NC 

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I love that it is a quiet state, that is what some of us want. Thank you.

I have been living in North Carolina since 1992. But my family has been in North Carolina since 1770. But what I really hate is that the fact that Small Towns are starting to turn into big Cities. My small town doesn’t need six new Subdivisions and overpriced Apartment Complexes. Or Big stores. I love being able to not hear a cop car or ambulance going by every five minutes of my day. I want to be able to see stars at night, and not have them overcasted by city lights. I just don’t like people trying to turn small towns into Big City life.

I think people just complain to much! It doesn't matter where you live if you can find the beauty in everything you can be happy.

I have a suggestion, if you leave a a place to move to N.C, don't come here and try to change it to the way 'We do it back home". Then stat there.

The advice from a friend was , once you decide on where you think you want to live, lease a house for a year -- all four seasons -- to see if that is where you want to live.

Born and raised here in nc on the coast and never heard about people not liking all the trees and thinking is boring here. The other points are spot on lots of pollen, crazy weather, lots of wildlife, humid af, and always road work projects everywhere. What you didn't mention is how crazy the tourism (or as locals call it the terrorism) gets. The water front and beaches are swarmed and the streets and highways get over loaded backed up for hours in the summer.

I relocated to NC 1 month ago and, having come from the Adirondack Mountains in upstate NY, I find there are not enough trees. I can live with that; I will choose an area to buy a home accordingly. What I really do not like at all is all of the land clearing for developments. It's just out of control. Having spent my first 40 years of life in NYC, it's painful to see this happening to such a beautiful state.

I moved to NC in 2007 through 2018 (Brunswick County) I absolutely loved the slower pace. I had to move due family matters. I miss it terribly. The Cape Fear region is spectacular. Peaceful, serene, friendly, hospitality, fishing, wildlife, etc.

We recently moved to North Carolina. We started looking at different areas years ago. We wanted to be near water. When we saw an area that looked good we would there for a long weekend. That way you saw the weekend and weekday activity. A couple of places we would go back a second time. We wound up at Lake Gaston NC, a large lake that maintains the water level year round. About an hour or so from Raleigh and Richmond Va. Couple hours to the ocean or mountains and very little snow. We came from the northeast where the winters could be tuff. Happy so far.

I moved to Winston-Salem in 2004 after growing up in New Orleans and I enjoy the slower pace of living. It’s not wide open like New Orleans but it’s not slow like a really small town. Just right for me.

#1 Reason is they regret not moving here sooner. I lived not in NYC but in their shadow in NJ and endured some of the most rude, obnoxious and abusive behavior on sidewalks and roads. I moved to MN to experience people smiling in my face while they stabbed me in the back. Then I moved here to WNC and truly believe the mist covers the tops of the mountains to hide the angels coming and going from heaven. I have never been treated so kindly, I have been helped by people who have almost nothing and offer half of what they have. They are respectful of the old and handicapped and also of their veterans. Allergy pills are cheap and easily paid for with the extra money I have because everything here is 1/3rd less than the North, and I can live here on my retirement income in peace and safety. God Bless North Carolina.

Please qualify that people wanting to maintain their liberal politics should move to Raleigh/Charlotte/Ashville. Otherwise, stay away from the smaller towns.

I lived in Beautiful Charlotte suburb and loved it for years but then we got taken over by New Yorkers. Within 5 years they had to put a building hold on permits to build because our town couldn’t handle all the growth. It really changed the southern charm of our town. To much growth to quickly is NOT a good thing. Made lots of great friends from NY though. Lol

You really confirmed why I wouldn't move from Southern California Thank you

We moved to Greenville from Seattle one year ago. The people are exceptionally kind & polite, that was the first thing we noticed. The slower pace took us a few months to adjust, but one year later we appreciate it. Other than the bugs 😮 & humidity, truly our only strong complaint we have is the lack of medical care. There is a terrible shortage of family care, we drive to Rocky Mount for the majority of our medical care because we can’t seem to find providers in Greenville without waiting months for an appointment. NC has the nicest people!

what I hate most about Raleigh is the food literally every restaurant here serves frozen premade sides like tater tots etc.. Vicious Fishes brunch they seriously serve packaged waffles, the ones you can buy at Costco that are like waffle shaped cookies… so so weird.

I moved to NC 48 years ago. I love it here. You've got the beaches on the east side of the state, and beautiful mountains on the west side. But it's the people that make me love it! This guy is 100% right.

FYI, it ain't 75 and sunny in January very often, like almost never. More likely to be highs in mid '40's and lows in the 20's or 30's, colder in the mountains. Not terrible, but not exactly the Carribean. The humidity can be bad in the summer but we also get breaks where the dew point is around 60 which is what feels comfortable and is great for outdoor activities.

I have lived in Raleigh, NC since 1980, and had lived in Cola, SC prior, and when we first moved to SC my mom unknowingly opened the windows to get fresh air and our furniture became full of pollen! Prior to living in SC we had lived in Pa.

Born in NC in 1959 , lived here all my life. Native NC'ians better known as Tarheels (thanks to the late-great General Robert E. Lee) we adore our state & adore anyone who loves the state, we are a mostly red state and hold dearly a love for God, State, Southern Heritage, Native Accent & Country . So if you find you don't like our beloved Ol' North State when you get here, don't complain or try to change our values & laws , there are 49 other States you can call home, we'll even extend our Southern hospitality & help you pack !

I grew up in NC and moved up north, came back and now looking to get out of here and go back up north again permanently . I live in Fayetteville and looking to move to western Massachusetts . (I used to vacation there when I lived up north.) A long list as to reasons why . The biggest one is outside of maybe Raleigh and Charlotte I don't fit in here anymore. I will leave it at that.

As another RU-vidr says.. “Don’t Move to North Carolina, We’re Full!”

Love it here in NC! Some of the most genuinely friendly, kind people I’ve ever known. Found out that we’re in a temperate rainforest. I believe it, especially in the Spring. But that’s why it’s lush green here in the mountains.

Born and raised in NC but have lived all over the world in the military and my job. I am back and love it. My military pension is not taxed and social security is not taxed. We also have a conservative legislature Love the mountains and that where my heart is. ❤❤

I knew a little bit about North Caroline via some movies. There was something from this state that caught my attention. Thus, I visited it in May and fell in love with it! I was captivated by its nature and peaceful environment! The trees along the highways, houses surrounded by nature and not too close to each other, vast space to let me see through the green till the horizon, rivers and boats, etc. I also like how NC has forests, mountains, farms, cities, beaches, rivers, etc. many different landscapes to choose from/visit. Of all the topics shared in the video, I am only concerned about storms/hurricanes. Other than that, other things that mentioned are okay or even enjoyable to me (such as slow pace and trees). In short, I can imagine myself moving there once I do more research about work/career there! I will enjoy the easy access to (peaceful) nature!

Service is terrible in NC. People are friendly but the quality of work is atrocious.

I've lived in NC all my life. I get most of the complaints except the tree thing. Can't have too many trees, especially in the fall.

Second time living in Raleigh, the lack of basements and garages with most older homes are a disappointment. The water table is high for most of NC and most roads are not well designed for water runoff.

My folks moved here about 1720. We are adjusting fairly well to this new place

This was very interesting for me to watch as I was born in New York, but lived in North Carolina for almost 30 years. Small town North Carolina is a whole different world than the cities. It is imperative to do your research into what area you would like to relocate to. I have met people who moved to the wrong suburb of Charlotte and had a very different experience to my own. Also like many other places, some areas are break in prone/unsafe, some aren’t, have to know the neighborhoods. Some of these things people just need to realize that one has to acclimate to wherever they move to. One needs an exterminator to stay on top of the bugs. One should spray the lawn for mosquitos if they will be outside a lot in the summer. Weeds are crazy, maintaining a yard is a ton of work. NC is more overtly religious, that’s just the culture just as some parts of NYC are cultural Hasidic or upstate NY are less overtly religious. Some New Yorkers ask things like “do you have malls” or “do you have big lots” and it’s like yes, this is the US, not an island 1000s of miles away. If one is knowledgeable there are lots of good restaurants in CLT at least. There is plenty of good sushi as it’s not far from the coast. There are good Indian places, see what restaurants are open for a while and have a lot of people dining. Tougher to find regional Mexican, I am sure that will change. Italian food doesn’t compare to NY ☹️ Many upscale places in CLT. I miss the fast casual chains Chopt and Viva Chicken for weeknight dinners. But yea, you have to talk to people and do research. Many people are “nice to your face.” Realistically one will start to be able to read that quickly. It’s more the uptightness that is so irritating. At least the country wahoos are fun. The roads in Raleigh get more funding bc it is the state capital. CLT proportionally gets less $ for roads than other parts of the state. Raleigh has a chip on its shoulder. Notice in the video he always tacks on Charlotte when he talks about the cities, even though it’s the biggest city in NC lol. The pollen is bad but has gotten better since the Bradford pear trees are not as abundant as they once were. The worst part is the divided politics. The cities are becoming blue state cities and the countryside is old school red. If one is looking for a “red” or “blue” area, once again research or it may prove to be an irritating experience. No wait, the worst part is the cities in NC are super expensive now. The time to move was before COVID, sorry y’all.

I love how transparent he is!! Super honest!! Love it!!!

I moved here as a second move after retiring. Came from the Washington DC, to FL, then Asheville. I love it here! Only down side, no Costco 😧 and folks who consider themselves “locals” object to the outsiders moving in and raising property values.

THANK YOU SIR! These same folks who move down here for a "change" are the same folks who got Wegman's and other Yankee stores and "culture" down here - and for whom we're chopping down our forests and making wildlife homeless so that newbies can buy cheap real estate! (Disclaimer: I'm Tarheel born n' bred! 😊)

No dramatic 4 seasons changing. But I love the early spring and long autumns.

Imagine complaining about trees, but don’t worry we’re cutting them down for new construction

And, my biggest complaint about newcomers to North Carolina, is stop complaining about moving here. It is not New York or New Jersey or California or anywhere else. Do not move if you have a problem with our culture or the heat. Pick Cary which is often called the Containment Area for Relocated Yankees. Or better yet, move back to where you come from. I would not expect New York City to be like Raleigh.

I moved here 15 years ago I wish I had known these exact things before moving here. I think the state has a lot to offer if you just want to live a nice quiet life. To do it all over again the only thing I would not do is move to Charlotte. I would move to another small quaint city with newer homes. My sister moved from Texas to Kings Mountain in a newer development and it is just heaven compared to Charlotte. As far as eating out I'm not at all impressed I taught myself how to cook my favorite meals. LOL

There are so many wonderful things about living in North Carolina,,,first and most important is the fact that you can grow almost anything,,second is that there are roads that you can avoid completely inner city travel,,third is just about any day of the year I have 20 deer in my yard ,,fourth is every road leads to a boat ramp.

I live in a town outside of Asheville and the past two years people keep moving here. Selling all the farm land to make fancy subdivisions for these rich pricks, who ride their bicycles with their “Tour de France” attire, on the backroads which slows down traffic. One time there was about 20 of them all in a group riding their bicycles. Traffic is awful pretty much anywhere around here now and there are way more people tailgating very aggressively. Needless to say, I am hoping to move away within a year or two at most. At the rate this whole state is growing exponentially, I will definitely be moving out of state to somewhere with less people.

I'm moving to eastern NC in just a couple weeks and I'm very excited. I have family in Raleigh, but don't yet know anyone where I'm moving for work. As I have visited that family in the past the amount of trees kind of floored me, but not in a bad way at all. I love it. I'm from Kansas and we have a lot of fields with tree lines, but having so many trees everywhere was eye-opening. I thought it was funny you mentioned that because it was one of the first impressions I got of the state. Now I'll live very near a couple actual forests.

Took me +5 years to get used to the sweltering summers here in Raleigh after having just moved to Raleigh from New York. After changing my expectations to just accept the fact I'm gonna sweat outside I just love it here and wouldn't change a thing.

This is SUCH good advice! I recently moved to another state not knowing the demographics and had a RUDE awakening. I'm glad it wasn't a home purchase, but just an apartment. You really do have to walk around in the environment in order to get a feel of if you want to call a place HOME. Thank you for this great video and great advice. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wife and I took a trip to Hendersonville for a couple days cause we thought about living there. It use to be a nice area but now it’s overpopulated the traffic was horrible, we decided we didn’t ever want to come back again. It was very different 15 years ago.

Well Bless yo heart! If you were actually born and raised in NC, you know what I'm telling you. I'm 9th generation North Carolinian, I have traveled completely around the world at least once and to the other side and back 5 more times and I find NC just fine. I've lived in Boone, and on the coast within a few feet of the inland waterway as well as many communities in between so I've had the opportunity to experience a good part of it. To those who find it disappointing, the borders are just as open as when you found your way here.

Hi! My husband and I decided to move to Goldsboro from growing up and most of our life in Indiana. Now retired, lived in eastern NC for 1.5 years, we are very happy! People are very friendly and polite( not all, but better than northern peeps), yep weather hot in summer, hot in indiana too… but we love just knowing that even December, January and February, it will be 50-60 during day, no more icy, cold to the BONE wet indiana weather, yay!!!…. Ps just being one hour from the ocean, pinch me!!!!

I lived near Asheville and the main reason we left were the schools. My daughter was in 5th grade and had 30 kids in her class with no teachers assistant. But the worst part was there were a handful of kids on a 2nd grade reading level that took most of the teacher’s attention/ time. Her teacher was great and actually won teacher of the year award the year before. She just didn’t have enough time in the day to get to everyone. Lovely people and geography but the school system needs help!

I lived in a charming town outside of Charlotte for 18 months, and was happy to get out. As someone said about southerners, "The locals pretend to be so friendly."

Born and raised in NC my whole life and like most people are saying... please stop moving here we're full and it's starting to turn into a s**thole place to leave with horrible traffic getting worse and transplanted assholes and the cost of living is steadily going up as more people move here.

We visited NC a few times over the past three years. We still haven't made our way toward the west part of the state. I highly recommend the Lazy 5 Ranch north of Charlotte. We laughed the entire tour. Very unique! We may invest somewhere in the state: not positive about moving. The people are great!

This is the definitive instruction video on what to expect when moving to The Beautiful State of North Carolina! Such a well thought out and informative offering! You are just so likable and thoughtful in your delivery. Just really gratifying to watch. I love the part about the “using your inside voice.” A lot of pearls here.

I've been in NC since 2007 from CA. I have no regrets whatsoever. And I'd never go back to CA and I lived in the beautiful Sierra Foothills.

I also recommend my husband to travel and go see physically and appreciate people, weather, places, and more info from the area, before making moving decision.

The great thing about moving to north Carolina is if you don,t like it you can move out as fast as you got hete

I left almost a year ago and I am actually driving back now. I will never leave NC again!!!!

I just did a travel nursing assignment in Morehead City, NC and I cannot agree more with this! I have to travel so far to get good international food and I miss it so much. Also the mosquitos are so deadly!!!!! I had no idea there were any and I live right by the beach. It was such a nice experience and I had fun out on the boat and the beach. I would come for a weekend again :)

The upside to trees: good shade. The downside: old overhanging tree limbs and pollen. Tree pollen is a major annoyance. It usually drops a lot longer than two weeks. Try at least 6 weeks, starting in Late March/early April. I'm speaking as a native Carolinian. Most pollen is done dropping by the end of May.

Okay, so it's not just me. These dark windy roads at night and in a lot of cases you can't see over it's crest or around it's angle, so you don't know if you are going to have to quickly go left, or right. Some of them even have a speed limit of 55 with curves that just barely avoid being called 90 degrees. For the life of me I thought it was just me. People push up on me like I'm the a-hole. Everything you said is spot on, excellent video. I've lived in middle of the ground NC. Proximity to Raleigh, but in an area that is a little rural. But still plenty to do. It was the perfect area, but it has been growing fast so recently I sold, cashed out, and moved the REAL RURAL NC. Different world out here. But I really enjoy it. With a little adjustment, it can be a great place to live. You kind of hinted to it but to call it out in the rural parts, just get used to planning your driving because nearly EVERYTHING is about 40 minutes away from you. Not far enough to be far, but not close enough to be close. Fair tradeoff for the peace and economics of it all.

Moved here from Florida to be near family. NC is really boring compared to Orlando. We don't stay out late, but we really miss the beach and the parks. We don't live near the mountains or the beach. I lived here for almost 20 years and have never liked living here, but my wife wanted to be near family. Did I mention that NC is really, really boring even if one doesn't do nightlife?

The summer humidity and bugs in NC are something serious! It definitely rivals FL. BUT, the saving grace is that it only lasts for a season 🙌🏾

Moved here a year and half ago from Pittsburgh pa!! I have lived in Pittsburgh my whole life for 48 years and we absolutely love it here!!! Moved to Leland I love the small town and feel close to about every beach! The humidity is a bit much and the bugs but totally worth it to go to the beach every weekend! And no more Pittsburgh winters

Very accurate description. I would have spoken more about the the different regions. It's really mountains, foothills, plains, swamp, and Coastal/islands. Good summary.

Thanks for including the culture shock issues! This is a very necessary piece of information which I found most videos don't include. Much appreciated

As a NC native I could write books on why natives regret people moving here.

I live about an hour from Charlotte, towards the mountains. I've lived in NC for the majority of my life. I work third shift in Charlotte. My biggest complaint, currently, is not being able to shop in the early morning when I get off work. Post COVID, grocery stores within a hundred miles of my residence, are no longer open 24 hours. Walmart was 24 hours, from my late teens to my late 30s, that's not a thing anymore. So unless you wanna spend twice the retail price, with a limited selection, from an out of the way 24 hour pharmacy, then you have to plan your shopping trips around their time, regardless of your work and sleep schedule. Cops in small towns, are bored, and looking for ANY reason to pull someone over. And odds are, you'll have have to drive through one, or more, of these small towns on your commute. NC has gone down hill since COVID. I used to praise this state for it's diversity and the ever growing communities. This has stalled out. Even finding an open gas station at late hours is a challenge, which will stress you out. As the climate continues to change, the weather has gotten very violent and unpredictable. My power goes out for hours about every other month, for various reasons. And good luck getting reliable high speed internet outside of a major metropolitan area. NC is beautiful, and the people are polite, as long as you look presentable. I have a lot of tattoos and I get treated like a criminal in half of the businesses I enter. I'd assume living here is about the same as most states in all honesty. Then again, maybe I just tell myself that so I don't end up barricaded inside my house. You wanna move here? Roll the dice, it could be everything you've dreamed of, or your worst nightmare. I've experienced both of those scenarios while living here

I have not met ONE SINGLE person who regretted moving to NC. I myself lived there for twenty years and noticed most people were from somewhere else. They all never looked back.

Flew a few patients to Asheville before. Absolutely loved the mountainous forests from the air.

We tried to drive in central rural NC to visit the kids. Our GPS entered the Twilight Zone. It kept sending us in ever smaller right hand turns on unmarked, unlit roads. We actually had to stop and unfollow the directions. I'm guessing not all roads are properly recorded. Lol

I LOVE how you addressed the negatives in a positive way. I used to live in North Raleigh (Triangle area). Beautiful area, lots of trees and the people were nicer than in the north - which was one reason for moving there. Funny, the city actually shut down completely for a dusting of snow (even grocery stores). The ONLY reason why I moved back to Maryland was because of the job market in NC. I did not have much luck with getting a job that would support me and the bills. I went back to visit MD and got 2 job offers within a few weeks. There is also no reciprocity for my real estate license so I would have had to take the class and test all over again. Now, I am working to build my business including an online business and even getting a license in another state. I would love to move back to NC. Thanks for sharing the tips and this video.

Born and raised in NC but I've lived out of state for the past 14 years most of that time spent in Colorado. Gotta say even as a native the amount of vegetation and the friggin humidity is a bit of shock whenever I go home to visit especially if it's been a while. Where I'm at in Colorado it didn't even hit 70 degrees today, in the first of JUNE. Back home the air would have turned to soup weeks ago lol.

One thing he did not mention is home taxes are extremely high and no programs for seniors! Verses Georgia they had lower home ownership taxes and programs for seniors after the age of 62. You did not pay school taxes. Also they consider the vehicle as a property as if you reside in it and they tax a lot in the vehicles every year! My husband and I (both retired) have to pay for a 20 year old truck and a 5 year old Honda CRV over $400 yearly since we moved here on a fix income. So that is the hardest 2 things we are experiencing since we moved from Georgia 2 + year ago so that we can be near family.

When I moved to North Carolina last year, I found that I had to hide the fact that I was from Southern California as many people were rude and unkind towards me after I told them where I was from. I often got the remark, "please don't bring your liberal politics to our state". It didn't matter that I was a Christian with conservative political views. I found it rather difficult to get to know people there. I'm sure there are some nice people in NC, but in general, I didn't find many. After 5 months, I decided to move out of NC and move to Athens, Georgia.

I would go NC in a heart beat. I love nature and an quiet pace in life!

Having moved here years ago, I believe you nailed it. We live west of Winston Salem and love it. That wasn’t always the case but, our neighbors are cordial and always offering to be helpful. We have a lovely country home with a dog and a cat and wildlife everywhere. This is our home now and we love it complete with bugs, pollen and humidity. You can find any climate need you want in this beautiful State.

Love NC ❤️ very happy to have moved here, was marginalized working homeless. NC is kind to the homeless and don't criminalize it like Florida Because of this found a car park for working homeless, landed a fabulous job which is now a career called a Traveler Field Technician, for now only NC and SC eventually the country. The company pays for my room and boarding at nice hotels I want to save and buy a small piece of land in the country here Beautiful lovely state ❤️

I'm a native New Yorker. I moved to Charlotte in 2007. The only thing I regret is not moving here sooner and the is no outdoor hockey skating rinks. Other than that, I love it.

A major complaint I have here is the roads change names from intersection to intersection depending upon what rich f*ck once owned the land (not to mention the fact it’s a red state and major cities are blue)

Many years ago, after retiring, I stayed in the Outer Banks for several weeks to visit with family. The visit was during December, and I greatly enjoyed the ocean, sand dunes, area history, the people, and the general solitude of the Outer Banks. During that visit, i decided to make Kill Devil Hills my place of retirement and purchase a home within walking distance from the beach. I returned to the OBX in March, acquired a short-term, month-to-month rental in Kitty Hawk, and I lived in a hilly area within eyeshot of the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. I looked at a couple of dozen homes and was excited about making a purchase. However, I decided HOLD OFF making a purchase for 90 to 120 days, in order to familiarize myself with the OBX and NC in general. That self-imposed purchasing moratorium turned out to be an EXCELLENT plan. After three months, the "newness" had worn off, and it became very evident the OBX was not me - at least for a long-term scenario. For one, by the end of spring, the quiet hamlet of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, turned into a noisy, overcrowded beach town filled with self-entitled tourist who took over the entire OBX with rudeness, impatience, and reckless abandon. Worse, when the "locals" discovered I was planning to move from SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA to the OBX - they made it clear it would take years before I would be accepted - if at all. (They openly despised California.) In L.A., I was considered a "Conservative," which is not necessarily a good thing there. However, in the OBX, locals viewed me as a "Liberal from la-la land." Local politics notwithstanding, here are the reasons I decided NOT to purchase a home in the OBX or North Carolina: - THE PEOPLE. Most were nice to my face, but they harbored too much resentment toward "outsiders" - especially from Los Angeles. (They extra-hated people from New Jersey & New York.) - HEALTHCARE. The OBX had third-world medical facilities with nearly zero speciality care available for senior citizens. Serious medical conditions required a several-hour, long drive to Raleigh, NC or an emergency medical helicopter flight to Chesapeake, VA. - RACE RELATIONS. Too much prejudicial behavior from BOTH sides of the skin-color dividing line. - THE WEATHER. Excessive humidity, too many violent thunderstorms, and it was going to be a logistical nightmare for hurricane evacuations and returns. - THE TREES. Just too many trees lining the highways - making distance views almost non-existent. It is like traveling down a narrow hallway at 75 mph. - LIMITED SHOPPING. Although the OBX has improved in recent years, with more grocery stores and Amazon delivery, back in 2009, it was necessary to drive a couple of hours to Chesapeake or Virginia Beach to shop at Costco, Sam's Club, Target, or an indoor mall. - EDUCATION. With the exception of the areas around the "Research Triangle," in general, post-secondary education did not seem a priority in NC. - CUSTOMER SERVICE. Compared to the West Coast, retail customer service, especially in VA, NC, and SC, is absolutely horrible; with a "take it or leave it" mindset. In closing, I highly recommend spending a three to six-month "test period," if possible, PRIOR to purchasing a home in a new "dream location." By the way, I permanently left Southern California (just in time), and I am enjoying the beautiful sunsets and the saguaro cacti of Arizona's magnificent Sonoran Desert. Yes, the summer heat is challenging, but the humidity is very low, 340 days of clear skies and sunshine, and the desert and mountain views are postcard quality. Plus, no earthquakes, tornadoes, sweltering humidity, and much like L.A., neighbors pretty much mind their own business and stay at arms length. °

Great information. Thanks for sharing. I moved to the Winston-Salem area last year and I ended up in a nice community for me, but there are places here that would be miserable for me. As far as summer humidity goes, if you move here and you don't know about it, that's on you. Of course, that's why you take prior scouting trips, if you can. Come at different times of year and visit more than one place. Edit: As far as roads go, I think what confuses people like me from other places is that few, if any, cities here were laid out on a grid system as is common in other parts of the country. Roads here appear to have been established before urban planning was a consideration. As far as the trees go, I like how big they are personally. They can make it confusing to navigate, if you are from the arid West like me. It's common for people in those regions to use large landmarks (mountains, mesas, tall buildings, downtown, etc.) to aid in navigation. Despite that, I think the trees here are worth it.

I can say most of what you are saying is true. I'm from Dallas and moved to Burlington, NC because I got a job at UNC Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill was too expensive. I enjoyed my apt and city was tolerable. Once I got use to moving and going, I realized how much ai love Durham and Charlotte. Raleigh is boring as crap but they have an amazing, solid night life. I lived in Greensboro too and love my particular area and really nice apt but it was boring. I wanna move back. I'm only back here because I need a better paying job to maintain anywhere I go. UNC wasn't paying.

Visited NC once. ONCE. Never again. I was stuck in one of those areas where not going to church set you up to be shunned and insulted. If Jesus is real - he must really REALLY hate the hypocritical conservative Christians who treat anyone different so poorly.

If you're not native born in NC, you're NOT a N Carolinian by the natives.

I bought 16 acres with a trailer and my daughter bought next door with 5 acres and a house. We have our own forest! We love it except for all the places popping up all over here! Luckily have a forest buffer on one side!

The things you describe are the very things i LOVE about NC. I do not, however, like the loss of our small towns. So many people have moved here that you can no longer (except a few isolated cases) live in a small quiet town yet be only a 30 minute drive away from the big city lights. Now to get that small town vibe, you have to move to towns the natives know as holes-in-the-road long distances from a bigger city, and even they are growing too quickly.

I really enjoyed your presentation! I agreed with everything you said! Lol You got a sub! I have been here about 7 years. I used to be outgoing but the whole thing about being nice to your face, is painfully real. I am more reserved now and don't even like to tell folks my last name bc it always gets mispronounced. I found great friends through volunteering so it takes time. I run into so few born and raised North Carolinians and when I do I have heard some of the best storytelling and life experiences that I will always treasure. I did research the area I chose to live. But I sorely underestimated my ability to find work (with benefits) in my industry. It was way more competitive than I thought. Someone posted earlier about the quality of K-12 public school education. The low quality seems to be a legacy of the state, and may have to do with the complicated industrial, agricultural, and related plantation history. However, the state college system and HBCUs here are among the best in the nation. One of my complaints is the lack of sidewalks in a lot of older established neighborhoods and how shoulders along major intersections are not pedestrian friendly. I get sad when I have seen too many folks of all ages and generations try to navigate stormy weather conditions or oppressive heat to catch public transportation and often making multiple connections to go just a few miles. You need a car in most places here. Love the summers when the sun sets after 9 pm from June to mid August though!

I came from Florida and there are way more bugs and snakes here than I have ever seen. Also I 've been called a foreigner more in my entire life when I am asked my last name. I have to say I am a Floridian period. Can't wait to move back.

When I was married, we had a beach house in Brunswick County. It was thoroughly enjoyable and affordable. It was probably the greatest time of my life and my family's.

I've lived in New Bern my entire life, and I have enjoyed every second of it.

I had a friend who moved to the eastern part of NC. I forget which city. After living there for over a year, he said he liked it but the natives still made him feel like a "outsider". I list touch with him and dont know if he still lives there.

Last place I worked we had a guy who transferred from N, Y. C. I was his training driver. We went to the Charlotte area , he got upset because there were not that many street lights on 485! Remember Cary, N. C, acronym for Containment Area for Relocating Yankees! And don't tell me I talk funny.

this was a great general "Welcome to NC" kinda tutorial. My family and i moved from the Philadelphia PA area to Charlotte (now in Huntersville) almost 18 years ago. A lot of what he says is spot on. There is a HUGE difference between Charlotte and Albemarle, Raleigh and Wilson, Asheville and Clay County. It's like this - if it's not for you, keep going. The most frustrating things for me is how over developed the cities have become. I know for my wife and I we do not plan to retire in Huntersville; too many everything. Whether we stay in NC or not is still debatable. Overall I like the state. I like that I can be at the beach or the mountains in a couple of hours. I like that there are trails and green ways for my running activities. I like that people are generally nice (if you get a "bless your heart" - be careful; that cuts both ways). I like that it's not NYC or LA or NJ. I always recommend just like your heard - DO YOUR RESEARCH! Go for a long weekend and check out the area you are looking at. It's worth it. Be well.

Been in Raleigh for 3 years now and my biggest complaint is how small RDU is. I love to travel and prices for flights are so much more compared to larger airports with more direct flights.

We moved from San Diego California 5 years ago and it’s been so wonderful! We are in Johnston county. Not great food options, not many trees like wake forest and Raleigh. I didn’t know I had allergies till NC lol and I still can’t find a church we love like we had in California. but the people are wonderful, I’m currently sitting on my screened in porch in the summer and just hear birds. All that being 7 minutes to Publix our favorite grocery store in the south! Just please don’t move here and try and change the politics or laws that are already in place. At least in my county we carry and mostly have permits to conceal carry. If you don’t like that just don’t move here!

I have only 3 complaint, having owned a farm outside Asheboro For 13 years . 1 is the night time temperature swings, sometimes 40 degrees 80 to 40 and am too stupid and busy to put on coat. 2 my town is a dry town and have to drive nearly 20 miles to buy beer. 3 is I am hearing impaired and can not hear what neighbors are saying they speak softly, except the girl across the road, . Outside of that we fit in and love it. Because we do not come with a better than you attitude. We help them and they help us even though we are from up north. The way it should be.

As someone who’s lived here for almost 15 years (and I will NOT be here in 5 more years) but was moved here by the military and not by choice, I can say this….North Carolina WAS a nice place to live and MAYBE there still are NICE places to live BUT it’s become a ***THOLE REALLY QUICKLY!! Between the EXTREMELY HIGH CRIME RATES here in eastern NC, as well as the INSANE TAXES on top of the fact that the MINIMUM WAGE HASN’T CHANGED IN 15 YEARS AND IS STILL $7.25/HR, there are NOT many reasons to stay. It’s almost like the higher the taxes and the lower the income, the HIGHER THE CRIME RATES AND THE LOWER THE QUALITY OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE AROUND YOU. I still live in a military town/city, I’m a fully disabled combat veteran who lives on a VERY FIXED INCOME. I am looking forward to the day I can move out west. My current state sales tax rate is 6.75%….it’s ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS AND FOR WHAT? YOU GET NOTHING FOR IT!!

The only thing he didn’t mention that North Carolina ranks 52nd behind both Puerto Rico and Guam somehow of labor laws. The labor laws are so ridiculous and archaic we make Alabama look like saints. I’ve lived here for over half my life.

This was a great video and lots of advice about moving to a new state. Im originally from Gastonia ( Gaston Co.). I have lived in Swain County and love the mountains of Bryson City/Cherokee/ GSMNP. NC wasn't for me. The winters are way too cold. (Frozen Pipes and Well Heads) Plus the $400+ power bills are for the birds. Not to mention NC taxes you to death and get little in return. If you love Mountains and cold weather I recommend Seiver Co. TN. The Taxes are cheaper (no state tax) and no annual property tax on your vehicles. But I did the same as on my last move. I moved from SC (York Co.) To South Florida (Glades Co) I love it down there and the endless summer weather! I know someone in Florida who is wanting to move to NC and I will let them know about your Realty.

My issue is all the taxes. Why do I need to pay property tax on my car regardless if I have a car or not?

I’ve been in NC for 2 years from northern Virginia and my biggest complaint is the schools suck. In the rural areas, you pay taxes but it primarily benefits the people in the city part of the county. And I have to go outside of my county to have a good time, essentially putting money into where I don’t live.

I was stationed at Cherry Point for 4 years and I would move back in a heartbeat. I would never move to one of the cities, if I wanted that I would stay were I am right now.