Locals' opinions on where to move to.

[Chris Gordon]

Cliff notes for this long post: We want to move in summer of '18. We've narrowed down to a list of about 17 places. Looking to get a local's opinion of these places, but also establish contacts for when we do move (especially when it comes to real estate).

Ok, details:

      For various reasons my wife and I want to move during the summer of 2018. We have a set of criteria which we used to start surveying what's around and have narrowed the list from 40+ to about 17. We're prior military family so moving is a familiar process. A few of the below locations I could move to through my current job. A few of the places I've lived in before, or have spent enough time in to think I have a sense of the place, but I'd like opinions all the same.

    In general we want to move to an area that is:

• has solid school districts
• generally more hospitable
• warmer climate with fun outdoor activities. My wife grew up in Fl and Hawaii, the winters here are like "beyond the wall" in Game of Thrones to her.
• lower cost of living, so that we don't need to be striving for bigger salaries, can save more and do more with our money. I realize pay is somewhat regional and a pay cut might come with moving.
• Ideally live in a center-of-town area...sidewalks, trees, community, the more walkable/bikeable the better, trying to stay away from the cookie-cutter homes and suburban sprawl.
• Bonus points for universities nearby, airports and highways within reasonable driving distance. Also, bonus points if there's some degree of diversity, in any form.
• and of course a place where we can continue our real estate projects.

...And finally I realize that any location will likely require some degree of compromise between all these.

So what I'm hoping for is a local's perspective and opinion of their town based on what I've listed above. How likely are we to find what we're looking for? Any of these we should just cross off the list? Any places we haven't listed that we should consider? We'll be trying to visit these spots in the next year or so.

The locations are:

• North Carolina: Cary/Raleigh/Chapel Hill area, Greeneville, Wilmington (live here before), Charlotte, Greensboro
• Georgia: Athens, Kennesaw, Duluth
• Tampa, Fl (I’ve lived here before)
• Virginia: Richmond/Powhatan, Newport News/Poquoson/Grafton, Charlottesville, Chesapeake,
• South Carolina: Columbia, Greenville
• Lexington, Ky
• Nashville, Tn
• Chattanooga, Tn
• Frederick, Md

Long post! If you're still with me thanks!

[Hilary Maloney]

Hey Chris! You've got a great list. My husband and I lived in Athens for five years before moving to Oakland, California. I recommend looking at neighborhoods around Prince Ave (Boulevard, Normaltown, Cobbham) and Five Points. These neighborhoods are each within a mile of campus, so the walkability is fantastic and you're right in the center of Athens' amazing energy. It's a special place!

We've just started researching the real estate market there, but it sounds like Athens Real Estate Investors Club is a great place to start.

[Account Closed]

Charlottesville here. I see your long post and I raise you a longer response as I run down your criteria list:

has solid school districts

• Both the City of Charlottesville and the adjoining County of Albemarle have good schools. Each year there are kids from the area headed to Ivy league and other well-respected schools, including UVA here in town.

generally more hospitable

• You can’t get much more hospitable than Cville. For the most part it retains something of a small town feel and has a particular southern charm about it.

warmer climate with fun outdoor activities. My wife grew up in Fl and Hawaii, the winters here are like "beyond the wall" in Game of Thrones to her.

• Central VA weather is temperate, if not confusing. If you want to fall in love with Cville, come visit in the spring or autumn. It can get pretty hot and humid in the summer – but usually not unbearable. During winter it usually gets as low as the mid-teens with a total snowfall of around 2.5-3.5 feet for the season. Why I say confusing is because oftentimes during winters it will snow one week and then be 50-60 degrees the next week. Snowfalls usually tend to hit hard and fast; but are not usually a continuous event throughout the season.
• Sitting at the base of the Appalachian Mountains, an hour’s drive or less gets you to some beautiful views and hiking. There’s tubing on the James River, a very active running community, and plenty more I’m forgetting about.

lower cost of living, so that we don't need to be striving for bigger salaries, can save more and do more with our money. I realize pay is somewhat regional and a pay cut might come with moving.

• Here’s where Cville bites. The university tends to pay well so it drives strong prices in the retail real estate market. Other players are the National Ground Intelligence Center that brings with it several defense/intelligence companies. There is a decent financial services presence as well. Depending on what your profession is, you could easily maneuver in this market. We’re not talking New York or DC prices here, but it isn’t the cheapest place around. 

Ideally live in a center-of-town area...sidewalks, trees, community, the more walkable/bikeable the better, trying to stay away from the cookie-cutter homes and suburban sprawl.

• In truth, the city is a bit spread out but it basically ticks all your boxes here. A car is required. But that doesn’t mean walking and biking are discouraged – I would say the opposite is true. There are sidewalks all over that are pretty well maintained and an expansive run of bike lanes. There’s also a pretty good public bus system. Central downtown features a pedestrian mall that holds great food and shopping as well as an amphitheater with weekly concerts during summer.
• At the neighborhood level, Cville is very friendly. It’s hard to avoid some cookie cutters, but there’s also plenty of old charm if you’re willing to pay for it.

Bonus points for universities nearby, airports and highways within reasonable driving distance. Also, bonus points if there's some degree of diversity, in any form.

• Major, well-respected University within the city limits.
• Medium-sized airport with direct flights to NYC, Philly, Chicago, and others. 1.25 hours away from Richmond International Airport. 2 hours away from Dulles.
• Excellent access to I64 for east-west travel and Rt. 29 north is a direct route to DC. 
• 1 hour away from Richmond, VA. 2 hours from DC. 2.5 hours from VA Beach.
• The university boasts an in-demand undergraduate program, excellent medical school, top business and law schools, as well as other great graduate programs. There’s also a wide range of cuisine choices. We’ve got diversity in spades.

and of course a place where we can continue our real estate projects.

• There’s strong retail demand for housing in the greater Cville area as well as pretty well funded investors already in the area. This makes deals in the city hard to come by. They do exist if you’re diligent…but no 2% rules here. The real value of Cville for a RE investor is its access to secondary and tertiary markets. Cville is well located to more rural sub markets such as Buckingham, Nelson, and Augusta counties to the south/southwest.

Look at Cville and look at potential job opportunities for yourself and see how your potential income squares with the housing market here. I think if there's an inkling that the numbers work for you then definitely come visit.

Let me know if/when you make the trip, I’ll introduce you to a truly great cup of local coffee. 

[Curtis Thomas]

Northeast Columbia, SC checking in. Of the various residents I've met here who are not from the area, they decided to reside here for the following reasons.

Affordable living. Fort Jackson is located in Columbia and Shaw AFB is about an hour away in the neighboring county. Affordable cost of living with military retirement entitlement as well as income from your second career. I've met numerous retirees who don't work and live off all military/VA entitlements.

Great school district. The school district is Richland County School District 2. Not the best in the state but a solid district. The county just completed construction of a new technology center available to the students and citizens of the district.

Great weather. No need to worry about harsh winters and using your snow shovel, snow chains or snow tires. We get snow once every few years and the temp rarely dips below freezing in the winter. If you like to tan and you like the heat, than SC is the place to be. The summers are HOT and HUMID. And with heat comes the pest (flies, gnats, mosquitoes, fire ants and etc.).

Convenient location. I-77 runs through NE Columbia. You are approximately 2 hours away from Myrtle Beach, 2 hours from Charleston, 1 hour from Charlotte, 4 hours from Atlanta,  4 hours from the appalachian mountains, 1 hour from I-95 and 15 minutes away from I-20 and I-26. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Mississippi and Miami are all within a one day driving distance.

[Chris Gordon]

Thanks so much for the postings, @Hilary Maloney, @Account Closed and @Curtis Thomas, I truly appreciate the time and perspective you shared here. 

[Lisa Hoover]

Hi
Ive lived in so many great places in the USA
Phoenix, Scottsdale, Los Angeles,
Eden NC, Asheville NC, Charlotte, NC
Columbia SC
so cities with population ranges from 18,000 to
10 million

and I love so charlotte
great temps year round ( 70F today Jan 19, 2017). extremely affordable, best schools
but... it is the SOUTH with all of its plus and minuses.

I'm retiring to Oregon, getting too crowded here !! but it's been a decent place to live since 1985 and real estate investing is a dream here.
Cary is even nicer but much more expensive.

[Eric Delcol]

There are aspects about every place you will love or hate. If you hate the rain moving to Seattle might drive you nuts. If you love to golf moving to Palm Springs may make you ecstatic.

With that said, one thing to keep in mind is a new location is what you make it.

A speaker once told a story of how he was walking down a beach in Florida where he lived. A woman notices his hat and starts talking to him, she says how she is from St. Louis and is thinking of moving to this beach town. He asks her "what is it like in St Louis?" She goes on to explain how it's a cold city, the people are rude the neighbors are unfriendly and it's a boring place.

He replies saying "yeah that's pretty much what it's like here."

Two days later, the same thing happens to, a woman starts talking to him, she's from Chicago and is also looking to move to his town. "What's it like in Chicago?" He asks. She tells him how friendly everyone is, how there's always something to do, and the people look after one another.

He replies "yeah that's pretty much what it's like here".

It sounds like you have moved a lot and are probably well versed in getting to learn a new city. For other folks out there who may have never moved from their home town and are raring this thread it may be useful to keep in mind.

My vote is for Tampa.
Vibrant downtown, great university, cosmo city with its own rich history and culture and beautiful beaches.

[Jim Brewer]

I was born and raised in Raleigh and have spent time in all the locations in NC you have suggested. I do not know Charlotte all that well though. The triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) is very diverse, and you're bound to find a neighborhood that checks all your boxes. Downtown Raleigh is great and is transforming in a big way right now. Chapel Hill is not really my style, but certainly meets all your needs, definitely a very good community to walk/bike in. Any of these locations are in close proximity to great universities, highways, and the airport. Most will be in a great school district as well. You may also want to consider the "downtown" area of some of the smaller towns (Cary, Apex, Fuquay Varina, Wake Forest). They offer a lot of what you are wanting, at a much lower price. I live in the historic district of Fuquay Varina and can walk/bike to local restaurants, bars, and shops. 

Like I said, the area is so diverse you're bound to find something that you fall in love with. Also, continuing your real estate projects would be easy here. It's a great market that is continuously going up. I wouldn't recommend Greenville. Greensboro may fit your needs, the cost of living is certainly a bit less than the triangle area too. Wilmington is a great town, I enjoy spending time there. If you've lived there then you probably know more about it than me though. 

Best of luck in your search! Let me know if you have any questions about the triangle area.  

[Chris Gordon]

Once again, I appreciate everyone generously sharing their perspectives with me