tourist season. All that friendliness "stuck out" at the beach, remember, everyone else was on vacation too. But yes, this area IS the place to be for friendly laid back folks and a totally less stressful lifestyle. Spend time where you want to live, not where you want to vacation. (4) Get your NJ appraised, get estimated time on the market before you get a buyer; and know your bottom line. Then c'mon down ! Consider renting first, explore and adjust. It will be an adjustment.

If you do come to the mountains, you will have less stress, and you will live like you're on vacation.

[RVT]

Remington's HQ is in Madison NC. Not quite Western NC but close enough to the mountains if you want to take a short drive. Maybe they have something since you have 25 yrs exp selling firearms? You'll also find NC is a LOT more friendly to the 2A than NJ is. http://www.remington.com/pages/our-c...dquarters.aspx

[mm34b]

Palmetto State Armory is now accepting employment applications for their new store in Greenville, SC. Greenville is around 60 miles south of Asheville, NC.

If you are interested in employment at their future Greenville location, resumes can be mailed to:

Palmetto State Armory
ATTN: Greenville Store Employment
3760 Fernandina Road
Columbia, SC 29210