Grew up and lived in the Northeast.Weather, politics and taxes moved us to AZ. 8 years now.
I love it, but wife is unhappy. Most relatives on east coast. Water is/will be a problem here.
Could get rid of her, but married 40 years and shes mean (Italian).

Real estate is on fire here. Looked at the Holley Springs area. Easy to get in and out.

Taxes? Quality of life? Weather?

Would like to fish again (not much here). Need a place to shoot. Both indoor pistol and outside long range. Guessing 1500 yds, like here, won't be doable.

66, so I think I might only have 1 more epic move in me.

I lived and worked east of Raleigh in Wilson. I have friends that live in Garner, Fuquay, Apex, Raleigh and Knightdale…all surrounding areas of Raleigh proper.

There are good neighborhoods and bad ones. NC taxes you on everything, car, truck, atv, boat, motorcycle etc, some cities tax your dogs and cats. ANNUALLY. There’s also a state tax along with standard property taxes on land. That being said when I moved to Tx and found they don’t have a start income-they make it up in property taxes…so basically the NC total amount of taxes paid by me was the same here in TX just to one entity.

Crime. Go see if the local PD has a website and try and get crime stats…for several years. If it’s not available online, call.

Before you buy, go drive thru a neighborhood during the daytime and note he amount of cars at home and then do it at night. Drive several blocks from prospective homes. Where my big kid lives in Rocky Mount, walking three blocks east and crossing a single road is akin to walking into Mogadishu. Where he lives is old homes and well kept homes, 3 blocks and it’s he hood.

When you are driving around note police cars at homes. Cops tend to try and stay in calm neighborhoods. Crime happens everywhere but if you see several police cars living within a few blocks of each other, you are most likely in a good area.

And It’s HOLLY SPRINGS…no E

My advice?

Go one more state south.

It’s still hot as hades, but their government is still conservative.

Friends, relatives, & familiarity often factor in heavily, not everyone though. I’ve seen it about 5 times with extended relatives in MI. They move then often come back.

I’d look when a few hours drive time. Yes, selling near a peak is good, buying could be tough.

Upstate SC or Charleston SC area.

I lived in NC and it was great. 25 years later and it is as previous posts describe…not conservative and max tax.

I live in North Durham and as I told a young lady at military drill this weekend stay far away.

I am not a fan of NC, I liked VA and would rather live in SC. (I do like the Kannapolis and Concord NC area though)

With that being said I did spent a lot of time in Garner this weekend and I drove through the neighborhoods. I really liked it.

I have met and worked with individuals who live in Holly Springs and Fuquay Varina and they like area but it is slowly being taken over by economic growth.

As many have said, you are taxed on everything. I thought it was bad in VA but I think it is worse here.

Also consider South Carolina and Georgia. The mountains are closer to the ocean here too so you can experience both in the same state if needed.
Also, as others mentioned, somewhat more rational and conservative although the loons from other states are invading here too.
Real Estate is on fire anywhere worth moving right now so that takes some planning.

Holly Springs is in Wake County. Wake County has been taken over by northern and California transplants that have brought their leftist politics/ways with them. The County Commission is totally left wing loonies who have never met a tax increase they did not love. Almost all the towns/cities are run by leftists who push the national left wing agenda.

I've been in NC all my life (and my family since 1789) and in the next town to Holly Springs for over thirty years. Its changed from a great place to a liberal hell hole during that time. IF my wife would move I'd be gone tomorrow.

I wouldn't direct any more folks towards the low country of SC...it's not what you remember. The upstate may still be an option, but the Charleston area has been absolutely inundated with transplants for the past twenty years...to the point where the peninsula is actually a blue area and Charleston itself has trouble electing Republicans.

NC has always been a swing state (goes back and forth) but over the last few years is tending more liberal. But, IMO, political stuff is loony just about everywhere.

If you're looking for a good general place to live, you'll be pleased in Holly Springs. It's about 2 hours from the beach and about about 3 from the mountains. There are a couple of lakes for fishing within 30 minutes. The area has a number of indoor and outdoor ranges within an hour (but I'd like to see more). Not sure the distance on the rifle ranges - that might be an issue.

Warning - a number of large corporations have announced they are moving to the area or expanding and the housing prices have gone up drastically. I'm also told there is a bidding war on almost every property. If you move, I'd consider buying new.... i think there are less hassles and more protections (warranty) if you're buying from an established builder.

Call if you make it out this way and I'd be happy to chat. We've been here about 25 years.

I live in Apex just N or Holly Springs and growth is insane. in the past month 4 of my nieghbors sold their houses for more than double what they cost as new construction in 2015.

Apple: 3,000 jobs from their AI division moving in soon.

Amgen mfg plant opened in HS last Aug

Fuji-Diosynth building a big cell culture facility in HS.

VinFast: Vietnamese electric vehicle mfg putting 7,500 jobs in nearby Pittsoboro/Chatham county.

Id live somewhere more rural and closer to what you like to do. Freshwater fishing? Beach/salt fishing?

Housing prices in the Holly Springs area have gone up considerably in the past two years. Houses are usually sold the day they are listed for ten to fifteen percent over asking price. The market is so "hot" that sellers are not spending any money on their houses to sell. Basically people moving in are taking what they can get.

The recent interest rate hikes have slowed it some, but with the relocations from higher priced areas, it has less effect on the Wake County area.

Traffic in Holly Springs is a nightmare. The "main drag" is NC 55. The NC DOT engineers have designed it with turn arounds and its almost impossible to turn left off this main highway.

I have a friend whose grandfather owned a farm in Holly Springs. His uncle inherited it when the grandfather died. As of two years ago he had sold $12 million in land and still has most of it left.

If I wanted crowded housing, rude people, terrible traffic, insane real estate prices and excessive taxes then Holly Springs would be the place I would move to.

Yikes.
Looked further and it's not all that tax friendly.
Might stay put for awhile.

Yankees took it over.

quote:

Originally posted by mike56:
Yikes.
Looked further and it's not all that tax friendly.
Might stay put for awhile.

Look at Eastern TN, patron state of shooting stuff...

If my wife got a job or a wild hair, I’d go back to NC for my family. If I had my choice of anywhere without regards to job/family/whatever, it’d absolutely be east TN. NC is absolutely being ruined by Commies.

I live 3 minutes north of South Carolina and 25 minutes south of Charlotte. I am not upset I didn't drive for a couple more minutes south.

NC is a great place to live but people will always bitch.

Here are mine:
NC K-12 Education is a mess - My wife is a teacher
Property Taxes are dumb
If you don't have a CCP you have pay $5 to the sheriff for a pistol purchase permit. It is a Jim Crow era law that Democrats won't repeal...
The NC Congress is Right. The Governor is Left - nothing gets done and they bicker a lot.

Why I moved here:
The Weather. I love it all the time!
The beach is close and NC Beaches are very laid back.
The Mountains are close and beautiful
Everything east of the Mississippi is a relatively easy drive.
There is a little southern hospitality left
The economy is great
CLT is a hub for American Airlines - nonstop flights everywhere you want to go.