My company has a facility in Welcome and I'm considering transferring there from the Dallas area.  Just looking for a little info on the area.

Housing prices with a little land about 1-2 acres.

Schools

Job market, the Mrs. is a computer programmer.

Taxes, insurance costs etc.

And of course friednliness towards firearms.


I lived all over the country but know very little about the Carolinas.  Thanks for the help.

Paging Glock-23.  Send him an IM.

I think its a pretty good area and land/housing prices should be good for this region.  Good gun club over in the Churchland area - PHA.  Gun friendly zone I would say.  Good schools as far as I know as well.  Big football rivalries in Davidson co.
Straight shot up into Winston-Salem area is pretty easy if you want to go there and Charlotte is only an hour to hour and a half down the road.
High Rock Lake, Badin and Tuckertown lakes all close by for fishing, boating.  Jump on I-40 to Wilmington or to points west, 85 to Charlotte and Atlanta and points south.  

I'm sure there are negatives just like any area.  But overall I think that is a decent spot.

ETA:  Check out Baptist Hospital/Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem and Wake Forest University as well for computer skill related work.  There is also RJR-Nabisco and some other lab-oriented, computer type companies between Winston-Salem and Greensboro.

If you decide not to find a place in Welcome, stay out of the city limits and you won't have to pay double taxes or comply to noise ordinance, leash laws, off road vehicle violations and etc...



and go to Lexington if you want BBQ!!!!!

No NFA goodies in Forsyth county.

I know a excellent realtor if you need one. The mountain scenery is awful pretty too.

Though why anyone would want to leave Texas to come here is beyond me.

None in Guilford either unless you go the trust route.  BJ won't even sign off for his own deputies.

I have a friend who lives off of Exit 100 on I-52 (I think) which is between Winston-Salem and Welcome.  I don't know if most of the people there were factory workers, but there are a ton of houses for sale and/or abandoned now that just about all the manufacturing plants have shut down.  I get the impression that the economy has hit that area harder than anywhere here in SC.  If I had my choice of living outside Dallas or outside of Winston-Salem, I'd take Dallas... and I'm not one who's crazy about Texas.   I don't know if it's better as you get into Winston-Salem, but I know I wouldn't exactly get excited about living in the area my friend lives in.

And if you want an MG, you need an MG permit from the Sheriff in your county of residence.  

You can do a trust for SBRs, supressors, and whatnot, but if you want an MG, the Sheriff in your county of residence has to sign off on a MG permit.  

Thank God I moved out of Forsyth.

Thanks all for the info.

Hawk,
Is the area just run down looking or are there high crime rates, drug problems etc.  Incidentally I'm not crazy about relocating but I'm investigating options and a lot of this will depend on the offer my employer makes to entice me to move.

The crime rate isn't too bad.  Pretty low.  We do have Shall Issue CHLs.  I think that may be a part of the relatively low crime rate.  We've got Castle Doctrine and another pro gun bills in the House right now.  I'm writing my reps every couple of days.

You may want to look just south of WS.  From what I hear, the MG permits are easier to get, and it's only a couple of miles to the Forsyth County line.

I've got a buddy that's in the RE business down there.  Lots of cheap, empty houses in decent neighborhoods.

Lots of building going on.  You can buy a new house cheaper than you can get one that's been lived in.  If you're thinking of living here awhile and moving on, that may not work for you.  It ain't working for a lot of folks looking to sell a house that's been lived in previously.

Come on down.  

That I really don't know.  I don't think crime is a problem in that area, and if it is it's nothing like what you've probably experienced in Dallas.  There is a strong "permanent migrant worker" population in that area.  The houses that I've seen fall in two types... brick ranch and brick and siding split level ranch homes with two or three floor plans.  Most homes look to be about 30 years old, and from what I can tell from driving through the neighborhoods, that was the last time anything as far as improvements was done to the homes.   Most seem to be about 1400 sq.ft. if the basement is finished.   There are a lot of homes in that area for sale and I think the asking prices are typically right around $100,000.  That may just be that area (Gumtree Road).  I'm sure there are newer and nicer homes in the area, I'm not all that familiar with the area other than where he lives and where his shop is located.  I think the weather may be better up there than Dallas, but they do get their share of snow and ice in the winter.  Summers aren't too bad.  

Three words for you

Ker Ners Ville !!!!!!

NFA goodies with trust all day long.......

FIFY

That's where my friend's shop is... but he pronounces it Little Mexico.

I live close to Welcome (in the Gumtree area) and like living in northern Davidson County.  The area is close enough to medium size cities to be convenient, but the taxes are relatively low.  Generally the county is friendly towards firearms from a legal standpoint (but the further you are away from developments the fewer people will complain obviously).

In general housing seems to be remain relatively stable and affordable.  Like everywhere there are good areas and bad, but you shouldn't have much trouble finding a home in a decent area with a little land in the northern half of the county (Welcome, Arcadia, Midway, Wallburg, and Gumtree).  My guess would be that an older basic style house ~1500 SF in a middle class neighborhood on 1-2 acres of land would be in the $150K range.

Depending on what you are looking for, we plan to build a house within the next 6-9 months and will then try to sell our current house.  It is a 1966 Ranch (~1100 SF) with total lot size just over an acre.  The house is located in an older development made up of mostly middle class blue collar folks.)  In my humble opinion it's a little close to other houses for target shooting, but folks nearby do some target shooting.  (The neighborhood fire department has a Turkey Shoot most saturday evenings during the winter.)  

As for schools, I understand Davidson county schools are pretty good for North Carolina but have no direct experience.

As for computer programming job prospects, I do know some folks in Winston-Salem who are in that business, but there are definitely fewer options than larger metropolitan areas (Raleigh, Durham, and Charlotte).

Good luck.

Martin

To All,
Thanks for the info.  I'm waiting on the relocation offer from my company to see whether or not ripping up the family will be worth it.

Just like golfroot, I've lived in Winston Salem/ davie county my entire life. I can't really say anything bad about the area.

FWIW, keep Randolph County in mind along with Davidson.
Low property taxes and a lot of good land. Feel free to let me know if I can help, as I am a Randolph resident.