I’m a field service guy for a healthcare imaging company. Been quiet about it because I didn’t wanna get my hopes up, but I applied for a transfer from Baltimore to the Triad area of North Carolina last year. My boss said it’s pretty much a done deal except for the timeline being worked out. Looks like I’ll be covering an area from Burlington to Hickory and from just north of Charlotte up to the Virginia State line. And being backup for about the same east to west but up to Roanoke in Va. I’m trying to avoid the urban lifestyle so High Point, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro are off the list. Closer to my son would be towards the eastern side of the area since he’s at Lake Gaston. Looks like I might get more house for the money to the western side of the area and maybe land. Any suggestions on good areas or really bad areas to avoid. Haven’t lived in NC in over 30 years so my knowledge is way out of date.

The fun part is I don’t need a lot of living space I’d be good with two beds and maybe 1.5/2 baths but I need at least a two car garage and preferably more storage like a basement or another storage building. And need to be able to get good internet for work. Started looking today and it looks like there’s a lot of decent options down there for a lot better prices than here in Maryland.

I'm in Kernersville.
It's located kinda right in the middle between Winston-Salem / Greensboro / High Point.
It's currently fairly country living... but is slowly becoming more suburban.
We moved here from Raleigh are (Cary specifically) as there was much more bang for your buck in house buying.
I got just over 3 acres, but my immediate neighbor has about 40 (to give some context).
Internet is good out here for the most part. I think we "can" get fiber - just dont see much need for it.

Winston-Salem is the obvious answer for "Where do I NOT want to live?".

For your stated coverage area something near i-85 would likely be the best bet.
I've not spent much time in Salisbury but I've heard semi-notgreat things about the place.
Most of the rest of the area is just a bunch of small(ish) towns which are fairly cookie cutter with each other.

What are your hobbies? That could possibly dictate where you move to.
Further west gets you closer to the mountains (blue ridge parkway is a very nice ride if you like motorcycles).
But that of course takes you further inland... so if you like the ocean you'd have to go the opposite direction.

That’s a big chunk of area.

I grew up about in the heart of that.

Maybe check Davie County? Close enough to I-40 and Hwy 421 and 77 to get to all the places, but not close enough to any of the urban centers to be a pain. Quite rural.

I would avoid anywhere between Charlotte and Statesville in the I-77 corridor. Yadkin County is similar to Davie, but the taxes may be higher for no better services. But it’s been a long time since I checked.

There are certainly some good options.

I live in Pinehurst and absolutely love it. Small town feel and if you love golf this is heaven. Prices are reasonable and the traffic isn’t bad.

Welcome to NC! If you have any other questions please ask.

As a teenager in the 80s I lived in Eden, Reidsville, and Level Cross near Richard Petty’s shop.

Other than guns the only real hobbies I have is piddling around with cars. Not a mechanic I just like to do hands on stuff because I’m a workaholic. So when I’m not working, I tend to be working on something and if not, I’m doing something like reading, playing Xbox, or goofing off on the internet.

I tend to be the guy they call when they need somebody to work nights, weekends, travel to another state to fix something because they know I live alone. Maybe I can change that once I get down there

Anywhere but Raleigh-Durhan, Charlotte, and Asheville is going to be better than Baltimore. Find a small town outside one of the bigger towns/cities, where you have mailbox on the street.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mikeyspizza,

Parents are in Garner and sister is in Clayton. Both like their locations a lot.
The area is NOT for me. Too crowded and the road system sucks big ones. Road shoulders don't exist on secondary roads. I always joke that if I need to take a piss it will be a 45 minute commute.
But seeing that you are coming from Bmore it will be a huge improvement.

Don't really have a clue other than if you like Golf you would probably like Pinehurst. At least from what I've heard.

I second Chongo. Davie Yadkin and I would add Davidson as the counties to look at.

I would avoid Forsyth and Guilford like the plague. I also live in Kernersville.

Maybe consider Randolph County as well.

The triad is pretty nice to live in. I grew up in Greensboro, and moved around a lot. Went to high school in Kernersville. Stay away from MLK Blvd. What areas are you looking at specifically?

quote:

Originally posted by Blume9mm:
Don't really have a clue other than if you like Golf you would probably like Pinehurst. At least from what I've heard.

We live on a golf course here and don’t even play golf! It’s nice to sit in the lanai and look over the lush green lawn (I mean fairway) that someone else maintains.

In all seriousness there is also a great car culture here in part due to the great roads. Also, this is horse country. We have our own horse track that you can visit and watch the horses being exercised for free (our granddaughter loves to do that). And finally I believe there was a law that was recently passed that the Sherrif doesn’t require a background check to get your concealed carry license.

I’ve been looking all over, except in the cities. I’m not invested in a particular area. I’m just trying to get back somewhere I fit in better. I’m from up near Smith Mt Lake in VA. But we moved kind of all over the area from martinsville to level cross (near Randleman). I went to high school over by lake Gaston. Then I spent over 22 years in the Navy and after that Baltimore was the nearest place I found a job that let me support my ex and son the way I needed to. I’ve been trying to get out of MD for a while.

in Greensboro currently, grew up near VA/NC border in Rockingham Co. I would say avoid Gso and the other major cities already mentioned. Lexington area is nice, Stokes Co/Rockingham/Surry all have some nice areas to live and get more for your money. most areas should be an improvement over Baltimore. good luck and welcome to the triad