Anyone from North Carolina?

Robin Carlton

Robin Carlton

Owner & Candy Keeper
Staff member
Hey chicklets!

My hubby and I are getting wild ideas. Arizona just doesn't feel like home. We want trees and open space and a house with a porch and seasons and small town neighbors with convenient access to a metropolitan area if we want to go out to dinner / do some shopping. CHANGE.

:blink::blink::blink:

Thinking Raleigh/Durham/Cary/Chapel Hill/Holly Springs, etc area - anyone from around there who can give me some insight, ideas, experiences or just anything you think might be helpful for someone (a california/arizona girl) considering a possible move?

Looking forward to hearing from you guys!
Robin
 
I grew up in Raleigh, NC. It's gotten too big for me personally, but I love NC. All of my family (parents, brother and sister and their families) still live there. My DH grew up in Burlington. If I were moving back there, I would go for the Cary area. Stay away from Durham unless you like a lot more "excitement" than I do. But then I never went there b/c I was afraid to go there. I'm sure if you're living there you know where to go and not to go.

What specifically did you want to know? Oh, also Raleigh more on the north side I would probably go to. I have a friend who moved their riding barn from middle Raleigh farther out that way and it's nice. But I don't like big cities. Traffic around Raleigh has just gotten CRAZY. I grew up across from the Leesburg K12 school. The older neighborhoods have great houses with nice big yards. Of course, newer construction has smaller yards.
 
Hi Heidi : )

I dont know that I want to know anything specific. I suppose just general impressions of schools, the people, the areas, the vibe. Keep in mind that the only thing I've ever known is Southern California and Phoenix - so you saying Raleigh has gotten too big for ya makes me giggle as no matter how I look at it it seems soo small town compared to what I know.

Have you been to big cities like Orlando, Dallas, Phoenix, LA? Are Raleigh or Durham comparable in that they have all the malls, restaurants, movies, etc you would ever want even if you decide to live in a quiet burb off the beaten track or is it... smaller... than that.

I know it sounds like a strange question but when we were thinking of moving from California to Arizona, I remember thinking Arizona was nothing but sand and cactus and was shocked when we drove into the sprawling city that Phoenix really is for the first time. I think I'm having the same misconception about NC now, so I'd love if someone told me how it really is from that perspective, as the only places on the East Coast I've been to are NYC, DC, Williamsburg and Orlando really.

Any specific areas/towns you would love to live in? Any you would absolutely avoid? Why? Is it really as pretty everywhere in reality as it is in pictures....?

Hahaha - I suppose I had more questions than I thought :D

Thanks again!
R
 
I don't live there so it's totally not my business to be up in this thread, BUT I vacationed in Wilmington once, and I would move there in a heartbeat!
 
I am not from there either, but you could always come up to WA/Oregon....beautiful and they get all 4 seasons :)
 
We live in AZ too and want to leave for the exact same reasons! I think when we eventually do leave we are going to Missouri though :)
 
Julie Billingsley said:
the 4 seasons meaning cloudy, partly cloudy, raining, and pouring. :p
Click to expand...

Haha this made me laugh as we have sunny and warm, sunny and hot, sunny and Surprise... Monsoon! and Sunny and OMGWTFHOT! Oh and it's brown.. so so brown.

We could go anywhere really. This is sorta what we're looking for though...

ldeb7e542-m0x.jpg


If it's near you for under $300k - let me know :D

R
 
You can get that here for under 300k :) Just sayin

I've worked in Charlotte a few times (when I worked outside the home) and it's pretty nice. I love Atlanta though but Raleigh, Charlotte, Charleston SC, and Nashville TN are on my short list of cities I'd consider moving to if we were to ever move. I'm from AZ as well and besides allergies I love living on the east coast.
 
It is pretty humid there in North Carolina as well (especially coming from Arizona/California). Just sayin'! We were stationed in Savannah, Georgia and moved then to Newport News, Virginia (we're military) and there was a big difference in humidity there. And the paper pine trees (allergies!). But yes it is a lot greener than it is here (Texas) or there (Arizona). And yes four seasons. I would move back to Southern Virginia in a heartbeat! And I've heard good things from friends about the Charlotte area.

But when we do move, it will be back to the Pacific Northwest. Green, mountains, ocean, family.
 
You can get that house here, for less than that, probably - but you don't want to live here. Austin, yes, Dallas, no :thumbdown:

We'd be in TN in a heartbeat if I could leave here. I love the area. I've never been to the mid-Atlantic states, but I also know I'd love to live in any of them! They have trees and mountains and weather that's not OMGWTFHOT, 2 weeks Fall, 3 weeks Winter, 2 weeks spring, 1 day ICE and OMGWTFHOT.
 
My ex-inlaws live in North Carolina. They live in a really small town, but are only 45 mins from Charlotte which has every store/restaurant/mall you could ever possibly dream of wanting, lol. It's really pretty there too.
 
and I do hear TN has some GREAT houses for cheap and it is a great place to live, but I don't know personally....my house was $318 and it is nowhere near that big, but was a good price for where we are~
 
Darcy Baldwin said:
OMGWTFHOT.
Click to expand...
OK Darcy, I am SOOOO using that...and soon. :)

I moved from Missouri to Arizona years and years ago. While I would love more green and some fall weather, I could in no way whatsoever move back to humidity. When we visit MO in the summer, I hate every minute of the weather. With the ice storms, tornadoes, floods, and uncomfortable summers, I think I'll just stay in AZ. Besides, I can drive less than 2 hours and be in the mountains with plenty of green there! :thumbup:
 
nun69 said:
:p not where I live...did you see all that damn snow we got a few weeks ago!!! holy moly :P
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LOL Angie! I heard about it from my dad! My dad still lives in the Bremerton area (it's where I grew up) but we dodged most of the snow here in Portland. :) I am just so tired of clouds and wet here. Today we had some sun and I nearly burst with happiness!

That is a cute house Robin! We've talked housing prices before and the Portland area was really costly. The economy in Oregon has really dropped housing costs lately, and there are tons of foreclosures around to grab for decent prices. Still, I don't think you could get a house like that here with any land.

Good luck on finding a great place to move to! I wish I could do that. It sounds like such a cool adventure!
 
It's totally cool that you all are thinking about such a big move, Robin! I have never lived in NC but visited Charlotte several times when I lived in Virginia, and it's lovely there IMO. The humidity will definitely be something you'll have to adjust to, though - especially if you've only lived in SoCal & AZ. But you could hardly ask for more gorgeous countryside than in the Southeast. (eventhough the Pacific NW is glorious - on the rare occasions that the sun is shining!)
 
Thanks girls! Keep the advice and experiences and thoughts coming :D

I know the humidity is going to be a killer, but Arizona was staggeringly HOT when we moved here. Like couldn't breathe hot and now it doesn't even phase us, so we're hoping that all of the other things make that part of the weather no biggie and a good trade-off.

100 degree temps from May to September isn't exactly pleasant here in AZ if you girls catch my drift.

Anyone from NC able to tell me approximate weather months? You know Springy March-June, Hot and Humid July-Sept, etc?

R
 
I have nothing valid to add, either... I've never been to NC - but would move there in a HEARTBEAT! My mom and I dream of moving our families out of Wisconsin to a place where even though it may snow/ice... it will melt in a few days instead of a few months! *sigh* someday.... someday... my dream will come true. Maybe this is something I should be scrapping... ;)

My mom has a cousin who has lived in one of the Carolinas for the last 50+ years... I think they used to live in Raleigh, but now in Winston-Salem NC... moved for her husband's job. They love it!!
 
I have lived in many places, but never N. Carolina. We lived in Virginia and S. Carolina a lot; we were stationed in Georgia for a while and in the DC area when DH was at Quantico and to be honest, I left Virginia when DH died because I was tired of the humidity. Of course as long as you stay in air conditioning during the summer it's fine - LOL. DD and I are outside people and spend a lot of time hiking, biking, etc. and being damp and sticky ALL.THE.TIME wore on me. I much preferred it when we lived at Camp Pendleton :thumbup:

Ultimately, we came back to Maine - even though I'm not ecstatic about the snow, I can live with it and it varies from winter to winter. We love the pace of life here, the ocean, the mountains and lakes, and all the GREEN. We love being outdoors in all 4 seasons without feeling like every bone in our bodies has melted in the humidity. We do get the humidity up here but not in months-long spells like we did in Virginia, and when we do we use the A/C during those days.

I know you probably would never dream of moving up here, but it really is beautiful!;)
 
I live in the mountains of North Carolina. The humidity is not that bad here. There are alot of people that don't use AC all year. You can just open your windows to the cool breezes.

We live close to the Blue Ridge Mtns. In the fall you have all the beautiful fall leaves. We do have quite a bit of snow and high winds in the winter. We do see all the 4 seasons here.
 
DoodleLT - I bet the mountains there are a lot like living in the mountains here! We are less humid in our part of the state than the citiy areas, and we get the breeze off the lake. I just found Virginia so oppressive in the summer months. (I apologize to any Virginians here!) I love living in the mountains and on a lake - the best of all worlds in IMHO ;)
 
I lived in ...wait for it.....Elizabeth City :p for about 5 years when I was in college back in the early 90's!!! It was perfect!!! I lived on the out skits of a medium sized town and was about 40 minutes from Kitty Hawk/Kill Devil Hills/Nags Head area. NC is one of the places we have traveled too for vacations and while I love the "inner state" and the mountains...I wouldn't want to live there....I prefer the coastal cities.

Good luck with your "adventure" Robin!!!!

Now that I have read the thread.... a few answers to your questions.

There was not much humidity further east, Elizabeth City sits on a "sound" and there was always a breeze. We did have "snow' once when I lived there....it shut the town down...well me being from Ohio...I was giggling....it was like 2 inches.

I can remember surfing in February during our "winter break", you still needed a wet suit cause the ocean was quite cool...but you could sit on the beach with just a hoodie and capris. We could go it the beach and get in the ocean through late October with no wet suits. November we would use wet suits and December and January we wouldn't go in. By May we could go in without wet suits.

You could possible have a bit of wind/rain/flooding from hurricanes. We experiences some of that in 1994, but nothing that would make me run for the hills.

If my husband's job could transfer him down that way again...I'd go in a heartbeat!!!
 
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My hubby and I are getting wild ideas. Arizona just doesn't feel like home. We want trees and open space and a house with a porch and seasons and small town neighbors with convenient access to a metropolitan area if we want to go out to dinner / do some shopping. CHANGE.
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You just described where I live :) But that's Mississippi..not sure if you want to go that far South...however the cost of living and cost of homes is WAY lower than most anywhere else in the country. :)
 
Nikki, you're wrong, that sound like NWA! :) :p Ask Libby, Robin, NW Arkansas is gorgeous! We have wonderful schools, all 4 seasons, a great quality of life, and even though we are a small community, great shopping. But being near the ocean, that's priceless...
 
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Robin Carlton said:
Anyone from NC able to tell me approximate weather months? You know Springy March-June, Hot and Humid July-Sept, etc?

R
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Hey Robin, I'm a NC girl, born and bred :)

I'm biased soooooo, I think you would LOVE IT! I'm used to the erratic weather, and still wouldn't move anywhere else. I live near Goldsboro, NC which is about 35 miles east of Raleigh. I did live in Garner/Cleveland area which is wayyyyyy better area (especially if you have small kids) than Raleigh itself. You have everything shopping wise under the sun there but still plenty of country to play in. I would stay away from Cary if you're looking economical hehehehe, it's more expensive to live there than Raleigh. I haven't really been to Durham much, but there's always alot of construction going on. If you are interested in the Garner/Cleveland area, I could pm you the name of the Subdivision I lived in with houses very similiar to what you posted and I know for a fact there are several houses in there for sale.

As for seasons, this year from Nov to Feb was COLD like 20 degree cold and we actually had 3 snowstorms, snow is rare here, usually just a light one or two. March has been beautiful, with days that are 40 to 50 and a few 70 degree days. There's usually a good bit of rain in march and april, spring finally comes around to stay in mid april. April/May are just fabulous months with 70 to 75 degree days and the most gorgeous flowers you'll ever see EVERYWHERE. June starts getting hot and by July it's 100 degree humidity weather. August/Sept are hot too, but start to dry out some and September is known as "Hurricane" month. We normally have a few a year, most are mild but there have been a some bad ones in the past, MAKE SURE to research your particular area very well for floodzones and MAKE SURE no matter which house you buy you have very good flood coverage on your homeowners ins. Fall starts popping up in late sept/early october and quite honestly is my favorite season, it just is the shortest because by late Nov, cold starts setting in.


Just pm me if you have any specific questions and I'll try my best to answer for ya!!! Good luck!
 
I still trip every time I read a post from Debra and realize we live in the same town and STILL have never met, lol. But I live in Goldsboro, NC too. I can echo a lot of what Debra says. I am also NC Born and bred, but I did live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for 3 year and came back home. The Triangle...Raleigh, Durham, Cary is comparable to Dallas with the restaurants, shopping,etc. When we want to shop that's where we go. I am right smack between the Raleigh area and the beaches. Someone above mentioned Wilmington and I have to echo that also. I go to the Wilmington/Kure beach area every weekend all summer long just about. We have gorgeous beautiful beaches, lighthouses, you name it. Our mountains are stunning and beautiful and really there's just not a "ugly" place in NC. Yes it is VERY green, all year round, we have lots of evergreens. I don't know about the schools in Raleigh, but the high school that my daughter is about to enroll in has a 100% graduation rate and when you graduate from high school you also have an Associates college degree..at NO CHARGE to the student. There are a lot of amazing opportunities like that throughout the state. I think sometimes NC gets a bad rap as far as education goes, but I have always been very happy with my children's schools. Where I live it's rural and peaceful out in the county and we have the "town" of GOldsboro. There are a lot of areas like mine within a 30-60 minute drive to the bigger areas, so you can sort of have the best of both worlds. If you have any other questions PM me and I'll see if I can help.

OH and forgot to say..my house is quite comparable to the one you showed and ours was $169,000 in 2006. :)
 
AMY!!!! If you're daughter is going to WCC I will probably see her!! LOL I am full time in the accounting program out there. And we really should meet!
 
I'm Arizona born and raised (although Southern AZ, Phoenix is WAY too hot for me...even Tucson was way too hot) and we are now New England transplants. Seasons seriously blow me away, and even though winter is long, and I've got spring fever, I'd much rather have 4 beautiful seasons than brown and hot year round (although Southern AZ does have the most beautiful monsoon seasons and I miss the smell of creosote when it rains).

My brother lives in NC and we went there for Thanksgiving. Random, but they totally have prickly pear cacti there...as well as venus fly traps. They live in Chapel Hill, and when we went for Thanksgiving fall was in full colors and absolutely gorgeous. Not quite New England, but enough to blow an Arizona girl away anyway. What's great about living places where there are trees is that you can be right in the midst of a city and not really know it because of the trees. It makes everything feel so fresh. And NC is much more affordable than New England. They have stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, if that's what you're into (it sold my bro...lol!). Don't know much about the schools since my neice is only 3.

Oh, and if you've ever lived with a swamp cooler during monsoon season, you won't even notice the humidity. It hasn't bothered me at all here, and if I see sweat start popping up on DS I just turn on our little window unit for 10 minutes and it dries things up enough that he stops sweating. I didn't really notice it much while we were outside though.
 
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