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Originally Posted by spiritwalker
Seek information about this area. Moving forward in the quest for a peacful and quiet retirement......Again we want small.....Lived "LARGE" for too long....
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Small you'll get
A few links for the area, if you haven't found them for yourself
http://www.mountairy.org/
http://www.visitmayberry.com/
http://www.mtairyncchamber.org/
We get up there fairly often; there is access in the area (52 and 89) to get on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
As retirees, I suppose a big concern would be health care. There is one hospital in the area, Northern Hospital of Surry County. They're in the planning phase (last I read) of a $33 mil expansion that will double the surgical suites. My research says they now have 17 surgeons - doubled in the last 10 years. I guess that should indicate the goals for health care in the area.
As far as shopping - *whew* - ain't none
A tiny mall, the ubiqitous Walmart, a few stores downtown. The area caters more to the tourist trade (they have a couple of festivals each year that are fun and well attended), so you'd probably have to head straight down 52 into Winston-Salem area if you are a shop-a-holic. As far as groceries, best I can remember is that they have a Food Lion. You can head out 52 toward Cana. At the Virginia line there are several produce stands for fresh veggies and fruit. That area used to get a lot of business, back before NC got a lottery and Cana was the closest place to buy tickets.
For entertainment, Black Wolf Vineyards has live music Fridays and Saturdays, and the Andy Griffith Playhouse has a variety of things going on. Mt airy and the surrounding areas (Galax, Fancy Gap) are known for having bluegrass and fiddle get-togethers. Galax has a yearly Fiddler's Convention that is really neat.
I think most people talk about scenery when they think of moving to Mt Airy. It's at the foot of the mountains and, going north on 52 or 77, even 89, you'll have to traverse about 6-7 miles of switchbacks going up
That means dealing with them coming down, too. Scary for first time flatlanders. Of course, there's the Blue Ridge Parkway. People make an entire vacation out of driving on that road.
Being near the mountains means you
will get ice and snow when other parts of the state are only cold. As typical with the entire area, you'll probably have trouble getting out when that happens. As a former Midwesterner, used to winter precipitation, this state has the weirdest attitude toward ice and snow. There is little snow removal equipment; everyone runs to the store for bread and milk when the forecast calls for even a dusting of snow; schools close when a snowflake hits the ground. And people can't drive in it. So be ready for that.
Real estate: you'd have to check the realtor sites. I haven't noticed a boom in building up there (YAY!). You'll have no problem finding land that is moderately priced. I did a quick scan of my favorite site: FarmsLandAndCountryHomes (add the dot com to make it a URL) and found homes listed from 700K down to way less that 50K. Land from 10K an acre to 50K (the higher priced lots would most likely be advertised as having views). You might have to prepare yourself being on a septic tank and well.
I'm glad to hear of people looking at Mt Airy for retirement. Most seem to think the Asheville area is the end-all of retirement spots. It is a gorgeous place, but Mt Airy has a more "small mountain town" feel to it. I guess some might get bored with that, but others see that as just what they want.
Good luck on your research
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The forum has been very helpful thus far. Keep it coming !!!!
