Calling all North Carolinians.

[mrsklamc]

I'm sure it depends on departments and things, OP, but my DBIL interviewed for a job in the NC University system. It took 6 months and several interviews before they offered an impossibly small salary.

 

[My2Qtz0205]

Sorry to crash your thread, but I'm just curious if you've considered Virginia? You might be able to afford a 3br house here in the Tidewater area in your price range. My mom recently purchased one in Portsmouth for that approximate amount. The cities you would want to research are VA Beach/Norfolk/Portsmouth/Chesapeake/Suffolk. On the peninsula there is also Newport News/Hampton/Yorktown/Williamsburg (though I believe W'burg might be a bit out of your price range). Just a thought!

Nothing against NC! I love NC, which is why I peeked at the thread.

 

[disneyandme]

You mentioned that you are moving to be closer to family in WV. I would actually check the distances if this is your main reason or moving. Just guessing your current location, you would be only cutting an hour off a 7 1/2 hour drive.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

You mentioned that you are moving to be closer to family in WV. I would actually check the distances if this is your main reason or moving. Just guessing your current location, you would be only cutting an hour off a 7 1/2 hour drive.

Good point. We lived in Morgantown, WV before we moved to Wilmington. It is almost a 10 hour drive to Morgantown from here. Morgantown is about as far north as you can go, though, so you might be a bit closer, OP. Raleigh would cut two hours off that time.

We moved from Albany, NY to WV, and Albany was closer than Wilmington.

 

[sorul82?]

There is easy access to downtown Raleigh from Garner.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

There is easy access to downtown Raleigh from Garner.

And it's the home of Scotty McCreery! DD9 would move to Garner today if we could!

 

[sorul82?]

And it's the home of Scotty McCreery! DD9 would move to Garner today if we could!

My DS goes to Garner HS. We run into Scotty quite often.

 

[Mic]

My daughter is a student at NC State and loves the Raleigh area. There is a nice area near the University called CARY, which I am told is short for "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees". Nice malls, restaurants, and a 2-hour drive to the beach.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

The 150,000 for a house pretty much rules out Wilmington. It is one of the most expensive places in NC to live. And you really need to find a job before you move anywhere. Good luck!

 

[Danibelle]

It can't be said strongly enough that you need to find jobs first. Yes, Raleigh is the capital and there are lots of government jobs there. Positions have been cut not added for the past four years, however. Unless you have a lot of savings, you would be making a huge mistake to move to North Carolina without first finding jobs.

I don't know about the lots of government jobs either. Some of those federal jobs are on a freeze right now. I personally like Raleigh but the cost of housing is not inexpensive unless you go out of the city a bit.

If you could live without the beach, you might also look into Greensboro or Charlotte.

I used to live in NC and enjoyed it very much!

 

[DawnM]

Why NC? If your grandkids are in WV, moving to NC might be closer than you are now, but it certainly isn't "close."

I don't know where in WV they are but I am 5 hours from Charleston, WV and I live in NC.

 

[sorul82?]

My daughter is a student at NC State and loves the Raleigh area. There is a nice area near the University called CARY, which I am told is short for "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees". Nice malls, restaurants, and a 2-hour drive to the beach.

Clayton is now the overflow area for Cary. I can't remember what the letters stand for.

OP, before buying in Wilmington or anywhere east of 95, you need to check insurance rates. Many companies aren't writing in certain counties, exclude wind, or have a separate higher deductible for wind and hail.

 

[Jaco5nc]

Sorry, this probably doesn't help but we live in Charlotte and LOVE it! It is a beautiful, clean city full of trees and parks. It is relatively inexpensive but not very close to the beach (about a four hour drive). Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[taylor3297]

Clayton is now the overflow area for Cary. I can't remember what the letters stand for.

OP, before buying in Wilmington or anywhere east of 95, you need to check insurance rates. Many companies aren't writing in certain counties, exclude wind, or have a separate higher deductible for wind and hail.

I was trying to remember myself. I think it starts out something like Cary Like Area

 

[MineMail]

There is a nice area near the University called CARY, which I am told is short for "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees". Nice malls, restaurants, and a 2-hour drive to the beach.

I was told that the acronym stands for "Concentrated Area of Relocated Yankees." I've shopped and visited family in the area. As a relocated Yank, I will say that the driving habits in/around Cary are much more aggressive than, say, Garner or Chapel Hill.

The most-disturbing NC driving habit overall is the lane-change when turning from one road onto another. Making a left turn into the right lane is very common, even when there are two turn lanes, so you have to be cautious. In NYC, we didn't have many two-lane roads that met at an intersection, and they drilled it into us in Driver's Ed that we had to Stay In The Same Lane While Turning. I don't know why, but you see it happen everywhere in NC.

We visit Morrisville often and it's a really great town. Their July 4th fireworks were spectular the year we went - the park was very nice. Is there a lot of air traffic noise? We get flyovers of cargo jets in the evenings, but we're around 25 minutes away from the airport.

 

[taylor3297]

I was told that the acronym stands for "Concentrated Area of Relocated Yankees." I've shopped and visited family in the area. As a relocated Yank, I will say that the driving habits in/around Cary are much more aggressive than, say, Garner or Chapel Hill.

The most-disturbing NC driving habit overall is the lane-change when turning from one road onto another. Making a left turn into the right lane is very common, even when there are two turn lanes, so you have to be cautious. In NYC, we didn't have many two-lane roads that met at an intersection, and they drilled it into us in Driver's Ed that we had to Stay In The Same Lane While Turning. I don't know why, but you see it happen everywhere in NC.

We visit Morrisville often and it's a really great town. Their July 4th fireworks were spectular the year we went - the park was very nice. Is there a lot of air traffic noise? We get flyovers of cargo jets in the evenings, but we're around 25 minutes away from the airport.

I have always heard it has containment but concentrated works. In our cul de sac I am the only one from the area. Heck, my dh is from Connecticut.


Now you will find most of the aggressive drivers aren't originally around here. Also we catch a lot of flack in the winter because when it snows, folks from here stay home. We know the snow will be gone soon, and it isn't worth getting on the roads. Though this is a metropolitan area, we don't have enough trucks/plows to do all the roads. Not worth the money to buy the equipment since it doesn't snow much here.

I live in Morrisville, which is also known as little India. So many of our drivers learned to drive in India and some have not adapted to our way of driving yet. Even our good friends and neighbors, who are originally from India, makes comments about others driving.

As to the airplane noise, it isn't bad at all. When you are inside you really don't even notice it. When we are outside, sometimes if a plane comes in too low, then you might have to stop your conversation until the plane passes.

 

[Andrea464]

For beaches: Wilmington is the only one that seems to meet your criteria. Jobs would depend on your market- medical is always good!

Otherwise, I'd try the RDU area- Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Zebulon, Knightdale...

However- you're not very close to WV. Greensboro might be a good bet there, but I'm not sure what their job market is like. From Greensboro you can hit Hwy 220 North, which takes you to Roanoke, VA and from there you can hit I-81 (intersects with I-77).

 

[sorul82?]

It was supposed to be containment, but someone left the gate open and a few got out. JUST KIDDING! I have a good friend who is from Joisey.

 

[sorul82?]

I was trying to remember myself. I think it starts out something like Cary Like Area

That's it! Cary Like Area Yankees Taking Over Now.

 

[taylor3297]

That's it! Cary Like Area Yankees Taking Over Now.

Thanks for filling in the rest. Not sure why I drew a blank.