NGC Any NC people here? Looking for nice towns to relocate to.

[Idontwantapickle]

Im guessing where you keep all the damn New Yorkers. :)

Yes, Cary is an acronym. Containment Area for Relocated Yankees. 
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!
As others have said, visit and look around. There are a lot of nice spots from Raleigh to the coast.

Hunter

[s1120]

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.

[blackcat]

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.

[Rough Edge racing]

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 ....

[s1120]

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.

[redrider90]

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. 

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.

[s1120]

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.

[Denis]

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.

[maquette]

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.

[blackcat]

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?

[Gliderjohn]

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

[Lannis]

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

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

[maquette]

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.

[s1120]

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... 

[Texas Turnip]

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

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

[Motormike]

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." 

[Gliderjohn]

Tex,
The house is about a block south of the motel on the same side of the street.
GliderJohn

[Lannis]

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

[blackcat]

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.......

[blackcat]

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.

[Lannis]

  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!   

Lannis

[blackcat]

....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.

[Motormike]

The barrier islands: As the saying goes, "A nice place to visit, but....

[s1120]

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!!