Looking at relocating to NC... (1 Viewer)

[kwkshift]

Hello all,

We're looking at relocating out of the insanely hot Phoenix area to NC. We're looking at the Charlotte area, currently and we also want to look at Wilmington. We have also looked at Concord and Raleigh, but neither of those are fitting what we're looking for.

Any input on what we should be aware of? We like being outdoors and are interested in some beginner off-roading with our '72 FJ40. Are there a lot of good camping/ off-roading places around?

Feel free post any input regarding this. We were also looking at the Nashville area so if you know anything about that, let me know.

Thanks!

 

[jfz80]

Charlotte would put you closer to Asheville and WNC where campmoptions are probably more numerous and a chance to cool off with some elevation or water. Then again Wilmington ya the beach.

not a lot of legal off or organized OHV spots across the state but again you would do better there being closer to the mtn side of things. Uwharrie natl forest OHV offers some good intro trails and camp opportunities about an hour and a half fromCLT

WE have many Clt members who should chime in shortly. Clt traffic sucks and they can further describe the different sides of the cities and perks of each.

there are probably 3-5 similar threads from past that may be worth perusing for ideas as well.

 

[Ncrunner4x4]

If you have any questions about Charlotte let me know I am a native. Also in real estate so can point you in the right direction depending on what you are looking for. It’s not Arizona hot here but does get toasty with the heat index puts us in mid to upper 90s a good bit during the summer.

 

[CUSailor]

I'm in Concord, which I know was already eliminated, but if you're looking for close offroad opportunities and don't want to drive 1.5+ hours, somewhere in proximity to Uwharrie is going to be your best bet. Will you be working in Uptown (downtown) Charlotte or working from home? That can add significant flexibility due to some of the incredibly bad traffic. If you're looking for suburbs to Charlotte then Matthews, Mint Hill, Waxhaw, Belmont are all good options. Again, I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for or why you've zoned in on Charlotte or Wilmington, but also consider Greenville, SC. It's very close to some great state and national forests and is actually closer to Asheville than Charlotte is.

 

[JToobe]

I'm in Concord, which I know was already eliminated, but if you're looking for close offroad opportunities and don't want to drive 1.5+ hours, somewhere in proximity to Uwharrie is going to be your best bet. Will you be working in Uptown (downtown) Charlotte or working from home? That can add significant flexibility due to some of the incredibly bad traffic. If you're looking for suburbs to Charlotte then Matthews, Mint Hill, Waxhaw, Belmont are all good options. Again, I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for or why you've zoned in on Charlotte or Wilmington, but also consider Greenville, SC. It's very close to some great state and national forests and is actually closer to Asheville than Charlotte is.

Greenville shouldn't be considered, it sucks here!

Honestly, if you want to know more about Greenville shoot me a PM, been here 22 years after 7 years in Atlanta and 3 years in Tacoma, WA. Originally from Miami, FL....

 

[NTAPHSE]

Hello and welcome! What part of Phoenix are you in? I was born and raised there and have lived in North Phoenix, Cave Creek and Tempe during my ASU years.

My family and I moved from Phoenix to Huntersville, just north of Charlotte, about 3 years ago for work. While we miss the desert (but not the HEAT) we have really grown to love it here. Things are a little less convenient in terms of stores being near by and distance driven to get to things compared to Phoenix, because we were used to having shopping/gas/etc on every corner and Phoenix is so systematically laid out on the grid. What you give up in convenience you make up for with lush greenery, something our eyes were not at all used to.

The other striking difference is the people here. Call it southern hospitality if you want, I'm convinced that a lot of people move here to seek a better life, and tend to also carry that attitude. When we go back to Phoenix we're reminded of how distant people seem on the west coast. From day 1 here we have found the people to be very friendly, helpful and genuine.

There's plenty of wheeling (and mountain biking) here, but the downside is driving 90 minutes to get to Uwharrie or Brown Mountain. I used drive through the desert almost every day in AZ, and could mountain bike from my office and house. If you need to see mountains on the horizon, you might consider looking an hour west of Charlotte, in the Asheville area. We have also noticed that we miss seeing the mountains. In Charlotte you're kind of buried in the trees all the time.

We also have Lake Norman if you're into boating or water recreation, that seems to be a big draw for some. Let me know if you want to discuss further, glad to help since we made the same move you're considering.

-Keith

 

[NTAPHSE]

Forgot to ask, what line of work are you in? I came here for the motorsports indusctry and it has worked out great for me. The job that moved me here was for a drift team, but I had in the back of my mind that if it didn't work out I could possibly go to work in NASCAR. Two years in, the drift job wasn't working and I went to work for Stewart Haas. Racing is an amazing culture, and I have been amazed to see the talent, engineering, fabrication and money that go into it. A lot of people move here to work in banking and tech as well, along with other engineering jobs outside of motorsports.

 

[CUSailor]

@JToobe I miss Greenville and would love to be back. I had to move out, if he can fill my spot with another cruiser then he's taking the spot of someone with a jeep and ohio tags!

 

[JToobe]

@JToobe I miss Greenville and would love to be back. I had to move out, if he can fill my spot with another cruiser then he's taking the spot of someone with a jeep and ohio tags!

What area did you live while here? We started out in Simpsonville off Hwy 14 near YMCA and last 14 years have been in the Eastside area off East/North St. & Mitchell Rd. One daughter graduated Eastside, the other Wade Hampton as she was also at Fine Arts Center for Theater. Fair number of cruisers here and we have Trollhole's in our backyard which is a huge plus for someone mechanically challenged like me...

 

[CUSailor]

My dad's family is from the Simpsonville area going way back and my mom has family in Greer so that's mainly where we visited growing up. I only lived there for 2 years (previously the low country) before my wife got a job in Charlotte. We were living in the McBee apartments off station court downtown near the publix. I'd jump at the chance to move back, particularly to the TR area. The Swamp Rabbit trail is a jewel that I took for granted.

I hear Simpsonville is changing by leaps and bounds, my family used to own a hardware store that's now being turned into a sidewall pizza and fancy apartment lofts, I remembered it as just being a photo studio, cash for gold, and consignment shop. Enjoy it man and grab a beer from Fireforge for me.

 

[mtweller]

Curious why Raleigh was scratched off the list. I want to advertise whatever it is that deterred you, to the rest of the world

In all seriousness, we love Raleigh and have no intention of moving from the area.

 

[JToobe]

My dad's family is from the Simpsonville area going way back and my mom has family in Greer so that's mainly where we visited growing up. I only lived there for 2 years (previously the low country) before my wife got a job in Charlotte. We were living in the McBee apartments off station court downtown near the publix. I'd jump at the chance to move back, particularly to the TR area. The Swamp Rabbit trail is a jewel that I took for granted.

I hear Simpsonville is changing by leaps and bounds, my family used to own a hardware store that's now being turned into a sidewall pizza and fancy apartment lofts, I remembered it as just being a photo studio, cash for gold, and consignment shop. Enjoy it man and grab a beer from Fireforge for me.

Wow, you lived in a great spot! Everything is changing by leaps and bounds! I work right on the Swamp Rabbit, just across the stairs/fountains from the Lazy Goat across from the Peace Center. My father and wife have a condo just a block away and split their time between here and Coral Gables. My dad grew up in Woodruff and so I have extended family in the area. My wife grew up on the southern side of TR and we may purchase the home she grew up in when her mom needs to go to assisted living and remodel/rebuild. It's at the base of Paris Mtn looking up at it...3 acres. I've gravitated to Bourbon in my old age but enjoy an occasional cold one!

 

[CUSailor]

I don't know if they are still doing it, but join the Bourbon Club at Hare & Field in TR. Well worth it just for the discount, the monthly tastings and meetings ramp it up a notch. I was working right up the street from you in one of the Liberty Square buildings. Man I miss it.

Sorry we derailed this thread. NTAPHSE really won't want to move to Greenville after this discussion.

 

[kwkshift]

Thanks for the replies so far. Yesterday was a day full of driving since we left Raleigh and went to Wilmington, then got back to Charlotte late since we have a flight in the morning.

Raleigh seemed nice, but it also felt like there were 2 things to do there: go to work and then go home to one of the zillions of subdivisions. We loved all the trees, but we felt it was missing a few things. Perhaps we didn't spend enough time there to get a better feel of the place. I don't know.

I liked all the motorsports aspects of Concord, being that I've been a gearhead since I was a kid. We may get look at it again in the future.

Wilmington is a nice and surprisingly affordable beach town. So far on out list, it's # 3 pick. We were also surprised by how spread out it was. We liked the beach area as well as the downtown area. My wife biggest concern is the crime rate and hurricanes, though. It seems like it's growing quickly since there are homes being built all over the place.

Our top 2 picks at this point are Franklin TN and the Southpark area in Charlotte. Either is fine for us at this point compared to Phx. I've been there for 23 years and it is too hot in the summers, too spread out, to disconnected, too many fake people (think California). My wife grew up on a farm and she wants a garden, which in Phx is basically impossible. The winters are great, except for all the snowbirds clogging up traffic and restaurants. But the summers are horrible and inescapable. Real estate prices are at an all-time high there, so we'll be taking our $ and running.

With regards to employment, I've been in the telecom/access control/AV industry for decades. I'm open to a career change since, well, I've doing that for decades! My wife specializes in eCommerce, so she can work anywhere we live, online. That offers us more flexibility.

Thanks for the input so far!

 

[weejub]

• We love the Piedmont because, even though its not the mountains or the beach, we can get to both in 2.5 hours. We don't have to worry as much about snow or hurricanes.
• We love living WEST of Jordan lake as we are "up the river" off the Haw and closer to the mountains and Uwharrie.
• We love Pittsboro because it is a small town with a lot of cool stuff to do in Chapel Hill. It is also growing and cheaper than Raleigh. Traffic is great between Pittsboro and Chapel Hill. Living in town means we can walk to many great restaurants and bars.
• I also come from Telecom and work for a computer company. I feel I could move to another company here if needed vs Kansas City. I am sure Charlotte has just as much opportunity as the Triangle, but the RTP provides a lot of tech company options.
• We love the landscape of the area west of Raleigh. Pines give way to hardwoods and rolling hills - beautiful and more open.

If you ever need a place to stay in your travels, we also run a B&B here in Pittsboro:

The Rosemary House B&B

1912 Home in Historic Downtown Pittsboro, NC

rosemary-bb.com

 

[izzyandsue]

It is always interesting to understand people's perspectives, since really everything is relative to individual experiences, likes and dislikes. Wilmington changes with the seasons, can get really crowded with tourists (not on the Year of the Rona). I have a business in Concord, downtown historic district. It is okay, a little backwards for me but mostly a quiet area.
Southpark to me is very busy and congested, might be hard to find what you are looking. But, you can look on the outside of I-485 loop for places with more land, particularly East side, between 601 and I-485. Still a short distance to Charlotte, but you can have that more open/farm feeling.
And for learning more about driving your 40, no better place than Uwharrie and Overland Experts driving school. Best of luck!

 

[NCFJ]

The entire area being discussed offers a wide array of different living experiences and opportunity. We lived in Hendersonville prior to moving to Chesnee. We still have property on the mountain in Edneyville, NC which we are now cleaning up for sale. Hendersonville is growing by leaps and bounds and has changed a great deal in the 11 years since we left. It has a great deal to offer with mountain activities in nature, water recreation and an eclectic assortment of shops and restaurants down town.

We chose to settle in Chesnee, SC. We are on the northern edge of Spartanburg county and live in the country where there are far more horses and cows than humans. We are within an hour of Hendersonville, Asheville, Greenville and Charlotte. Everything we could want is available in those locations. Heather's business is located in Gaffney and mine is here on our own property. We love it here in the country. We shoot trap on our own property and heather's horses have room to run.

I am sure that you will find what you want somewhere in the area. Good luck wherever you may land.

 

[JohnVee]

There are lots of us in the Southpark area and plenty more in a 10 mile radius. You'll need to be at the far end of that range if you're looking for a lot of land, but there are plenty of gems inside of it, too. Problem is the developers buying up anything on over an acre so they can tear it down and squeeze in a couple mcmansions. That's really getting out of hand, in my opinion.

 

[stevezero]

Friend of mine lives in Franklin, TN. It amazes me how expensive the area is. The area is growing stupid fast. unless you would work in Franklin, the commute north toward Brentwood/Nashville sucks. Telecom jobs are shrinking(we both are in that field), so you may not want to expect dropping into a steady telecom job upon arrivial. My former boss lived in Columbia, south of Franklin.

We moved to Greensboro about 20 years ago, from Orlando. Coming from fl, I wasnt prepared for the personal property tax and state income tax. I believe it's around 4% now for the state income tax. we are a few hours to anywhere in the mtns, the beach, or anywhere in between. I'd be hard pressed to move to another larger city again. Our taxes doubled when our neighborhood was annexed by the city. Look to smaller towns that dont have the higher taxes.

With regards to living near the coast, check what insurance rates are. The rates jump quite a bit the further east you go from I-95.

 

[kwkshift]

It's looking like Franklin is out and we're leaning towards the Charlotte area. My wife has found some homes that look interesting in the Hickory Grove (?) area that look like good values. They are between the 24 and the 485. They are more mid-century styled, which we prefer, near lakes/ golf courses. What's that area like?

Thanks!