Relocating; TX or NC?

[wantingaduc]

So I'm thinking of relocating some of my family members and we're narrowing our possible places down.

The 2 leading choices now are Greensboro area in North Carolina or Austin area in Texas.

Does anyone (calling IZ, the DMF semi official relocation director...) have experience with either or both areas and can give me their opinions of those areas in terms of jobs, cost of living, friendlyness of the natives, good areas to ride, etc..

jimi

[Popeye the Sailor]

Would be helpful if we knew if what field, what your hobbies (and their hobbies) besides motos are. Some places be better'n others for stuff.

Also, you said relocating family members-you mean you and the family? old people? What?

[muskrat]

job prospects are better in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and the cost of living is substantially lower in terms of housing.  Austin is great but traffic DOES NOT move and housing is scarce if you want to be close to town (for a decent price that is).

lots of us here in DFW so let us know what you have in mind and we can pitch in to help a fellow Ducatisti.  

[wantingaduc]

I'm in the automotive field so work is usually easy to come by.
Others family members are in IT, teachers, office management and a few retirees.
So as far as family members, a few of us in our 40's a few in the mid to late 30's, and a few "seniors."
Oh yeah and a a few kids in the mix too.

As far as hobbies, mostly riding, working in the garden, skeet shooting, playing guitar, simple stuff.

As far as housing were looking for a few mid size single family houses (2-3k sq. ft.) preferably near a lake in the mid 2k's to mid 3k's and perhaps a retirement condo or townhouse in the mid 2k's. We're looking to be within driving distance to town but not more then 20-25 miles.

They both look really good but we've yet to actually visit either. That'll be the next step.

jimi

[Blackout]

Some of the finest roads in the country within 30 minutes of Greensboro.

[DW]

As much as I like the Austin area, NC it is!  Absolutely great biking, camping, hiking, roads, etc down there.  The NC side of the area around the dragon seemed to be a bit more friendly than where I paid my road tax in Tennessee  ...  I would rate it as my favorite place that is not out west.

[IZ]

We were thinking about the Raleigh/Durham area last summer but ended up back here in PHX when we left Austin.

I would still like to try NC but it's almost a Mid-West vibe there.  Although, it does have everything close, I probably wouldn't want to stay too long.  That's just me.

I do miss Austin!  I lived in the Lake Travis/Lakeway area.  It's about 18 miles outside of the city.  The school district is great!  The high school and the athletics ore bst in the state! That is..if you have HS-aged kids.  The riding in the hill country is pretty good.  Nothing like the mtns. but there is a lot to offer in the area.  Not to mention..the Univeristy, nightlife, music, outdoor activities, etc.  Austinites are very friendly too.  The only drawbacks to Austin..TX in general..is the property taxes.   A lot of competition for employment too because it is the place to be.  The traffic was rated #2 worse in the country so keep that in mind but I wouldn't live anywhere else in that state.  Mainly because of the humidity. 

I would check them both.   Austin has my vote though.   

[muskrat]

if you decide to check out Dallas/Fort Worth let me know, I'd be glad to help.  Oh, I live 5 minutes from lake Lewisville too.    Much to everyone's surprise there are tons of lakes in the DFW area too.

[wantingaduc]

Hey IZ,

Just wanted to get some additional feedback from you if you don't mind.

I would still like to try NC but it's almost a Mid-West vibe there.  Although, it does have everything close, I probably wouldn't want to stay too long.  That's just me.

What exactly do you mean by a "mid-west vibe, " and do you mean that in a good or bad way?
What about the place gave you the impression that you wouldn't want to stay long?

I have to admit that I'm leaning to NC but your input is intriguing and I wanted to get a better idea of what you're thinking. 
We've really just started looking at TX and while it's very appealing were all born and raised in the Northest so I guess NC is holding an appeal because of that too. Plus the climate ssems more moderate to me, but I've never been there in the summer...

[Drjones]

A note on taxes.  Texas doesn't have a State income tax whereas NC does, so it comes down to if you want to pay 6% on your income and 1% on your home or just 2% on your home?  Plus there were a few laws passed on the recent ballot in TX to limit property tax increases and appraisal methods.

[nateqwik]

Dude... steer clear of NC. I am a lifelong resident and i can honestly say that in the past 10-15 yrs. or so, this state has peogessively fallen deeper and deeper into a state of suckage.  It can all be attributed to the esteemed state legislation and their myopic views on how to run a state. (this is not what I would consider "politics", in case the mods are concerned, it's a statement of fact.) Take our taxes for one. The state takes WAY more than their fair share and then cant be bothered to send you a refund check because they are broke. Also, they have a bad habit of raising state sales tax to try and offset their deficits. We are still paying a "temporary" sales tax increase that was set to expire in 2002. And we have a new "temporary" tax that was tacked on just last year. Now, consider that our state fuel surcharge is the highest on the east coast. When gas prices soared a couple years ago, NC was THIRD highest in the nation. The only states paying more for gas were hawaii and alaska. Granted, the raods in NC are great for riding, BUT, the D.O.T. has a terrible habit of keeping them torn up for repairs. Are you aware that NC has the most roads of any state in the nation? More than Texas. More than California. More than any other state, larger or smaller. We even have a road to nowhere! Guess where all these road budget dollars come from? You got it!! Taxes!!! If I were you and had the option, Texas would be a no-brainer. Just my $0.02.

[angler]

Hey IZ,

Just wanted to get some additional feedback from you if you don't mind.

I would still like to try NC but it's almost a Mid-West vibe there.  Although, it does have everything close, I probably wouldn't want to stay too long.  That's just me.

What exactly do you mean by a "mid-west vibe, " and do you mean that in a good or bad way?
What about the place gave you the impression that you wouldn't want to stay long?

I have to admit that I'm leaning to NC but your input is intriguing and I wanted to get a better idea of what you're thinking.  
We've really just started looking at TX and while it's very appealing were all born and raised in the Northest so I guess NC is holding an appeal because of that too. Plus the climate ssems more moderate to me, but I've never been there in the summer...

I'm from AZ originally and lived all over the country including the south including NC (Raleigh).  I HATE the south.  You couldn't pay me enough to live there again.  Just came back from 3 days of work in Orange Beach, AL and it gave me nightmares all over again.  I don't want to insult anyone from NC or other places in the south, I just couldn't get with the culture in my 5 or so years in MS/NC.  Suffice it to say, if you are not from there you won't be accepted there.  The people will be friendly, sometimes to the point of wanting to beat the howdy right out of them, but unless you are a good 'ol boy forget "fitting in."  I found it very difficult, even in the comparatively cosmopolitan Raleigh to find like minded folks.  They are also quite conservative socially (I am not).  If you have experience with southern culture and dig it, by all means move there.  Very scenic, relatively inexpensive, great fishing, but holy god, not for me.  

[ducpainter]

Dude... steer clear of NC. I am a lifelong resident and i can honestly say that in the past 10-15 yrs. or so, this state has peogessively fallen deeper and deeper into a state of suckage.  It can all be attributed to the esteemed state legislation and their myopic views on how to run a state. (this is not what I would consider "politics", in case the mods are concerned, it's a statement of fact.) Take our taxes for one. The state takes WAY more than their fair share and then cant be bothered to send you a refund check because they are broke. Also, they have a bad habit of raising state sales tax to try and offset their deficits. We are still paying a "temporary" sales tax increase that was set to expire in 2002. And we have a new "temporary" tax that was tacked on just last year. Now, consider that our state fuel surcharge is the highest on the east coast. When gas prices soared a couple years ago, NC was THIRD highest in the nation. The only states paying more for gas were hawaii and alaska. Granted, the raods in NC are great for riding, BUT, the D.O.T. has a terrible habit of keeping them torn up for repairs. Are you aware that NC has the most roads of any state in the nation? More than Texas. More than California. More than any other state, larger or smaller. We even have a road to nowhere! Guess where all these road budget dollars come from? You got it!! Taxes!!! If I were you and had the option, Texas would be a no-brainer. Just my $0.02.

You're wrong...

this is your opinion not necessarily fact.

[JBubble]

I'm from NC and lived there until a couple years ago. I love it. Amazing riding roads, especially in the Greensboro area. Weather is pretty good, the people are nice, and there's a variety of things to do.

I lived in Winston-Salem (very close to Greensboro) for college. Its not a bad area. You've got the Appalachians just down the road, and a track up north in Virginia. You're in prime ACC territory if you love college sports too. Wake Forest is in Winston, Duke, Carolina, and NC State are in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill triangle down the road.

If you're looking for big city atmosphere, Charlotte is pretty close. I lived there when I wasn't in school. Its got a downtown with night life, pro basketball and football teams, and a cool minor league hockey team (there's a major league team in Raleigh too).

I don't have any experience living in TX but NC really is a nice state. Every state has its drawbacks but overall, I think its great.

[superjohn]

You're wrong...

this is your opinion not necessarily fact.

I'll provide the counterpoint. I moved to NC from the midwest over a decade ago and have enjoyed it. I don't notice the taxes being appreciably higher than what I left, and the roads and schools are a heck of a lot better. Granted, a lot of the state taxes go to fund the rapid expansion of of population in the area I live, so maybe I get more of the benefit than Nate.

With that population though came a great mixture of cultures from all over the U.S. and the world. Sushi, Pho, middle eastern, mediterranean, Indian, N.Y. style pizza, BBQ, etc all available and all good.

The weather is generally good and all year riding is possible. Maybe not 365 days a year, but close. The geography is varied with mountains at one end and ocean at the other. As jbub said, there's a lot of sports available, plus a short drive to VIR, Road Atlanta, and Barber for race weekend getaways.

I'm sure Austin is great as well and really when it comes down to it I don't think any place in this country is going to be miserable to live in. NC can accommodate your needs and wants pretty well.