Tell me about North Carolina

[sjms71]

Wow! That's incentive enough to move!

DH HAD to transfer 10 years ago either here or Michigan. Otherwise we would have stayed in NJ. We like NC however, although I don't miss the property taxes we do miss NJ.

 

[chanson2]

Cary NC here. We've been here 8 years now. I do know when we moved from MA, I was very concerned about the school situation - every year kids would get reassigned from their school to a new school. But I have to admit it didn't happen as much as I thought it would. Only once was DD reassigned to open a new school. Taxes are very reasonable, I think, compared to New England. Car insurance seems to be comparable, but food prices seem higher. I do know the school system in Wake County is still hiring, as they have opened several new schools again this year.

 

[gracielou]

I'm originally from Carteret County, NC on the coast and came to Chapel Hill for college. While I love the Crystal Coast and will always be looking for a way to move back, the job situation isn't that great there.

I ended up staying in the RTP area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) and it's been a great compromise. Three hours from my hometown beaches, 2 hours from the Wilmington-area beaches, close enough to the mountains to visit regularly, and (since your family is in SC) 3 1/2 hours to Myrtle Beach and 4 1/2 to Charleston. If your family likes sporting events, there's a ton of college teams, as well as minor league baseball and pro hockey.

You get 4 seasons but don't have to endure the harsh winters of the more northern states. I was a military brat, and though I was born and spent most of my life in NC, I definitely remember those cold Ohio winters! I also spent 4 years in Northern Virginia and am amazed at what a difference a four hour drive south means in the winter. If you can find jobs, I don't think you'd be disappointed with the area.

The best news for DH and I? A very doable 9 1/2 hour drive to Disney! For my everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink packing tendencies, it's great to have a car while there.

 

[tar heel]

I've lived in North Carolina every second of my life -- a rural area of the mountains, the Triangle (Chapel Hill and Raleigh) and outside Charlotte.

Re: taxes. our property taxes are much lower than the Northeast but our income taxes are high.

Re: teacher salaries. Much lower than the Northeast. There are jobs in some of the rural areas. In the cities and 'burbs, secondary math and science teachers and special ed teachers would have the easist time getting jobs at the moment.

Re: Jobs. We still have very high unemployment. Jobs in many fields are hard to come by.

Cost of living is all over the place in North Carolina. You can get a nice house for under $100,000 in many towns. The most desirable places and the best schools have higher prices, though. Someone mentioned Chapel Hill -- probably the most expensive town in the state. Wonderful schools, high taxes, high real estate prices. Our starter home there was a 1950s ranch with 1215 square feet on 1/8 acre lot. Last time it sold was for around $220,000. The supply of single family homes in the Chapel Hill school district that are not $$$ is very limited.

One of our biggest pluses is top-notch higher education at bargain prices.

 

[DIS B]

omg! I am in Fuquay!

We fell in love with this side of town. We were so close to buying a house in Brighton Forest. This was a few years ago and then jobs took a huge hit and our housing market went severely in the toilet.

Finding a teacher job in Wake county right now is like finding gold in California these days.

I hope we can move to NC one day, but our housing market only continues to decline. Plus, I'm a teacher and my husband is a mechanical engineer (specifically with construction being a HUGE part of what he does). I think its safe to say we will be where we are at for a few more years.

 

[mhsjax]

I have lived in NC for almost 12 years (8 years in Cary/Apex, and the last 4 in Charlotte). Here is my opinion:

Cary/Apex/Raleigh---closer to the universities and seems to have more professional types. The school system (Wake County) is ok but there is (and has been for a while) a lot of redistricting. That means kids get shuffled around often from school to school. I think there is some effort to try and minimize that. A lot of the schools are year round, too. The pros of Raleigh/Cary area are: less crime (compared to Charlotte), it's very clean, and there are many parks and natural areas. It really is a lovely area to live, although more expensive than Charlotte. The cons are that cost of living and housing is more expensive than Charlotte, and there really isn't much in the way of culture or nightlife.

Charlotte---not as close to the big universities. Most people who can afford it do not send their kids to public school if they live in Mecklenburg county. Private schools are VERY expensive here, and very popular. I live in Union County, which is just south of Charlotte proper, and the schools here are pretty decent. Union County is semi-rural, though, it takes about 10 minutes to get to the beltline from our house. Pros: low cost of housing & living, all the benefits of living in a big city (more culture/sporting events & nightlife, major international airport), proximity to the mountains, good shopping. Cons: Crime is a much bigger problem here, and the schools can be hit or miss depending on where you live. There are also fewer parks and green areas, and most are not as nice or new as what you'd find in the Raleigh area.

My DH telecommutes and we could have chosen to live anywhere in the US. We chose NC. I LOVE the climate here, the proximity to the mountains and the beach, and the overall friendliness of the people who live here. NC is a great place to live and raise a family.

Not meaning to hijack this thread but we are looking at moving to Union county. Any info about the schools or anything would be great. We are looking at Cuthbertson or Weddington middle and HS. I need to make a decision pretty soon. I am getting desperate. We have spent some time up there, we have relatives in Gaffney SC and we take side trips to check out Waxhaw.

 

[brianheather]

My Grandparents live in New Bern... It is just the most beautiful town. I love it there.

 

[disneygirl 17]

I live in Fort Mill SC - I commute to downtown Charlotte to work everyday. We are about 30 minutes from Charlotte (downtown) but actually only 15 mintues from the Charlotte City line. We are 3.5 hours from Myrtle Beach and actually about the same 3.5 hours from Charleston, SC. The mountains are close as well.

We moved to Fort Mill for 2 main - 1 - cheaper taxes (and cost of living) 2 - York County schools are wonderful...most people that live here chose this area for the schools - at least in my neighborhood. Crime is low - very low. It is a small town - up until 6 months ago we had to pay our water bill in person at the town hall.

 

[DaisiLou]

Looks like I have a lot of DIS neighbors!

We live in the Cleveland School Area... (for you Non-NC people, that's about 20 miles south of Raleigh between Clayton and Fuquay)

Re: Teaching...

I'm in the process of getting my degree now so that I can teach. I intend to stay in Johnston County...they are still hiring teachers here. You couldn't pay me to go to Wake County and have to deal with all that re-districting crap....

I love this area. I've been here for 15 years, and was in a little town a little further south called Dunn before that.

 

[sorul82?]

Looks like I have a lot of DIS neighbors!

We live in the Cleveland School Area... (for you Non-NC people, that's about 20 miles south of Raleigh between Clayton and Fuquay)

Us too! But we are just barely inside Wake Co!!

 

[eeyoremommy]

I second or third those living in Johnston County and the schools there. If you want to have the amenities of Raleigh without the school headaches (redistricting, etc.), Johnston County is the way to go. They regularly build new schools that are not at capacity so they have room to grow. They actually make decision that make sense. The administrators that I worked with are still there, and they were excellent.

 

[DawnM]

I live in Union County.

Sent you a PM.

Dawn

Not meaning to hijack this thread but we are looking at moving to Union county. Any info about the schools or anything would be great. We are looking at Cuthbertson or Weddington middle and HS. I need to make a decision pretty soon. I am getting desperate. We have spent some time up there, we have relatives in Gaffney SC and we take side trips to check out Waxhaw.

 

[mhsjax]

I live in Union County.

Sent you a PM.

Dawn

Got it, Thanks

 

[IvyandLace]

I grew up in Rochester, NY (my extended family all still live in the area) but moved to NC when I met my husband in 1996. I completed my B.S.N. at ECU in Greenville, NC and have lived a few places around the state since then...moving back to the Greenville, NC area (Farmville now) in 2005. My husband and I really love Eastern NC, love to support Pirate sports (especially football and baseball) & enjoy a small brick ranch home with in-ground pool out in the country. My husband, who is a social studies high school teacher, has been blessed with a job he loves at Edgecombe Early College in Tarboro, NC. The weather, especially now, is gorgeous, although the humidity does play a big role during the summer. I love how diverse the state is...from big city to tobbaco fields, from mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway to the coast line. It does remind me in some ways to the area where I grew up in NY.

I love hearing from so many of my DIS "neighbors"!!

IVY

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

Fun to see all the Carolinians here on the DIS! I should put my lime green Mickey ears on my car so I can meet you in real life.

 

[SC Minnie]

I live in Fort Mill SC - I commute to downtown Charlotte to work everyday. We are about 30 minutes from Charlotte (downtown) but actually only 15 mintues from the Charlotte City line. We are 3.5 hours from Myrtle Beach and actually about the same 3.5 hours from Charleston, SC. The mountains are close as well.

We moved to Fort Mill for 2 main - 1 - cheaper taxes (and cost of living) 2 - York County schools are wonderful...most people that live here chose this area for the schools - at least in my neighborhood. Crime is low - very low. It is a small town - up until 6 months ago we had to pay our water bill in person at the town hall.

I live in Fort Mill too!!! Love it here. DD is in high school and is getting an education on par with private schools. I have friends that live in Charlotte and the schools there are hit and miss. There are some really good ones but also some that are not.

There are a lot of transplants in the Charlotte area. You rarely meet anyone that was actually born and raised here.

 

[The Thomas Fam]

Okay, My turn. I live in Youngsville (Franklin County) I moved here 12 years ago from VA and will never go back. I like it out here. I'm close enough to Raleigh but far enough to feel like I live in the country. Wake Forest (City, not the school) has pretty much everything I need during the weekends that I only go into Raleigh for work. We only have one year-round elementary school here-all others are traditional.

Keep in mind when looking at schools down here that our traditional schools go back around August 25th every year. I know alot of school systems in other states start after labor day.

Good luck in making the moving decisions.

 

[kejowe28]

asheville!!

 

[arubamama]

Charlotte! You could always live around one of the smaller areas and commute to work in Charlotte. I lived there until I was 10 years old and have always wanted to go back. I haven't been able to yet, but I did name my daughter Charlotte.

BTW:My favorite season in Charlotte is spring, I loved playing in the red mud and watching the flowers bloom.