Any of you guys have suggestions on a place to live in North Carolina?  Looking to possibly relocate but no idea of what its like there.  Any suggestions on cities would be appreciated.  Also what is the overall feel of a specific area.  I live near portland, OR but sick of all the people here.  I have heard compared to Portland you can get alot more for your money in North Carolina.

Would like specifics on crime rate, weather, city feel, housing.  Pro gun, CHL?

Thanks guys...

First of all where's your job?  Don't move to NC without one.

It's possible that compared to Portland, NC overall may be "more for your money". However like a lot of things in life, that depends.

It's pretty costly in a majority of the state to find a house. If you think moving here means less people you'd be mistaken. NC has been growing by leaps and bounds and the associated crowding is getting pretty bad in certain spots. Taxes are rising every day, traffic is miserable, lots of anti-everything laws getting passed.

Sure there are still a few places that are still pretty rural. However see the first sentence again. In some of these still rural areas you need to be independently wealthy or have a job that doesn't rely on the local economy.

The coast is built up from VA. to SC. The mountains are full as well. Charlotte, Triad, Triangle all appear the same to me. Not as bad as Atlanta or maybe Portland but it's not Nowhere North Cackalacky either.

Not meant to be a downer, just a friendly sober reminder that a google search for "current" (some of it's pretty dated) NC living information is your friend.  Otherwise another AR15er is always welcome. Just remember the BBQ here isn't the BBQ you are used to.

[Mandantory snappy quote for people asking about NC]  This ain't Mayberry anymore, Andy and Opie don't live here anymore.

This ain't Mayberry anymore, Andy and Opie don't live here anymore

They're here , bronzed in the park. They broke Andy's fishing rod and stoll Opie's, no sh*t they did.

Move to Raleigh, you'll be right at home.  Go see Andy and Opie at Pullen Park.

I'd echo was Les said.

The taxes are high.  Our gas costs more than any other state in the South...I think Hawaii also pays more than us.

I think housing is expensive here....I grew up in GA and TN so my thinking may be off.

Job market can be tough...depending on your skill set and location.

NC does offer the mountains, beaches, sandhills, and piedmont (foothills).

It's nice but wouldn't be my 1st choice if I won the lottery, etc.

The gun laws are better than some states...that's a +


Lex

There is a CHL, I have one myself.

The state is ever growing, and we have a ton of illegals

Jobs are here, just hard to find, cost of living is going up cause of the yanks.  Small towns are the best bet with a city job.  If you come to the Charlotte area, stay out of Meck county.  Live in Gaston or Union.

Don't come to Durham. I've been here 35 years and this place sucks shit.

the triad (Winston, G-boro, High Point) ain't to bad, but as stated above, urban sprawl is everywhere here

Thanks guys.  I was just browsing some homes in NC and they seem in some cases 1/2 the cost of here.

Quoted: Thanks guys.  I was just browsing some homes in NC and they seem in some cases 1/2 the cost of here.

I think it is a matter of perspective. Things are cheaper here, but not nearly as cheap as they were just 6+ years ago. We're experiencing rapid growth in the Eastern half of the state. Two of the nearby counties are listed in the top ten list of the most rapidly growing areas of the USA. Leland and Burgaw are exploding. We do have some illegals, but most of the new growth population is Yankee refugees and natives who moved away and then moved back after kick starting their career elsewhere. We also have a lot of Ohioans.

Today the daily traffic in New Hanover county resembles the summer tourism traffic we used to experience only on the weekends during the prime tourist season. People are learning real fast to dislike and distrust developers in NC. They buy up 2000+ acres at once and develop the land into a nighmarish landscape of overpriced cookie cutter houses. I don't like it one bit, but I suppose the alternative would be economic stagnation. It is a no win situation for people who've lived here all their lives.  

Galland

Did OR ever enact a state sales tax?

Here you’ve got that and state income tax and personal property tax.
Not mention state tax on fuel goes up another 3 cents per gallon starting next month.

Quoted: Don't come to Durham. I've been here 35 years and this place sucks shit.

A while back someone described Durham to me perfectly, described it as "The New Jersey of the South"

Quoted: Thanks guys.  I was just browsing some homes in NC and they seem in some cases 1/2 the cost of here.

The Triangle hasn't been affected by the Housing Bubble and yes, in my opinion houses are "relatively" cheap here.  Reason the bubble hasn't hit is theres always been new construction going on holding the prices of existing homes down.  Good thing for buyers.  Bad thing for those expecting to make a quick $200,000 in 2 years or something

I moved here from Michigan about 3.5 years ago.  Honestly, I'm not sure I'll stay.  There are little things here that grate on me.  Like the personal property taxes.  I even had to pay a tax on my Dog last year.  Income taxes are lower than most areas north of here, but they make up for it in other ways.  They are always adding little taxes for this and that, that are supposed to be temporary, but then they end up permanent.  The government is constantly boosting it's own revenue.  

Politically, NC is fairly corrupt.  It's a red state,  but not by much and it's got more to do with the bible thumper crowd than the individual rights crowd.  I've met more people of the religious left-wing in NC than anywhere else I've been.  

It's not particularly NFA friendly because there's no corporate or legal trust options, and it's more or less at the Sheriffs whim whether or not you have a good enough reason.  

That said, I've made a lot of very good friends here.  Most people are very friendly, and in NC'ers are good honest people.  

Ultimately, you will be happy in an area based more on the people that you surround yourself with than anything else.  If I stay here, it will be because of the people.  

Some days I'm ready to say F*&^ this place.  Others I couldn't imagine wanting to be anywhere else.  You'll have that wherever you live.

If I leave, it'll probably be only one state down.  

ETA:  Weather wise, it's a whole lot more temperate than Michigan.  Summers are easily manageable, winters were wonderful for the first two years.  The last two, I've adapted to the warm weather and I'm freezing.  

Crime isn't bad.  Realistically, downtown Durham can be sketchy but it's no Detroit or Chicago.  Charlotte has a lot of property crime, and they used to have a lot of car jackings (before CHL).  

I live in Northern Durham County and overall, things are good (been here 8 years).  I've lived in New York and Florida and this seems to be a happy medium.  

Duke University Medical Center, UNC-Chapel Hill and Research Triangle Park are BIG employers here.  You will meet someone who works at one of these places within 5 minutes of your arrival.

They do have some idiotic taxes here (even by New York standards) but, as mentioned, people are friendly and the weather is nice.

Hey mhpoole

If you are interested in a place I know of a 28 acre track of land for sale.

It has a 1 acre cleared building site with a 700 ft road leading out to the main paved road.

It is listed at $80,000.00

5 miles from Camp Lejuene main gate.

+1 on that leland and burgaw growth. The taxes are so much higher in wilmington, I'm glad I bought out here.

Thanks guys keep them comming...

One member has sent me some listing and a local paper which was most helpful.

thank you.

By the way Oregon does not have a sales tax and is gun friendly as far as I can tell.  The closer you get the Portland the crasier it gets.  I am about 1/2 hour west of portland towards the coast.  Housing is pretty expensive and as a general contractor business is pretty good.  After 7 years I may be looking for a change and get more home for my money.  I am looking for a place a bit slower paced and a good place to raise a family with 2 small boys.  Idealy I would like to find a place with a small town feel, a place where the boys could ride their dirt bikes on the side of the road without risk as Aholes.  A nice home with 2800+ sqft with a Large property over an acre and friendly people.  A place that is gun friendly and a place that isn't afraid to say Merry Christmas.

Quoted: Here you’ve got that and state income tax and personal property tax. Not mention state tax on fuel goes up another 3 cents per gallon starting next month.

you forgot to add the 2% tax on food on top off the sales tax

Quoted: Thanks guys keep them comming... One member has sent me some listing and a local paper which was most helpful. thank you. By the way Oregon does not have a sales tax and is gun friendly as far as I can tell.  The closer you get the Portland the crasier it gets.  I am about 1/2 hour west of portland towards the coast.  Housing is pretty expensive and as a general contractor business is pretty good.  After 7 years I may be looking for a change and get more home for my money.  I am looking for a place a bit slower paced and a good place to raise a family with 2 small boys.  Idealy I would like to find a place with a small town feel, a place where the boys could ride their dirt bikes on the side of the road without risk as Aholes.  A nice home with 2800+ sqft with a Large property over an acre and friendly people.  A place that is gun friendly and a place that isn't afraid to say Merry Christmas.

Hope you got at least $450,000 plus for that scenario. My little 1000 sf house is five minutes to downtown Asheville and two blocks to UNCA and I could probably get at least $170,000 right now from some out of town buyer. If I were to do a little landscaping, repaint the outside and do a little interior work and maybe replace the 20 y/o plumbing (I've already sheetrocked it, painted it and updated a lot of the wiring), $195,000. I'm talking about a 60 year old house and that's how crazy the market is around here.

Come to "Down East" NC, where the pace is slower, the people are friendly, and the real estate prices are still reasonable.  (As long as you stay away from the beaches)

Wilson, Washington, Greenville, and all others have very rural areas around them.

Quoted: Hope you got at least $450,000 plus for that scenario. My little 1000 sf house is five minutes to downtown Asheville and two blocks to UNCA and I could probably get at least $170,000 right now from some out of town buyer. If I were to do a little landscaping, repaint the outside and do a little interior work and maybe replace the 20 y/o plumbing (I've already sheetrocked it, painted it and updated a lot of the wiring), $195,000. I'm talking about a 60 year old house and that's how crazy the market is around here.

Asheville isn't a typical city....  You should sell your house to a homo and buy a new one in liecester..

The housing market in the mountains is crazy and the job market sucks.

Stay away from any county west of Burke.

Quoted: Quoted: Hope you got at least $450,000 plus for that scenario. My little 1000 sf house is five minutes to downtown Asheville and two blocks to UNCA and I could probably get at least $170,000 right now from some out of town buyer. If I were to do a little landscaping, repaint the outside and do a little interior work and maybe replace the 20 y/o plumbing (I've already sheetrocked it, painted it and updated a lot of the wiring), $195,000. I'm talking about a 60 year old house and that's how crazy the market is around here. Asheville isn't a typical city....  You should sell your house to a homo and buy a new one in liecester..

Oh I will when the time is right. For a 34 y/o single guy, it's really all I need for the time being.

Quoted: The Triangle hasn't been affected by the Housing Bubble and yes, in my opinion houses are "relatively" cheap here.  Reason the bubble hasn't hit is theres always been new construction going on holding the prices of existing homes down.  Good thing for buyers.  Bad thing for those expecting to make a quick $200,000 in 2 years or something

A follow up, great article on the point I made above:

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As Housing Boom Cools Elsewhere, Triangle Home Sales Skyrocket
http://www.wral.com/news/5619143/detail.html

POSTED: 10:10 pm EST December 22, 2005
UPDATED: 10:23 pm EST December 22, 2005

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The hot housing market is starting to cool off in parts of the country. But in the Triangle area, all indications are that the boom will continue.

If you want to know how healthy the Triangle housing market is, look no further than Joan and Phil Pappas. They just moved from New Jersey, and they say the Triangle has everything they want.

"I think the No. 1 reason is the weather," said Phil Pappas.

Coastal areas across the U.S. have reported slowdowns. Boston, D.C., Miami, and L.A. are all showing signs of leveling off. But in the Triangle, third-quarter home sales were up 13 percent.

"We've seen steady sales for January and it has not slowed down," said developer Tom Keenan.

Keenan built 20 homes in all of last year. He will reach half that total next month alone. He and others think that it's just the right time for the area.

"I think what it comes down to is affordable housing," said real estate agent Lisa Ellis. "Our sales are up 30 percent from last year, and a lot of that is from folks moving from California and other markets."

Ellis said families from California, New York, New Jersey, and D.C. are moving to the Triangle to get more space for less money. But with every success comes a price, and for the Triangle it may be explosive growth.

Wake County schools are bursting at the seams, the recent drought exposed limits to the water supply, and the area's road system will see increased traffic.

"Not that we want to become an Atlanta -- and as a native, I hope that never happens -- but there is a lot of dirt to build on," said Ellis.

If you break down the population growth in Wake County, the numbers show that more than 60 people move into Wake County every day.

Of course AssaultRifler if you look at that story it just makes my point.

Lots of NJ,NY,DC and ex-Cali moving in, the area getting more and more crowded. It's not like they are bringing their ARs and high cap mags with them.

Wake County schools are bursting at the seams, the recent drought exposed limits to the water supply, and the area's road system will see increased traffic.

The developers will build until every square inch is covered and the area totally ruined. Then they'll close up the office and move to the next hot spot, leaving the residents to deal with the mess.

Wait till they start demanding new "services" and the taxes keep going up.