Mulling over the idea of a move

[JohnnyC]

my wife and i got taxed out of the house we built a few years back...we were blessed to sell it and downsize to a 1200sf home and taxes are creaping up to the point of us just making it.

we are considering the TN/NC border area.

Is there better places than others around there? we are not city type people nor way out country.

The wife likes to be near towns that may have good parks and she calls "quaint towns"

 

[little_joe]

Where do you live now?

Is employment/specific occupation a concern at all?

What other amenities do you guys prefer? e.g. have a nearby college, lakes, agriculture, airport, etc? or other stuff you'd definitely like to stay away from?

I ask b/c there are people here that can definitely offer pointers on specific towns (I cannot, don't know that area much), it'd help if they had more to go on.

Good luck with it!!!!!!!!

 

[jfz80]

Your coming from NY, correct?

That is a great area. My family has roots way back in the hills right where your considering. (little sandy much and shelton laurel) Beautiful country. IF you come down for a visit post up and Im sure youll get some pointers.

Brevard is quite nice as a "quaint" town and its literally next door to all the adventures Pisgah Nat'l Forest has to offer (biking, hiking, paddling, etc) This area is southwest of asheville instead of NW but close b

Fairview has been really nice but changing lately. Lots of growth when Tiger decided to build a course there (musta had a local mistress) Wish we still had the family farm in that area. (tlca todd kaderback is from here)

Waynesville is a very cool town just outside Maggie Valley. Cool and quaint downtown w/ independant stores lining the streets. and a tire store open on a sunday afternoon that sold me and mounted a used 35'' MT for 25 bux

Bakersfield, and Burnsville both are pretty nice, a little bit more out there feeling but only half hour from asheville. Land is a bit more affordable.

REALLY nice spots of Highlands and Cashiers but $$$ ; worth a look cause it might only be $ in your eyes

Continuing along the TN/NC border going north you start heading towards BOONE NC. Nice area again, I would go outside the college town realm though into areas like Roan Mtn. and Newland. Might be missing the access to the "Big" city your looking for but oh so close to Linville Gorge.

getting away from the border I'd look into the Lake Lure area. (last of mohicans filmed here) Very nice and lots of upscale developments and private lands still available. Look along Hwy 9 south of I-40 b/w black mountain and fairview. Actually know a couple w/ a lot for sale if your interested....but gated community style if thats your cup of tea.

If you look at asheville; west side is the trendy side. Was the lure to all the "hippies" attracted to asheville +/- 5yrs ago when the "yuppy" trend moved in. Now the yups are invading west asheville making it theirs too. Rough generalizations there but you get the point. I cant afford asheville but from what ive seen I really like North and West sides of asheville. I was looking at Woodfin for the north and Candler in the west. Just outside of town but a 15 min drive to Downtown asheville and way more affordable.

Hope that helps some and wasnt too much to digest.

 

[JohnnyC]

thanks for the help ...yes i am coming from upstate NY.

we are thinking of coming down in feb...but...thats just a maybe right now.

my wife and i are school teachers, i teach technology education aka shop and she's a special education teacher. i dont quite even know how the teacher employment situation is around that area...but...we are in the begining of looking around anyhow.

i can either stay in teaching or fall back on auto tech...at one time i was ASE certified ...but...that was 17 years ago.

I will look at homes in the areas that you pointed out Jason...thank you.

if anybody else has ideas we would love to hear them.

 

[$out]

Teachers are needed in WNC but do not pay well. But there is some great community collages here (scc,hwc,brc and lots more)
There is some great foreclosers in the area has well and sounds like you can remodel..
I live in Jackson Co. and it's a great place
PM if you have questions..

 

[shinton]

The first thing that came to mind was Mountain City, TN. You are 20ish minutes from Boone, and I believe land prices are cheaper on that side of the state line? Closer to Grandfather Mtn, and there is local trails if that interests you?

ATV Trails in North Carolina

The other area I really like would be to look around Hickory, NC between there and the mountains. Hickory has all the nicer franchise restaurants and shopping, but the prices for land are not bad once you get a bit out of town. Heading up 321 out of Hickory, you come to Lenoir, which I don't know much about, but closer to mountains.

Heading up 421 out of Winston Salem, you start working your way into the mountains and there is some good farmland you can get for a decent price. Wilkesboro is the start of the hills, and some restaurants.

NC school system is lower pay than many of the northern school systems, but the demand for teachers is generally higher!

 

[Trollhole]

If I had my choice it would probably be Brevard or Black Mountain.