Tell me about your incredible state.

vinny

Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2012
Location
Phoenix, Az (for now)
Hi there!

I'm considering a move to the Raleigh area. My wife graduates from nursing school in 2 months, and new grad jobs here in Arizona are few and far between. If she doesn't find something locally in a reasonable time frame we'll be heading your way. We have found a few employers in the triangle region who encourage new grad nurses from out of state to apply.

We're pretty low key, she's late 20's i'm 31. no kids. We enjoy the accommodations a larger city provides while having a little space around the house. We grew up in north east Pa, moved to Az 6 years ago. We are looking to get back to the east coast where our home town is a more reasonable journey. We're ready for a more rounded climate where summers aren't as oppressive and we also want to live close enough to the ocean to make weekend trips reasonable.

We are both auto enthusiasts of all sorts. My current project is an xj. It has a long arm 6.5" lift in the front, deaver leafs in the back, a locker, 305/70/17's, sye and a bunch more. One of my concerns is rust. The bottom of my cherokee looks like it just rolled out of the showroom. Every bolt came out with a ratchet. Is rust an issue in that area? I know in Pa this thing would be rotted to dust by now.

How are the vehicle codes there? My xj doesn't get a second look around here, but I know it would be a Pd magnet back in Pennsylvania. Below is a pic, I've since removed the flares and cut the fenders out.

So tell me, what about NC do you like and dislike? I would especially love to hear from folks who have lived in Pa or Az, but I value the views of anyone willing to share.

Thanks!
Vinny

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inspection laws are pretty here. if it's pre '95 saftey inspection only. if it's after 95, no check engine light and your pretty much good to go.
rust isn't an issue around here, if you go into va, or to the coast it can be an issue but not around here.
it's hot as hell in the summer and everything else is pretty mild. so far this "winter" we have has a slight dusting of snow and that's it. it's not uncommon for me to play golf in january wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt.

let us know if we can help
 
Welcome, Vinny! What Lee said...

All of the major metro areas (Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte) have several universities and hospitals, have the amenities of the "city" and "country" isn't far off... and all are within a couple of hours' drive of the beach and the mountains. :rockon:

vinny said:
you can get yuengling and turkey hill ice cream there, right? :D
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:lol: Definitely yes on the Yuengling... and I think so on the Turkey Hill. :lol:
 
I live a little west of Charlotte. I love it here! I lived in Charleston for 3 years, Iraq for 1 year, and have spent a few weeks in AZ on the border. Your Heep will be fine here. I have seen much worse rolling down the road (about to fall apart). Rust isnt bad at all. Probably not as nice as AZ, but a small shot of PB blaster will make stuff easy to get off. We do have America's oldest beer! Just cant beat being a couple hours from the beach and mountains.
 
I grew up in Pennsylvania, I can't say I miss the cold miserable rainy weather almost all the freaking time.

I love NC, its pretty great. Don't know about Icecream, but we got plenty yuengling lol.

Your jeep is about the average XJ around here I would say, they are freaking everywhere and its great.
 
I like the occasional storm, but not the days of non stop rain. I also like the idea of snow, but not the actuality of it! Aside from the humidity it appears the weather isn't too much different than here in phoenix, we get hotter but NC has humidity.

Thanks for the info everyone.
 
yes you can get Turkey hill here , I lived in MD and VA . I like NC better although Somethings are a little different them up there .As far as weather not too bad the best thing is the BBQ and home of Krispy Kream Doughnuts . there is some good Greek food here and some good Irish/ Scottish food here . If you are into stock car racing there are some local tracks not too far away and it is cheap entertainment .
 
stock car racing would be awesome! I can see myself going brok....uh, trying it! how is the wheeling? I know i'm very spoiled here, there is a ton of free open space to use.

Care to elaborate on the some things are different statement? I'm very interested in learning the small cultural details that make areas different.
 
We have alot of wheeling, from Private land to Uwharrie National Forest. Either way, make a few friends and your options open up a lot.
 
I grew up in wv ( I like to tell people I'm mexican, more respect ) and moved here after high school for about a year then left for Atlanta. Nc is the only place I've ever come back to.
 
I've been to 37 countries and lived for a year or more in 3 other states. When I got out of the navy I headed right back to Raleigh and have had my butt parked here for the last 30 years. There lots to offer and with in decent drives you can be on some of the best beaches or high in the hills. I love fishing so I live at the big lakes or my favorite the coast. As for her job training. Nursing is a good profession around here. The Raleigh area offers several top notch hospitals and the so does several other areas of the state.
My draw backs here is cost of living is not as low as I think it should be and NC love to rape you on gas taxes.
 
Come awn. You're supposed to be telling him how awful it is, how he's going to wilt in the humidity, how there are plenty of jobs if he doesn't mind working cotton or tobacco. :rolleyes:
 
There is probably more mexicans here.
 
Looking at your pictures the big difference is that in NC our yards have grass. A lot of green areas around here. Rust is really not that bad. I used to work for the DOT and often the surplus equipment would be bought up by other agencies and people from up north. I think SC has a little better rep for less rust, but NC is not to bad. As mentioned Charlotte, Winston Salem, and Raleigh are great areas of nursing and medical field.

I can not think of any dislikes except for the gas tax and how slack our DOT is.
 
Nice looking house. Good luck with the sell. I was introduced to gravel yards when I went to Florida awhile back. i do not know out west but down there weeds take over quickly.

O that makes me think. Bugs are not too much of an issue around here. There are some areas where the misquitos are rather pesty but termites and other pest are not too bad.
 
that's good to hear about the bugs. There are very few around here, but the ones we do have can be quite nasty. Scorpions, black widows and so on. around here if it doesn't have thorns it has venom or some other way to make life miserable... speaking of, how are the snakes there? Typical eastern diamond backs and copper heads?


The gravel in the desert is pretty easy care, twice a year sprinkle down some pre-emergent weed killer and you have nothing to worry about. It sucks in the summer though, it just keeps the heat in.
 
Well I am from CT and live in Raleigh but have family in Arizona and PA

so being I have been to all these place I would say NC for the win over CT/PA or Arizona..

in all reality yes it gets hot in Raleigh with humidity but you get used to it, unless you are a pansy :)
the downfall is you will have to drive to go wheeling living in NC. if you end up in Raleigh you are looking at 1hr45min + drive to go wheeling.. so you will not have as much access out here as you have in Arizona..

there are lots of clubs in NC to join and meet other wheelers.. the local Raleigh club is cnc4x4.org but if you end up more west there other clubs also..

but all in all everyone I meet loves NC and does not want to leave once they get here :)
 
Valkyrie45 said:
Bugs are not too much of an issue around here. There are some areas where the misquitos are rather pesty but termites and other pest are not too bad.
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For a while there, we couldn't go out in our yard from April to October because of the Asian Tiger mosquitoes. I started spraying every-damn-thing with a bug/pest spray hooked to the garden hose. Much better after that.

Asian Tigers are a big deal in any urban/suburban area.
 
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