Moving to the South East

Old Mar 4th, 2018, 01:56 PM
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Moving to the South East

Hello. My husband recently accepted a job where he will be responsible for a role in a region of the company from Maryland to Florida, and along the gulf to Louisiana. We will be compliant with the contract as long as we move to any of those states. We are excited for the opportunity, but have done very little travel to any of these states (aside from beaches and tourist locations near beaches) and need to know where to start to look. We have started researching Apex, NC and Charleston, SC and have it in our minds that we will likely move to North or South Carolina or Florida, but we are open to suggestions. We currently live north of Pittsburgh in a rural area and are tired of freezing and driving 25 minutes We plan to start travelling to see where we would like to live with our two little girls, ages 5 and 2. Ideally the place would be very safe (highest priority), warm with temperatures almost always allowing for hours outside - think 70's minimum, within a 45 minute drive to an international or major airport, and with affordable housing (less than $400k) within walking distance to things to do (like historic districts, coffee shops, ice cream, and libraries) but with a large backyard. Any input you can give will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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Old Mar 4th, 2018, 03:01 PM
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If I had the choice of all those states with the travel required, I would be looking just south of Atlanta GA. A few years ago I had a cousin that lived not far south of the Atlanta airport. The place was nicer than anything I've seen in either of the Carolinas. If you don't know Brunswick GA stinks (paper mill).
I like Atlanta for the rail connection to the Amtrak Crescent to go to New Orleans or north as far as Washington DC.
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Old Mar 4th, 2018, 03:27 PM
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Tom,
Thanks for the suggestion! I am seeing online that it looks like people really like Atlanta, but the crime is high. Do you know if there are just some bad areas that I will learn to stay away from or is crime a problem in the majority of Atlanta areas? The crime rate found online is alarming.
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Old Mar 4th, 2018, 04:32 PM
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You might try researching and posting your question on city-data.com
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Old Mar 5th, 2018, 04:28 AM
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Have you considered eastern Maryland? Much warmer than Pittsburg, lots of options for airports,( Baltimore, DC, Philadelphia). Not as hot in summer as farther south. Many good public schools.
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Old Mar 5th, 2018, 09:22 AM
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The areas Tom is likely referring to south of the Atlanta airport are not really affected by crime in Atlanta itself. If proximity to a major airport is an important factor, I think your main choices are the towns south of the Atlanta airport or those just south of Charlotte's airport (Fort Mill, Tega Cay or even Pineville if I wanted to be closer to the city). I'd also look at Belmont and Mount Holly on the west side of town.
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Old Mar 6th, 2018, 02:48 AM
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Brian brings Charlotte and its environs into the mix, and I agree with him. This is really a nice place to live. The airport is one of the best in the country. Lots of good places IN the city proper and where Brian mentioned. Pick your school and find the house you like.
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Old Mar 6th, 2018, 07:01 AM
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What emalloy wrote. Annapolis, Maryland area. For easiest access to BWI airport, the Western Shore would be a safer bet*. Easton, Md. is very nice but it is on the Eastern Shore. It would be about 2 hours to Philadelphia airport. Dulles airport is about 1.5 hours from Annapolis (traffic permitting).

*The Bay Bridge, which joins the Eastern and Western shores of Md., occasionally closed down or experiences delays. One can drive from east to west but driving up and over but it adds time. Since convenient access to airports would be important, that's why I mention this.

Can anyone weigh in about Savannah?
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Old Mar 6th, 2018, 05:15 PM
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I have no idea how good the schools are but I thought Waxhaw, NC was adorable when I spent a few hours there.
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Old Mar 7th, 2018, 03:00 AM
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Waxhaw IS "adorable". It is also LONG hike to get to the airport.
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Old Mar 7th, 2018, 04:05 PM
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Annapolis is $$$$. I have friends there and the prices for homes there are crazy pricey. I like Virginia Beach but we are retired military so it has a huge support system for us. I live in Florida, so much crime and drugs here. Politically a very red state. Amelia Island would appeal somewhat to me though.I do like to visit there. My cousin lives in Waxhall. Charlotte does have a good airport. Asheville is nice. I moved to Fl from Delaware and it was a culture shock. Be prepared.
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Old Mar 7th, 2018, 06:16 PM
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If I had small children my first choice would be Mt. Pleasant SC and second choice would be Wake County in North Carolina. We live in Charleston SC but would move in a heartbeat to Mt.Pleasant with young children. Wake County in NC has excellent schools but as all areas in US you need to research the school district and the school in each area.

Congrats to you and your husband!
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Old Mar 8th, 2018, 05:47 AM
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Yes, one can pay millions but not all of Annapolis area is 'crazy pricey' Macross. In general, the D.C. area is one of the more expensive places in the U.S. but quite a few of us pauvres manage to live "small".
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Old Mar 8th, 2018, 12:58 PM
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think 70's minimum

Well if you mean 70 degrees Fahrenheit year-round minimum, I think that would eliminate most those states you mentioned, would it not?

Maryland, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Virginia, even Florida... on a quick Google search for "temperatures low high" for each state all show winter temps in the 50's or even 40's.
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Old Mar 8th, 2018, 05:25 PM
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"We currently live north of Pittsburgh in a rural area and are tired of freezing and driving 25 minutes "

Hey, I may have driven past your house yesterday! A couple of weeks ago I was in PA and my "commute" was behind a snowplow!

If you want some mountains but a fabulous place to live, Asheville. Wonderful place and good schools. Pretty much anywhere from there to Atlanta would be good choices, a little bit rural but good schools. Atlanta would be great for your husband who needs to fly a lot and there are some really good school districts. Bad traffic during morning and afternoon commute but not bad to the airport. City of Decatur schools are great. DeKalb County schools, less so. School districts north of the city have very good school districts. Traffic can be bad down to the airport but he could time his flights. LOTS of businessmen (and women) end their careers in Atlanta because they fall in love with the weather, cost of living, amenities and just don't want to be transferred elsewhere. If you consider private schools, that opens up more options. A main consideration for your husband will be direct flights. The Asheville airport is a joy to fly in and out of, but has limited flights, most connecting through Atlanta. If Greenville SC has direct flights for his locations, that would be a great choice too (driving down from Asheville). I'm not a big fan of the eastern side of the Carolinas. I quit a job so I wouldn't have to move to Charlotte (no lie) but Charlotte-Meck schools are pretty good. Friends from Florida recently retired to the hills of Virginia (between Richmond and Charlottesville) and that could work for you. Good luck. Oh, and re crime in Atlanta. There are some areas in the City of Atlanta that have serious crime. But when people say "Atlanta" they mean the much bigger metro Atlanta area. Those areas do not have the crime you are concerned about. Having said that, a lot of the younger ones are moving back IN to the city of Atlanta because in town neighborhoods have changed SO much. There are some EXCELLENT Atlanta (APS) schools. Many send their kids to private schools too. With the tradeoff in cost of living that often is an affordable option. If you want to check out intown neighborhoods, Morningside and Virginia-Highlands are two of the best. There are numerous other more trendy, in town neighborhoods. I have about a dozen realtor friends IN Atlanta, so if you want references at some point PM me.
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Old Mar 9th, 2018, 01:12 PM
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sorry, Annapolis Maryland is not 70 plus most of the year and not cheap. Eastern Maryland beyond that wouldn't fit any of the criteria (ie, Eastern Shore) as it's not even that close to airports.
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Old Mar 14th, 2018, 12:05 PM
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Originally Posted by suze
think 70's minimum

Well if you mean 70 degrees Fahrenheit year-round minimum, I think that would eliminate most those states you mentioned, would it not?

Maryland, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Virginia, even Florida... on a quick Google search for "temperatures low high" for each state all show winter temps in the 50's or even 40's.
Yes, I'm seeing the same thing. I just wrote it like that to specify what I meant by good weather. The other day it was warmer here than in High Point!
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Old Mar 14th, 2018, 12:09 PM
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Thanks for all the suggestions. We are planning a road trip to NC for next month to check out the Raleigh, Charlotte, and Wilmington areas.
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Old Mar 15th, 2018, 06:08 AM
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The best way to "see" a new town is to make an appointment with a realtor IMO. I have NO connection to any here, but of course, have friends. But reliable realtors in Charlotte are Dickens-Mitchner, Tate, Bissell-Hayes. All these are locally owned for many years.
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Old Mar 15th, 2018, 06:23 AM
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Eastern Shore of Maryland is within 2 hours of Philadelphia Airport. Dover Del has a small airport (can't say how it would work for OP).
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