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.
Ironic given that Appalachian area in particular was union sympathizer turf mostly though there were rebels too
Difference between south and north is nearly all white southerners are from stock that fought and most of it was fought here
We see it everyday if you live where I do...middle TN
MOST NORTHERNERS HAVE NO CONNECTION TO IT NOW BEYOND AN OPINION
freepers howl that their ancestor was true blue and bled red but stats wise most non southern stock is heavily post civil war immigration
Whereas I have zero post civil war origin blood
It’s not that we are refighting the war but rather we respect and honour from whence we came
And we’ve usually been far more cohesive than Yankees
Look how southern whites vote even now....80-90% GOP....another irony
And one final one.....I’ve notice four current or former Yankee areas and one where the confederate battle flag flies heavily
The UP OF MITCH
Flathead lake area of Montana
Rural Indiana
And the unionist areas of southern Appalachia
And lastly.....Asheville is overrun with Yankees...as is any other lib southern area
Why does no one retire to Yankee areas?
Btw....I’m driving to extreme northern union territory today
11 hours
The tip of the ring finger
Granite Falls & Morganton have been areas I’ve checked out online as is Rutherfordton.
Yes, I’ll need to make a couple of trips to the area befoe buying.
#12 also do not canoe down the river as the locals may start hunting you.....