Posted on 08/19/2016 8:30:58 AM PDT by nuconvert
Thinking of retiring to western N.C. I'd love a log cabin in the mountains with modern amenities, but don't want to be too far from Dr's, grocery shopping, hospitals, etc., so a good mtn view would suffice. I've been looking north, west & east of Asheville and also in the Lenoir area and further south of Lenoir.
I'm watching the weather, and reading N.C newspapers and it seems like flooding can be a real problem.
Any suggestions/warnings from North Carolinians, especially regarding areas to avoid, would be helpful.
Thanks
Western nc is very expensive. retiring there requires a boatload of money. also, Asheville is now overrun by hippies and the Uber left.
This website might be of use. You can see and start discussions on a particular state.
IF..ya got twitter give
@SenFrankNiceley a shout..he’s just over yonder
IN TN
The Murphy/Andrews area has the amenities of civilization but reside in the Smokies. Murphy is ten miles from Tennessee and ten miles from Blue Ridge GA. My wife is from Murphy so I am more familiar with that area. Many new comers are retirees.
Be sure to look at Black Mountain, not far from Asheville. Lovely community in the mountains so no worries about flooding.
You could do worse -
North Carolina is rated the 19th freest state:
http://www.freedominthe50states.org/
Relatives there love Asheville and Hendersonville - winters not too bad, fall is gorgeous in the nearby Blue Ridge mts.
Bear in mind that ongoing cultural enrichment of HUNDREDS of migrant Muslim Syrian and Somali refugees may color your experience as a time goes by. (Locals are p1ssed about how many are being placed there).
Viva ‘l difference!
I’m seeing a lot of homes online (Zillow, etc) for under $160,000 and that’s my preferred max. I don’t intend to be in Asheville unless necessary.
Boone is another N.C. city to explore and Blowing Rock, N.C. (artists community, or was years ago).
I like what I’ve seen on online of Black Mountain and that’s a real consideration.
I lived in Granite Falls (in the middle of Morganton/Hickory/Lenoir triangle) pretty cheap. Mom lives near Rutherfordton (reminds her of Mayberry, RFD), reasonable place and prices. Her brother lived in a cabin in Tennessee, just north of Boone, NC. Boone is a funky little college town, but expensive.
You'd have to make a trip there and do some serious house hunting for a few weeks anyway, to get a feel for the range.
If you are a Yankee (I am), just remember that the Civil War isn't over, and a good part of that southern hospitality is a put on. Good people, on the whole, but they will be suspicious of you and like anyplace, many will take advantage of you if they can. "The law" from cops and child welfare to judges is an inbred, dirty system, but tolerates outsider lawyers to play serious with them.
Lake Lure is a lovely area SE of Asheville.....so are areas west of Asheville...Brevard, Pisgah, Barnardsville, Weaverville, Sapphire. Many small farmer/land owners willing to sell acreage at very reasonable rates. My suggestion would be to choose an area that you are interested in and subscribe to the local newspaper....it gives you a great idea of what the day-to-day living is like and also of real estate opportunities in the area......we moved from Western suburbs of Chicago to WNC 10 years ago and would not even DREAM of going back.....
Looks wonderful. Are there good medical facilities/hospitals nearby?
I lived in NC a long time, and the mountain area is very pretty.
But, as mentioned, Asheville has gone hippy-dippy. If you like new england liberals, you will fit right in.
A little further up toward Grandfather Mountain, it gets rather rural. I do remember one or two winters where the public schools were closed for more than 4 weeks due to ice and snow. Not a blizzard, just a little more ice every few days. Not a good retirement area, IMHO.
Getting down toward the north side/NW side/ of Winston Salem still feels hilly, and you have healthcare, shopping, and services you would find in a large metro area, but more of a small town feel.
I still have my NC lifetime hunting license, and really need to get back there before long.
I have spent a lot of time in Western Carolina near Asheville.
I think if I were you, I would simple stay in your cabin. I don’t think any place in that area is so far from civilization to keep you from driving to the hospital etc. in a relatively short time.
If it really bothers you get a heavy duty 4wd, powerful generator and large tank.
I thought about retiring there too but my income was just too low to afford it. If I had to do it again I might have moved to a location such as Old Fort or Marion which are very near the mountanis but have reasonable cost of living
My advice would be to have a look at upstate SC instead. It’s an easy drive to all the attractions of Western NC, a similar climate, and you don’t have to be with all the crazy taxes, prices, and annoying hippies.
Try looking around Waynesville.
Asheville ultra lib and huge collection of butches but offers a lot
Western NC is a big swath
Cashiers and Highlands in the sw corner are pricey but southern
Grandfather and Banner Elk and Linville ridge area in the nw used to be south Florida heavily Jewish summer retreat but it’s changed of late and more Carolina folks
Year round there is rough in winter up high....above 3500 feet it’s snowy and quite cold for that latitude
We had a mountaintop home at Hound Ears at 4900 ft and it snowed a lot.....Grandfather mt at about 6000 feet gets really cold sub zero weather ...neg 32 is the record at the weather station at 5300 foot and windy windy
The rural parts of western NC are in places very sparse
You could try Cocke county Tn and have Asheville as go to base for stuff 30-40 miles away
It’s beautiful
There is a town on old 25 between Newport TN and Asheville NC called Hot Springs NC
BEAUTIFUL AREA
Del Rio TN right across the state line and Mars Hill which is ok is between there and Asheville
Good luck
I’ve been a bit afraid of Lake Lure & the area south of Asheville, because it seems like they get flooding. A year or 2 ago wasn’t there bad flooding in the area?
I’ve been reading newspapers online.
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