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Hi! I am a young, (24) married woman with two seven year olds. We took a camping trip in Georgia and drove up through North Carolina and happened upon Sylva. We fell in love with it's small town charm. Only thing is that we spent about half an hour driving through there. Not enough time to really get to know the place. If you know anything, good or bad..I'd love to hear about it! We would be relocating from Tampa, Florida. We want to get away from the city...I am a little wary on moving because I do love the amenties of living in a big city. We live in a not so great neighborhood and want our kids to grow up in a good place. We would like to start our own business. Thank you in advance for your response!
Sylva is about ten minutes from Western Carolina University, with it's 8,000 students, give or take a few. Wal-Mart moved in several years ago and put an end to some of the local stores. They have been replaced with nice little shops that cater to the college crowd. People are friendly. They have been redesigning the main street. You may recognize the back street from the movie Deliverance. Which may not be a good selling point. It was also in "The Fugitive." It's a nice place.
Hi. We have been visiting the Sylva/Dillsboro/Cullowhee area for the last 20 years or so. We like it so much that we have bought land just down the road a few miles from Sylva, in Cullowhee. We hope to retire there from the Orlando area in a few years.
However, what attracted us to the area for retirement might not be exactly what a young family would like. For us, four distinct seasons, a nice couple acres of land and what we have always found to be friendly people, were what we wanted. Shopping could be considered to be limited, but there are several grocery stores along with Wal-Mart and the new Lowes. Several pharmacies and small specialty shops. Pretty much what you might need for day to day life. And as the area grows, more will become available. Many of the fast food chains along with some decent local restaurants (try Lulu's in the downtown area when you want something out of the ordinary).
No malls, but Ashville isn't too far for a day of shopping jaunt, if you feel the need for something more. Same thing for the airport and if you should need medical care that isn't available at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. Western Carolina University is just down the road for sports or other university activities.
As far as the people, we have always felt that they are friendly and will go out of their way to help you. Of course, a lot of the population is from Florida, but they seem to adapt to the Carolina pace when they move there. And the younger generation there seem to have much better manners than what I see here in Orlando.
However, one thing is for sure. It ain't no Tampa when it comes to nightlife or shopping or the amenities of a larger city. Being used to Tampa, you would have a downshifting of your lifestyle. And as far as the starting your own business, the area is growing, but you might want to do a lot of research on that. The entire population of Jackson County is only around 40,000, so there is not a large population base to draw on for customers.
Article in the Sylva newspaper last week about the Christmas parade and one this week about the Festival of Lights and Luminaries in Dillsboro. Also one this week about the 100 arrest meth investigation (that seems to be everywhere).
Sorry to go on for so long. Small town with good features and maybe not so good features. If you are serious about possibly moving, you might want to spend some more extensive time there and see how good of a fit it might be for you.
Thank you guys for the useful info. I really appreciate your response, Steve. You are absolutely right, it's about as opposite to Tampa as day and night. We probably won't rush into a home right away, but will probably rent something for a few months to see if it's the right fit for us. We will also be taking trips up there to the following areas to really get to know the area. What about buying a home? Should I go through an agency when I get there or wait for a by-owner? I'm not really sure as to how fast the city's growth rate is, and the property demand. By the way, I'm going to rent those two movies tonight! Thanks!
Property demand around Sylva has been pretty strong. I believe that people (lots from Florida) interested in Waynesville but feel that it is a bit pricey, have just extended their search over to Jackson County.
To give you an idea of how many Florida people there are in the area:
Last month we are in the Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro. The couple manning the counter used to live in Longwood, just a couple of miles from where we live. As we are discussing how they wound up in the area, another couple come in and hear our conversation. They moved from Maitland, less then 10 miles from us. The next day we are in the CVS pharmacy in Sylva and are talking with the manager. He is from the Tampa area. It is like that a lot. And over the years, I have not heard a single person from Florida living there say that they would like to move back to the Sunshine State.
However, all those Floridians do keep the upward pressure on the real estate market. If you are up there renting and decide that you want to stay there, I would get with an experienced, reputable agent. In an area like Sylva, they should have their "fingers on the pulse" of the local market and if you are patient enough, you should be able to get what you want. As long as you are realistic about prices.
I am the Executive Director of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Authority. Sylva is the county seat of Jackson County. I think our website would be of some help to you as you research the possibility of moving to Sylva, www.mountainlovers.com. We have relocation information there, along with a list of apartments and realtors in the area. I am a mother of three children, so I have some understanding of your desire for a nice neighborhood, along with a friendly environment. We have a very good public school system here, along with a state university and regional community college. We have a wonderful Fine & Performing Arts Center, as well as great places to enjoy outdoor adventure.
I would also be happy to mail you additional relocation materials if you need them. You may call our 800# and request materials at no charge, 800-962-1911.
Thanks for your interest in Sylva and we look forward to having you as our neighbor.
We too lived in tampa and thought about a move to sylva but watched as countless couples moved there from florida and have since moved back to florida or somewhere else. We eventually moved to georgia but 2.5 hours from sylva. It is close enough to atlanta if we want some fun but far enough in the mountains to enjoy the lifestyle. We have a friend that lives in whittier, nc and he said it is beautiful to live there but for young people some may find it boring if you came from a big city area. You may not realize all the amenities you will lose once you get there. It is a wonderful place to visit and the mountains are absouluitely georgious but the mentality of small town will soon show its side and if you are from florida they will not accept you until you fit it and that may come at a cost. Be very careful in this choice i have see many couples think it was wise but ended up being very $$ moving and then finding out they made a mistake. I hope this helps.
Yes, it is an absolutely beautiful place! After living here for 12 years, I still struggle with the lack of choices. Though Asheville is only 1 hour away, I find that I rarely make it there with the kids school/sports schedule. Housing is alot more expensive than newcomers expect it to be. The great thing is that I don't have to lock my doors. If I had my choice (my husband won't move away from here until it gets too big) I'd live in or near Asheville-where the view is still great but there are choices and more opportunity. Maybe it's like this everywhere but people move in and out of here alot--which makes it hard to have friends (all my best friends have left). I also would research before starting a business--they come and go also. It is a great place to raise a family and we finally have 3 nice parks, a rec center (though nothing that offers childcare for moms who'd like to exercise), and great rec.sports soccer/basketball (etc.,) for kids. Often times if you want something here, you have to lead it (like be the girl scout leader, etc.) I'd love to live in a place where I could go to church w/o teaching/working the nursery EVERY Sunday--or go to an Olive Garden once in a while. Sorry for venting, just being honest about the struggles of living here. Good luck making this important decision.
My husband age 30 and I age 27 are in the process of moving to Sylva with our baby. I think it's just a lifestyle choice. If you want the small town mountain life you have to let go of your big city conveniences and embrace the new pace as a good thing. Ashville is not far if you need an urban fix. I would rather visit the city than have to VISIT the mountains.
It's not uncommon for a person to live happily in one of the small towns for years, and then wake up one day and decide they need more. It certainly won't happen to everyone, but it does happen.
We are look at Brevard, which seems small in comparison to Asheville, but is actually larger and has more things to do than the town I'm currently in.
I still want to be in a small town in the mountains after all this time, but moving there will put me closer to where the action is. It would take me two and a half hours to drive to Asheville right now, whereas there it would be less than an hour.
It's all relative.
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It depends . . . . .
