So I am kind of tired of Los Angeles. Now that I have three kids, the city doesn't appeal to me so much any more.

I make a pretty good living, but even still the real estate market here is just out of hand. Tiny little houses (900 sq ft) on postage stamp lots that cost $620k just does not make sense to me.

My in-laws live in South Carolina and it seems that the job market and the real estate market there are in decent shape.

I am curious to hear from the folks that live in and around those areas and any advice that you might give to someone looking to move in.

And yes, I will be bringing my teener with me.

TIA

unfortunatly i live in south florida now (the east coast verson of los angles) but I had the wonderful opportunity to live in western north carolina for over a year.
the quality of living is just outstanding, it's beautiful and the twisty roads are perfect for a 914.
the housing is a real bargin, however the job market (i feel) really isn't that great. It might be better in greenville south carolina, because there is a lot of industry there (bmw plant for one).
if you can get a job, you won't regret it...the area is GREAT

QUOTE (KaptKaos @ Jan 8 2006, 10:20 PM)

So I am kind of tired of Los Angeles. Now that I have three kids, the city doesn't appeal to me so much any more. Tiny little houses (900 sq ft) on postage stamp lots that cost $620k just does not make sense to me.

Geez,


You put me to shame,

I bought my little 800sf'r on a 150x150 lot back in '83 for 18k.

This year,the taxes totaled $145.00.


Here in most of SC there are only about 3 people here outa work.

The disabled,the retired,and the lazy one who won't work.

Ron

asheville NC.

I lived in Greensboro, NC for ahwile. Nice City, and not to far from Virginia International Racetrack and about 4 hours from Summit Point. The people were very nice.

I'm in VA, but have been to NC a few times. There are some rural areas (like anywhere), but they have some pretty populated places. It's a big banking / financial area, and there are a good number of IT jobs - especially around the Raleigh area.

some snow every year or two, but not alot.

i'm from Pinehurst, NC.... my family's been there for 5 generations....lived in NC all my life, until i moved for a job..... i really miss NC!!! it's nice. kinda like GA....moutains on one side and beach on the other.....four distinct seasons....traffic's not bad...unless it's Charlotte!! nothing in NC compares to atlanta!!!! move there, you won't regret it! PM me if you want more info

As coastal southeastern NC resident (near Wilmington) I can vouch for wonderful beach life. Warm water - unlike freezin' Pacific. Minimal comercialization along beaches compared to SCal (former San Diego resident).

The western part of the state (like Asheville) is mountanous and has good winter sports opportunities. Short trip to Gatlinburg and Knoxville, TN.

Banking center in Charlotte with job opportunities in many areas. Also near South Carolina. And home of the Panthers.

Piedmont area betwixt mounts and ocean includes places like Raleigh-Durham, Winston-Salem, and Research Triangle Park. As mentioned before good job ops for skilled (especially IT around RTP).

Weather is mostly 3 seasons on coast. Hurricane season is a concern. But so are landslides, fires, floods, earthquakes, and tornadoes in other parts of the country.

Golfer paradise all along the SC-NC coast. Almost wall to wall.
And meares' Pinehearst is also famous for it.

And $620k will put you into a mansion inland or a nice place near (but not on) the beach.

And finally, this is NASCAR county. Porsche maintenance/repair is NOT GREAT. Even at dealers for older cars. I came here from an area where Porsche mechs ran gas stations and never realized the difficulty here.

Do I recommend SC or NC? (Did I mention clean air?!) Yes.

Thanks fellas.

I appreciate the insight.

Anyone else with details I should be looking for?

Oh and if you like college basketball there is no place better

Lived in Raleigh for 8 years.

A beautiful state with the most vibrant color of green.

Raleigh/Durham and Chapel Hill form the research triangle with a large R&D industry there. (Sometimes called silicon east). Raleigh has a well developed real estate market and fairly high prices on the homes compared to other areas of the state (but not for Kali).

Got kids, live in town. Education gets a little sparse in some of the isolated areas.

Loved it there. 3 snowfalls a year and the town shut down.

Better like stick built Williamsburg style homes...

In Kali and Florida, you make your home different. In NC, your home looks like everybody elses (in a narrow range of variance and colors) and anything else just isn't done....

One thing I forgot to mention,


SC doesn't have any smog checks,(YET,or any I know of) or any vehicle inspection checks.

If it runs,you can slap a tag on it and ride.


Ron

QUOTE (RON S. @ Jan 9 2006, 10:09 AM)

One thing I forgot to mention, SC doesn't have any smog checks,(YET,or any I know of) or any vehicle inspection checks. If it runs,you can slap a tag on it and ride. Ron

NC requires it only in the big population centers, Here in Mayberry we are not smogged! Vehicle inspections are an annual $10 waste of time.

QUOTE (meares @ Jan 9 2006, 06:15 AM)

i'm from Pinehurst, NC.... my family's been there for 5 generations....

what is your take on Moore county and carthage? my family, a couple of generations ago, came from there and we (whole family, not just me) have 500 acres there. my wife says it's going to boom since it's not too far from pinehurst and the golf courses there. i say it's just rural farm country with nothing near that's going to stay that way.

I live near Chapel Hill. Moved here from Houston 19 years ago.

NC is the highest taxed Southern state, but it's all relative...our taxes are low compared to Kali.

Urban school systems are pretty good, as others have said, teh rural schools struggle. The school systems struggle with exploding population growth. Schools are funded with local prop taxes.

I own a business in Columbia SC. Nice town. SC is more rural than NC.

I like it here. There's lots to do, you're an easy day's drive frm NYC, or Florida.

Real estate prices are relatively high (especially compared to Houston)

In NC we no longer have to tailpipe cars. Only cars that are 1996 or newer get a smog check, via the OBD II port ALL car must be inspected yearly, but they don't use diagrams, and seldom even lift the hood.

I'm in Charleston, SC. Grew up in Clemson, SC (western SC). I like it here, I've lived a few other places and this is a pretty good spot. Western NC or SC is great for the mountains, trout fishing, mountain biking, kayaking etc. the coast is great for the beach, golf, seafood, fishing, etc. Not much in the middle of SC, flat, hot, boring.

I would recomend Asheville (very cool city, art deco period, mountains), Greenville SC for more industry and job opportunities, Charleston for the beach and interesting history.

If you want more info feel free to PM me.

I was married (the first time) in Greensboro N.C. It's a beautiful area of the country.
My brother in law, was born in Los Angeles, moved to Asheville N.C. two years ago. They both have good jobs, own a real nice house and love the city, but are talking about moving back. Probably the only reason they aren't is the cost of housing here. I know others that have moved from L.A. to get away from it and came back. I don't know why, maybe the drastic change of lifestyle is harder to get used to than they expected.

As a guy that moved from Modesto CA to the East Coast (Baltimore, MD) here are some things that you will notice right off.

1) Its hotter here. Well really, its not hotter here, but the humidity will have you swearing that it is. I don't miss much about CA, but I do miss the dry heat.
2) What happened to my cheap and plentiful fruits and veggies. No one on the East Coast blinks an eye at buying thier greens "out of season."
3) You are not assumed to be a criminal if you own a gun in most of the East.
4) (not so much in NC or SC) SNOW!
5) Its cold here in ther winter. And wearing shorts in January will get you lots of strange looks (but I still do it)
6) The Atlantic does not hold a candle to the Pacific. The Pacific has waves, the Atlantic has ripples.

On the whole, however, I do not think that I would ever want to move back to Cali.

Zach

Wow, lots of great responses.

Here is some more background on me: I am not a native Kalifornian. I have lived here 10 years. Originally from New Jersey, so I know about the weather and seasons and stuff like that. My wife's folks live outside of Greenville SC, so we have some family in the area which is good. As a fly fisher, I have had the pleasure of fishing some of the streams in the western Carolinas. NIce trout to be had there.

So yeah, I think I need to get to a more rural setting. I have lived in NYC and now LA and with kids I want to get to a place where there are some farms and fields.

Thanks again for all the advice. The search is on.

.ps I plan to get another teener before I move, if all works out =)