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I have been offered a job in Mount Airy, NC. I currently live in Spring Branch, TX (30 minutes due north of San Antonio).
On paper the two cities are very similar. Basically the same elevation, same COL, same demographics, etc.
The biggest differences are the weather, house cost and amenities. Although Spring Branch is bedroom community of SA with next to no retail, SA is only 30 minutes away.
Having never lived in Mount Airy, my question is, what type of culture shock or lifestyle change am I facing?
FYI - My wife and I are in our sixties, empty nesters, home bodies that love crafting, antiquing, woodworking and nature sightseeing.
Also I noticed Mount Airy seems to have a high crime rate. Why??
Seems like with u and your wife's interest, that u will find Mt. Airy to be perfect for you, I grew up in Pilot Mtn. Less then 15 min away from Mt. airy.. I'll be 40 in July. I personally never would recommend any city Below Winston Salem though. Mt. Airy is stuck in Andy Griffith sitcom time period. And they milk that show for all it's worth since it's really the main income that the city generates.. if those truly are ur interest then u will have no problem living in that small city.. but if u like any sort of culture, nice restaurants, heck even like to shop at a Target, then Mt. AIRY is not for you. My dad still lives in Pilot Mtn. And it's really depressing to go down there and see the town with not much in it..that goes for both Pilot Mtn and Mt. AIRY.
I've asked the mods to move this thread. Surry County is definitely part of the Piedmont Triad region.
To the OP, based on your interests, I think you'd be ok in Mt. Airy. Winston-Salem is an easy drive for any shopping, arts/culture, specialized medical, etc that you might want or need.
I've seen others ask about the crime rate in Mt. Airy and have no idea why it may be high. You might want to drill down into the data to see which types of crime are the worst. Anecdotally, when I'm reading the Winston-Salem Journal (almost daily) it seems that a lot of drug-related news is reported from that area.
While it can be helpful to get feedback from folks on a forum like this, nothing beats boots on the ground.
Oh and as far as high crime rate. That's probably because its the only source of entertainment for some....please take a visit to Mt Airy before you officially move there.
Interesting. We spent an afternoon in Mt Airy and got the impression that it was probably a lovely place to live, but it absolutely does hang its hat on the Andy Griffith Show. I am not sure what the town would be like without the tourist traffic that the show generates. We drove around quite a bit and there were lots of real old timey Mayberry looking homes, in addition to some pretty rough looking (run down- not necessarily dangerous) areas.
I also got the impression that a new person moving there might find it pretty hard to break into the social scene.
Curious if you did move there.
They just profiled the town on CBS Sunday Morning. They seem to have a tourist trolley and rides in 50's cop cars, both of which might be annoying to me, but the town looked cute and All-American, by God. White and Republican, but folks that don't bring it up unless appropriate, maybe.
Surry is listed by wikipedia as a Triad county (and brders Forsyth co., containing Winston-Salem).
I live here in Mt. Airy, been here 26 years, I live about 12 miles from city limits. Don't know about high crime, except druggies that may break into your house, like mine in 2013, grab and go, 2 lane road, no parking, they hit 3 homes on this road. But...it's a great place, yes Main St. is Mayberry, but wow, it is growing with restaurants, breweries, and lots of places to enjoy. Winston is about 30 to 40 minutes from me, only go there to go to Sam's. I don't need to leave town for anything.
Close to the Blueridge Parkway, only about 6 miles from the VA border. Mountains sometimes block some storms, so snow is not usually a big deal. Living close to downtown are many homes on North main and surrounding areas with beautiful houses, walking distance from downtown.
I look out my sliding glass door every day and am so grateful I live here, it's gorgeous.
Oh..plenty of the things you enjoy are here.
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