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Looking to relocate to NC....what do you think is the best part o

mrb123
19 years ago

The prospect of moving ones family of 5 to an area so far from where we have been for the last 10 years is..DAUNTING!! I am born and raised in NJ but married a Wisconsinite and have resisded in the Madison area for the last 6 years and Minneapolis for the previous 4. We are ready for an entire change for the better- weather, job schools etc. The areas in NC are so vastly different I thought I could pick everyones brain about their favorite part of where they live..I DO love gardening and am so very tired of the short growing season here. We want to live on acreage, we adore the smallness of the town where we live but we do desire more of a variation in the population..EVERYONE here was born and raised here. I understand NC is more of a melting pot from all over the US, that would be a welcome change and it helps in making new friends. Tips on the weather, mosquitoes etc would be appreciated. Home and land prices are also a mystery to me in comaparison to here. Thank you so very much and Happy gardening!!

Comments (56)

  • gardenklutz
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Maybe you should take a look at Asheville too. We're from the North (Chicago, New York, D.C.) and just fell in love with that area. We now live in a small town about 45 minutes west of Asheville and wouldn't move from the area for anything. The weather is perfect in the summer around all the mountains, a little snow in the winter, but not enough to worry about.

    Ahseville is a good sized town/city with lots going on. The surrounding areas are still doable for a bit of land and housing costs vary a lot - depending how close in you choose to live. You should really check that area out before you make your decision. In my opinion Raleigh, Charlotte and Winston-Salem areas are terribly conjested and overcrowded. If you enjoy the great outdoors you can't beat Western North Carolina!

  • dutchgirl_z7
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am a transplanted Midwesterner living in Charlotte, and I highly recommend NC!!! Gardening in January has to be a highlight, and yet you still have 4 distinct seasons. The winter can actually be entertaining. Especially watching the "breaking news" coverage for an inch of forecasted snow. I went to college in Michigan and never had a class cancelled because of snow. (You know, walked to class uphill both ways through 8 foot snowdrifts...;) Here they call off school because of that forecasted inch. In their defense, there's just not the equipment or resources to deal with it!

    Despite being a large metro area, I have found Charlotte to be very community oriented, with lots of neighborhoods that feel like neighborhoods. It has been home for us for 7 years, and I can't imagine leaving.

    Do be prepared for this stuff on the ground. You can call it dirt, but you've gotta do all kinds of stuff to it to make it work really good. Not that beautiful black stuff I grew up on in Iowa...

    Welcome!

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  • dirtrx
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'll state right now I am biased. I think that NC is heaven on earth. I grew up in the foothills and now live in the Piedmont. The beach is a summer ritual still. We do have fairly long growing season from what I've been told. I've only been gardening for a few years so I am learning to appreciate our climate in a whole new way. I currently live in Raleigh and to me its got the best of everything. In my little section, N. Ral., its like a small town. I see the same people in church (Yeah, its a big thing), in the grocery store. I even ran into my neighbor at the voting poll. But a short drive and I am enjoying museums and theater, fine dining etc. You do have to keep driving to find acreage and it will get worse. If you want land don't think about Raleigh unless you have megabucks. Think north -N. Ral., Clayton, or Garner. Regarding schools you have to do research. Wake county has a pretty solid base sort of. We have a lot of opportunities such as magnate schools but it is based on a lottery system. We have some schools which are really bad. We also have several private schools. Most of them are religous schools but not all. I do have my personal favorite- the one my son attends. And part of that was because our base school was so bad he wasn't about to attend that school! Raleigh is a huge melting pot and I love it. Kids have never known a homogenous population. I think Charlotte is probably that way also. You might look into Davidson, Huntersville in addition to Charlotte. I don't know specifics regarding Eastern NC. And to be honest, DH and I are looking to move out of N. Ral. because of the ever growing pop. We don't have to worry about the education because our kids are in a parochial school. I don't see us leaving the Raleigh area unless it is to move closer to Hickory to be with family. But the job has to be there. I hope this helps. Most people who move here fall in love. I hope the same thing happens. Shannon/Dirtrx

  • dellare
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The areas surrounding Raleigh and Charlotte are all very tempting. Originally when we were looking to make our "dream" come true we searched in a circle around the Charlotte area. There were lots more of the regular stores and outlets living in a medium sized city that we were used to. For us it just happened that my husband is in the restaurant biz and he was looking for some management work in a country club. We lived at that time on Pinehurst Avenue in Pittsburgh. When a friend called and said he was working at the Pinehurst Golf Resort in NC we thought it was too much fate to tempt with. We checked out the areas surrounding it and found a piece of land that we instantly fell in love with. That was in March of last year. After a summer of packing and crying and good byes we finally arrived in September and have not stopped smiling since.

  • steeletm
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I thought that there would be many responses from the Triangle area. Great place to live I don't deny but rivals Charlotte for housing costs.

    I live north and west of Winston-Salem about fifteen miles. I am selling a five bedroom, three bath home on 2.5 acres of land with a half acre garden and thirty fruit trees for less than $150,000 (taxes last year were $700. We just bought a 6.65 acre tract with a shop, three bedroom brick home with a pool, poolhouse and a front porch that looks out over our own little valley (with ceiling fans and 4 rocking chairs). Cost around $200,000 (taxes about $1,000). I would imagine that this is cheaper than housing prices up North and is easily about 50%-60% of what it would cost around the Triangle if you could even find that. My commute is about twenty minutes. As a bonus both houses have something of a mountain view.

    Prices are even lower in other, more rural areas. I have ten acres with drop-dead views of the Blue Ridge a bit further north. Prices in that area are around $7,000-8,000 per acre (taxes on my ten acres were $325 or so.)

    Our climate is colder than either the Triangle or Charlotte and is more like coastal areas of Maryland or Delaware. However there are commercial apple and fruit orchards and vineyards close by both properties.

    The Triad has about 1,000,000 in the SMSA according to the 2000 census. We have been going through the first real experience with major job losses but the area has just attracted a Dell plant and a Fedex hub and is home to several chip companies (RFMD, for example).

    Good luck with your search. North Carolina is a great place to live. I often tell people that it has very little besides the Outer Banks that are world-class attractions but that the whole state offers a lot of diversity and is overall a cut above anywhere else that I have lived and I have lived in 16 states.

    Above all it is a great place to garden!

    Tom

  • sandyhill
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    ALL good.

    I love the beach - warmer in winter, cooler in summer, and... it's the beach.

    The mountains a great too.

    Oh heck, just come on down. You're bound to find some place you like. Tom put it very well:

    "...the whole state offers a lot of diversity and is overall a cut above..."

    And it's not 4a.

  • brenda_near_eno
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    In the Raleigh area, you have lots of smaller more rural towns within 30 minutes of the airport and RTP. Mebane, Creedmore, Bahama, Hillsborough, Pittsboro, Roxboro, Caldwell. Housing is cheaper than you describe, except in areas like Cary and north Raleigh. We live in Orange County, in no town. My son tells me I missed the boat - we should have moved to Caldwell, where everyone is related thru the volunteer fire department, and 4-wheeler tracks link all of the homes and businesses.

  • mrb123
    Original Author
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow!! It is so amazing the diversity of the state. I really thank you all for the input. Traveling there to see the different areas is the way to really appreciate where you want to be. I cannot believe the mountains around Asheville, it looks like somewhere out West!! I appreciate the names of some of the suburbs as well, it is a starting point for looking at real estate. It is nice to consider this my last WINTER in the midwest!!

  • brenda_near_eno
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    And by the way, don't tell anyone else how great it is, would you? It might get too crowded here........

  • mbmitche
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I moved to Raleigh in 1998, and then to a small town south of Raleigh named Fuquay Varina 5 years ago. I live 20 minutes from Raleigh and 30 minutes from RTP. I love it and would never consider moving back up north (Pennsylvania). I agree with everything else that has been said about the state as a whole.. I'd never find anywhere in the state I couldn't enjoy living.

    Since this is a gardening forum, I'll say this about the soil where I live. Somewhere between Holly Springs and Fuquay Varina lies a dividing line between piedmont soil and coastal plain soil.
    I lived in Apex before moving here, and dealt with the ususal hard red clay (though it's not as bad as it sounds). I moved to Fuquay expecting more of the same, but I found that this area has nothing but beautiful sandy loam. The only clay I have is next to the house where truckloads of fill dirt were brought in. It's awesome!

  • eah0511
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I live in Greenville in the eastern part of NC, an hour and a half east of Raleigh and an hour and a half north of Atlantic Beach, NC. I moved to NC from PA 7.5 years ago and I really like NC. Greenville is a town of about 65,000, basically built around East Carolina University, the medical center and a few other businesses. This area is growing fast, and although we don't have all the great restaurants and entertainment like Raleigh or the beautiful beaches right in our backyard, they are just a short drive away.
    Gardening here is great. We have a long growing season. In fact, next weekend I plan on tilling my garden under and planting some cool season vegetables. I love living in a place where I can grow some species of palms and other plants I could never grow in PA.
    Real estate is relatively inexpensive compared to Madison, and there is a lot of open land here. Check out www.therealestatebook.com for real estate prices.
    Google Greenville NC and see what you can find out.

  • pfmastin
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    eah0511,
    Hi neighbor. I live in Greenville, too, and love it. We are originally from the South and have lived in SD, MN and PA. Greenville is home from now on. Isn't it great that the gardening season never ends...you can always have something going.

    Pam

  • Tammy Owens
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey, Just wanted to put my 2 cents in. I lived in NJ for 21 years before moving to NC and I gotta tell you I hated it the first 6 months I was here! That was because everything was sooo different and I couldn't find my favorite foods! But now after living here in the Triad (High point near Greensboro)I love it! You couldn't pay me to move back. I have learned to love southern food and now NC offers more of the foods I had wanted. As for gardening, for me it's great! My passion is roses but I also grow many other flowers and bulbs. Veggies too! You will love it!

  • lindanc
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I lived in Cary/Apex for 27 years. If you can afford it, those are the best schools I think in NC. And lots of cultures to interact with. Beautiful garden centers, lots of rain and trees. Just my opinion. Another up and coming area with new schools and lot's of entertainment and shopping close by is Wakefield Plantation near Wake Forrest. Good luck! LindaNC

  • brenda_near_eno
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Linda, Just curious about why you call Cary schools the best in NC? I know that's what realtors in Wake County and folks who live in Cary like to say, but does it really have a basis on fact? I would think if proximity to metropolitan area is factor, Charlotte/Mecklenburg would be good also, and I have been equally happy with Wake County and with rural Orange County schools. My experience is just anecdotal, and just wondering if there is a real measurable difference?

  • zooter
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey there!

    I am a native, born in Goldsboro, and live in Raleigh. I'm a USAF brat, and during Daddys active duty, we lived in other states and countrys. But, we always came home (his family is from Clayton, moms is from Louisburg) and I would never consider living anywhere else on this earth. NC is not called "Gods Country" for nothing :)
    Yes, Raleigh has become congested, but all the "little towns" that are nearby are quickly becoming overcrowded also. When I was in HS, the beltline (our "freeway") was two lanes, and you could cover the whole circle in twenty minutes. These days, it's resembling Atlanta more and more. Johnston County has become overcrowded, and they are having big growing pains, and having trouble keeping up with the influx of new residents. It used to be that you couldn't go more than a few days without seeing someone you knew. Now I could go months without running into old friends, family and the like. That is one drawback for me, Raleigh has lost the small town feel that it once was (semi) famous for. I used to get upset at relocators for complaining that they didn't have the right food, right culture, right shopping...etc. but I have learned to shrug it off, and hope they will eventually learn not to force us to change into the places that they come from. And, Raleigh has accomidated them, more and better culture, more and better shopping (still in shock over the Saks up the road)and more diversity in food choices.
    Wake County schools IMO are very good with the limitations they have. We do have "reassignments" on a regular basis for the past few years, and that gets people more upset than a debate on eastern style or western style barbecue. My DS has special needs, and Wake county has more than adequately handled him. We also have year round schools, in alternative to traditional schools. The piedmont is an ideal location, halfway to mountains, halfway to beaches. I know I have rambled, but us Southerners are big talkers also :) Good luck in your search!
    Angie in Raleigh

  • gypseaflower
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Guess I'd like to put a word in for the Triad area of the Piedmont which is made of of Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and High Point. As Tom said above the cost of living here is very desirable. There are still many rural areas that land can be had for a great price. All 3 cities are great in that once you leave the city limits you're in the country. There are fantastic state parks with excellent trails, fishing in trout streams and camping facilities just a short drive away. There is a lot of red clay but I guess the many rivers and streams have created areas that are rich with a sandy/loamy type soil. I've been lucky to have that type of land. So check out the area, do a search on Piedmont Triad or any of the 3 cities that make it up. But I think you'll love NC no matter which area you chose. All are unique and yet all are close enough to visit often.
    Debbie in Kernersville which is in the middle so my husband works in Greensboro and I work in Winston-Salem and we each have less than a 30 minute commute.

  • lindanc
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here's a site where you can look at individual schools by county. This well help in your search. Good luck!

    Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.ncreportcards.org/src/

  • LoraxDave
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We lived in the Triangle area for two years, 1994 to 1996, and really liked it a lot. If you are looking for the melting pot aspect, that's a great target area for you. My wife is from New Orleans, which is much different from most of the South, and she really appreciated the melting pot aspect of the community versus Birmingham, AL where we now live.

    I'm surprised, though, that no one has mentioned beautiful Wilmington, NC??? Old South atmosphere with the historic buildings, plantations, huge evergreen live oaks, etc. Milder Winters than the rest of the state. Beautiful coastline!! Similar in atmosphere to Charleston and Savannah. I really liked the NC coast and wish we had taken more advanatge of it when we lived there.

    I do have to admit, though, that the Triangle is positioned very well. Only a couple of hours to the beaches, three hours to the mountains, and 4 hours to Washington, DC.

  • hemlady
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I would like to comment on the fact that an inch of snow brings everything to a halt here. At least here in Chapel Hill, it does. And the reasons are several. One - we don't have much snow removal equipment. And why should we? It only snows about once a year and lasts a day. It would cost a lot to have enough equipment to keep all the roads open for a day, and most of us, especially us natives, would rather not spend the tax money that way. Two - most of the wrecks that happen here when the snow does come are from the folks from up north who don't understand that missing one day of school or work a year is a small price to pay to NOT wreck your car or hurt yourself or your kids.

  • hightider
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I was also from nj been here since 1945 if you want a little bit of 65 then move to coastal n.c. i love gardening and was out today planting we live now at emerald isle and have been here since 87 we raised five children in morehead and new bern n.c. within 40 miles of the area we live in now all my children went to proachial scholl and public and they are now grown and doing very well theres no place on this earth that compares with coastal living when im not gardening im fishing you could live off the land i put my crab pots out my flounder nets and catch enough shrimp to last all year also great ocean fishing marlin sail fish wahoo and tunas that way up to 800lbs allkind of hunting deer black bear and bird hunting as you can tell iam sold on eastern n.c.and love the locals and belive me my children and i do all of the above sinc no one mentioned the coast i hadb to put my two cent in good luck on your relocation

  • lindanc
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "I'm surprised, though, that no one has mentioned beautiful Wilmington, NC???"

    I thought about recommending Wilmington. I think it's a great place to visit, especially since my friend lives there. But I like a colder winter and a less crowded place. that's why I live outside of Greenville NC. I love the small town atmosphere!

  • Blooming_annie
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have to put a plug in for Greenville, SOUTH Carolina! It is one of those "not too big, not too small" places, located in the foothills of the mountains with all the outdoor recreation opportunities that mountains provide, a short drive from Asheville, and a direct shot down the interstate (about 4 hours) to Charleston and its beaches. Atlanta and Charlotte are both easy daytrips for fun and frolics of the city type. It has four pronounced seasons. And if you are determined to have a North Carolina address you could live over the state line and commute into Greenville! If my whole family weren't here in Charleston I might move there!

    I lived in Charlotte for years and loved it as well. But real estate is pretty high until you get pretty far out of town.

    If you move to the coast be prepared for a HUGE adjustment in what you can grow! Wilmington is very similar to Charleston and is very different gardening-wise from most of the places mentioned in this thread.

  • matheaux
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I live in Coastal NC, Morehead City, Carteret County- beautiful area if you like accessible beaches and wildlife estuaries. Population quadruples in Summer, and winter is peaceful (can be a bit too quiet at times).
    Retail here is scarce, and travel within 1-2 ours is almost a given here for locals in order to get anything (Starbucks, Target) but local shopping is actually very good at keeping up, and the area is growing FAST.

    The main seller here is the property values- insanely cheap for a coastal community, but it is not going to last long, within 5 years it will be a totally different story with more coming this way, only thing holding it back from sooner is a lack of major industry other than tourism.

    An area similar but larger and beautiful in a slightly more southern, as opposed to caribbean infused look, is Wilmington. Wilmington is my second home as far as towns go.

    Good luck!

  • MountainDoll
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm from Wisconsin too, and now live in the mountains north of Asheville. The climate is a lot like Wisconsin, only milder and shorter winters. Lots of the same plants and animals, plus rhododendron. Don't come here!

  • Micimacko
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    In terms of melting pot probably Raleigh-Chapel Hill -reserach trianle is one are to look at, the other one is Wilmington on the coast. In the last 10 years the poulation grew a lot in Wilmington. a lot of people from the north moved down here while quite a few from Florida moved up. Raleigh offers more in terms of shopping, an excellent farmer's market, pretty good restaurants. Wilmington's main attarction is the beach but it is improving in a lot of ways.

  • jbcarr
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    NC is definitely hot with regards to being a desireable "move into state". From my observations, the I-85 corridor has developed tremendously in the past 15 years. A lot of it is suburban sprawl, so be careful where you look- what looks like the country today, may not be so in a few years. The hottest climate is going to be the coastal/central area, with the mountains being the coldest. In the central regions, the only question in the summer may be "how high in the 90's will it be today?". Not everybody likes that. The major metro areas are going to be your "melting pots", whereas small town NC may be much like what you describe living in now- difficult unless you are from there. Traffic is a major consideration when looking at the big cities. I think you will love it your move, all things considered.

  • dottie_in_charlotte
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If 'schools' are a strong factor in your location decision, just remember..North Carolina..better than Mississippi/Louisiana/South Carolina and West Virginia.
    We've come a long way from a national ranking of 48th.
    Some of the best performing schools in NC are due to the influx of transplants from states with much better schools.
    The South Charlotte schools are evidence of that.
    Trouble with school systems in NC is they are huge county-wide organisms that eat up larger budgets annually and continue to spit out 12th graders with 9th grade educations.
    Be prepared to supplement your child's education here with lots of parental involvement. You can garden wonderfully anywhere in the state but you only get one shot with your child's education.

  • doereen
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I love North Carolina but dont tell people it is nice here cuz, then they will want to move here. The growth is too much for me ...lol....doe

  • esoterica
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm in Davidson Co. NC....

    Piedmont Triad area...

    I was born here and lived away most of my life. I'm back now and we've started plowing the garden spot and just opened the can of Walton non hybrid vegetable seeds. I planted my tomatoe seed today.

    I was wondering what should go in the garden and when? Lettuce? Beets? radishes? are these the early starts?

  • spunbondwarrior
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Not to be a naysayer or anything like that... but I would venture that near 100% of the folks around here wish you would please move east of I85 and the closer to RDU the better.
    Personally I have had enough of the flood of "newcomers" and have been pressing the state to institute" new user fees" fo newcomers to cover the ever increasing costs of every new resident.
    Schools here are generally pitiful, yes and in spite of what folks might say, we are still ranked 48, by some 49. According to everyone here schools everywhere (except for the ones their kids attend.) are terrible.... but if you take an active part ,as you should anyway IMHO, they will do just fine and be very successful.

    The coast was once wonderful, but now rapidly evolves into an ever increasing shanty town of barely codable condo's and high dollar shacks while Albemarle and Pamlico sounds slowly die from the ever increasing amounts of agro and urban run-off.

    Oh my, and what would a good rant be without a blast toward all those from north south east and west who feed and never kill deer..... a growing major headache and an increasing hazard to person and property every year.

    And lest I forget...>>>> the area has just attracted a Dell plant and a Fedex hub BTW.... Asheville is an outrageously expensive place whose residents display a whineyness and false sense of superiority exceeded only by those moving to the Raleigh area...... If I hear one more yankeelander say "back we we come from" "that's not how things are done where we come from" and what I hate the most and yet hear more all the time "they shouldnt be allowed to do that down/over/by/around/whatever here."

    I have been to Wisconsin and Minnesota several times and have always found them wonderful places to visit, but I always managed to find my way home.

    So, to best answer >>>> the best part of where YOU live in NC?? LOL, and you might wanna ask the dudes "from Ohio" with the big blue Ford 4wd what happens to a truck that breaks an axle and gets abandoned in my creek after rutting around in the muck and tearing up the creekbed. Then again you might wanna ask a lawyer what my or your other neighbors rights are in such a case before you go mucking around..

    Good luck though wherever you go... Charlotte, the Triad, esp G'boro and the "greater" Raliegh and Wilmington areas might be best for the non natives as thats where most of the other non natives tend to be.

    Not to fear though, I have lots of similarly attituded neighbors who like me, have a whole lot more bark than bite, and have a genuine love for country folks from everywhere, it's the city folks and their pitifully thoughts and ways that we would all be much better off without, doesnt matter to me where the city is.

  • esoterica
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The grade schools suck... I'll agree on that one.

    What I've noticed most about the culture here in NC might be insulting to the natives, (i was born and reared here but left for most of my adult life), nevertheless I feel it must be stated...

    You folks correct me if I'm wrong...

    The majority of natives here seem to be gullible and it appears that they get exploited by out of staters... Does this sound familar?

    I witnessed first hand how local politics/government treats us like we're idiots! In short order, however, they learn that I'm not to be exploited and if not careful, exposure to the facts might soon follow.

    I've noticed a sense of fear coming from the citizens. And lack of knowledge to the truth about what is really going on. There is a larger percentage of alcoholism here then in other places that I've lived. Probably caused by feelings of being trapped economically...

    Many people want the lottery here. As if this would somehow make a difference... It'll make a difference alright.. more corruption in government.

    Overall, the people of NC are good hearted people. They are more then willing to lend a helping hand... I just wish they were more wise to the dealings of the ones who would exploit... it even comes through in commercials on tv here. The rednecks are exploited as being a subculture who are easily manipulated. The churches here do quit a bit of skimming from the folks. Sorry to offend but if I were a thug by nature, I'd become a preacher so I wouldn't have to work anymore.

    You forgot to mention Fayetteville; what a melting pot, huh?

  • aka_peggy
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    How come everybody got so quite?

    And how come no one mentioned that the mosquito is the NC state bird? I was born in Magnolia, 40 miles from Wilmington and I love my home state but I don't miss them daggone mosquitos. Love the food tho and I rrrreally miss that. Nobody makes barbecue like a Tarheel.

  • msscarlet
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well this is funny...My husband and I are planning on moving down to North Carolina from Massachusetts. Not only are we going to but my sister with her family as well as my niece and her family. I came to this site to ask the very question that was posted on this thread. I really enjoyed reading all the responses. I have been scouring over my road atlas and doing property searches for months now. My niece already sold her house and is presently touring North Carolina to find where they wish to live which is what my sister and I will be doing once school lets out.

    I was very pleased that most of the responses were positive. Most people sound very warm and welcoming. The ones that were not so warm well lets just say I had already been warned about the few that do not like "yankees" and still think the Civil War is on break LOL...

    I don't really care about that. I am a gardener and any real gardener will be attracted to another real gardener no matter where they were born. Who else would willingly sit for hours listening to stories about dead lambs ears or the challenges of amending soil then a fellow gardener?

    I am really looking forward to moving down and having a longer gardening season. Being from the Berkshire Mountains in western Mass I am used to a short growing season. I am used to and tired of winter kill on my roses, crushed lawns from a ton of snow every year and worst of all trying to maneuver hair pin turns on black iced roads...I live in a town of only 480 people that does not even have its own zip code let alone a business to call its own so no matter what town I move to in North Carolina it will seem like the big city.

    I have always had a love for the south ever since I was a little girl. A few of my sisters moved to Florida when I was very young and I visited often and we would travel into the Carolina's and I fell in love with the area. Given my nicname choice of Miss Scarlet I think we can say I have a love for things southern.

    My son is serving in the Air Force and is stationed in Goldsboro NC. I have visited him several times over the last 3 years that he has been there and always enjoy myself.

    To all you born and bred southerners you won't get any yak from me about my yankee ways. I am a very opinionated person but more then that I have a true love of history. Although my family served in the Yankee army during the "war" and I am proud of that I still understand and feel strongly about the Confederate Flag issue and have gotten into more arguments about it then I care to recall. My feeling is simple. History is what it is and it can not and should not be rewritten to conform to some politically correct society. The flag to me is not a sign of prejudice or slavery or any of those hot topic issues. It simply is a representation of a generation of men who rose to fight and die for what they believed just as my own ancestors on the other side had done and what my own son is doing now. There is nothing wrong or shameful about that they are patriots all. Being from Mass TRUST me...I am drowining in liberalism and it is the one thing I will NOT miss. I have 18 acres up here and during the election I had my Bush/Cheney signs planted everywhere on my land. This did not go over too big in Norman Rockwell country. I am hoping to move to an area where people are open-minded but NOT politically correct. I have certainly had my fill of that already. I've raised two kids in this "center of academia" and I have no desire to raise my last one here. Luckily my son listened more to momma and takes pride in his country and joined the service after 9/11 Not too many boys from this area were busy doing that as they would rather take up signs to picket about this "illegal" war...God give me strength LOL

    Anyway, thanks all for the responses. When it comes time to actually look at properties the realtor is going to think I am insane because I want to touch unamended soil before I buy. I want to know what I am signing up for. I have fertile but very clay soil here and have spent years amending it. I would be real pleased to find something that will take little work to plant in.

    Finally, sewing tomatos in March? I can't even imagine such a thing. I know there are some plants I love that are not supposed to do well down south such as iris, peony and lilac all of which I will miss but not for long when I plant some gardenia, jasmine, CRAPE MYRTLE and moonflower vine!!! I can't wait to have a New Dawn climber that does not die back to the soil every year and can actually grow up and around the arbor it is on. I am so excited I can't wait until my DH gets a job offer and we can sell this place!!! Had the realtor here today giving me his market analysis and I am ready to start packing!!!

  • brenda_near_eno
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    mscarlet, the Civil War is not "on break" - just remember we won and you will get on famously here.

    I don't buy that schools "suck" here. You can get a good education anywhere if you have a family oriented to learning. You can get a bad education anywhere if you happen to get a poor teacher for your child, even in the very best school system. Education is an individual experience, so while overall rankings can guide us in overall change, rankings (state, county or individual school rankings) don't indicate any individual child's experience.

    The state is multicultural all over, and not just in Cary and RTP (although I'm fine with Cary-on staying there or maybe just moving on out to "the country" in Apex or Holly Springs). Country people in North Carolina are like those in every state, and I've been around. We like the way we live, we choose it, we don't like it criticized, and it does not mean we are ignorant.

    It is a beautiful state, all over. Like everyone, I don't want us inundated by people from other states looking for the good life we have here - but heck, I was a transplant 12 years ago myself. Just do us a favor, OK? Buy at least 2 acres - it makes it a little harder for them to pave paradise.

  • aka_peggy
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think the Wilmington area is very pretty. Most of my family lives there and I lived there as a teenager. It's changed tremendously since the 60's. The mountains of NC are also incredibly beautiful.

    The winter's are really nice most of the time but the summer's are muggy like you wouldn't believe.

    And did you know that Venus Flytrap's grow within a 100 mile radius of Wilmington NC and nowhere else in the whole world.

  • msscarlet
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "mscarlet, the Civil War is not "on break" - just remember we won and you will get on famously here. "

    Brenda LOL. I kind of figured that. Several years ago I was working as a designer at a high end furniture store. A woman came in who was originally from GA and we were talking about the differences in weather in the south vs New England. I had told her that I would love to visit Atlanta someday because I had heard it was a beautiful city. Well she stopped dead in her tracks and stared at me before saying it WAS a beautiful city until Sherman burned it down LOLOLOLOL...Needless to say I was taken back a bit as this woman was speaking as if this was the present tense and looked at me as if I had something to do with it. Now this woman was the wife of the president of one of the bigger colleges in our area and was a very educated woman. I understood right then and there that this was an emotional issue that ran deep.

    As far as education goes. My kids attend/ed what are considered "progressive" schools up here. In our school system science and math are heralded. They are looking for the next Einstein. I would much prefer my kids getting a more rounded education. Most of the schools that I have checked out in North Carolina have very high scores in all areas. There were a couple that did not score very well but that could be said of anywhere USA.

  • brenda_near_eno
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    msscarlet, my kids were in an all-academically-gifted school in Raleigh - bussed into a "progressive magnet." It was a good school, but they are happier now 20 miles north, in a regular old rural public high school, where their friends ride 4-wheelers and hunt deer in November. And guess what, they're still bright and I still love 'em.

    My husband was born in Phoenix, and when we got married my Uncle Blondie and Aunt Polly took him on a tour of their hometown, Vicksburg. Let's just say the tour went something like this - "and over there is where we killed 4000 of those yankees" and "right there is where we killed 5000 more." Vicksburg did not celebrate July 4th until just a few years ago, becasue it happens to also be the day the city fell to Northern forces after a very long siege. My new husband really did ask me to remind him afterwards how the war ended.

  • gkat
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi, msscarlet and everyone...

    My favorite places in NC so far (and too bad we don't live there:) are in and around Asheville and around Morganton. The Triangle seems ok though a bit crowded for me.

    We moved here last year after living 15 years in NH. I am not a Yankee though...:) Born and raised in Mississippi - that is the ~The South~ with caps, lol. Anyway we did live here in NC for a couple of years in the late 80's; we were married in Swannanoa and my oldest was born here.

    The things I like most are:
    -the climate (I live in the isothermal, which rocks:)
    -I can grow lantana!
    -the multiculturalness (hmmm is that a word?)
    -I can grow a decent melon!
    -The way stuff is done on a ~county~ basis and not a ~town~ basis so yes, you might actually get a few tiny little services. My children did not know what a Rec Department was...
    -I can grow grains and corn! I don't, but I could...:)
    -I love the way you are taxed on what you make not what you own. Although NC has the highest income tax of all the states we looked at, we still don't pay 1/2 the taxes we would have in NH if we owned a property there comparable to what we do now in NC.
    -I have a pecan tree! That is, well...kinda, sorta alive.
    -I finally get to say y'all again without getting blank looks.
    -I can plant before Memorial Day!
    -I can finally stop saying and hearing "wicked this and wicked that" all the time. :)

    and the number one best thing is...
    Almost NO SNOW!!! lol

    This is a very poor county but the school system seems fine from what I hear/see from friends of my children. The private schools give even more choice. We hs but I think we have some good options available should we choose to go the school route.

    Good luck on your search for a new home.

  • msscarlet
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Brenda LOL...that is really funny. It is a good thing the yankees didn't have their own flag or the war could ignite in a New York minute if one of those dang yankees brought one down and planted it in their front yard LOL...

    GKat, thanks for the well wishes about finding a nice home in NC. You reminded me of a couple of other things that I am looking forward to. I have tried to grow sugar melons and cantaloupe up here and it is just about impossible. The season is way too short and too cool as well.

    LOL about wicked this and that. You know that is really a geographic thing in New England because my step daughter went to live with her mom in New York for a year when she was younger and her school friends did not say wicked and they were always laughing at her for saying it. How wicked mean kids can be huh LOL!

    I took a test once on the web and it really cracked me up. I do not have the site bookmarked any longer but you had to answer I don't know...25 or so questions and by your reponses they could tell you what area of the United States you were from...I just recall a couple of the questions...one was what do you call the shoes you run in...the possible choices were tennis shoes, something else and sneakers of course we call them sneakers here...another one was how you pronounce the name of "aunt" is it "ant" like the insect or does it rhyme with "gaunt" obviously, New England it is the one that rhymes with "gaunt". The last one I recall was what you call your bed clothes. "pajamas" or pronounce it pa-JAM-as like in jelly/jam...we call them like jelly/jam... It pegged me real good. It actually called me a yankee from New England LOLOLOLOL...

    Oh well I wish I were already down there now and had my new house so I could do all the spring work and spend the summer enjoying my labors. I have to admit that I am going to really miss my gardens. I have spent 6 years toiling out there to get them in shape. I hate the thought of someone moving here and not caring about perennials and mulching etc. I also hate the thought of starting from scratch. It takes so long to have your perennials establish themselves...that is why I want to start NOW lol!!

    Thanks all for the responses. Or gKat should I say thanks ya'll. The funny thing is there is no way that someone up north can move south and attempt to "blend" in. As soon as one speaks you can see that they are not native. Lucky for me I was raised in western Mass so I do not have that annoying "I pahked the cah in the yahd" accent. I have had many southerners tell me that I do not sound like I am from Mass because I don't speak that way. That dialect is exclusive to east of Worcester. You know Kennedy country and NO I NEVER voted for him but the jerk keeps getting back in. Won't miss his sorry butt either!

  • jbcarr
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The bumper stickers here read "North 1, South O, Halftime".

  • Brian_M2
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hope the original poster and the woman from Massachusetts could manage to filter out some of the crap in here. Good grief, people.

    My *OPINIONS*...
    NC is a cut above the rest of the Southern states, in terms of intellect and possibilities. I'm originally from South Carolina...I left there in 1993 and never looked back, because it's backWARDS as all hell. If you are concerned with any kind of cultural aspects, you will live in the Triangle. I will make no bones about it, I want to be around intelligent people. With the universities in this area, that is easy. The whole area is a huge melting pot of just about everything you can think of that makes people unique. Good ethnic restaurants, decent museums and galleries (some featuring fantastic NC artists), a very good horticultural atmosphere (NCSU Arboretum, Tony Avent's Plant Delights, Big Bloomers and a zillion other sources of plants and information), situated between the mountains and the beach and in close proximity to major transporation routes. Some of the other areas named tend to list to the side of certain political persuasions (mostly to the right), where the Triangle has good helpings of the whole spectrum, which is a big breath of fresh air in the current national political climate. I agree with the person who said parental involvement is a necessary supplement to any educational system. That being said...I think Wake County Schools has a very good reputation. Please think twice before looking at Cary and North Raleigh, should you choose this area. Two of the most overpriced, sprawling, Land Rover and Hummer-packed places you will find. Look at small towns around Raleigh, or if you are smart and want to invest in future land value, look to the east of downtown Raleigh inside the I-440 Beltline. Eventually this area is going to become infill development, and homes there are very affordable. I'm talking neighborhoods bordering New Bern Avenue, in proximity to Enloe High School, a nationally ranked magnet school. Wherever you end up, I think you'll like it down here more than up there in the Rust Belt or whatever it's called... :)

    Let the flames begin!

  • brenda_near_eno
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Good thing they're just YOUR opinions, Brian, or the good people in South Carolina, or from Louisiana (like me) might be offended by your broad generalizations, cultural bigotry, and general negative attitude. Best to just ignore you.

  • Brian_M2
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    *yawn*

    Too bad you couldn't follow your own advice, Brenda...very telling.

  • msscarlet
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Brian, thanks for your very informative response. I have been to the Raleigh/Chapel Hill/Cary area a few times while visiting my son who is stationed in Goldsboro and found it very lovely. My DH was raised in a town in Connecticut that had a population of 2200 and now we live in a town with a population of 480. He actually LIKES this. I am all for living in a small town for I like the sense of community pride and commorodity that goes with that but I prefer a small town with at least 15,000 - 20,000 people LOL. My DH also wants acreage. Not a particular desire of mine as long as I am not living on top of someone else. He could never live on a property less than a few acres and that is where we are running into some issues. Due to the type of work he does we need to be within reasonable driving distance to a metropolitan area. I understand that Raleigh and Charlotte are the two places he is most likely to find employment so I have been scouting bedroom communities for both cities. I have found some lovely homes in the Lake Norman district outside of Charlotte as well as some in the Cary as well as Clayton area outside Raleigh.

    Thanks for the headsup about northern Raleigh and Cary. One thing I know is sure to send my hubby off the deep end is the hummer crowd. We see a lot of that where we live in the Berkshires. My hubby is a sweetheart and hates confrontation but he is also a man comfortable with who he is. Whenever he is amid the keep-up-with-the-Jones type of people something comes over him and he turns into a neanderthal which if it weren't so in-your-face- on his part it would be rather comical. We have the "New York" aka "The Wallstreet Crowd" that own summer homes around the lakes in our area. They are excruciatingly politically correct, pretentious and obnoxious. To protest their invasion every year DH goes out of his way to make things unpleasant for them. He has an old truck that he named Mable. The thing should have been buried about 25 years ago yet he insists on keeping it professing its value for hauling things around the property. At the peak of summer when he is sure to find the snobs, I mean New Yorkers at the one and only general store in the area he insists on driving my little daughter (who does not know any better) to the store for an ice cream cone. I have had the "pleasure" of being on a few of those trips myself and it is rather humorous to see the expressions on these peoples faces as he pulls "Mable" next to their Lexus' or Hummers. LOL...I overheard one man tell his wife "it really is time to sell our place here" after seeing my husband pull in and get out of his truck. She responded "oh dear but we love the lake so". It was the one and only time that I really wanted to go up to someone and tell them how rude they were and how much we looked forward to fall every year to be rid of them. At the time my DH was running his own company and financially was probably doing as well as anyone of these pompous jerks but they judged the book by the cover and thought we were the "poor relations". I managed to hold my tongue and I am glad I did. What do I care what these trogs think anyway and it is a good lesson for my daughter to learn about humbleness as well as seeing for herself how plastic some people truly are. I am all for intellectual dialect but attitudes are best checked at the door.

  • carla17
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Best part to live in? Around Asheville and anywhere in mountains away from Boone or Blowing Rock is good. Boone and BR are heavily populated with rich transplants. Charlotte has lots to offer. Or you could move to Hickory and grow roses.

    Carla

  • Eileen_1
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We (me, my husband, our 2 children and my mother-in-law who is awesome) are moving to the triangle area later this summer (after our house sells). I am SO happy to be moving from the bitterly cold and seriously congested Chigago area. I lived much of my life in Huntingtom WV and Lexington KY and am happy to be southward bound again, but also will appreciate the diversity to be found in the triangle area. Lately I have been obsessively reading southern authors (and am sad to be reading the last of Pat Conroy's books- kudos to S.C.).

    I will be working part time in Chapel Hill and my husband will likely be working in Raleigh. We are planning to move to Cary due to community activites and services available for seniors (my mother in law can no longer drive), the good public schools, and proximity to both Raleigh and Chapel Hill.

    We need a newer home (my mother in law does not do stairs and would need a first floor in-law suite or master suite). Therefore, we would most likely be moving to the outskirts of Cary- maybe close to Bond Park where the senior center is located?

    A concern is snobbery. Though we both have advanced degrees - we do not think that is the be-all end-all. Additionally, we try hard not to spoil our children. We aren't anti-shoppiing but don't want them to be searching for the meaning of life at the mall. Perspective and moderation. We don't mind living in an area with different types of people, but don't want to be in an area where keeping up with the Jones' is the general pasttime.

    Any information on the specific public schools in Cary? Any information on peoples attitudes?
    Our children are grade school age but we don't plan on moving again and high school is also a consideration.

    THANKS!!!
    Eileen

  • JoanM
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    What do you NC folks think of Lake Lure as a vacation/retirement cottage location? The realtor was telling me that they have a microclimate there and it is very mild in the winter.

  • trianglejohn
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Eileen - I hear a lot of negative things about Cary but I don't see it in reality. I don't live there but I work there, and I walk my dog at Bond Park (some jobs actually allow you to bring your dog to work around here!). I love it. The city parks and programs in Cary are top notch - much better than the State Parks back in my home state. The shopping areas in Cary are kinda quiet, most folks seem to go to the newer malls in North Raleigh or over by Durham. Traffic can be kinda congested around the shopping areas (in Cary that is).

    There are so many non natives living in and around the Triangle that snobbery isn't much of a problem - you may never see it ever.

    There does seem to be a great number of home schoolers in Cary - don't know if it is because the schools are crowded or if the mom's don't work so they home school instead. Due to the software, Tech and Pharmaceutical industries in this area there is an abundance of wealthy young people. Wealthy enough that only one spouse needs to work.

    Driving is my only complaint out here. I'm used to post Homestead Act state plans where land was divided up into square portions and roads run North or South, East or West. Where if you miss your exit you just take the next one and double back. Out here roads most often follow old stage coach trails and farm roads so they wind around a lot. You kinda have to memorize your area before you feel comfortable driving in it.

  • ncgardengirl
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I maybe late on this BUT:
    The Shelby/Boiling Springs area is a great place too. This area is still considered small townish, but Boilings Springs is a college town. The outer areas such a Kings Mountain are not bad either and the school system here just merged and Kings Mountain and Shelby cities schools were rated some of the best here.
    Plus it is only about a 45 minute commute to Charlotte from here and many people do. Anyone looking to move to NC should look-up Cleveland County. It is a great place to be.
    Plus our hospital system has merged into large network. It merged into Charlotte's larger hospital, it includes Cleveland Regional Medical Center, Kings Mountain Hospital and other smaller medical centers along with the larger network hospitals, so you get great care in that system if you need it.
    Our land prices are iffy, BUT you can find deals on homes with land if you look.
    If anyone would like any information about this area contact me, I will give you names of real estate companies and give you a website with information on Cleveland County.
    :) NCgardengirl