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If 7 lakes doesn't work for you, try Southern Pines. Within 3 minutes of Super Wal-Mart, Pier 1, Belks, Arbys, Chilis, Outback, Bonefish, Pizza Hut, McD, BK, KFC, Best Buy, Starbucks, Subway, etc. etc. etc.
thanks NCSC and Having fun for suggesting Pinehurst. It looks like a possibility.
I've also been looking into the towns around Hickory. A suggestion in this post had me looking in the area. What does everyone think of the towns of Newton, Bethlehem and Morganton?
I'm also looking at the towns of Waynesville and Lake Junaluska. Any comments on those towns.
The last area I'm looking at is Davidson and Cornelius. Are any of the towns I've mentioned too big city feeling or prone to lots of traffic?
Location: Dual locations: Los Angeles, CA and Denver, NC
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I've studied where to move over the last year!
Hello. I have been living in Los Angeles area for the past 7 years. We are moving to Denver, NC. I have done some significant research on the area for my investors. We have searched around the Charlotte area. One of my favorite areas is Denver, nc. It is located around Lake Norman. Homes on the lake go for much higher than those just located 10 minutes away. There is a brand new Lowes and WalMart currently being constructed. Shoppin is about 15 minutes away. There are also several other small pocket areas that you may be interested in looking into.
Last edited by SunnyKayak; 09-03-2007 at 09:30 AM..
Reason: realtor solicitation
I'm looking to relocate from Michigan so that my husband can find a teaching job (in Michigan between 200-500 people apply for every job posted). I've been researching but it takes so much time working with just a map and the internet. North Carolina is our first choice of states to move to and I'm hoping people on this site can help provide information which might save me some time and make things easier.
Here's what I'm looking for: A small town with very low crime, good schools (we have 3 kids) and either on a lake or river or very close to one. I don't want to live too close to the ocean or a large metropolitan area. I'm looking for a town with a population of between 6,000-25,000 and prefer to be at least an hour or so away from the nearest huge city. I want a town that has an older downtown area/historic district with older homes. I'd like to be within a 15 minute drive of a Walmart, K-mart, grocery store or similar stores for basic shopping and within an hour or so of a mall for major shopping. Lastly, the price of a decent sized home (2000-2300 sq ft) close to the downtown needs to be around the $200,000-$250,000 price range (fixer uppers okay).
I know I'm asking the impossible but if I can find a town with as many of these things as possible it would be great. Does anyone out there have any suggestions? Thanks so much for your time!
Look into northeast NC around I95 or I85 north Kerr Lake is there - yoo-hoo, autumngirl, where are you.... Look at the Raleigh sub-forum
Look at Rutherfordton and Morganton. If you can compromise being close to water, throw in Mt. Airy and Southern Pines. Just remember that most all small towns outside of a metro area most anywhere in the U.S. are going to have limited job opportunities due to their small size. If you can land a job in one of these towns, work from home, or something like that, that would be great. Good luck!!!
I had looked at the town of Belmont in my search previous to posting on this site and had already ruled it out. It's the right size and has everything I need close by but the crime rate was too high and it's way too close to Charlotte which is a huge town. I'm really looking for a largish small town in a rural area like where I live now. I'm starting to think that I'm not going to find what I'm looking for in North Carolina because I'm being so picky but the place I'm coming from is so perfect for what I want and need (except the ability for my husband to get a job) that it might ruin it for any other town. Here is the link to my home town in case anyone wants to get a feel for what I'm looking for: https://www.city-data.com/city/Petoskey-Michigan.html
The only thing I would change about Petoskey, the town I currently live in, is the difficulty of getting a teaching job within driving distance and Jan-March (not enough sunshine and a bit too cold for my tastes). If my husband could get a job I'd stay dispite the 3 bad months. It's a beautiful, well kept town right on the shore of Lake Michigan with a busy historic downtown with excellent schools and very low crime. You can leave your home and car unlocked without fear of your things being stolen. I was hoping to find something similar in North Carolina.
I'd still appreciate any suggestions if anyone has any more. Thanks!
I took a quick look at your town and it looks like a great place to live.
Are you sure you want to move?
Teaching salaries in NC rank much lower than Michigan (NEA: National Education Association: Rankings of the States, Estimates of School Statistics 2003) - see "average salaries" link, and you'd probably be giving up 3 months of cold for 3 (or more) months of really hot, humid weather.
I'm not trying to dissuade you, but your town looks really nice.
I did know that Michigan is one of the higher paying states for teachers but unfortunatley, it's almost impossible to get a teaching job if you don't have teaching experience because the state is saturated with with teachers right now and the economy is one of the worse in the country. After trying for 3 1/2 years to get a teaching job, we've come to the conclusion that we either need to leave the state or throw $50k in education costs in the garbage and my husband give up on teaching. Since we're still paying the student loan payment each month and will be for another 12 years or so, we've decided to do whatever we have to do for my husband to teach. Since we're coming from such a wonderful, beautiful place, I've found it very difficult to find a place to move that will even come close. N.C. looked like it could give my home town a run for the money but the state is so populated, I'm not sure I can find a place rural enough but still having the basics I'm looking for. At this point I'm going to look into the small towns in the Hickory area, Morganton area, Pinehurst, Waynesville/Lake Junaluska area, Cornelius/Davidson area, Mount Airy, and Boone. I do not want to be within easy driving distance to a city with a large population. I don't like the feel of the big city and I'm willing to live without super malls, museums and such to stay away from that feeling. I'm looking for a beautiful, clean, well kept, very safe place to live that's big enough to support a decent amount of restaurants a grocery store or two, a Home Depot and a Walmart at the minimum. I'd like to be within an hour or two drive of a mall but it doesn't have to be a huge two story one either. I think in order to find what I'm looking for I'm going to have to give up the water and look closer to the mountains. My husband and I are even discussing looking in Washington State since his family lives there but I'm not sure I can live with the fact that most of the year there is less than 40% sunshine.
Anyways, once again I thank everyone for their time and suggestions. This site has helped me tremendously and I greatly appreciate the help.
A friend of mine just started a teaching job through lateral entry (college degree not in teaching, but working on license as she teaches).
Not a school of her first choice, but once you get in the system, you can move on to better things. That's the thing -- -usually, more jobs in not so
"hot" locations.
Cornelius and Davidson might be too close Charlotte for your taste.
Quote:
I think in order to find what I'm looking for I'm going to have to give up the water and look closer to the mountains.
You may also want to check the eastern part of the state. There are many rural towns there, though you may not find everything you're looking for. Has your husband started researching the job market in NC? In some areas of the state the job market is very competitive. There are many people applying for a limited number of positions. Even very qualified people have a hard time finding work. Maybe you can find out which school districts are in the most need of new teachers and begin your home search from there.
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I've studied where to move over the last year!
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