# Where should I live in North/South Carolina? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 29, 2000, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623 "2000-12-29T03:09:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/1 "2000-12-29T03:09:45Z")
S.o. wants us to move to Florida, Jacksonville area, after we marry. Florida is a nice place to visit, but I don’t want to live there, especially in the summer. We’re now in the D. C. area, and I want to move south, but North and South Carolina appeal to me. (We’ve visited both states and Georgia, but very briefly, on our trips to Fla.) I defintely do not want to live in a huge metropolitan area like D.C. I’m interested in a smaller, well established city, preferably of some historic interest (e.g.,Charleston), decent job opportunities, near water (doesn’t have to be the ocean - river or lake will do). Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/2 "2000-12-29T04:20:57Z")
What do you do for a living and have you considered eastern Tennessee? ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/3 "2000-12-29T04:37:30Z")
Before I settled in North Alabama, I seriously considered Greenville SC. It’s a really nice place, and the economy (5 years ago) was really starting to grow. I also checked the Knoxville area. If you don’t have any place in particular in mind, and you’re either military or in a tech field, Huntsville AL is very highly rated, and right by the Tennessee River. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/4 "2000-12-29T04:58:28Z")
**Sycorax** , I think this thread will get a better reception and more and better opinions in In My Humble Opinion, so I’m going to move it over there. ---
**Author:** ![Meephead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@Meephead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meephead)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/5 "2000-12-29T05:55:05Z")
I recently visited a friend in [Concord, NC](http://www.ci.concord.nc.us/). It is a nice quiet medium sized town north of Charlotte. It is close enough to Charlotte to be able to take advantage of the job market there, but is far enough out that you don’t seem to have the hustle and bustle associated with the city as much. It is within a few hours of the coast, not as close to water as you mentioned, but there are a few lakes within 30 miles or so, as well. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/6 "2000-12-29T16:13:14Z")
If I were going to move to the Carolinas (which I’m not), my first choice would be Charleston, SC. Wonderfully funky city - lots of old houses and Spanish moss, and great restaurants. Got the Spoleto festival every summer, and it looks like a lot’s going on with music, art, etc., in between. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/7 "2000-12-29T16:35:05Z")
The only place really worth living in SC is Charleston. It has history, culture and class. NC has some great stuff–The Triangle area (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill), even though I’d avoid Durham; Wilmington at the beach–Beach, College town, East Coast Hollywood; and the mountains are really nice too. ---
**Author:** ![Zumba\_The\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/779978/32.png) [@Zumba\_The\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zumba_The_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/8 "2000-12-29T17:32:22Z")
I love Wilmington NC. Here is my list of reasons why Wilmington is the best place to live. Fastest growing city in NC On the ocean and a river Local and professional theater AAA baseball team A University and community college Historic down town district More resturants then you can count (even a few really good ones) Plenty of job opportunites (several big plants like GE and Corning) 1 hour from Myrtle Beach SC Screen Gems motion picture studio (currently home to Dawson’s Creek, a Martin Lawerence movie and next month a John Travolta movie) ---
**Author:** ![supersaiyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/46a35a/32.png) [@supersaiyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supersaiyan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/9 "2000-12-29T17:43:13Z")
If you want to live in North Carolina, you must live in Charlotte. It has parts that are like a big city, and other parts like a small city. Anyway, I lived there for 4 years, and I liked it. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/10 "2000-12-29T19:01:01Z")
I moved away in horror from Wilmington to the Triangle region a few years ago, so I’d like to make some responses to Zumba the Cat’s comments. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zumba The Cat \* > \*\*I love Wilmington NC. Here is my list of reasons why Wilmington is the best place to live. > > Fastest growing city in NC > _Which is easy if your population is only about 100,000. It’s still a “one mall town”._ > > On the ocean and a river > _Nice river and nice ocean. Also approximately 5 hurricanes in the last 4 years_ > > Local and professional theater > _okay but but nothing special_ > > AAA baseball team > _Last time I looked the Wilmington Waves were a single-A team, planning to play at Brooks Field, which has that depression-era ambiance. Contrast this with a real AAA team, the Durham Bulls, playing in their new state-of-the-art stadium_ > > A University and community college > _UNC-Wilmington, “UNC-by-the-sea”, an okay regional college. Please compare with the Triangle’s Univ. of North Carolina, NC State, and Duke, plus numerous smaller colleges_ > > Historic down town district > More resturants then you can count (even a few really good ones) > _Can’t argue with these–they’ve done a real nice job fixing up the downtown section_ > > Plenty of job opportunites (several big plants like GE and Corning) > _gotta argue with this–limited job opportunities at depressed wages. Also, a fairly high cost of living for the South_ > > 1 hour from Myrtle Beach SC > _I like Myrtle Beach, and would choose living there over Wilmington_ > > Screen Gems motion picture studio (currently home to Dawson’s Creek, a Martin Lawerence movie and next month a John Travolta movie) > _John Travolta? Really? I must pack my bags immediately!_ > \*\* ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/11 "2000-12-29T19:40:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*whitetho said:\*1 hour from Myrtle Beach SC > I like Myrtle Beach, and would choose living there over Wilmington. Really? I wouldn’t. I live just south (5 miles) of Myrtle Beach and _really_ don’t like it. I’m from the D.C. area originally, lived in Salt Lake City, then Raleigh, now here. I’ve been here 3 years and have had a lot of trouble adjusting. (We’re hoping to be out of here in 24 months…I’m counting the days.) Issues I have: - Rampant pushy, fundamental Christians. My company says prayers to Jesus during conference calls. At a business meeting last week, a woman I had never met asked me where I went to church. When I told her I didn’t, I got the you’ll-realize-the-error-of-your-ways-soon-enough lecture. The Carolinas are, of course, part of the Bible Belt. If you think that will bother you, don’t move here. Raleigh was a lot better, and my experience of Charleston shows it’s not as bad, either. - Good ol’ Boy network. If you’re planning on working here, the network of locals is a tough nut to crack, especially if you’re in any sort of sales-related business. You need connections and you need to play the game. - Blatant racism & homophobia. I am consistently shocked at how open the people I’ve met seem about their racism…racist jokes, racist comments, racist commercials. Homophobia is worse. There is a very small-town, insular attitude here. I’m sure in a bigger city (Raleigh, Charleston), you wouldn’t encounter this as much. In big cities, I’m sure it exists, but you don’t have to listen to it every day. - Jobs are few and far between. If you’re not in the hospitality industry, it’s difficult to find a job here. Unless, of course, you’re a physical therapist…my husband’s looking to hire! 🙂 I’d recommend Raleigh or Charleston. I’ve also heard great things about Columbia and I _love_ Greenville, although I’ve never lived there. ---
**Author:** ![Tommy\_the\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Tommy\_the\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tommy_the_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/12 "2000-12-29T19:48:00Z")
Grew up in Knoxville and can highly recommend it. But, that isn’t really what you’re looking for. If you are looking for a cool, kind of artsy town, you simply cannot beat Ashville. I used to drive through there on my way down to Hilton Head. Ashville is absolutely beautiful. I can’t say too much about it other than that, but it was great to drive through. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/13 "2000-12-29T19:49:40Z")
The only place in either state I would consider living would be the mountains along the N.C.-Tenn. border. I like mountain and hill country, rural settings, and especially, **cold** weather. I once found some climate information for some small town in western N.C. and it colder than where I live now, in Maine. I’ve never been down there, but I’d love to go. My sister has visited Asheville N.C., the Great Smokey Mountains, and Knoxville Tenn. She loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Tommy\_the\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Tommy\_the\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tommy_the_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/14 "2000-12-29T19:52:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by C3 \* > \*\*I’d recommend Raleigh or Charleston. I’ve also heard great things about Columbia and I _love_ Greenville, although I’ve never lived there. \*\* I also went to grad school in Clemson, S.C., about 30-45 minutes from Greenville. When we’d drive into town, we had a great time. It seemed really nice. Kind of a homey feeling larger sized town. Clemson was great, but you better be a student or work for the university, because there is NOTHING else there. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/15 "2000-12-29T20:01:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by whitetho \* > \*\* > 1 hour from Myrtle Beach SC > _I like Myrtle Beach, and would choose living there over Wilmington_ > \*\* \*\* [/QUOTE] I just moved from Myrtle Beach…trust me, MB is a hole. A cultural wasteland and and intellectual desert. (Hi, **C3** –still sucks up there I see. Glad nothing’s changed) It is a tourist town with tourist values. Each intersection has at least two beachwear stores and there are more strip clubs than bookstores. Avoid it. Avoid it like the plague. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/16 "2000-12-29T22:24:00Z")
Jacksonville, FL is in northern Florida, and isn’t that much hotter than the Carolina coast, in my experience; maybe 5 degrees fahrenheit. For a cooler summer, you could try some place inland. If you like snow, Ashville, NC, in the Smoky Mountains, is a beautiful place to live, and cool in the summer. I have friends living in the area who love it. I, myself, lived in Charlotte and Chapel Hill (in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park) and enjoyed living in both areas. Both would be great areas to start a family, IMHO. Charlotte is a big city, but, as **supersaiyan** notes, it doesn’t have a big-city mentality. I don’t know much about good South Carolina areas, though, except for feeling that, as others have noted, Myrtle Beach is a pit. ---
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2000, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/17 "2000-12-30T06:44:56Z")
We have spent some time in Myrtle Beach and I wasn’t impressed - never considered it as a place to live. A co-worker told me she lived in Wilmington for a few years and experienced the “good 'ol boy” thing and couldn’t take it – moved back here. Visited Charleston only long enough for the Ft. Sumter tour and a quick drive thru, but liked what I saw. Have driven thru some of the others mentioned. We’re going down in February for our annual vacation and I’ll make it a point to see more of some of these places mentioned. Thanks much everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2000, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/18 "2000-12-30T15:26:02Z")
Yep, It’d be Charleston for me, too. Get me a big-ass house on Tradd Street with those huge open second-story porches, and tend my garden all day. Azaleas as high as an elephant’s eye, man. Eat rice and worship my ancestors. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/19 "2001-01-04T15:57:50Z")
C3: rampant chrsitians? Sounds like my kind of place. I’m thinking of anywhere on the east coast, except Florida, myself. Hows Virginia Beach? Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Modian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Modian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Modian)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623/20 "2001-01-04T16:48:17Z")
Charlotte is my choice. I’m thinking of moving there now. Of course, all my family already lives there or somewhere in NC. I love it down there, especially compared to DC. As far back as we’ve been able to trace our family (early 1700’s), they’ve lived in NC. Mostly the mountains, and I still have family in Marion. My dad is quite proud of being a mountain hick, and being Southern, even though he now spends weekends on his yacht. _shrug smilie_ > [@](#): > > Blatant racism & homophobia. I am consistently shocked at how open the people I’ve met seem about their racism…racist jokes, racist comments, racist commercials. Homophobia is worse. There is a very small-town, insular attitude here. I’m sure in a bigger city (Raleigh, Charleston), you wouldn’t encounter this as much. In big cities, I’m sure it exists, but you don’t have to listen to it every day. This happened recently to me. Over xmas, I was visiting my mom and grandparents, who live next door to each other on Lake Norman outside Charlotte. I was talking to my grandmother about daytime tv for some reason, and she straight out says “There’s no more good shows on during the day. All they have are blacks. Blacks taking over everything on daytime tv” :eek: I have an aunt in Wimington, but haven’t been there since '89, so no idea what it’s like now. But I’ll always have warm feelings of it cause thats where I got my first real kiss. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live-in-north-south-carolina/47623.md?page=2)