Hoping to move to WNC by next year (Charlotte, Raleigh: 2013, rentals)
Western North CarolinaThe Mountain Region including Asheville
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I'm hoping to move to WNC within the next year and was wondering if someone might be able to help me out with a few things. One thing I was wondering about was the current estimate on cost of utilities (I apologize if this has been discussed. I swiftly searched the threads for "cost" and "utilities" though not much came up for what I am looking for--though I admit that I did not spend much time on it). The house will most likely be not more than 1500 sqft (if even that; I'd be happy with 1200); I am very frugal when it comes to indoor temp (mostly use oil-filled heater to heat the house here in the winter--though here in Nevada the utilities are all electric): have the house set to about 60 in winter and 78 in summer (live in a trailer so there's practically no insulation). No tv, just internet. I have a well so I don't pay for water now, so that will be a new expense.
I will most likely end up renting a house as well. From a quick look on the internet it seemed like a decent home around 1200 sq ft would cost approximately $900 or so per month. Am I way off on that? It is sure to depend on what part of WNC as well. I definitely want to avoid Asheville since it seems way too liberal for me (part of why I'm moving out of Nevada), and plus it seems quite expensive too. I was considering around Gastonia, Morganton, perhaps Hendersonville. Some place not so touristy as the Asheville area. Though I must admit, I love Black Mountain; yet it seems so close to Asheville. I hope to be staying in Gastonia in April, so I will do some searching then.
Any thoughts on which town in WNC? I mentioned Black Mountain because I've visited there so much--I love to hike at Montreat. It is so beautiful and peaceful there. My other interest beside hiking is historical research, though the opportunities are mostly centered in the capital for that (from my experience at least with my own research topic). I'm quite conservative (though am tolerant of others), just would prefer to be around and socialize with others who also have conservative attitudes toward life. Probably my foremost concern would be to have a nearby PCA (Presbyterian Church of America) church to attend that preferably conducts their worship in the traditional manner with hymns and not contemporary music (though it seems that may be tough to find).
I may transfer out here with my company (I work for a large grocery-store chain), though while I'm on my visits the next few months I plan on distributing applications. Would appreciate any information, thoughts, and/or suggestions (and I also will be moving out there by myself; I do not have a family). Many thanks!
Last edited by Basiliximab; 01-25-2014 at 04:13 PM..
I'm hoping to move to WNC within the next year and was wondering if someone might be able to help me out with a few things. One thing I was wondering about was the current estimate on cost of utilities (I apologize if this has been discussed. I swiftly searched the threads for "cost" and "utilities" though not much came up for what I am looking for--though I admit that I did not spend much time on it). The house will most likely be not more than 1500 sqft (if even that; I'd be happy with 1200); I am very frugal when it comes to indoor temp (mostly use oil-filled heater to heat the house here in the winter--though here in Nevada the utilities are all electric): have the house set to about 60 in winter and 78 in summer (live in a trailer so there's practically no insulation). No tv, just internet. I have a well so I don't pay for water now, so that will be a new expense.
I will most likely end up renting a house as well. From a quick look on the internet it seemed like a decent home around 1200 sq ft would cost approximately $900 or so per month. Am I way off on that? It is sure to depend on what part of WNC as well. I definitely want to avoid Asheville since it seems way too liberal for me (part of why I'm moving out of Nevada), and plus it seems quite expensive too. I was considering around Gastonia, Morganton, perhaps Hendersonville. Some place not so touristy as the Asheville area. Though I must admit, I love Black Mountain; yet it seems so close to Asheville. I hope to be staying in Gastonia in April, so I will do some searching then.
Any thoughts on which town in WNC? I mentioned Black Mountain because I've visited there so much--I love to hike at Montreat. It is so beautiful and peaceful there. My other interest beside hiking is historical research, though the opportunities are mostly centered in the capital for that (from my experience at least with my own research topic). I'm quite conservative (though am tolerant of others), just would prefer to be around and socialize with others who also have conservative attitudes toward life. Probably my foremost concern would be to have a nearby PCA (Presbyterian Church of America) church to attend that preferably conducts their worship in the traditional manner with hymns and not contemporary music (though it seems that may be tough to find).
I may transfer out here with my company (I work for a large grocery-store chain), though while I'm on my visits the next few months I plan on distributing applications. Would appreciate any information, thoughts, and/or suggestions (and I also will be moving out there by myself; I do not have a family). Many thanks!
Of the areas you suggested, I would highly recommend the following: Hendersonville, Black Mountain. Gastonia is not in the mountains and is a very old mill town, kind of run down (imo), it's pretty close to Charlotte actually. Morganton may not suit you and is really not in the mountains per se, more like on the "cusp". You can be in between Asheville and Black Mountain by checking out the town of Swannanoa. I would also highly recommend that you investigate the following nice towns within a 25 mile radius of Asheville that may be more your style in addition to Hendersonville and Black Mountain:
Waynesville, Candler, Weaverville, Mars Hill, Marshall, Brevard, Fletcher, Mills River, Saluda, Tryon, Columbus, Flat Rock. You can simply Google the names of these towns and bring up their websites. Or search right here on CD for "detailed information". All have easy access to the major highways and interstates for an easy commute to employment. Your home rental budget seems doable, but you may want to stretch it a tad if you find the right place. The closer you are to Asheville, the higher the rentals.
As for utilities, that will vary greatly according to what utilities are available in the area you decide on and, of course, the weather. Normally this is a mild climate without extremes. haha.... except for this winter. The coldest in almost 150 years of record keeping, highly unusual to say the least. Many apts. will provide utilities if you decide to rent. Utilities here are not a concern to most of us, it is very reasonable, and a vast area of NC is served by Duke Energy which has a nuclear plant near Charlotte. I am not savvy on Duke, so I would suggest you look up their website for better information. Wish you the best; hope this helps.
I live in Swannanoa just east of Asheville. It is very conveniently located and is between Black Mountain and Asheville. Living North or East of the city there will be less traffic if you work downtown. Traffic coming from the West or South of town is usually heavier during prime traffic times (heavy for Asheville standards). There are many great places to live in the area if you are looking at the Asheville area. The poster above mentioned many good places to check out. As far as utilities go, this past month we paid $150 for our utility bill and that is for a family of 4 in an 1800 square foot house. Cable and internet are comparable to other areas I have lived. Good luck on your search!
I'd suggest old fort too. It's at the bottom of the mountains and pretty much just a small manufacturing town that you might like. Also valdese might be of interest to you. Both will have much lower costs of living. And usually I'm not one to suggest greenville sc but you might just find it a good fit. Its much much more conservative then most of the areas mentioned in NC which seems to be your main concern.
As for an estimate, well various houses run on different heats with different levels of insulation so its really hard to tell you. If you find a house you are more then allowed to call the utility companies up and ask for an estimate based on the previous person's usage. You might get lucky and find one with a well too unless you choose to live right in a city( but that doesn't sound like your thing). With that said since you are in Nevada now I'm guessing you don't work for ingles and I'm not really sure of any other grocery stores in WNC outside of them except a Harris teeter or two and whole foods/trader joes so that might really limit your options but I'm guessing you've already looked into that.
I'd suggest the Marion, NC area. Its a good distance from (wonderfully) liberal Asheville, yet close to Black Mountain and the mountains in general. Not too far from your connections in Gastonia as well. Plus there are 5 Presbyterian churches there acc to Google.
I found the following in proximity to Asheville. There are others in WNC:
Arden - 1 PCA church
Asheville - 5
Black Mountain - 1
Brevard - 1
Fairview - 1
Marion - 2
Mills River - 1
Morganton - 1
Old Fort - 0
Swannanoa - 1
Waynesville - 2
Weaverville - 1
As for the SC idea-- I really thought about it whilst driving through the beautiful hill country on the way to Clinton, SC for a research trip. Problem is--I already got my NC license (I'm a pharmacist) so that would be another few months of work and an extra some-hundred dollars which though isn't impossible, doesn't look like it will be something I'd be given to do b/c of time and financial constraints (taxes are cheaper in SC from what I remember which is a huge draw for me though).
I think I might live outside the mountainous area and just drive up for the hikes perhaps. The places nearby Asheville seem a little too pricey for me right now compared to the ones some twenty to thirty miles or so away (still have some student loans I would like to just finish paying off). Will definitely be looking there first though in case something does come up that is within range (since I love staying in Black Mountain so much, that would definitely be first choice). Also, I would want to be east of Asheville in order to make the drive to the capital for research projects not so long.
Oh that's a good reason to want NC. on taxes, NC just cut their income tax and personally my property tax on my car is waaaayyy more in SC (2013 model) so I'd say NC might be cheaper these days but I don't know hard numbers. I don't think it's so much that its going to make huge difference between the two. I'd say definitely visit some of the foothills areas like Marion, maybe hickory, valdese possibly tyron, and see I you like any of them. Good luck!
Since you'd like to have easy access to Black Mountain/Montreat and Raleigh, I'd suggest looking at Hickory or even the Winston-Salem area. If you land in W-S, you might also enjoy day trips to Boone/Blowing Rock.
If you want to avoid property tax, just live outside city limits. You'll probably pay more for utilities in the mountains, simply because of the colder winter temperatures. The summers are nicer at higher elevations, but cooling a house with central AC is cheaper than heating one with any fuel. You probably won't get away with having just a heat pump in the mountains, you'll probably need propane/oil/wood/etc. to stay comfortable. In a place like Gastonia, a heat pump should be all you need, and your electricity bill will probably be fairly low.
If you like the Black Mountain area, go for it! It'll be cheaper to rent there anyway than Asheville proper. Rent goes up rather significantly for larger towns. Just visit the asheville craigslist page and see what places are going for. That's about the best "rent gauge" there is.
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on taxes, NC just cut their income tax and personally my property tax on my car is waaaayyy more in SC (2013 model) so I'd say NC might be cheaper these days but I don't know hard numbers. I don't think it's so much that its going to make huge difference between the two. I'd say definitely visit some of the foothills areas like Marion, maybe hickory, valdese possibly tyron, and see I you like any of them. Good luck!
