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IL am very interested in WNC as a possible retirement locale. Somehow I need to find a way to spend more time there to really look around.
Recently, someone mentioned Forest City, saying they liked it and that it is an affordable place to live. I looked at it's web site and real estate sites, and the housing there does seem to be quite reasonably priced. (Unfortunately, money is pretty tight.)
Can anyone tell me more about the area? At about 40 miles from Asheville, is it still in the foothills, or is it pretty flat? I didn't see many homes listed with acreage, is it possible to get a house with 4-5 acres? Is it more or less welcoming to outsiders than other small cities in WNC (I see a LOT of discussion about that, so it's become a concern).
Anyway, thanks for any information or advice you can give.
Forest City has some nice areas outside of town near 221. There should be acreage there. Spindale is adjacent and it is nice, too. Rutherfordton is very pretty and there should be acreage there as well. All three of these towns are in Rutherford County and within 10 miles of each other. Forest City has more shopping, although there really isn't any to speak of, there is a Lowes, SuperWalmart, Office Max, those are about all of the big stores. There is an Ingles, BiLO, and Food Lion grocery stores. The western part of this area is more hilly as it is closer to the mountains. Lake Lure is not far from here. It is somewhat flat as far as the roads are concerned, but you can view the mountains in the distance from just about anywhere. The houses are very reasonably priced compared to the rest of the country depending on what you want. People are very friendly and if you had children in the school system eventually you would know practically everyone in town. At least if you lived in the Spindale Rutherfordton area. All of those children go to the same middle school and high school. There is a lot of team spirit there and football games are really fun and homey. Forest City is bigger and has more than one of each. If there is anything in particular that you would like to know that maybe I can help you with, please let me know.
Hey Gary
Everything Balogas says is true. I too was looking for a nice place to retire. A year ago I looked into Forest City. After a few visits (we stayed at the Holiday Inn express in Forest City a real nice hotel for the price btw) we fell in love with the area. All the people we met were helpful and very nice. Not at all cold to us but you can understand why they might be. The area is growing with outsiders who are driving up there taxes. It was hard to find property that was not in a sub-division. We met with local real-estate agents and looked heavy on the internet for land. You will not find many homes in the town of forest city with 4-5 acres, but outside the city there is much land. We did many miles of driving around the area and it is mostly rolling hills with wonderful views of the mountain ranges. You will find the price of land and homes varies with the views. (which can be spectacular) The land around Forest city is in the foothills of these mountains. It took us a while but we found the perfect piece of land. I know if you visit you will be blown away with the beauty of the area and its people. Best of luck to you
Lad-59
There is a website..you can find it if you search Rutherford County Board of Realtors or MLS.. that lists all of the house and land in one spot.
That is how we got our place while out of town shopping. We would make a list and see them all when we visited.
We got 3.5 acres 5 miles from downtown and we like it. Very convenient.
And property values and prices are dropping like crazy and so are the taxes. Now is the perfect time to shop around!
I bet if you went to that site you could find a couple you like within minutes!
Most of Rutherford County is located in the state's Piedmont Region except for the northwestern section. The highest elevation is Sugarloaf Mountain at 3,965 feet above sea level.
With all due respect, I disagree with the comment that property values are dropping and so are the taxes. I live in Forest City in an older established neighborhood. My property's value was recently appraised and appraised for more than what I paid for it (considerably higher) about 15 months ago. Grant it, we've put money into the property...but still saw a net gain.
It's definitely a buyer's market, and if you don't have to sell, it would be best to wait...but I don't believe property values are decreasing..if anything...in this area because so many have relocated here, it's increased....just my two cents.
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