North Carolina Nesties
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Tell me about North Carolina!
Hi all,
I've never been on this board but am recently considering a move from NJ to NC. I've been to NC several times as a kid on vacations and so forth but none recently. I know I have lots of research to do and I don't have a specific city in mind yet, but what can you tell me about the state or city you live in. I appreciate your help! I wrote my q's below.
Why do you love the state?
What do you hate?
How are/is the:
The housing market?
Property taxes?
Car insurance rates?
Child care rates?
Overall COL?
The job market?
The weather?
The school systems?
Family friendly cities?
Cities to avoid?
Anything else to share:
Re: Tell me about North Carolina!
Why do you love the state? That there are 4 actual seasons- like how in some places its cold or hot, we have 4 distinct seasons (con would be all the allergies!) That we are laid back, take time to smell the roses per se. Alot of northerners come and want this to change to what it is like where they came from- but then we gotta say- then why did you move? So, if you do move, don't complain about how things aren't like they are in NJ
What do you hate? all the yankees moving down! lol just kidding! I'm married to a NJ-ian. Seriously, not much to hate except certain things that depend on what city or county you happen to live in here.
How are/is the:
The housing market? bad for sellers- good for buyers.
Property taxes? depends on the city/county
Car insurance rates? great compared to NJ! lol.
Child care rates? depending on area (country vs suburbs vs city) you can cheap out for as little as $500 and get as high as around $1300 (per month)- all depends on what you want out of a facility.
Overall COL? Depends on where in the state- but I would say col is in the low middle range.
The job market? I think the latest stat is around 9.5-9.8 unempolyment rate for the state. If it was me I wouldn't move unless I had a job already secured.
The weather? Lately is been cold! We usually have mild winters with very very little snow- this winter has been freakishly cold and snowy! Springs are good and mild, summers can get hot but its really the humidity that kills ya! Falls are like springs- mild. We get some good thunderstorms in the summer. We do get hurricanes, tornados and the occasional earthquake.
The school systems? It varies widely from city/county from the vasious districts. I live near Charlotte and the school system (CMS: Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools) is in big big turmoil right now- I wouldn't put a child in that mess if I could help it. If the Charlotte area is where I wanted to be I would look into the surrounding counties (Gaston, Iredell, Cabarrus, Union) for better options, good private schools in Charlotte though. If looking for Catholic schools- check out schools first before renting/buying a place. There's only one (soon to be 2) Catholic high schools in the Charlotte area (only 3, soon to be 4, in the whole state)
Family friendly cities? depends on your definition of 'family friendly'. if talking about things to do, the larger metro areas would be best, if talking about 'conservative traditional family values' then check out the countryside or burbs.
Cities to avoid? Depends on what you want to avoid, but I'd generally say Charlotte city proper,speaking as for living in. (I live close but not in Charlotte so I have the luxury of it being close but not having to be in it)
Anything else to share: not really since you have visited before you know you gotta pump your own gas. LOL
Why do you love the state? There is so much to do here and within a short drive.
What do you hate? There is a lot more traffic here then what I'm use to. We live in the Triangle and it seems like EVERYONE is moving into the area and few are leaving...it's getting crowded
How are/is the:
The housing market? Agree with PP good for buyer/bad for seller
Property taxes? We rent so I don't know. Car taxes aren't bad.
Car insurance rates? Same as when we lived in WV
Child care rates? Comparable to most places I would think.
Overall COL? Coming from NJ it will probably be a LCOL area for you. We came from WV and the COL here is significantly higher. We could afford a much larger much nicer house with land back home.
The job market? It depends on your field. If you are a teacher it sucks because budget cuts are running rampant.
The weather? Pretty good. Don't believe that it doesn't snow here because it does and the snow is increasing each year.
The school systems? It definitely depends on where you live and it changes often.
Family friendly cities? We live in the triangle...I feel like all the cities around here are family friendly (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Apex, Fuquay-Varina, Cary, Holly Springs)
Cities to avoid? N/A
Anything else to share:
Don't move until one or both of you have secured a job here!
hahaha!
I live in Western North Carolina in the city of Asheville. It's very eclectic and hugely diverse. It's wonderful and I highly recommend it!
Why do you love the state? I was born and raised in NC and I can't accurately describe why I love it. I love the seasons (although this snow has been ridiculous lately), I love the southern people and food, I love the beautiful mountains, I just basically love it all.
What do you hate? The taxes!! Ugh! I'm not sure what they are in New Jersey, but I feel like they're high here. Property taxes on vehicles, higher sales tax. Maybe it's because I lived in TN during college where there is no income tax and they don't nickel and dime you with random fees for vehicle inspections and such
How are/is the:
The housing market? We're looking to buy right now and it's a GREAT time to buy here. I would hate to be a seller though
Property taxes? Depends on city and area. We're seeing about 1200 max per year on the homes we're looking at
Car insurance rates? Mine is 600 a year with liability and collision
Child care rates? No idea as I don't have children
Overall COL? I feel like it's reasonable. Again, this varies greatly with what city you choose
The job market? Jobs were a little hard to come by when I moved back here. The higher-paying ones at least. I think state-wide though it is a different story
The weather? I like having 4 seasons. This current winter has sucked but it's been an odd winter for a lot of different states not just us. Fall is especially beautiful in the mountains of NC. "Leaf lookers" drive from other areas to enjoy it
The school systems? Last I checked NC's test scores ranked pretty high. I feel like I got a good education when I was in school. Plenty of opportunities for honors courses and extracurricular activities
Family friendly cities? All of the WNC cities I'm familiar with have a very small-town feel where everyone watches out for each other. That includes Asheville, Franklin, Weaverville, surrounding areas
Cities to avoid? I don't really know any that I would avoid
Megan Hope 2yrs 3months
Why do you love the state? Temperate weather all year long, and variety of geography (mountains, hills, beach, etc).
What do you hate? Close minded people. I know they're everywhere, but there seems to be a surplus of extremely close minded, conservative, ultra-religious people in the south.
The housing market? Cost of living is way less here in the south (I'm from MI), but we rent so I can't tell you much.
Property taxes? we rent
Car insurance rates? Awesome! We pay $115/month for two brand new sports cars.
Child care rates? Don't have kids.
Overall COL? Good. Salaries are less, but gas, groceries, housing, etc all costs less.
The job market? Overall good. People here complain that it's bad, but coming from the north I feel like I walked into wonderland. DH and I have seriously had to turn down multiple job offers since moving here.
The weather? Amazing! We get "snow" maybe twice a year, and it's gone in a few hours. The summers are hot, but not worse than the north. You can be outside 11ish months out of the year.
The school systems? Honestly, not great. I'm a teacher and I think the public schools are lacking for several reasons, but there are many great alternatives (like charter schools) to make up for it if they're available in your area. The universities seem excellent from what I've heard.
Family friendly cities? Don't have kids, but we live in Raleigh and have nothing but great things to say about it.
Cities to avoid? Anywhere rural. Most of the state is pretty rural and living in a small town before we moved to Raleigh drove us crazy.
Anything else to share: We love living here and have never looked back. Good luck!
Why do you love the state? Great parks. Laid back. Easy traffic. Low COL. Friendly people.
What do you hate? Don't hate, but definitely wish there was more diversity - both religious and cultural.
How are/is the: The housing market? Depends on specific area. The housing market has definitely slowed in the Triangle and there are deals to be had. Most of the housing is fairly new (lots of stuff built in the early 90s).
Property taxes? Car insurance rates? Child care rates? Overall COL? I don't have a basis for comparison on property tax - I assume fairly low. Overall COL is probably medium. I've read that child care rates are disproportionately high compared to overall cost of living. I don't have a kid, but from the costs I've heard from my friends compared to that of my BIL who lives in MD, I'd say this is true.
The job market? It was quite tight for awhile but I think things are slowly getting better though there will be some cuts on government jobs over the next year or so. Charlotte is more geared towards finance, Raleigh/Durham is geared more towards technology.
The weather? Great!
The school systems? Wake County schools (where Raleigh is) are a mess right now and are in danger of losing their accreditation. Which is ridiculous b/c they used to be among the best of the state. So yeah, I don't know.
Family friendly cities? Cities to avoid? Anything else to share: I think a lot is based on personal preference. I don't think there are any areas that are necessarily bad, but it just depends on your career field and family needs.
I grew up near Winston-Salem, went to college at Wake Forest, lived in Greensboro for a year and now live in Wilmington (8 years), so I'm a NC native who will probably never leave.
Why do you love the state?
4 seasons, nice mountains and beach, good quality state universities, relatively LCOL in a lot of areas
What do you hate?
Some rural areas are pretty scary. People also drive poorly in this state.
How are/is the:
The housing market? I'll speak for Wilmington. Housing market has dropped, but not as dramatically as everywhere else. Housing is more expensive here than in other areas of the state, though.
Property taxes? higher in the coastal counties, but lower than what you'd pay in the northeast
Car insurance rates? I don't have a basis for comparison, but I know we pay less than my sister does in Florida with the same driving record
Child care rates? The child care we're considering is $1400/month for 2 children, but it is one of the few 5 star facilities in the area.
Overall COL? higher in Wilmington, but overall the state has a decently LCOL. Where I grew up was LCOL.
The job market? The job market in Wilmington has always been bad, even before the economy downturn. Everyone should secure a job before moving here.
The weather? we don't get a lot of winter weather on the coast. It gets up to 100 or so in the summer and is VERY humid.
The school systems? they're OK in Wilmington, depending upon the school district. On the outskirts of ILM (Brunswick County, etc) they're worse.
Family friendly cities? ?? not sure
Cities to avoid? I would try to stay out of the really rural areas, unless it's your thing.
Anything else to share:
I live between Greensboro and Burlington. I moved here from Ohio about 10 years ago when I came for college.
Why do you love the state? I love the fact that it's only cold for so long and that you can take a day trip to the mountains or the beach easily.
What do you hate? The drivers, but I hear there not much better in Jersey.
The housing market? We just bought our house a year ago, there were a lot of options, my husband works for a modular home builder, so it was hard to find a house that was up to his standards, but we finally did.
Property taxes? Depends on the county. Guilford county (Greensboro) has one of the higher tax rates. But once I moved out of the city my property taxes on my car dropped dramatically! Living in the country, but still having all the amenities of the city like 15 minutes away is great.
Car insurance rates? Ours are great now that we don't live in Greensboro.
It all depends on the zip code. If you're looking to move to a certain area, call your insurance company and ask for the rates for that area.
The job market? It varies. My field (research) is still doing very well. But I have a lot of friends who are having problems finding a job, but that's somewhat par for the course though.
The weather? Excellent. You still get a little cold so it still feels like Christmas, but it goes away soon enough.
Family friendly cities? I would say so.
Cities to avoid? I generally avoid Fayetteville and Jacksonville, but that's just b/c there's too much military for my liking.
Anything else to share: If you are like a lot of the people from up "North" that is running away from massive amounts of snow and long winters, you'll love it. And you'll find tremendous humor in how everyone freaks out over an inch of snow. Everyone stock up on milk and bread!