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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: s1120 on July 06, 2020, 09:33:51 AM
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Wife and I are starting a "5 year plan" to relocate from upstate NY, down to eastern NC. The cold winters, and sky high cost of living in NY is just getting old!! Looking for eastern NC. Wife wants to be within 1-1.5 hours from the beach. We dont want to be too close because of hurricanes. Small town life with some room is what we like... save the cities for the young crowd..
So just wondering if any of you all might know the area? Point out some places where we can start our search.
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NE and Central parts of eastern NC are pretty economically depressed and mostly feature hog lagoons & chicken farms....
Greenville area and some areas west of Wilmington are quite nice... Are you aware how hot it is during the summer that far inland tho? BOILING
If you want a small-town feel, check out Bladenboro, Elizabethtown, Burgaw, Mt.Olive, Lake Waccamaw
I would avoid Whiteville and Lumberton like the plague-- I bet you can buy a house there for $40k but there is a reason for that
Edited to say that I live in Asheville, but all my people are from 'down east' so I know the area pretty well.
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Good luck!
You know the local saying about "yankees" and "damyankees" .... !
Lannis
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Good luck!
You know the local saying about "yankees" and "damyankees" .... !
Lannis
Yep, experienced that with the local tax dept when I purchased my house. After I made them reassess my house for the third time because they were attempting to rip me off, the same guy called me up and plead with me to stop. I conceded but the taxes were dropped from $2,300 a year to the proper $1,000 per year. And I did not call him an asshole.
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Yeh that's a tough one! There is not much to speak of between I 95 and the coast of NC, and as far as hurricanes go these days you are going to get evacuated if there's even a chance it's coming your way.
While you don't want city life you are going to need an anchor nearby for access to medical, transportation, and culture (there's no "Egg" in Eastern NC). I would work from either Wilmington, Greenville, or Norfolk, VA. Of the three Norfolk has the most to offer, although I have a good friend in Wilmington and he loves it there. Greenville is a couple hours to the beach and the best thing to say about it is that it's a college town (Eastern Carolina).
You could come on in to SC and look at Florence. I grew up dealing with Myrtle Beach and know how to avoid things, and a little local knowledge will put you in the non-touristy places (Cherry Grove, Huntington Beach). But Myrtle Beach Airport is only an hour and there's always cheap flights back to ALB. Other advantages:
American Express service to Charlotte
McLeod Medical System is very well rated
Florence Center 10,000 seat arena
Just off I95 and usually doesn't get evacuated
SC has a better tax deal for retiring Yankees than NC :)
If you want to maintain a connection to Upstate NY then Aiken, SC is an extension due to the horse business. I lived in Schenectady for a couple of years and was amazed at how many people knew about Aiken. Event the carriage girl at Lake George said that a bunch of their horses were born there.
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Thanks for all the info!! Ya, I know about being from NY and going south.... Normaly have to start with .... Not the city!!!. Looked into a lot of places in Greenville.. Looks mostly nice. Also someone directed me to the Beaufort aera a few years ago... A lot closer to the coast, but they loved it.. As far as the temps... ya I know it can be tough. At this point we have a small place on cape cod mass that we are planing on living at in the summers. Gets us out of town on the hottest months when hurricanes are most common. SC is not out of the running. just thinking of saving some of the 4 seasons.
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Ya, I know about being from NY and going south.... Normaly have to start with .... Not the city!!!.
I'm from NYC and as soon as you say NY or just open your mouth the deal is done. Fortunately, I have seen or experienced less of that over time.
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!! Looking for eastern NC. Wife wants to be within 1-1.5 hours from the beach. We dont want to be too close because of hurricanes. Small town life with some room is what we like... save the cities for the young crowd..
Paul,
1-1.5 hours is not enought to get you away from the hurricanes. We live in Oriental, NC and after a ferry ride across the Neuse River, it's about 45 minutes to the ocean. My wife is a real estate broker and it seems everyone, (including us) wanted/wants the best of both worlds. If you are talking about 5 years, I would suggest that you try to find a piece of property up out of the flood zone and build when you are ready. If you can't find property up out of the flood zone, this area around Oriental is pretty nice. In ANY of the flood zones, one would be a fool not to build an elevated home in my opinion. Our house is elevated about 10'-12' above ground. Here's a link to our little town online community blog to give you a feel for this place. Definitely small, small town America.
https://towndock.net/
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forgot to ask are you retiring, or just looking to move (ie: will need jobs)?
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I grew up near the beach, and other than bikini clad females, I never saw the draw. Skin cancer, salt air, flat and boring roads, etc. Everything molds, rusts, or corrodes. :shocked:
Give me a quiet mountain brook, tree lined roads, shade, curves, elevation and the low cost of living in Tennessee.
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Never lived in NC but been all over the state. The mountains are motorcycle heaven plus lots less people there and traffic. Take trip and look around. Skip the beach and get a pool or a place on a lake.
Pete
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Not retiring. Wife works remotely. So anything is fine with her. I can do most anything, so ill find something where ever we end up. Was last in the auto biz, and there are always jobs in that...
A lake is nice... Might be able to sway her to a nice lake!
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Paul,
1-1.5 hours is not enought to get you away from the hurricanes. We live in Oriental, NC and after a ferry ride across the Neuse River, it's about 45 minutes to the ocean. My wife is a real estate broker and it seems everyone, (including us) wanted/wants the best of both worlds. If you are talking about 5 years, I would suggest that you try to find a piece of property up out of the flood zone and build when you are ready. If you can't find property up out of the flood zone, this area around Oriental is pretty nice. In ANY of the flood zones, one would be a fool not to build an elevated home in my opinion. Our house is elevated about 10'-12' above ground. Here's a link to our little town online community blog to give you a feel for this place. Definitely small, small town America.
https://towndock.net/
looks like a nice small town. Right now we live in a nice small historic town. We do like it other then NY taxes and 6 months of winter
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looks like a nice small town. Right now we live in a nice small historic town. We do like it other then NY taxes and 6 months of winter
Best bet since you have a little time is to make a list of areas you are interested in and then visit each for a few days. The mountain lake areas of western NC and Eastern TN are very nice too. The motorcycle roads are definitely better. We have several friends down here who are from NY and they all escape for the same reasons! :grin:
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Best bet since you have a little time is to make a list of areas you are interested in and then visit each for a few days. The mountain lake areas of western NC and Eastern TN are very nice too. The motorcycle roads are definitely better. We have several friends down here who are from NY and they all escape for the same reasons! :grin:
Ya, Ive seen some nice places. Wife really likes the beach though.. but being that we plan to keep our small place on Cape Cod for summer, I might be able to talk her into someplace farther from the coast.
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I’m in central NC, the Piedmont, and it’s become a Metropolitan area. All the major cities are touching or close to touching. We have traffic issues and other large city issues now. I’d look at SC, Ga, or FL, if I wanted to be costal.
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Best bet since you have a little time is to make a list of areas you are interested in and then visit each for a few days. The mountain lake areas of western NC and Eastern TN are very nice too. The motorcycle roads are definitely better. We have several friends down here who are from NY and they all escape for the same reasons! :grin:
Maps always help me...
(https://prd-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/cafo_map_0.jpg)
Not a lot of people in the blue section between the coast and the Piedmont. The military finds this attractive!
The Piedmont is where the population centers are located. Some good lake living in this zone although it has become very expensive to the people who are from here! Lake James is taking off.
Ahh, Western NC, the Mountain Region, and the Blue Ridge. Cool little mountain towns, affordable living (excluding Asheville), and great for motorcycles. I've got your problem, however. It's too far from the coast for the wife...
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Maps always help me...
(https://prd-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/cafo_map_0.jpg)
Not a lot of people in the blue section between the coast and the Piedmont. The military finds this attractive!
The Piedmont is where the population centers are located. Some good lake living in this zone although it has become very expensive to the people who are from here! Lake James is taking off.
Ahh, Western NC, the Mountain Region, and the Blue Ridge. Cool little mountain towns, affordable living (excluding Asheville), and great for motorcycles. I've got your problem, however. It's too far from the coast for the wife...
We spent some time looking in Cary. one of her home offices is there, and its rated one of the best towns to live pretty much country wide... Prices reflect that though... NY prices..
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The outer banks around the southern tip of the state are nice. We have vacationed in Emerald Isle NC since I was 18. A couple of years ago we went on vacation a couple of weeks after a hurricane. While still 2 hours from the beach the flooding was horrific! Make sure you use updated flood zone maps. The local municipalities and the state still use 20 year old flood plane maps, which do not reflect the rising sea levels. So you might think you’re out of the flood zone, but now you’re actually in it. I’m a big fan of the beaches and also the mountains. I skew towards the beach, the wife prefers the mountains. We split yearly vacations between the two. One note about the mountains, they get snow. Not regularly like you’re used to, but at least once a year. And southerners don’t deal well with snow. At least not here in GA where I’m from.
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Paul,
1-1.5 hours is not enought to get you away from the hurricanes. We live in Oriental, NC and after a ferry ride across the Neuse River, it's about 45 minutes to the ocean. My wife is a real estate broker and it seems everyone, (including us) wanted/wants the best of both worlds. If you are talking about 5 years, I would suggest that you try to find a piece of property up out of the flood zone and build when you are ready. If you can't find property up out of the flood zone, this area around Oriental is pretty nice. In ANY of the flood zones, one would be a fool not to build an elevated home in my opinion. Our house is elevated about 10'-12' above ground. Here's a link to our little town online community blog to give you a feel for this place. Definitely small, small town America.
https://towndock.net/
One thing I wanted to ask you. How is the off season? Do you have a off season?? As I posted we are not planning on being there during the dead of summer, so we will mis a lot of the hottest times, and most of hurricane season.
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One thing I wanted to ask you. How is the off season? Do you have a off season?? As I posted we are not planning on being there during the dead of summer, so we will mis a lot of the hottest times, and most of hurricane season.
Paul,
Our off season runs generally from around end of October to the end of March. Mid September to mid November would be a good time to visit if you want to miss the summer heat. There are many things going on all year, but of course --19 has curtailed much of that.
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One thing I wanted to ask you. How is the off season? Do you have a off season?? As I posted we are not planning on being there during the dead of summer, so we will mis a lot of the hottest times, and most of hurricane season.
I'm not understanding this question... 1.5hr from the beach in Eastern NC, there is no 'on' season? Like no tourists etc, unless you count the people driving by on the interstate on the way to the beach? There's no seasonal swing is what I mean... it's just stable population wise year-round
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I moved to Wake Forest from Long Island 4 years ago.While I am 2 hours from the beaches, I live in a area with great motorcycling roads.Lots of farms and twisty back roads with next to no traffic. I was exploring and found Lake Gaston.Half of it is in Virginia and the other half in North Carolina.Waterfront property is available for a fraction of New York prices.Not the beach but in my opinion much nicer than living on the coast.Less likely to have a hurricane,and there are a lot of trees and beautiful roads and small towns. ALMOST like Lake George but no mountains...2 hours to Raleigh or Richmond....
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I'm not understanding this question... 1.5hr from the beach in Eastern NC, there is no 'on' season? Like no tourists etc, unless you count the people driving by on the interstate on the way to the beach? There's no seasonal swing is what I mean... it's just stable population wise year-round
I was refering to his town what is on the.... Ill call it the inner coast.. On the water.
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I moved to Wake Forest from Long Island 4 years ago.While I am 2 hours from the beaches, I live in a area with great motorcycling roads.Lots of farms and twisty back roads with next to no traffic. I was exploring and found Lake Gaston.Half of it is in Virginia and the other half in North Carolina.Waterfront property is available for a fraction of New York prices.Not the beach but in my opinion much nicer than living on the coast.Less likely to have a hurricane,and there are a lot of trees and beautiful roads and small towns. ALMOST like Lake George but no mountains...2 hours to Raleigh or Richmond....
Ill have to check that out. As I said I was looking at a lot in Cary, and looks like your just a bit north of there. Thanks.
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I just moved my sister to a town outside of Aheville called Arden. Looked like a nice place to live. Kind of far from the beach but not in a flood zone either.
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Ill have to check that out. As I said I was looking at a lot in Cary, and looks like your just a bit north of there. Thanks.
That's the containment area :evil:
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That's the containment area :evil:
I'll let you explain "containment area" to him and others. :evil:
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Kind of far from the beach but not in a flood zone either.
HaHa you'd be surprised! We get a lot of flooding here- a fair bit is flash flooding! Part of living in a deciduous rain forest on the banks of a river that flows south-north, we get more rain than Seattle and twice as much as London.
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I'll let you explain "containment area" to him and others. :evil:
Im guessing where you keep all the damn New Yorkers. :)
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Im guessing where you keep all the damn New Yorkers. :)
Long time joke for folks in the Raleigh Durham area: CARY or "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees." If you move there I'm sure you'll get the T-shirt :)
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Long time joke for folks in the Raleigh Durham area: CARY or "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees." If you move there I'm sure you'll get the T-shirt :)
LOL ya, I know im setting myself up... but MAN it sure beets 6 months of winter!!
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LOL ya, I know im setting myself up... but MAN it sure beets 6 months of winter!!
if you move to eastern nc you will have zero months of winter... daytime lows there are in the 50's even in January/Feb
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LOL ya, I know im setting myself up... but MAN it sure beets 6 months of winter!!
Aiken, SC is full of part time Yankees. They've driven up the prices a bit but there are plenty of 50's era houses in the 1,500-2,000 sq ft range because of the construction of the Savannah River Plant. Lots of those houses have been turned into winter time cottages by people from NY, CT, and Mass. We have a lot of French speaking Canadians as well.
I enjoyed my two winters up your way but it always helped to know I was just on assignment. Did a lot of skiing (including Plattekill) and tried snowmobiling. I also did more drinking than ever in my life! May was the toughest month for me; I would get a call from Kim while she was at the pool and I was still in my waterproof shoes and jacket. Memorial to Labor Day was a treat however.
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Aiken, SC is full of part time Yankees. They've driven up the prices a bit but there are plenty of 50's era houses in the 1,500-2,000 sq ft range because of the construction of the Savannah River Plant. Lots of those houses have been turned into winter time cottages by people from NY, CT, and Mass. We have a lot of French speaking Canadians as well.
I enjoyed my two winters up your way but it always helped to know I was just on assignment. Did a lot of skiing (including Plattekill) and tried snowmobiling. I also did more drinking than ever in my life! May was the toughest month for me; I would get a call from Kim while she was at the pool and I was still in my waterproof shoes and jacket. Memorial to Labor Day was a treat however.
Ya, and if you dont mind the taxes, and weather upstate NY is vary nice, and the people, and places are much more "southern" then people think when you say New Yorker.
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HaHa you'd be surprised! We get a lot of flooding here- a fair bit is flash flooding! Part of living in a deciduous rain forest on the banks of a river that flows south-north, we get more rain than Seattle and twice as much as London.
Looks like a good 4 hours to beach from there. My step brother just moved to Anderson SC area last year.. Looks like not a terrible trip to there from your area. My wife talkes to someone from work that lives somewhere in that area also, and she says she loves it.
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I'm in Hillsborough NC, about 15 miles from Durham NC and I really like it here. Small historic town. We're about 2.5 / 3.5 hours from the beach depending on which one you go to. The thing about going to the beach in season is the traffic can turn a relatively short drive into a slog. We're about the same distance from the mountains, maybe a little more, and that's pretty sweet as well. For me and my family, it's mountains in the summer and beach in the fall-winter. Don't really care about swimming that much so water temp isn't important to us.
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Like yourself a Newyawker, my first stop when I considered the Raleigh area was in Cary.
I found it too Suburban sprawl, like a new version of Levittown. Just a little outside of Cary
I found the Hillsborough/Carrboro/Chapel Hill area more to my liking with old charm and
lots of history, culture, and things to do. Excellent motorcycle backroads.
The upside to the Raleigh area is you have access to a International airport and excellent healthcare
with UNC and Duke. Downside is it’s still a bit of a hike to the beach or mountains but doable for a day trip.
I wish you luck in your search!
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I pressed my wife hard to find a job in coastal Carolina. Job in Beaufort was no good. Downside to the area I felt was being non military made us instant outsiders in addition to already being outsiders. Job in Shallotte didn't work out either but I was pretty sick of small town life that was probably a good thing. We vacationed in Wilmington area once and really liked it. Don't know if that means it's decent living there though. I was really hoping for Greenville NC but couldn't make it work. Hated Western NC, great place to visit, didn't want to live there.
Good luck!
-AJ
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Last fall wife and I did a recon around Kannapolis, Mooresville/Lake Norman & Lake Lure all really nice and some super motorbike riding roads
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Last fall wife and I did a recon around Kannapolis, Mooresville/Lake Norman & Lake Lure all really nice and some super motorbike riding roads
Lake Norman looks huge!! Ill have to look into around there.
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I grew up in NJ near NYC, many years ago I moved to the Finger Lakes area of NY state....I have found native Southerners to be quite hospitable...Well, once they get tired of the Damn Yankee jokes. I would move south in a NY minute but my wife won't leave her family here.
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Lake Norman looks huge!! Ill have to look into around there.
The traffic between there and the beach will turn that trip into a 3+hour affair just FYI
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I grew up in NJ near NYC, many years ago I moved to the Finger Lakes area of NY state....I have found native Southerners to be quite hospitable...Well, once they get tired of the Damn Yankee jokes. I would move south in a NY minute but my wife won't leave her family here.
But the jokes are SO much fun :)
Lake Norman is a zoo both on the water and off. Lake Wylie is a tad better.
Lake Wateree is in the middle of nowhere but the way the area between Columbia and Charlotte is sprawling I think a wise investment. The Camden side give you more services but further from Charlotte/Columbia. The Ridgeway side if you don't mind driving to anything and everything.
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I grew up in NJ near NYC, many years ago I moved to the Finger Lakes area of NY state....I have found native Southerners to be quite hospitable...Well, once they get tired of the Damn Yankee jokes. I would move south in a NY minute but my wife won't leave her family here.
Yes. We have taken a lot of car trips from NY down to VA, NC, SC, and Fl, and its noticeable that once you get past about Richmond VA the people get so much nicer.... Ive really found that as long as your kind, polite, and treat people well, most people are the same.
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Yes. We have taken a lot of car trips from NY down to VA, NC, SC, and Fl, and its noticeable that once you get past about Richmond VA the people get so much nicer.... Ive really found that as long as your kind, polite, and treat people well, most people are the same.
When in the military, later 1960's, I got along best with guys from the South despite being from New Jersey.
My wife and I took Amtrak from Rochester NY to Arizona to visit my father. On the return trip we noticed the passengers got crabbier as we came back east.
I have to say that people in NY state are quite nice..And not as fat as down South... :grin: :grin:
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I have to say that people in NY state are quite nice..And not as fat as down South... :grin: :grin:
LOL I guess I will fit in then!!!
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I have been living in Willow Spring now since 1985, which is located at the most southern part of Wake County. Willow Spring is located about 15 miles south of Raleigh and about ten minutes from Hwy 40. It takes me about 15 - 20 minutes to drive to downtown Raleigh, and about the same time to get to downtown Cary. The area out here is still mostly country living with lots of forest and farm land, but it's building up very fast. It is exactly 116 miles from my home to the fishing pier at Wrightsville Beach, so it is about an easy two hour drive.
You may also want to check out the towns of Fuquay, Holly Springs, and Apex, which were all smaller towns not too long ago, but they are now more like suburbs of Cary. I like living within Wake County, due to the good schools, work, hospitals, parks, lakes, things to do....., but it is getting expensive to buy a home out here too. I think that the average new home out here were I'm living at starts around $280k to $300k, which is still cheap when looking at Wake County overall. Willow Spring is located outside of any surrounding city limits, and my 2020 property tax value of my home increased by $40k during the last four years ......
I would not like living too close to places like Wilmington, Atlantic Beach or any other towns right at the ocean, mostly due to the summer tourist season...... Those towns and cities are packet during the summer. I would also stay away from the towns located between the beaches and Wake / Johnston County. Not all, but some of those towns are pretty run down and not the safest places to call home.
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I would also stay away from the towns located between the beaches and Wake / Johnson County.
C'mon, you've lived in Willow Spring long enough to know that it's Johnston County. :evil:
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Wife and I are starting a "5 year plan" to relocate from upstate NY, down to eastern NC. The cold winters, and sky high cost of living in NY is just getting old!! Looking for eastern NC. Wife wants to be within 1-1.5 hours from the beach. We dont want to be too close because of hurricanes. Small town life with some room is what we like... save the cities for the young crowd..
So just wondering if any of you all might know the area? Point out some places where we can start our search.
Paul, take a look at Camden, SC. Might be what you are looking for.
Scott
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I live in New Bern NC which seems to be a mecca for Ny retirees There are many many good small towns to choose from, all with reasons to live there.. My suggestion is to come down for a month, rent a place to stay and roam the area to find your niche. Unfortunately, hurricanes are a fact of life in the area and nowhere is immune from them. From Elizabeth City to Wilmington and inland as far as Raleigh is prime retiree country. Just take your pick.
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I live in New Bern NC which seems to be a mecca for Ny retirees There are many many good small towns to choose from, all with reasons to live there.. My suggestion is to come down for a month, rent a place to stay and roam the area to find your niche. Unfortunately, hurricanes are a fact of life in the area and nowhere is immune from them. From Elizabeth City to Wilmington and inland as far as Raleigh is prime retiree country. Just take your pick.
This is a good point....Hurricanes affect the whole state. Some parts more than others of course but I was without power for 2 weeks during hurricane Fran in 96. I lived in Pittsboro at the time. Hurricane Hugo in 88 plowed through Charlotte, which is well inland. the mountains get heavy rains and landslides from the gulf storms. Not saying inland has it as bad as the coast but hurricanes can be a pita regardless where you live in NC
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with the traveling I've done, I've spent approx half my life in my native born central VT and most of the rest in the southeastern USA. Most of that southern living was here in Spartanburg, SC. On the map, it's where I-26 and I-85 intersect. 2 1/2 hrs to Charleston/coast, 2 1/2 hrs to ATL, 2 1/2 hrs to Knoxville, 1 hr to Asheville and 1 hr to Charlotte- all via 100% interstate driving. Myrtle Beach is not a direct highway route yet, but that's always being discussed. We're here & in SC on purpose. We met, lived in and liked TN a lot, but it takes the coastal option off the day trip list.
Hurricanes usually aren't devastating here. No evacuations this far inland, at least to date. Tornados aren't either. It has gotten much more crowded around here in recent years, but still is manageable. There's other reasons we like here vs other areas. Enough hills and curves without being stuck between ridges & hollows. No interest in living below the Fall Line where it's all flat and straight. I lived in Asheville for a while. Not for me. Greenville SC is the hipster spot to be around the upstate- not for us either. Living somewhere for at least a week or two before buying/moving there is always money well spent and often an eye-opener.
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Ya, our plan once this - thing ends... and I care for my MIL that is in her final stages of Alzheimers, so when she goes on to a better place, we plan to head down and hit up some different aeras, and spend a few weeks down there.
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Tremendous variety of places here on the Carolinas that would be great to retire to. Often comes down to are you a mountain person or a beach person?
How important are good restaurants & quality groceries? Hard to find those in a small town.
Traffic & population here is much more than you would thing (i think NC ranks tenth on population).
If you want to meet the locals get a personal plate (tag is what they're called here) something like "danorth1" ...that would get some attention.
Enjoy your search!
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Ya, our plan once this - thing ends... and I care for my MIL that is in her final stages of Alzheimers, so when she goes on to a better place, we plan to head down and hit up some different aeras, and spend a few weeks down there.
I understand completely and hope it goes as well as possible. We're a decade into ever-increasing eldercarin' so my mother and her 90 yo brother can live "independently" together next door instead of a nursing home. Moved him in with her after dad died of cancer during the VA "2 wks" stuff.. Except now uncle is in the hospital with pneumonia for the past 2 wks. still - negative.
It's a primary reason we moved back & stayed here in the first place, but it can be a long slog sometimes.
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I understand completely and hope it goes as well as possible. We're a decade into ever-increasing eldercarin' so my mother and her 90 yo brother can live "independently" together next door instead of a nursing home. Moved him in with her after dad died of cancer during the VA "2 wks" stuff.. Except now uncle is in the hospital with pneumonia for the past 2 wks. still - negative.
It's a primary reason we moved back & stayed here in the first place, but it can be a long slog sometimes.
Your not kidding!!I quit my job 2 1/2 years ago to take care of her. Drs said she had 6 months becouse of other health issues... Well we are still here. SOme days are longer then others thats for sure!! We have crossed our line of "well we are not doing that... we will have to find her a place that can care for her.." many times over!!! But we do what we can. All depends how fast the Alzhimers progresses along with the other issues.. Frankly she was always vary independent, and would be horrorafided to see how she is now..
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C'mon, you've lived in Willow Spring long enough to know that it's Johnston County. :evil:
You would think......
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When I lived in SC 20 years ago Keowee was THE place to retire to. Maybe not true anymore?
-AJ
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I would second New Bern. Very nice town.
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Im guessing where you keep all the damn New Yorkers. :)
Yes, Cary is an acronym. Containment Area for Relocated Yankees. :evil:
In fact there's a bit of truth to that. Not the "containment" part but a lot of folks relocated there for the jobs at IBM and other firms in the Research Triangle Park beginning in the 60's. Cary is close by to RTP. That is what drove Cary to be a desirable place to live. A lot of well paid people live there to this day. You can't mess with money!
But Cary is much older and has a long history in this area. My direct ancestors owned most of that land in the 19th Century and fashioned it into a nice place to live even then. We all still get buried right in the middle of town. Not until we die, of course! :laugh:
As others have said, visit and look around. There are a lot of nice spots from Raleigh to the coast.
Hunter
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Well more searching going on... That town pointed out Oriental, NC, looks nice.. Might not be what we want, but I think I will check that, and a few other towns on the "inner" coast like it, out. Gives you the waterfront town... Just without the big water. Greenville is looking nice. Seems to be a nice mix of big, but not too big.. nice, but not to nice. I was referred to a town out side of there called Winterville that looks pretty nice.. I think a trip down to visit a few of these towns will parbably be on the planner over the winter once things settle down.
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Well more searching going on... That town pointed out Oriental, NC, looks nice..
I owned a home on Cape Hatteras for many years,(never lived there) but it was quite normal for the water in Pamlico Sound to be pushed west to almost dry as a hurricane ripped up the east coast. My wife's aunt and uncle lived in New Bern for many years and that water inundation was an issue. I assume that wind and flood insurance will be require for those locations.
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I may have missed some info...It might me a reasonable idea to rent a place in an area you might want live in...4-6 months should give you a feel for the location ....
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I may have missed some info...It might me a reasonable idea to rent a place in an area you might want live in...4-6 months should give you a feel for the location ....
We are working on a 5 year plan for now. [youngest starts High School in Sept.. so 4 at min..] At this point Im looking to narrow it down to 3-4 areas, and take a trip down, and spend a week or two checking them out. As we firm up on towns/citys, we will spend more time in one area. 4-6 months would be a great idea... but dont think we will be able to devote that much time to it till we are ready to leap. Thought about maybe doing that when we put the NY house on the market... Being the returns from the sale are what would by the new one.
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If you are going to live anywhere East of Hillsborough/Durham then you need to add this book mark to your favorites. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
That is the national hurricane center. Learn how to follow hurricanes and buy your food and fuel before everybody gets crazy at the last minute. Actually I am buying my fuel now and putting stabil in it for the upcoming hurricane season which ends shortly before winter. Worst ice storm I ever had was Thanksgiving. 7 days without power. Worst hurricane Fran 8 days without power.
Definitely living down East as they call it here is major hurricane country and not much else. But I have lived near Hillsborough which like ivantheterrible says is a nice historic town about 50 miles west of MedicAndy in Johnston County which adds another hour to the coast. Johnston county you puts close to Raleigh the big city if you like that but you can find country living close to or in a town in Johnston county. The 3 fast growing counties are all coastal. Fastest growing city is Raleigh. But 50 miles west of Raleigh we get our fair share of them or at least pieces of them. I have been without power from hurricanes and ice storms and torodados. Living just out of town in the county in the woods puts you on the end of the long list for power restoration. New Bern is nice but sea levels are rising and more and more coastal towns are experiencing high tide flooding. And it is only getting worse.
It you are a golfer then Pinehurst which has all the golf courses.
But Mayor of BBQ has the mountains and Asheville which is stunning. :thumb:
Oh and this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_North_Carolina_hurricanes#1980–Present
The list of North Carolina hurricanes includes 413 known tropical or subtropical cyclones that have affected the U.S. state of North Carolina. Due to its location, many hurricanes have hit the state directly, and numerous hurricanes have passed near or through North Carolina in its history; the state is ranked fourth, after Florida, Texas, and Louisiana, in the number of cyclones that produced hurricane-force winds in a U.S. states.
OH and this The fourth most active area in the United States for tornadoes is here in "Carolina Alley" that runs from northeastern South Carolina through areas around the I-95 corridor in North Carolina.
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triangle-sandhills/news/2019/03/08/there-s-a-small-tornado-alley-right-here-in-the-carolinas
Sorry to pop the balloons but this part of NC has its fare share of nasty weather. And you are asking for the best places to live east of the coast. This spring I had the TV on and left for the basement when the local weather team said the tornado was minutes from the SW edge of Hillsborough and headed slightly NE right in my wheelhouse. I shut off the TV and we sat in our furnace room which is mostly underground with a cement floor above it. After 15 minutes I said to my wife well we should be dead right now so something must have changed.
I went upstairs and turned on the TV. Just one minute after they said it was going to hit Hillsborough the storm just dissipated right when I was running down the stairs.
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Thanks redrider. Im not going into this with rose colored glasses, so Im more then happy to hear the downsides also. Only good part is we will be gone most of that season.. Doesn't help the house, and stuff though. Weather can be tough, but you know, you never know.. Ive had two tornados at home in the 18 years we have lived there. One went right down my side yard through my woods, the other right down the road in front. Last year at our summer house in Cape Cod we had three tornadoes touch down in town. The first hit about 300 feet from us. Lots of tree damage, but luckily noting major. The cape hasn't has tornadoes since like the 50's... Its really a balance... Whats your poison...
All in all its a huge decision. Im taking it all in, and learning, and trying to be as informed as I can.
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Long time joke for folks in the Raleigh Durham area: CARY or "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees." If you move there I'm sure you'll get the T-shirt :)
CARY also means "Can't Annex Raleigh Yet". Cary started grabbing outlining areas so Apex and Morrisville started doing it also. Sometimes you don't even know which of those towns you are in. LOADS of new developments with prices "starting in the low $400s" and up.
I came to Raleigh from Fayetteville in '83 and Raleigh really maintained that small town feel, especially in the summer after all the colleges let out. When someone deemed it one of the best places to live it started getting crowded, urban sprawl began in earnest, etc.
Now, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill are all expensive. Still, from Raleigh I can get to the beaches in the southern part of the state in about 2-2.5 hours. There actually is an "off-season" with the beaches here. Before Memorial Day and after Labor Day it's a lot easier to find a place to stay at the coast. The southern end of Topsail Island is my absolute favorite.
Just east of Raleigh you could try Knightdale or Zebulon. There are still some nice roads out there but the terrain generally tends to be flatter of course.
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If you end up anywhere along the coast be sure to buy or build a house that is elevated. In Oriental, flooding is a way of life during hurricane season and extended north east storms at any time of the year. Not to be scared, just aware. Oriental is small town (800-900 people), flat roads and lots of water. The Neuse River, which Oriental sits on, is the widest river in the US with it's mouth a little over 5 miles wide when it empties into Pamlico Sound. The sound is about 35 miles across to Ocracoke and the rest of the southern Outer Banks. Laid back here for sure. If you are more "cosmopolitan" this area isn't for you. Good luck in your search and glad to answer any questions about this area.
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If you end up anywhere along the coast be sure to buy or build a house that is elevated. In Oriental, flooding is a way of life during hurricane season and extended north east storms at any time of the year. Not to be scared, just aware. Oriental is small town (800-900 people), flat roads and lots of water. The Neuse River, which Oriental sits on, is the widest river in the US with it's mouth a little over 5 miles wide when it empties into Pamlico Sound. The sound is about 35 miles across to Ocracoke and the rest of the southern Outer Banks. Laid back here for sure. If you are more "cosmopolitan" this area isn't for you. Good luck in your search and glad to answer any questions about this area.
I assume you have flood and wind insurance, what is your yearly cost and has it been rising?
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If you want to retire on the cheap the SE KS town of Cedar Vale has this house for sale. Due to being very rural and in a depressed area, but beautiful, the current asking price for this house is $50,000.
GliderJohn
(https://i.ibb.co/Yy4FL6H/DSC07399.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Yy4FL6H)
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If you want to retire on the cheap the SE KS town of Cedar Vale has this house for sale. Due to being very rural and in a depressed area, but beautiful, the current asking price for this house is $50,000.
GliderJohn
(https://i.ibb.co/Yy4FL6H/DSC07399.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Yy4FL6H)
I strongly suspect that there are one or two other "due to"'s that would drive the price down to that. Having been through this myself, I suspect ancient knob-and-tube 60 amp electric service, no insulation, an oil heater that looks like the boiler on the USS Nevada, and oldie-goldie windows.
Good deal for a young man with lots of time and good prospects!
Lannis
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I assume you have flood and wind insurance, what is your yearly cost and has it been rising?
Yes, we have wind and hail, flood and regular homeowner's insurance. All together about $2800.00 per year with wind and hail being the largerst amount at just under $1800. Our house is well built and well elevated with flood insurance in the low $400.00's. It's been going up some, but not drastically so far. Of course, the overall value of your home has an impact on the final number.
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Yes, we have wind and hail, flood and regular homeowner's insurance. All together about $2800.00 per year with wind and hail being the largerst amount at just under $1800. Our house is well built and well elevated with flood insurance in the low $400.00's. It's been going up some, but not drastically so far. Of course, the overall value of your home has an impact on the final number.
We already deal with flood insurance with our house on Cape Cod Mass. The house has never been hit with any real water, but being only 4/10's of a mile from a big bay, [Lewis Bay] is was a requirement. Still a lot less then paying NY taxes!!! We are not looking for cosmopolitan in any way!! Small town life for us. Right now we live in the outskirts of a small historic town. More cornfields, and livestock around then houses. Im stilling here on my 4.5 acres of woods, and fields... I really want to move my house, and town about 12-15 hours south...
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If you want to retire on the cheap the SE KS town of Cedar Vale has this house for sale. Due to being very rural and in a depressed area, but beautiful, the current asking price for this house is $50,000.
GliderJohn
(https://i.ibb.co/Yy4FL6H/DSC07399.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Yy4FL6H)
John,
Is this the place on the other side of the road from the motel?
Lannis, You need to go to Cedar Vale and you would know why it will be hard to sell this place for 50K. This same house in Austin or Houston, TX would bring $500K plus.
I was raised in a small town and was glad to get out to enjoy the wild night life. Now I enjoy living in a rural area, but have to admit it was nice that a Lowe's and Walmart were built 5 miles from me.
Cedar Vale IMHO doesn't have a chance to survive. Parents want little Kumquat to have ballet lessons, etc. Pa dies and ma no longer wants to live in the small town when you are 40 miles one way from doc, dentist, beauty parlor etc.
Tex
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Since everyone is throwing everyplace around, here's a vote for the Cumberland region of East Tennessee. No income tax, and, in more rural areas at least, low property taxes. Great riding roads, mild winters. (well, it can get real cold atop the plateau in February!) Anywhere from Chattanooga northeast to the Tri-cities area is easy living, really. Here in rural Sequatchie county, I think we've had a total of about 25 cases of - reported. And zero cases of "protestors."
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Tex,
The house is about a block south of the motel on the same side of the street.
GliderJohn
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Lannis, You need to go to Cedar Vale and you would know why it will be hard to sell this place for 50K. This same house in Austin or Houston, TX would bring $500K plus.
Tex
All true, I don't doubt, but I've looked at a lot of those old houses before I built mine, and I'll still wager that you'll find all that old stuff inside the walls and in the basement! Full time job owning something like that ....
Lannis
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All true, I don't doubt, but I've looked at a lot of those old houses before I built mine, and I'll still wager that you'll find all that old stuff inside the walls and in the basement! Full time job owning something like that ....
Lannis
Yes, by the time you gut the interior, foam or batt insulate the walls & ceilings, new wiring, new plumbing.......
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Yes, we have wind and hail, flood and regular homeowner's insurance. All together about $2800.00 per year with wind and hail being the largerst amount at just under $1800. Our house is well built and well elevated with flood insurance in the low $400.00's. It's been going up some, but not drastically so far. Of course, the overall value of your home has an impact on the final number.
That seems reasonable, but being elevated helps too. When we first had our house on Cape Hatteras the wind policy was relatively cheap and we didn't need a flood insurance because the house faced the sound and was up a hill. Of course hill is relative there but it was unlikely to flood unless the entire island went underwater. But after the 3rd hurricane, I got tired of dealing with that nonsense and sold the house.
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But after the 3rd hurricane, I got tired of dealing with that nonsense and sold the house.
Yup, there are very good reasons why that coast was almost completely deserted until shortly after WWII when people had extra money, cars that would go a long way, and jobs with vacations .... !
I'll bet that there's been $2 billion dollars' worth of houses built just on the sand up at Duck and Corolla in the past 20 years, where, if a hurricane came through, would leave just flat sand with a few pilings sticking out of it ...
People complain about "how hard life can be" but the Carolina coast is the best evidence I can see that we're living in a time of material plenty unparalleled in the history of Earth. We rent a place at "Southern Shores" called "Baliwest" every few years and invite the whole family ... most luxurious place I've ever stayed.
Smoke 'em while you've got 'em! :thumb:
Lannis
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....the Carolina coast is the best evidence I can see that we're living in a time of material plenty unparalleled in the history of Earth.
Lannis
Federal flood insurance has moved that forward too. Not to get into the weeds but it's way past time for that program to end for all new construction in flood zones, and after the third complete home flood loss those old policies need to sunset.
Honestly, barrier islands are a completely stupid place to set your flag and I'm just as guilty as the next guy for that flag, and you haven't seen panic until a hurricane is bearing down on one of those islands. It's not pretty.
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The barrier islands: As the saying goes, "A nice place to visit, but....
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Federal flood insurance has moved that forward too. Not to get into the weeds but it's way past time for that program to end for all new construction in flood zones, and after the third complete home flood loss those old policies need to sunset.
Honestly, barrier islands are a completely stupid place to set your flag and I'm just as guilty as the next guy for that flag, and you haven't seen panic until a hurricane is bearing down on one of those islands. It's not pretty.
Yes. I agree on the Barrier island!!! Granted we loved our time on the outter banks... But really you live there and your house is the first line of defence for those on the mainland!!