A big Texas hello to N. Carolina, land of my mother's birth...

[Subdivisions]

Recently I've been thinking seriously about moving to your state. Last November I moved my parents to Mooresville and most of my extenced family lives with 300 miles of there and, well, life isn't going my way here in Texas, though I am happy and well-adjusted =^). It so happens that the nature of my job allows me to work wherever there's an Internet connection so there's nothing stopping me from moving there.

My questions are as follows: What is life like in N. Carolina? And, what's the best town to live in that is as close to the coast as possible? Anyone have a room/house/apt for rent?

Hope to hear from you =^)!

[mwooldri]

1. Howdy!

Well, life in NC is pretty much what you make of it... I came here over 10 years ago and I like it here - I live around Greensboro. Compared to southern England .. well... it's more spread out, the summers are hotter, the winters are about the same... the pace of life is slower, the people are more open and outgoing... it's nice here, except there's a job shortage around here right now.

What kind of life do you want? Since your work is virtual (lucky you!) then why not live on the coast? Coastal property prices are of course crazy (even now) and this may or may not limit you. I'd LOVE to live on Ocracoke but property prices are about 2-3x higher than Greensboro. Wilmington is much more reasonable and is close enough to beaches etc. and you'd have the "big city" amenities close enough to you. I also like the Southport, NC area as well - it's got that real nice small town feel to it but has plenty of the amenities I like - and Wilmington isn't too far away - and the beach... well get on your bike if you like... cos by car it's about 10 minutes away. If it's looking for somewhere to rent, then Wilmington is probably a better bet, especially since it's a college town (UNCW). What's your rental budget per month? $800/mo will get a nice 3 bed place in the Wilmington area for sure...

If you got to have big city living then biggest is Charlotte, then Raleigh. Even then, living in the middle of the state really isn't that bad - you can get to the beach in 4 hours - you can also escape to the mountains in 4 hours too. 5 hours gets you to Washington DC or Atlanta GA.

Overall, NC is a good place to live and grow in. Come on over!

ps Mooresville is quite nice, except on race days when you can hardly move for the traffic.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

2. There's really nice folks in Carteret County

but property taxes are going way up if you are near coast.
I mean WAY up. Some folks have had to move.

But very nice folks there. Oh there's a slew of conservatives too,
but its a lovely place and good people.

If you move there join the local dem party and you will find those
lovely folks!

[Minimus]

3. NC is a nice place to live. My parents were born and raised in

Asheboro, NC. Dad was in the Navy so my family moved around quite a bit. When he retired they moved back to Asheboro and I followed about 10 years ago. Asheboro is a small town - close to Greensboro, High Point, Winston-Salem. It is in what is called the Triad area. The Triangle area is Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill - lots of colleges so more cosmopolitan so to speak.

The mountains are gorgeous and Asheville is a very progressive area. If you want to be at the beach the Outer Banks are beautiful.

NC turned blue this past election but there are still plenty of VERY red areas.

[madmax]

4. Moved here from NJ

Two years ago. If I knew NC was so beautiful, the people wonderful. Folks here are much more considerate and courteous than NJ. Had I know all this I would have moved here years ago.

I absolutely have not had one minute of regret. I miss my Son and his family, our friends, but nothing else. We're only hr. by air and it's cheap to fly. Airfare is cheap and the airport is only 15 minutes away. I fly up there or they fly or drive here once or twice a year.

The weather is great and I've never felt so alive in my life. Then again, remember I came from NJ. Polluted, over priced, over taxed, over populated, and OLD. Very, very old.

The cost of homes and property taxes is out of this world. And this from a state with high taxed, damn near every road a toll, road, lottery, Atlantic City, etc. WTF do they do with the money? Beats the hell out of me.

We came down because my husbands company went belly up - permanently. He knew someone in NC who could get him a job here in sales which is what he did in NJ. Spent a week, fell in love, went back to NJ, listed the house, sold it in a week and left! No regrets.

We bought a townhouse in Apex. The area is known as The Triangle.

[barbtries]

5. i came here in Oct 2007

an economic refugee from southern CA. within a month i had a terrific job with great opportunity for maybe even being able to retire before i die.

i live in raleigh and work in Chapel hill. met with a woman from houston recently, she said the cost of living here is actually more than it is in TX. it's way cheaper than in CA.

and it is beautiful here. the state is a forest. i love the trees and the lake and the critters. still homesick, and lonely for my kids and grandkids who are now so far away, but my 17-year-old and i could have done much, much worse.