UkWinds5353

Hi

I did not mention Chapel Hill due to my personal lack of knowledge about that city.Driven through it a couple of times. Can tell you what I do know. It's a big University town with several major companies headquartered there.Crime rate not the worst but not the best either.Almost all the crime is in the bad bits of the city and rarely ever spill over into the average or nice areas. Pick a good apartment or house location and you will not be affected by it at all!!

Smart of you to rent first then get a feel for the area and figure out what works for you.The Triangle area(Raleigh,Durham,Chapel Hill) is one of the better places to live in America, and has been rated as such for many years by several publications. Excellent shopping,beautiful homes that are still affordable, and less expensive compared to most of America. Decent night life also. Tons of things for kids to do,ie camps,after school activities,sports.The Triangle area is one of the more progressive regions of North Carolina. That is due to the three city area being home to several colleges and universities. Most people from other states such as ny,conn,nj ect that do relocate to NC, relocate to the triangle area for work. That has made the place slightly more progressive but slightly less friendly. The people make the place and people in America from places with a faster pace tend to be more guarded. Not a huge problem depending on the person considering a move. Keep in mind that North Carolina is in the Bible belt.Religion does play a role in the life of many people here.Not as extreme as South Carolina or other southern states like Georgia.

Just remember that the bigger the city, higher the odds of the people being more guarded. I currently live not far from Wilmington NC, and the place is amazing.But I want to relocate for the mountain scenery and activities. Plan to move to Asheville in 2014 because I love the outdoor activities in the mountain region
You will do fine.

ian-mstm

I appreciate the clarification, thanks... it did seem to come out of nowhere! Some of the comments I make are offensive - but those are usually deliberate! No worries mate, we're all good now.

Ian

UkWinds5353

I like a happy ending! BE uniting people.

Jerseygirl

snufkinette

Actually, of all the places we considered moving to (and they were wide ranging), Asheville came out on top! However, chances of securing employment in the Triangle seemed much higher, so we settled on that. Not that we are particularly disappointed; we can always visit Asheville and other beauty spots.

I grew up in Georgia, so I'm totally accustomed to Bible beaters. Indeed, part of why we are attracted to this particular part of NC is that it seems relatively progressive. Any area with three good universities is bound to be, we figured!

We're pretty outdoorsy ourselves, and although we know the Triangle won't rival the mountainous region of NC for that sort of thing, we understand there are numerous walking opportunities. I just wonder how many of these walks exceed a mile or two! That's often the case in the States. Having said that, it looks like the Tobacco Trail may be a good bet. Have you enjoyed the public footpaths (called greenways?) in the area?

So, you must be pretty near the Outer Banks. A friend of mine vacationed once at Hatteras and enjoyed it. I don't know much about it other than that, although from the limited research I've conducted, it looks like it might be a camper's haven, which suits us!

MMcD

Whew!
"All's (s)well
That ends well".......

Englishtart

One of the visitors here in SC this last week, Fulltiming in their RV, have been looking around NC for a place to buy a house. They are positively gaga about a little place called "Southport", they said they just felt like they were home when they stopped there. They have already put an offer on a house there and are now waiting to hear if they got it!.....I guess some people know exactly what they need to feel 'at home', hopefully we will find our place during our travels, somewhere that will tempt us back into the 'sticks n bricks' lifestyle if we ever have to give up the RV fulltime.

Jerseygirl

It's good to see that it as been resolved and that both you and Ian have been gentlemen about it.

kodokan

I'm in Phoenix - the dull desert-and-cactus bit that fatbrit pictured earlier in the thread. The bit I live in (Mesa) is renowned for being very religious and conservative: it's a heavily Mormon-populated area, and it seemed like 9 out of 10 houses had a Romney-Ryan placard on the front lawn last November. One of my pre-move worries was fitting in socially: I don't go to any church let alone a Mormon one, and whilst I'm no keener than the next person on being heavily taxed and given away to the very poor/non-working, I don't actually want them to suffer and die, and am bewildered by the vitriol against Obamacare.

It's been fine, though. In fact, what actually happens is that the non-religious, lefter-wing minority band together - I got almost forcibly adopted by the mother of one of my son's friends who was SO pleased to have a new person in town to speak to/ have lunch with. She'd been here a while herself, but as most of her neighbours are Mormon she'd never really found a local friend, just work colleagues.

And the Mormons themselves are perfectly pleasant - it's just that like someone pointed out earlier, it's because they are nice, well-mannered people, not because they want to be your friend.

We're moving into a bought rather than a rental house in a couple of weeks. Based on attending the HOA meeting last week, during which everyone drifted up with travel cups of coffee and discussed having so-and-so over for a beer, it looks like we've luckily found one of the few non-Mormon gated communities. Fingers crossed for future neighbourliness.

Pulaski

Thank you, and please keep them!

SalopianFunk

Some p arts of the Mission in San Francisco remind me a little of home. Because of the dog crap everywhere on the street.

Libby75

Just wanted to say thank you to ukwinds5353 for detailed and interesting info :-)

snufkinette

Your new neighbourhood sounds promising. Although there could have been herbal tea lurking within those travel cups, the mention of beer should quiet any fears! Hope it all works out well for you.

On a related note, my husband read an interview with Brandon Flowers (lead singer of The Killers, for those of you who don't know, who happens to be Mormon) that contained the following amusing contradiction:

Interviewer: I read that there is some debate among Mormons about whether you're allowed to drink Coke.

Flowers: Yeah. There's no doctrine about not drinking Coca-Cola. Coffee is still frowned upon. It's the caffeine. I think people become reliant on coffee. And that can't necessarily be a good thing.

Taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012...-christian-man

UkWinds5353

I think you made a very good choice in picking the Triangle area.The locale to most everything can't be beat.You can get to Washington DC in 4 1/2 hours,Asheville in about 4 hours,NYC in 7 1/2 hours drive.Relatively close proximity to so many places yet having the luxury of living in a place that is calm & safe enough to raise children in a nurturing way but interesting in terms of the things to do for the whole family.

You will not struggle to find outdoor activities in North Carolina because this state is the essence of things to do in the outdoors. Boating on the many lakes,camping in some of the most breath taking forrest in the world.Some of the cleanest beaches in America.Hiking and walking trails in many locations. Prepare your stories of that big one that got away because fishing here is nothing short of incredible! One of the things I like about NC is the fact its a place where just about every budget level can still afford to buy a home. That would include 80K,100K,120K,180K which btw buys a very nice house.Spend 230K and the home has just about all the upgrades.And spend 300K and you are living in the lap of luxury.That type of home ownership can not be found in many places in America where people are friendly,crime is low and the place has a out-doorsy appeal.

The outer banks are not too far from my location and yes a stunning place to visit. Just another reason for out-doorsy people to appreciate north carolina. One thing that the Ralrigh,Durham area has "it all over" most of the cities in north carolina is the option of shopping.Prepare your self and your credit cards. Nordstroms happens to be a favorite of mine

Bomjeito

Middlebury, VT. Folks say "hi" even if they don't know you. Also many small towns about VT and NH. (More VT though.)

As for cities - well personally I found Las Vegans welcoming to newcomers. And the locals all stick up for each other (as the tourists can kill anyone's attitude quickly!) - and watch out for each other. Friendly folks, willing to help out.

And true - we all should ourselves bake a cake and greet a new neighbor!

ETA: to find a place that reminds us of Aberdeen/home? Do we want one?