I'm considering a move from Ohio to Winston-Salem. However, I don't know anything about this town. What's it like? Are there any universities/colleges there? What's the climate like? What about housing (rents)? Looks like the closest airport is Greensboro . . . what's it like? How far away is it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Listen, Jerks:

I am not a troll. I have a specific job opportunity that I am considering, and have found most of the people on this site to be an invaluable resource when it comes to learning more about an area. And Austin, this is the FIRST place I have looked, but it doesn't mean it's the last. . .

And I have found most trolls to be worded as to goad people into making negative responses (questions like "Is x city a dump?"), and if you would bother to actually READ my post (if you're both capable of it), you'd see that my questions were very straightforward.

So, are there any INTELLIGENT and HELPFUL people who would like to answer my questions?!?

Thanks!

LT, I live in W-S and like it here. It's a comparatively small city. Downtown is pretty dead at night. Wake Forest University is here in town. Wake is a very pretty private college. NC School of the Arts and Winston-Salem State University are also here, along with Forsyth Technical Community College. We generally have very nice springs and autumns; the summer can get pretty hot and the humidity is high. Winters are relatively mild, though we do sometimes get snowstorms and it can get pretty cold. The Greensboro airport is easy to get to on Interstate 40 and not that far from Winston-Salem. I own my home, so I can't really tell you about rent costs. I can tell you that building a house here is more expensive than building a house in the, say, Atlanta area.

Jack, you forgot to mention the WS is overrun with Moravians.

Old Salem, an area of town, sort of like Williamsburg, showing life of the original settlers.

LT, listen to poster jj. WS is now calling itself the "City of Arts," and have added some festivals to make is more arty. The closest airport is Greensboro, but the trip along I-40 can be a real pain. There has been road constructin on I-40 since the beginning of time.

I would guess WS city or chamber would have a web site with relocation info to help determine rental prices.

There is certainly a good-sized community of blacks and Hispanics in Winston-Salem, but not overly so. Also, I wouldn't entirely classify W-S as blue collar. As I said earlier, I like it here, but it's not for everyone.
As ncgirrl says, road construction on I-40 can be a pain, but from W-S to Greensboro, traffic doesn't generally get back until you're pretty close to the airport.

LT,

jj and ncgrrl gave you some good info. My wife & I made W/S our home for 15 years and only recently left.

We loved W/S; it is a city of approx. 160,000 (in a metro area of over a million: Greensboro, High Point & W/S).

W/S has more than its share of nice, innovative restaurants, art galleries (larger, such as SECCA, and smaller, such as Creative Heart/Urban Artware), and although it cycles, good theater.

Traffic is non-existent for the most part, due to decent roads for the population. The NC mountains are about 1.5 to 2 hours away; you can get to the beach (Myrtle Beach or southern NC beaches) in 4 hours.

As to the airport, direct flights from GSO are limited, so you'll usually connect in Charlotte (if you fly USAIR). For that reason, I often just drove to Charlotte to get a direct flight--you can get to the airport in 1.5 hours.

Lastly--visit W/S for a few days. And stay near downtown and Old Salen, at the Brookstown Inn--eat at South By Southwest across the street; walk to Old Salem. Venture out to the section of town called West End; then to Wake Forest via Reynolda Road; and maybe to Tanglewood Park (about 20 minutes west of town on I-40). This will give you a good feel for the city.

jj, ncgrrl & chuck:

Many thanks for your insights. Sounds like W-S is pretty much your average small city, which is something that appeals to me.

jj: I must admit that I was taken aback by your comments about building a home costing more in W-S than in Atlanta. Why?!?

Anyone else out there with any helpful insights?

Thanks!

I've lived in WS all my life and although I love to travel and have done quite a bit, I would not choose to live anywhere else.

WS is exactly mid-way between Washington, DC and Atlanta (6 hours in either direction). It is accessible by a couple of major interstate highways (I-40 and US 52) and while we do have our rush hour, it does not compare with other larger cities. I live about 20 miles from my office and can be home in 15 minutes, even during rush hour.

We have excellent upscale restaurants and family restaurants as well. We enjoy all four seasons -- glorious autumns in full color, lovely snows, breathtaking springtimes, and yes, sunshine and heat in the summer - perfect for that backyard barbeque.

We have a diverse population which is a plus in my estimation and excellent educational opportunities -- Wake Forest University, Salem College, WS State University, NC School of the Arts -- and a progessive public school system.

We have a major health care facility in Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and the biotech research industry here is growing by leaps and bounds.

Average cost of moderately size family single-family home is $165,000 in a good neighborhood. There are more and less expensive, depending on where you want to live, but there are also many, many options.

We can be in the mountains of NC in less than 2 hours or at the Atlantic coast in less than 5. Our neighbors are High Point (high end furniture for low end prices), Greensboro (airport), Charlotte (major metropolitan center with all the traffic you could ask for) and Mt. Airy, the home of Andy Griffith.

Ya'll come. You won't be sorry.

Is there a typical college section of the city, maybe close to one of the colleges mentioned? An area that is alive and vibrant - restaurants, shops, etc, like most college town have?

What would you say are the best things and the worst about Winston-Salem?

Thanks so much.

LT, I don't mean to mislead you about housing costs. I know the first time I really noticed the housing cost difference to be true was when my sister built a house in Atlanta and knowing what it cost -- and knowing what a very comparable house here in
W-S was on the market for -- quite a large difference! Since then, I have casually checked around on the cost of housing, and I can't tell you why the cost often seems to be more here than in many other places, but it does seem to be the case.
That being said, what Paige mentions is also true. I would say you could get a fair house in a nice enough neighborhood for $165,000, but certainly not a large house with lots of anemities. But definitely doable.

Judy,

W/S does not have a typical *college area* such as the ones in Chapel Hill. As far as best and worst, my take is:

Best--unpretentious people, with a good mix of artistic/individualistic folks thrown into the mix; good amenities for its size; nice seasons; and it has inertia (tends to stay on its course; it's a home that is constant as opposed to variable--so if dependability and comfort are more important to you, it's great, whereas if change & trends are your bag, it will seem boring).

Worst--economy is not all that great. This doesn't seem to affect the city itself, but on an individual basis if you lose your job, finding another one in town is not as easy as in a bigger town with more opportunities.

Paige,

your post made me homesick for good old W/S!