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Hey!!! I would like to know more about this town,Franklin NC is it a nice place to live??? i need more info we are thinking of moving there because of a job ofer, but i'm sacare to move.
I'd like more thoughts about Franklin too. How are jobs there? A house for under $100,000? And can you really find gem stones there????? What are the people like?
I'd like more thoughts about Franklin too. How are jobs there? A house for under $100,000? And can you really find gem stones there????? What are the people like?
They are
on average super people,friendly,helpful,Four gentle seasons,cost of living is very low and has some oppertunity and lovely mountians,BUT all of western NC is that way.
They are
on average super people,friendly,helpful,Four gentle seasons,cost of living is very low and has some oppertunity and lovely mountians,BUT all of western NC is that way.
I agree, I do LOVE it there. How are homes there? Could I find a nice home in a nice neighborhood for under $100,000?
Franklin is making the transition from summer vacation spot in the mountains to year round community. It's not that far from Asheville where a lot is going on. Highlands is a place nearby (30 miles) that is at a higher altitude and increasingly popular. Here is another review of Franklin that might help.
I recently moved from Franklin, to Charlotte, because of the low wages and high cost of living in Franklin.
Before I lived in Franklin I lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. Reviewing my finances over the 2 years I lived in Franklin, I can say that the cost of living was higher in Franklin compared to Cincinnati. Groceries are higher, produce is very high, gasoline is always higher in the mountains. My car insurance went up, electricity, water were higher. Services are higher - the exact same eye exam that would have cost me $99 in Cincinnati was $150 in Franklin. I am very good at budgeting and we (my husband and I) live on a "lower middle-class" budget.
There are very few jobs in Franklin, and wages are below what they should be given the cost of living. A secretary who would earn $38k annually in the mid-west can expect to earn $28k - $30k in Asheville and would be looking at $20k in Franklin. A $10 or $12 an hour job is considered to be a good job. You will be competing against relatives of folks who have lived there for years, as well as the "inner circle" that consist of those who belong to the local Christian churches. When I would hear people express these same ideas, I would think "sour grapes". I swore I would never think that way. But after being underemployed and underpaid, and experiencing so much incompetence due to people being hired for jobs due to factors other than competence, I now understand what these "sour grapes" folks were saying. I have seen more than a few intelligent, kind, interested, earnest people with a lot of talent and maturity to offer, have to leave Franklin because it was so difficult to keep a roof over one's head.
Understand that Franklin is a small rural town, in a rural county, with very little housing stock and no zoning. NO ZONING. That means anything can be built next to you, across from you; roads that are too narrow and curvy to accommodate emergency vehicles can be cut into mountainsides and homes thrown up on those mountain sides. And they are.
Several years ago the real estate market in Franklin exploded. Floridians who used to spend every summer there decided to cash out of their overly inflated homes in Florida and come up and buy land and homes. And they did with a vengeance. A very high % of land in the county is owned by Floridians. Regular guys and gals in Franklin cannot afford to buy land, let alone put up a home. Many, many people live in double and single wides - nothing wrong with that BUT it is because there is little decent affordable housing stock. Prices are softening a bit, but because there is so little stock, there is not much choice. If you are going to buy a house, get acquainted with owning a well and a septic system, unless you buy a house in the town of Franklin.
Although people are nice, it is a very closed community. You can make money (not necessarily grow rich) in Franklin if you can start your own business and if you have enough money set aside to support you during the growth of your business. Hopefully you have a relative who has land who can sell you a chunk at a decent price, or perhaps you can find a crap mobile home or an extreme fixer-upper on 1/2 an acre for $150k and fix it up.
Highlands/Cashiers is for the extremely wealthy. I'm talking Coca Cola heir wealthy, million dollar homes wealthy, home on the coast and one in the mountains and one in Atlanta and a condo in ski country wealthy. That whole area has become so overbuilt, the watershed is severely threatened and the charm of the mountains is no more.
I spent several years studying the sociology, the economy, the growth factors, the politics, that make up Macon County and Franklin. It is indeed beautiful and may stay that way, although unrestricted development has started tearing the county apart. But go slowly and have a buffer of savings allocated to tide you over as you make the transition to rural life.
BTW, I do go back to Franklin to visit, as I have friends there and own a tiny vacation rental cabin there (it was the only thing we could afford to buy so we did). I enjoy the beauty and ease, but I am glad to have a great job in Charlotte that challenges me, that pays me well enough so I can actually afford to participate in a 401(k) plan, affords me 21st century benefits, in a business that recognizes it is indeed the 21st century. And yes! I can buy a home on some land and FINALLY get back to owning my own home!
Excellent post...i think you hit the nail on the head abcornwell.
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