What are the best cities to live in N.C.?

sclg2302

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Sep 20, 2006
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Florida
:confused: We want to relocate our family to N.C. from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and are looking for suggestions on where to live. We are in our mid to late 40's and have two boys - ages 11 and 13 who are very active. Our heritage is German and Spanish, so we're looking for a city or town that is also of mixed culture. We like to go to the movies, bowling, fishing and, of course, I love shopping!:bounce2: My husband is a mailman, so he'll be looking for a transfer and I have a secretarial background and then some, so no problem for me to find a job. We would very much appreciate some suggestions on where to start looking. Thanks!
 
I've lived in Charlotte my whole life (OK...except for the first 17 months)...

it's big enough to have just about anything you want...but not the traffic/congestion of an Atlanta, DC, etc...

~2.5 hours to the mountains, ~3.5 hours to the ocean...

ever growing hispanic population...but not sure about the German side...:D

plenty of fishing...and way too much shopping...

but, probably the highest taxes in the state (you could live just across the county line in any direction, just get out of Mecklenburg)...or even just across the SC border for a lower cost of living...

on the other hand...the mountains are nice, as is the coast...

Greg
 
Might be helpfull to know what you guys do for a living. In the Raleigh/Durham area, is Reserch Traingle Park (RTP) where there are a bunch of technology companies...
 
Biggest thing you most likely are going to have to be concerned with is employment. What do you do for a living?
Where I live is awesome. Close to the mountains. 1/2 hour from Hickory(shopping malls and so on) Hour from Asheville( more shopping and sites) Big lake for fishing, many rivers and streams also. Many cultures here, mainly Asian(Hmong and Laotian) Mexican and Guatemalans, Have the school for the deaf, Community college, 2 new high schools being built, Have a couple movie theaters, bowling, four wheelin. 6 day news paper, big public library, among many other things
There are places in the county that you can do what you want. Two hospitals, but I don't recommend either for much more than a scratch.
Happy searching
 
Sorry To Hijack!!

upnover said:
Biggest thing you most likely are going to have to be concerned with is employment. What do you do for a living?
Where I live is awesome. Close to the mountains. 1/2 hour from Hickory(shopping malls and so on) Hour from Asheville( more shopping and sites) Big lake for fishing, many rivers and streams also. Many cultures here, mainly Asian(Hmong and Laotian) Mexican and Guatemalans, Have the school for the deaf, Community college, 2 new high schools being built, Have a couple movie theaters, bowling, four wheelin. 6 day news paper, big public library, among many other things
There are places in the county that you can do what you want. Two hospitals, but I don't recommend either for much more than a scratch.
Happy searching
Click to expand...

There building 2 new High Schools in Burke County?
 
Shelby ain't bad. My wife works at a bank if that would help you find a job. We also have a Post Office(LOL). And, it's in the county just below Chip's.
 
New Bern, NC... Not a very big town, but there is bowling, fishing, a decent amount of jobs, cost of living is fairly low. Lots of water up there to use, about 45mins from the coast, right on highway 70 which will take you to or lead you to a major road to get anywhere in the state.

You could also look at the Little River, South Carolina area, I just relocated myself and my business down there and its great, pretty busy in the summer with Myrtle Beach a bridge away, but its really nice, lots of water, plenty of things to do, great job market, and a ton of different people...
 
sclg2302 said:
:confused: We want to relocate our family to N.C. from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and are looking for suggestions on where to live. We are in our mid to late 40's and have two boys - ages 11 and 13 who are very active. Our heritage is German and Spanish, so we're looking for a city or town that is also of mixed culture. We like to go to the movies, bowling, fishing and, of course, I love shopping!:bounce2: My husband is a mailman, so he'll be looking for a transfer and I have a secretarial background and then some, so no problem for me to find a job. We would very much appreciate some suggestions on where to start looking. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Why are you relocating? The reason I ask is that may help make your decsion.

If you're trying to get your kids into better schools, do a LOT of research on where you live. We live in Concord (in one of the surrounding counties around Charlotte). We love the Charlotte area, but I wouldn't put my kids in Mecklenburg/Charlotte city schools. Cabarrus county, Union county or neighboring South Carolina counties all have better options.

If you're looking to get away from the Hurricanes, you'll want to stay in the western half of the state. That won't keep you out of them all, but you'll avoid the worst of it. My uncle is in New Bern and it is a growing area that will remind you somewhat of Florida.

As others have said, think about the things you really like to do. North Carolina is about as wide as Florida is long, so if you love the mountains, you may want to avoid the coast and visa versa, just because you're going to potentially have a 5 or 6 hour trip (or more) to get from the coast to the mountains. We like the Charlotte area because we're a couple of hours from the mountains and 3-4 hours to the coast. We enjoy both and being in the middle gives you options.

Jeff
 
Asheville is nice, but property is kinda pricy up there with the Snow Birds...

I live in Greensboro area and of the cities I think it is the best, lot less traffic than Charlotte and Raleigh.

If you wanted nice size town, but not a big city, Hickory area would be my next choice, lots of great food, shopping, land is decently priced, close to mountains and still 4ish hours from the beach.

If you want to still be at the beach...then Wilmington is the place to be...

Sam
 
Moved to Charlotte 10 years ago and I love it here. As said before, I wouldn't put my kids in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system, though. There are great areas/schools in the surrounding towns to look into.
 
You'll be coming from Florida? Well, Hendersonville is just perfect for you! :shaking: Sorry, I couldn't resist. There are so many transplants around here. But really, Hendersonville isn't so bad. Sure, the majority of the population is senior citizen, but it's a great lil' town. But we're within 30 min. of Asheville, 40 min. of Greenville, SC, and 2 hours of Charlotte.
 
Couple things about NC (coming from someone who lived in FL for 2 years):

1) Finances: Say hello to our close personal friend, Mr. State Income Tax.

2) Climate: Generally speaking the farther west you go, the colder it is.

3) Geography: East = Flat, West = Mountains, Middle = Gentle rolling hills (Piedmont)

4) Employment: There are some areas of NC that the unemployment rate is near 9% and other areas where jobs are easy to come by. There is a lot of difference in Laurinburg and Charlotte, for example.

5) Schools: BIG range in the quality of schools from just one side of a county to another. Do lots of homework on that.
 
I will second (or third?) Hickory. Very nice location, growing faster and faster every year. Close to mountains, decently close to the beach. Close to charlotte without actually LIVING in charlotte.

We've got a decent mall, bowling right across the street. Movies are on the other side of the mall. Fishing? Got lake hickory right there, although I wouldnt eat anything I catch. Most neighborhoods on the lake have a decent lake access (mine does, but its not as good as the others around me)

I live in Northlakes (right across the bridge on 321) We have a Hickory mailing addy, but dont pay Hickory city taxes (ours are Caldwell)

We are close to Lenior, Closer to hickory. Schools arent THAT bad up here, but they arent as good as they could be. The Hickory Post Office is in a very nice location, right downtown. Plenty of places to eat dinner or lunch down there too if you feel like taking a lunch break with him. The way the city is growing, finding a secretarial job wont be that hard. Check with CommScope, they probably have something open as big as they are getting. Hickory traffic isnt that bad either, not as bad as you'd find in Charlotte or Raliegh.

Both Hickory, Granite Falls (right up the road) and Hudson have very good sports programs (although I hear Hickory leagues can get rough) Granite has a really decent rec. center, Longview Rec. is nice as well, right off 321 too. YMCA is located in Downtown ish hickory, and is a pretty nice place as well.
 
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