I would recommend spending an extended period of time, say one to three months, in the area you’d like to move to before you actually move. Ideally, you’ll do it at least twice…once in winter and once in summer, just to make sure you’re okay with the seasons.
You don’t want to uproot and move to a strange place and find out you loathe it. I don’t know what your finances are, but I would strongly recommend a long vacation (or a working vacation) before you move.
Doesn’t everyone have a prejudice against Californians? 
I haven’t seen any particular prejudice against Westerners in general.
I’ve lived in Colorado for 20 years and before that I was in Virginia. I get called a Yankee all the time when I am in the South. I’ve never lived in a Union state in my life.
It seems that to the average Southerner, “not Southern” = Yankee.
Interestingly enough, a friend of mine was telling me about a Wall Street Journal article he recently read about a company that moved from SoCal to SC. The 2 bosses got on a jet with the company server on a paid seat between them and flew to SC. They cited lower taxes, lower health insurance and benefit costs, and better workforce.
KayT, wonder if your husband read the same article?
No, sprocket’s post does a disservice to polite people who have relocated to the South. I live in Atlanta, which has probably as many non-southerners as it does native southerners. If life here was as terrible as Bettie & sprocket would have you believe, that probably wouldn’t be the case.
In my experience, the “yankees” who complain the loudest about poor treatment absolutely beg to be treated that way. What makes you think I want to hear about how terrible you find the South, or what a utopia you left in the Northeast?? The fact that sprocket thought it would appropriate to tar all southerners with the same brush, then get upset when some folks took exception to it… well, that probably tells you all you need to know.
You know, this is pretty weak, I have rarely met a group more willing to strike up a conversation about anything the residents of NYC. The difference is not a willingness to talk, but that New Yorkers talk quicker, keep doing other things while talking and generally bustle around more. The south in general is a lot more laid back and New Yorkers and many near New York are more prone to multitasking in everyday life.
I have struck up conversations much more easily in NYC than anywhere except Glasgow. For some reason Glasgowians(??) are extremely effusive. I recall New Orleans, Chicago & San Francisco to be close to New York in striking up conversations. I did not experience this much in Florida, Virginia or West Virginia. I can’t speak to the Carolinas. San Diego and LA were not places of easy conversation, I have no idea why.
Sorry, I have been following this thread and I found the debate that sprung up interesting, but I am surprise by the mischaracterization of New Yorkers and by the reception that some poster are talking about getting in the south.
Anyway, I know several people that relocated to North Carolina and like everything but the summers.
Jim
Even the summers aren’t that bad. I’ve never been hotter than waiting on the subway platform in work clothes in the middle of August in NYC.
I’ve seen the good and bad of people in NC/SC and in NY/NJ. As with most things, it’s individuals that are usually the problem, not groups.
Well said.
Look into area around Wilmington, NC, pop. 100,000 or adjacent Brunswick County on the s.e. corner of the state, abutting SC. There is a Starbuck’s IN the B&N and another one a few doors down. It’s been in the upper 70’s there for the last 3 weeks but is lacking 2 feet of rain for last year. You’ll be used to the terrible traffic, too. No Trader Joe’s, yet.
Aiken is gorgeous and awesome. It will not have a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe’s, sorry. Even Columbia doesn’t have those. (Whole Foods in Charleston and Greenville, I think.) However, Aiken is an incredible place, I believe it’s one of those “most liveable cities”. And don’t listen to the people who’d have you think the South is full of mouth breathing racist gay-beatin’ assholes, either. I’d seriously consider moving to Aiken if I didn’t have so many things tying me to Columbia.
Well thanks! Geez, you didn’t think any of us had internet access? Or phone lines? Or could read?
Oh, and I hate to post three times in the same thread at once, but I have to tell you, IMHO Charlotte sucks. It’s boring and soulless. If you want the South but are concerned that it isn’t cosmopolitan enough, consider a university town like Columbia. Of course then there’s the football thing. A lot of people love Asheville, of course, as well - it’s famous for being a liberal patchouli-smelling enclave. People also like the Greenville/Spartanburg area, but I think it’s boring too. Allow me to put in a vote for Columbia, which has a wonderful zoo, the 2001 Library of the Year, a kind of shitty state university, and me!
ETA - if you’re interested, I bought an 1800 square foot 1928 Craftsman-style home very close in-town in a historical district in excellent repair with a double lot for $175,000. I am exactly two miles from work. It was a lot of money for me but I imagine that’s what your garden shed cost you in California. Real estate in places like Aiken is probably even cheaper.
If you are thinking about NC instead of SC, check out Pittsboro and Hillsborough, NC. They’re both within spitting distance of Chapel Hill (your prototypical college town with all the Whole Foods and Starbucks you could dream of.) The Trader Joe’s won’t be here until next year, though.
I’m going to politely disagree, and agree at the same time. I know this is your opinion, Zsofia. I’m just tossing in my .02 as a Charlotte-area resident. When we moved here we were surprised by the lack of what we considered traditional Southern charm. The architecture, etc. wasn’t what we thought of as a Southern city. Charlotte seems to lack any real identity (other than the NASCAR relationship.) There are so many transplants here that it’s not that common to meet a native Charlottean.
However, I wouldn’t call it boring, personally. We have NFL football, NBA basketball, NASCAR, ECHL hockey and minor league baseball for sports fans. There are plenty of good (non-chain) restaurants, and more popping up all the time because Johnson & Wales has a campus in town. We have the new whitewater rafting center, which is pretty cool. Carowinds amusement park is here. We’re a few hours from the mountains, and a few from the ocean. So, there is a lot to do, IMO.
I popped in to suggest North Carolina. I lived in the Chapel Hill area for most of the 1980s and it’s a good area. The university being there means there are a lot of cultural opportunities that you wouldn’t find in other parts of the state. As Diomedes notes, Hillsborough and Pittsboro are both close (Hillsborough is in fact the county seat of the county Chapel Hill is in, Orange County). Chapel Hill is one of the corners of the “Research Triangle” which brings in a lot of high-tech companies and research facilities; the other cities are Durham and Raleigh. I don’t know what housing prices are like there these days (we left in 1989) but Chapel Hill itself is probably pricier than if you move a little way out. Though it’s surely cheaper than the LA area! There’s decent shopping - if you can’t find what you want in Chapel Hill, there’s always Durham (12 miles away) and Raleigh (25ish).
The weather will be a shock. It never gets too dreadful in the winter, but the summers are muggy. Of course, most people have air conditioning so I never found it that burdensome.
We fantasize about moving back to Chapel Hill as retirees 
Probably never will, however - I doubt we’d recognize it after being away for so long, plus in our situation it’s likely we’ll have Dweezil living with us, and that would be unnecessarily disruptive for him.
BTW, the sheriff in Aiken county for a number of years is Mike Hunt. Seriously. Representing the area so well that Mike Hunt IS Aiken.
I really appreciate all the info. Have to say, the whole area sounds more desirable than I thought, exp. since so many Dopers are there, a definite good sign.
(but I don’t want to leave California!)
ETA I grew up in Illinois so muggy is not new territory for me. The culture shock is more of a worry than the climate I think.
You know, if you don’t want to leave California, you need to discuss that with your husband. Both of you should be in agreement over such a life-changing event.
Ivylass, I know. We try. He gets depressed at the idea of staying here & I get depressed at the idea of leaving. What to do? Surely we don’t have to face the idea of one of us being miserable no matter what…maybe we should move someplace he doesn’t like either so we can both be miserable? Any ideas about how to resolve this are welcome!
kayT - My sister lives outside of Pheonix. I don’t like the DelWebb mega-communities on small lots, but she has Whole Foods (and what she likes better Sprouts , Trader Joe’s and all kinds of retail and restaurants. You’re within a few hour’s drive from San Diego. Within driving distance from mountains and artsy communities. And you don’t have to worry about cold.
I live in Middle Tennessee. We have a tiny bit of winter, but not anything to stress about. We don’t have a Trader Joe’s, but there is a Whole Foods, bunches of Starbucks and B&N. It’s bible belt, but most people won’t bother you too much about your lack of faith.The majority are conservative, but you will have plenty of company as a liberal. Cost of living is typical of the SE, a lot less than SoCal. Gas is about $2.94 here right now. 2% milk is $3.65 or so. Home prices can vary widely by what county you choose. Nashville has pro football and pro hockey, a brand new state-of-the-art symphony center paid for by private funds, and a decent library and an art museum that gets a lot of good travelling exhibits. Do you and your husband have any specific interests or hobbies between eating and reading and drinking coffee?
I forgot to mention that we have Vanderbilt University and hospital here. Although your health may be great now, it’s probably a good thing as you age to have good medical facilities nearby.
StG