Posted on 03/07/2017 8:54:04 AM PST by Celerity
General Q&A about life in North Carolina for the conservative
We are looking in the county next door. I would like to get out of the “town doubles in size on Game day” routine.
I’m a programmer. I can punch code anywhere. The NC beaches would be really nice.
Summers in the mountains are wonderful. But it will be 65 here on Thursday and they are calling for 7 inches of snow this weekend. I really miss seeing the dogwoods, azaleas, wisteria and such in Eastern NC. And the BBQ.
I go back to Greensboro every few months to hang out. I lived in Winston-Salem for a year, worked there for 10 years and I really like that town. It has shaped up nicely.
I was born and raised in NC, and my parents and remaining family are still there. My bits of advice are stay out of the big cities, as they are all liberal, and get on the BobLeeSays and/or AgentPierce mailing lists.
Otherwise, the whole state is beautiful, you can be either in the mountains or at the beach in 4 hours from wherever you are, and most of the state (especially the Coastal Plain areas) really appreciates the military. I’d live there now if I could find a job in my field.
Winston-Salem is probably the most conservative of the larger NC cities. The city and Forsyth County as a whole flips back and forth between red and blue. Surrounding counties are deep, deep red, some 80% Trump (Yadkin County, wine country now). Downtown seems much larger than the population would indicate, and they’ve done a great job bringing it back. Pretty view from the taller condos, Pilot Mountain, Hanging Rock State Park and the Blue Ridge beyond. Economy’s still weak, though, despite all the diversification efforts it’s a manufacturing town.
Macon? Very affordable compared to the resort areas of Jackson County. But, I guess I’m just dumb that way, for me it would be Cashiers-Highlands or not at all, I’m that hooked on it.
They have gentrified the downtown now. The old RJR building is a hotel. Lots of Arts east of the Cherry St parking garage. There is still a lot of old money in W/S. Traffic is still a nightmare though slightly better.
If I were going to live anywhere to work, it would be W/S or Greensboro.
Regarded as backward by those high falooting states— even though NC gave more of their sons, fathers, and brothers lives in the wbts. The “Tar Heels”. Would venture few could explain why a “tar baby” could never be “black”— such is the misinformation of this part of Southern history.
Little Kernersville has turned into a very pleasant, appealing place if you wanted to split the difference. Handy to the airport too.
We were along the Olentangy on the northern side of Columbus about a year ago. Very liberal but friends we were visiting very conservative. My part of the state, though, is old fashioned, rural conservative.
Large portions of the state didn’t really want to secede but once surrounded practical reality set in, and in for a penny, in for a pound. They gave their all.
Asheville is Moonbat Territory.
Just over the mountain here in East Tennessee will be more to your liking.
Check out where I live, Tri Cities. we have several FReepers here.
We have good schools and lots of Home Schoolers. No income Tax, low property tax. Good Christian people. First Congressional district is not only conservative but has been, for ever.
http://www.movetokingsport.com/
Also, check out Jefferson City and Dandridge...... more rural but close to a bigger city Knoxville and medium city Morristown
But you left out two important items: Church and Bible Study. Folks might ask about your daddy, but the second thing they will ask is what church are you going to. It's not about denomination exactly, it's sort of a "who's your daddy" kind of question.
Obviously Christianity is the assumed common denominator. In small towns there are two main social activities: Sunday church, and Bible study. Bible study is most often on Wednesday evenings, and can run one or two hours
The first half of Bible study is catching up on who's in the hospital, who's family is visiting from out of town, who's going to take a trip, who died, who's in jail, who's getting married, who's getting divorced. Maybe the last half or so is devoted to actually studying some part of scripture. And of course prayers for the sick, and travelers, and folks on hard times.
If you move into town and want to be part of the community, you have to go to Bible study. Then when someone asks you what you're up to, you can say proudly, "I'm on my way to Bible study. I'm late. I've got to hurry over to the Tabernacle of the Holy Ghost Bible Church, you know, just past the railroad tracks.".
It might not be the same Bible study which you're questioner attends. It doesn't matter. They will approve and be satisfied with your answer. Not to go to Bible study, is to be outside the community.
Oh, and if you are some esoteric faith like Buddhist, or Hindu, when asked you might just want to say "I'm still looking."
I am biased, but if you don’t need the beach, move to Kentucky. Skip Lexington and Louisville. I live in east Lville.
Love NC. Born in Wilmington, still trying to get back. But Charlotte is the worst southern city excepting Atlanta.
“move to Kentucky. Skip Lexington and Louisville.”
That’s funny, we were looking there - and may still be on the list. But we were immediately intrigued by Berea.
“We need conservatives in NC, help us make it more red!”
I spent 15 years in local CT politics to help the cause. I’m through. I want to be with friends.
Kind of like S.Korea/ N. Korea...:)
If unquestionably red, with no doubt about it statewide, is what you’re seeking you’ll only find it in Oklahoma. Every southern state east of the Mississippi is in varying stages of change due to northern influx. Some are just further along than others. Beautiful Ol’ Virginny is now a hopelessly lost cause due to DC metastasizing into northern VA. As the cities in NC grow, their blue influence begins to overwhelm real North Carolina, which remains and always will be red as can be. Tennessee has the same issue with Nashville, for all the crowing about Charlotte being a liberal cesspool you’d hardly know the difference between the two. Georgia? Atlanta’s burst out of it’s usual few counties and threatens to turn the state purple and keep it there. You’re reduced to regions and the best one by far in my opinion is southern Appalachia, so you’re not wide of the mark with the Asheville, NC vicinity, you’re dead center but Asheville has turned into something else politically. Nearby east Tennessee is great, red, red red. Beautiful country. Upstate South Carolina is, too, not quite so deep red but the state as a whole is redder than any southeastern Atlantic state. Given the aforementioned influx, how long will that last, though? Only time will tell. Conservatives need to start having children again, more than just two per married couple.
About fifteen years back I used to do a lot of business in New York State. I was noticing that every year 15 to 20 of my customers were picking-up and moving to North Carolina.
Work out the math on my small sampling, and North Carolina has to be totally overrun by New Yorkers by now.
The Upstate New Yorkers are welcome, most in my exposure here have been decent people, my best neighbors for 20 years came down from Syracuse. The closer to NYC you get, the more likely they’re not anybody you want to know, though, especially on the New Jersey side. Probably more New Jersey here than New York.
Also you must understand what BBQ is in NC. For one its not a verb. Second if you must choose between soda or pop, its safe to to go with coke. Using one of those words will get you strange looks.
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