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Ok, so I just need some general advice. I've been reading SO many of the forums on here about Asheville and Hendersonville and the surrounding areas, and sadly it seems like the negative opinions about these areas severely outweighs the positive and it's really bumming me out, to put it simply. My husband and I are in our late twenties with no kids (yet), currently live in south Georgia, but we would like to move up to western NC around October 2016. It has been our dream for the past 4 or so years, and we've been up there on vacation many times scooping out the area. We even got engaged in front of Looking Glass Falls. We want to live there for the obvious reasons of course, like having the unlimited amount of outdoor activities at our doorstep, not to mention the incredible climate and 4 seasons. We also love the idea of raising kids in such a beautiful and inspiring atmosphere. My husband works in Healthcare as a Certified Surgical Technologist (he assists with surgeries and does office work at a surgical center) and I do not work. Currently, our yearly income is around 29,000. I've been reading so many awful things about how jobs are terribly hard to find up there and how expensive it is to live there. The tourism of that area does not bother us at all, so that is not a factor for us. Basically, I would just like some guidance and advice on if it seems reasonable for us to be able to pursue our dream of living there with him being in the Healthcare field that he's in. I would like to know what peoples opinions are in terms of healthcare jobs and if a young couple such as ourselves will be able to live there comfortably and raise a family and eventually purchase a home, seeing as how it appears to be mainly a place where people go to retire or vacation. We reallyyy love Hendersonville, and it seems to be the only largest city right outside of Asheville. We have also recently looked into Hickory, but I only seem to read bad things about it being a "dying city". We don't mind living slightly outside the mountains, possibly in the foothills if necessary, we would just like a decent sized city like Hendersonvilles size, so we have plenty of amenities. Being within an hour or less driving distance from all the mountain adventures would be just fine with us, we don't have to be right smack in the middle of it all. Ok so enough rambling. Basically I would just like some input on...
- How are jobs in the Healthcare field in WNC? Any cities specifically better than others?
- Which cities are realistic and affordable for young couples wanting to eventually start a family?
- Which cities in WNC would you recommend for us to live comfortably assuming we stay around our current salary, or slightly higher? Or are we totally kidding ourselves?
You're not going to move without securing a job(s) first are you? $29,000 seems like a low income for 2 people anywhere. How much is your rent?
To me, the obvious thing to do is research the potential employers in the area, see what jobs they have and apply. Meantime, use Zillow and Craigslist to evaluate housing opportunities. When you come for an interview, ride around and look at neighborhoods that have housing in your price range, and see if they look like the kind of place you'd like to live. Ask specific questions here for those neighborhoods.
Here's a list of open positions at Mission Healthcare, including 10 for "surgical technician":
Ok, so I just need some general advice. I've been reading SO many of the forums on here about Asheville and Hendersonville and the surrounding areas, and sadly it seems like the negative opinions about these areas severely outweighs the positive and it's really bumming me out, to put it simply. My husband and I are in our late twenties with no kids (yet), currently live in south Georgia, but we would like to move up to western NC around October 2016. It has been our dream for the past 4 or so years, and we've been up there on vacation many times scooping out the area. We even got engaged in front of Looking Glass Falls. We want to live there for the obvious reasons of course, like having the unlimited amount of outdoor activities at our doorstep, not to mention the incredible climate and 4 seasons. We also love the idea of raising kids in such a beautiful and inspiring atmosphere. My husband works in Healthcare as a Certified Surgical Technologist (he assists with surgeries and does office work at a surgical center) and I do not work. Currently, our yearly income is around 29,000. I've been reading so many awful things about how jobs are terribly hard to find up there and how expensive it is to live there. The tourism of that area does not bother us at all, so that is not a factor for us. Basically, I would just like some guidance and advice on if it seems reasonable for us to be able to pursue our dream of living there with him being in the Healthcare field that he's in. I would like to know what peoples opinions are in terms of healthcare jobs and if a young couple such as ourselves will be able to live there comfortably and raise a family and eventually purchase a home, seeing as how it appears to be mainly a place where people go to retire or vacation. We reallyyy love Hendersonville, and it seems to be the only largest city right outside of Asheville. We have also recently looked into Hickory, but I only seem to read bad things about it being a "dying city". We don't mind living slightly outside the mountains, possibly in the foothills if necessary, we would just like a decent sized city like Hendersonvilles size, so we have plenty of amenities. Being within an hour or less driving distance from all the mountain adventures would be just fine with us, we don't have to be right smack in the middle of it all. Ok so enough rambling. Basically I would just like some input on...
- How are jobs in the Healthcare field in WNC? Any cities specifically better than others?
- Which cities are realistic and affordable for young couples wanting to eventually start a family?
- Which cities in WNC would you recommend for us to live comfortably assuming we stay around our current salary, or slightly higher? Or are we totally kidding ourselves?
So I guess that's it's for now. Go easy on me...
Healthcare is one of the strongest sectors of the economy, so you're in good shape there. $30K is not a lot of money, however, considering the relative cost of living in the area, but the "no kids" part helps. Housing costs will be your major obstacle. You can still find some reasonable house prices, but you'll likely need to look around the fringes. You might look westward toward Candler, Canton, or Waynesville. I'm not terribly familiar with the Hendersonville market, so I'm not much help there, but I do know it is a popular retirement community
Thanks for replying Carolinadawg2! Sorry I forgot to mention that my mom will actually be moving to the WNC area in just a couple months, so we planned on initially moving in and staying with her temporarily at first until my husband secures a new job up there. We figured that was the easiest option instead of him trying to set up interviews from way down here. Yes I know $29,000 sounds pretty low, but our rent here in South Georgia is only $650 a month for a 2 bedroom 2 bath right in the middle of the city, and we have very little bills, and absolutely no debt whatsoever, so we live very comfortably given our financial status. I've been researching housing prices on craigslist, zillow, and trulia pretty often, and it seems like the decent homes for rent are all more than $1000 a month, and I guess from where we are coming from, that number just seems so high. I know us being able to afford living there all depends on the job my husband is able to secure, but I was just wondering if there might be anyone out there that has been in a similar situation as us and would have some guidance as to if it seems realistic for us to pursue our dream of living there.
NC_paddler, thank you so much for replying! It comforts me quite a bit to know that we should be in good shape with my husband being in the healthcare industry. The biggest concern of mine was seeing so many people talking about how hard it is to find jobs up there. So you think looking westward for housing would be more affordable? I guess I just assumed the deeper in the mountains you got, the more expensive it would be. And the main reason I had Hendersonville in mind was the fact that its a substantial size city with some decent shopping and amenities, as opposed to all the other teeny tiny little mountain towns sprinkled around Asheville. Thanks so much for your advice, I'll definitely keep it in mind during my research!
NC_paddler, thank you so much for replying! It comforts me quite a bit to know that we should be in good shape with my husband being in the healthcare industry. The biggest concern of mine was seeing so many people talking about how hard it is to find jobs up there. So you think looking westward for housing would be more affordable? I guess I just assumed the deeper in the mountains you got, the more expensive it would be. And the main reason I had Hendersonville in mind was the fact that its a substantial size city with some decent shopping and amenities, as opposed to all the other teeny tiny little mountain towns sprinkled around Asheville. Thanks so much for your advice, I'll definitely keep it in mind during my research!
Yeah, Hendersonville is actually going to be more expensive for the reasons you point out. The smaller, surrounding towns are going to be cheaper because they lack those amenities. I think you'll be hard-pressed to find a house for rent for $650 in Hendersonville, to be honest, but maybe an apartment or a duplex. Doing a quick search on craigslist, for example, I came up with this:
NC_paddler, thank you so much for replying! It comforts me quite a bit to know that we should be in good shape with my husband being in the healthcare industry. The biggest concern of mine was seeing so many people talking about how hard it is to find jobs up there. So you think looking westward for housing would be more affordable? I guess I just assumed the deeper in the mountains you got, the more expensive it would be. And the main reason I had Hendersonville in mind was the fact that its a substantial size city with some decent shopping and amenities, as opposed to all the other teeny tiny little mountain towns sprinkled around Asheville. Thanks so much for your advice, I'll definitely keep it in mind during my research!
Hendersonville is not a "substantial size city" by any stretch. It is a very small, pretty, mountain town/city with a population as of 2013 of under 14,000 in the city zip code of 28792. One Main St., several side streets and feeder routes in and out of the city itself.
When search for housing in Western NC, you may first want to look at population of the County itself, which will include any cities therein; along with land area of the county. Many maps on the C-D pages that describe size and population of both on the main pages.
Thanks Quilter Chick, but I actually did do my research on the size and population of Hendersonville, and I still consider it a substantial sized city as opposed to all the other tiny towns around that area. Aside from Asheville, Hendersonville is the next biggest city in the mountains. That's all I was saying, so there's no need to be rude to me. I have been to Hendersonville multiple times and very much enjoy its pretty downtown. Instead of picking at one tiny unimportant thing I said, it would have been nice if you had actually given me some useful advice about my original post.
Thanks for replying Carolinadawg2! Sorry I forgot to mention that my mom will actually be moving to the WNC area in just a couple months, so we planned on initially moving in and staying with her temporarily at first until my husband secures a new job up there. We figured that was the easiest option instead of him trying to set up interviews from way down here. Yes I know $29,000 sounds pretty low, but our rent here in South Georgia is only $650 a month for a 2 bedroom 2 bath right in the middle of the city, and we have very little bills, and absolutely no debt whatsoever, so we live very comfortably given our financial status. I've been researching housing prices on craigslist, zillow, and trulia pretty often, and it seems like the decent homes for rent are all more than $1000 a month, and I guess from where we are coming from, that number just seems so high. I know us being able to afford living there all depends on the job my husband is able to secure, but I was just wondering if there might be anyone out there that has been in a similar situation as us and would have some guidance as to if it seems realistic for us to pursue our dream of living there.
It was not my intention to sound rude to you in the prior post, I am giving you an educated honest opinion. Your income and rent expectations will be a difficult pill to swallow here unless your husband can almost double his salary, or if you can supplement his income with a job of your own. You're correct, decent 2 BR 2 BA housing will be more, much more, than $1,000 a month and may not include utilities. You don't want to move in with your mother while your husband looks for a job that may not materialize. Then you will be in the same situation as so many others on this forum. Most posters will say "get the job first".
I live in Henderson County, I know first hand the cost of living here; and I don't sugarcoat posts for fear of insulting anyone. Facts are facts. Decent apartments here will be in the $1300/mo. range; there are some older places you could find for less but they may not be in desirable locations. The hospitals in Henderson County are: ParDee in Hendersonville; Park Ridge in Fletcher and both have expanded. And, of course, Mission Hospital System in Asheville, but it is an arduous drive to downtown Asheville at hospital hours/schedules. Check the hospital websites if you haven't already. And relax.
Thank you, I appreciate your response very much. You've given me a good idea of what to expect, and I really respect hearing the opinion of someone who lives in the area and knows what they're talking about. I do believe that after all my countless nights of research, that WNC will just unfortunately be entirely out of our reach. Like you said, there's no point in sugar coating it. The cost of living is just too much for us. The fact that its such a high traffic area for tourists and retirees makes it financially unattainable for "regular people". It looks like we might need to settle on our Plan B, which is the mountains of Tennessee. So far TN seems much more affordable and within our reach, and at least we'd still be close to the NC activities. But I'm still keeping all our options open and doing more research. Our biggest goal is to just find a way to be in the mountains that we love. Thanks again for your help.
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