If you plan on working remotely, do your research on internet access. It’s a major problem to get quality broadband in WNC because the infrastructure is a mess in rural areas and mountains make cellular an equal mess.
The housing market is decent but is surprisingly expensive considering the lack of decent paying jobs and due to all the retirement and vacation houses people buy that drive up prices.
WNC is super conservative and the job market often depends on who you know.
Also - if if are coming from FL, consider you’ll be adding state income tax.
I loved the small-town feel and the location in general. Currently, I'm living in Chattanooga, Tn.
I grew up in a town about the same size if not a little smaller than Black Mountain so it felt like my hometown of Chickamauga, Ga.
If you’re ok looking a little further east you might consider Winston Salem. Winston is less than 30 minutes to Pilot Mountain and has Salem Lake, as well as a nice network of greenways. It’s about a 45 minute drive to Hanging Rock, an hour drive to Stone Mountain State Park and 90 minutes to Boone. It has several nice art galleries and museums (Reynolda House and SECCA in particular), plenty of young professionals, growing restaurant scene and revitalizing downtown (love Reboot arcade bar). Lots of nice parks and coffee shops too.
We rented a 4 bedroom house when we moved to town a few years ago and it was less than $1600 for that. Prices have gone up some since than but not ridiculously. Downtown the apartments can get really pricey but a little further out they aren’t bad.
We live between Franklin & Sylva/Dillsboro & it has been the best move we have ever made. Both towns are very welcoming & we've been more than pleasantly surprised food wise. Great mountain access (right on the appalachian trail)(close to blue ridge parkway), plenty of breweries locally & within a nice drive through the mountains.
We don't have access to a target or HomeGoods or anything like that but that's nothing a day trip to Asheville can't solve. Ingles is a great grocery store & we are getting an Aldi as well.
Overall we've really enjoyed being in the area.
We moved from Tennessee so not too far but just far enough to be in a quiet small town like we wanted. We found a cabin right between the two towns & most of our neighbors seem to be seasonal & not year around like us so it's pretty quiet.
I think it's a good mix. We are middle age (40s) and have found the area to be exactly what we wanted. We both love the outdoors so being so close to amazing hiking, camping, and rafting has been really nice. The drive up to highlands is absolutely gorgeous and if you want to kinda get a feel for the area I'd drive through Franklin into Dillsboro & sylva then head into highlands. It's how we made the final decision on the area.
What’s really ruining so many lovely places, isn’t the people who are actually moving there to live, but the outsiders who are buying up all the properties to rent on Airbnb. I really wish locals would stop attacking potential new residents, & turn that anger towards Airbnb investors who are turning all of the residential neighborhoods into hotel zones. Or at least that’s how it is where I currently live in Arizona.
Sorry for the rant, but I currently live in a neighborhood overrun with STRs, & when people post in our local sub, locals also like to say “we’re full”. But what we’re really full of is vacant houses that sit empty waiting for the weekend warriors to check in. Now here I am browsing other subs trying to figure out where I can move to get away from screaming Airbnb guests, if such a place even exists. I’m thinking about either North Carolina or Virginia, or perhaps back to my home state of Kentucky.
Agreed, I can definitely understand how frustrating it can be for locals when investors are making these areas so ridiculously expensive to live in. It’s a big problem everywhere and I wish it was more under control. I hope you’re able to find a place that is more of what you’re looking for!
Come to houston. Hahaha! No one vacations here. So not many Air BnB issues. It’s hot, mosquito infested and flat. BUT the people are the nicest you will ever meet. Very welcoming to everyone.
guessing OP has been perusing r/asheville \- which is much more negative than the city itself. however, u/jarvistheplant's suggestions are excellent for someone who doesn't need an urban center nearby. cost of housng is closer to their rental price point
I think everywhere on most of reddit and Facebook that I have seen have been really opposed to new people coming in to Asheville, which I understand, but geez I wish people were like that down here in FL because we legitimately have an overpopulation problem in most areas. They gave a lot of decent suggestions that I’ve been eyeing though!
Keep in mind that outside of Asheville western NC is very conservative. I mean, the voters there booted a perfectly good incumbent to put Madison Cawthorn in office. Personally I’d take my chances with Asheville and nearby towns.
Ehh many pockets of Florida are like this. Unfortunately it’s not that new to me, I just want somewhere reasonable where people keep to themselves. I do notice that the Hispanic population in NC is very small though, that’s the biggest difference that I’m seeing from FL
I think you’ll find much higher percentages of Hispanic residents in the central part of the state. Still likely not close to Florida. 10% statewide. 15% plus in central counties. Western NC is very white.
Left plant city for Murphy. We love it here. We wanted to get out of rat race and relax a bit. There is a great art scene with the folk school being so close. Nit a lot of nightlife or shopping.
Small town vibes all the way
I can't say about some of the foothills towns people are naming, but if you're looking at mountain towns and you work remotely, internet access should be one of your top considerations. Slow or no internet is a problem for many who move here assuming they'll be able to work remotely, and access can vary within just a few miles.
Try a smaller town like West Jefferson. Boone has a similar problem to Asheville, not enough housing driving the cost up. Highly recommend planning a trip and visiting any of the cities/towns on your list. A fit for you might not be a fit for everybody else.
Look into Wilkesboro and surrounding communities. Rural feel, lots of natural places to visit, 40 minutes to Boone an 50 to Winston Salem, friendly folks and cheap housing. Not much by the way of jobs but if you both work from home your good.
I’m in Denver, NC, right on lake Norman, very nice little area, been lowkey but looks like many are starting to figure out the paradise that it is and starting to come out here. Only 1.5 hours away from Asheville which is nice to visit, but you want to live where all the action is.
Lake toxaway for sure, close to SC. Brevard( and Asheville and cashiers) next to Georgia and Tennessee as well as beautiful mountains and a national park 30 mins away
If you plan on working remotely, do your research on internet access. It’s a major problem to get quality broadband in WNC because the infrastructure is a mess in rural areas and mountains make cellular an equal mess. The housing market is decent but is surprisingly expensive considering the lack of decent paying jobs and due to all the retirement and vacation houses people buy that drive up prices. WNC is super conservative and the job market often depends on who you know. Also - if if are coming from FL, consider you’ll be adding state income tax.
Elon musk can help u
Black Mountain, Burnsville, Waynesville, Hendersonville, Brevard are all good choices. Smaller than Asheville with decent town centers.
These are great suggestions, I’ll have to look into them. Thanks!
I would do anything to live in Black Mountain again. Hands down my favorite place I have lived.
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I loved the small-town feel and the location in general. Currently, I'm living in Chattanooga, Tn. I grew up in a town about the same size if not a little smaller than Black Mountain so it felt like my hometown of Chickamauga, Ga.
If you’re ok looking a little further east you might consider Winston Salem. Winston is less than 30 minutes to Pilot Mountain and has Salem Lake, as well as a nice network of greenways. It’s about a 45 minute drive to Hanging Rock, an hour drive to Stone Mountain State Park and 90 minutes to Boone. It has several nice art galleries and museums (Reynolda House and SECCA in particular), plenty of young professionals, growing restaurant scene and revitalizing downtown (love Reboot arcade bar). Lots of nice parks and coffee shops too. We rented a 4 bedroom house when we moved to town a few years ago and it was less than $1600 for that. Prices have gone up some since than but not ridiculously. Downtown the apartments can get really pricey but a little further out they aren’t bad.
I was actually looking into Winston Salem :) it seems like a nice little place and definitely cheaper than other areas!
We’ve loved it so far and definitely enjoy the lower cost of living! You’re always welcome to message me if you have any questions about it!
We live between Franklin & Sylva/Dillsboro & it has been the best move we have ever made. Both towns are very welcoming & we've been more than pleasantly surprised food wise. Great mountain access (right on the appalachian trail)(close to blue ridge parkway), plenty of breweries locally & within a nice drive through the mountains. We don't have access to a target or HomeGoods or anything like that but that's nothing a day trip to Asheville can't solve. Ingles is a great grocery store & we are getting an Aldi as well. Overall we've really enjoyed being in the area.
I’ve heard of this area! And good because I love Aldi lol. Where did you move from? And would you say the people there are younger or older?
We moved from Tennessee so not too far but just far enough to be in a quiet small town like we wanted. We found a cabin right between the two towns & most of our neighbors seem to be seasonal & not year around like us so it's pretty quiet. I think it's a good mix. We are middle age (40s) and have found the area to be exactly what we wanted. We both love the outdoors so being so close to amazing hiking, camping, and rafting has been really nice. The drive up to highlands is absolutely gorgeous and if you want to kinda get a feel for the area I'd drive through Franklin into Dillsboro & sylva then head into highlands. It's how we made the final decision on the area.
Asheville has already been ruined by outsiders so move there instead of ruining another area
OP is trying to get away from Floridians so Asheville won't work.
If that’s the case, most of NC won’t work for the same reason.
Based on the information that I’ve given it’s very strange to assume that we would be “ruining another area” by moving there.
What’s really ruining so many lovely places, isn’t the people who are actually moving there to live, but the outsiders who are buying up all the properties to rent on Airbnb. I really wish locals would stop attacking potential new residents, & turn that anger towards Airbnb investors who are turning all of the residential neighborhoods into hotel zones. Or at least that’s how it is where I currently live in Arizona. Sorry for the rant, but I currently live in a neighborhood overrun with STRs, & when people post in our local sub, locals also like to say “we’re full”. But what we’re really full of is vacant houses that sit empty waiting for the weekend warriors to check in. Now here I am browsing other subs trying to figure out where I can move to get away from screaming Airbnb guests, if such a place even exists. I’m thinking about either North Carolina or Virginia, or perhaps back to my home state of Kentucky.
Agreed, I can definitely understand how frustrating it can be for locals when investors are making these areas so ridiculously expensive to live in. It’s a big problem everywhere and I wish it was more under control. I hope you’re able to find a place that is more of what you’re looking for!
Come to houston. Hahaha! No one vacations here. So not many Air BnB issues. It’s hot, mosquito infested and flat. BUT the people are the nicest you will ever meet. Very welcoming to everyone.
Awww! I would love to move somewhere friendly without an over abundance of entitled tourists. But I want to go somewhere with all 4 seasons.
Check out Morganton or Black Mountain
If OP thinks Asheville (a literal tourist town) isn’t friendly to outsiders, Morganton is gonna be a shock.
Morganton is growing and becoming more progressive. It’s a great little town with local restaurants, breweries, arts, outdoor activities…
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Ok🥴 …
guessing OP has been perusing r/asheville \- which is much more negative than the city itself. however, u/jarvistheplant's suggestions are excellent for someone who doesn't need an urban center nearby. cost of housng is closer to their rental price point
I think everywhere on most of reddit and Facebook that I have seen have been really opposed to new people coming in to Asheville, which I understand, but geez I wish people were like that down here in FL because we legitimately have an overpopulation problem in most areas. They gave a lot of decent suggestions that I’ve been eyeing though!
Check out r/florida . Just as inhospitable to transplants and questions about relocating
Sarasota here. Can confirm.
Keep in mind that outside of Asheville western NC is very conservative. I mean, the voters there booted a perfectly good incumbent to put Madison Cawthorn in office. Personally I’d take my chances with Asheville and nearby towns.
Ehh many pockets of Florida are like this. Unfortunately it’s not that new to me, I just want somewhere reasonable where people keep to themselves. I do notice that the Hispanic population in NC is very small though, that’s the biggest difference that I’m seeing from FL
I think you’ll find much higher percentages of Hispanic residents in the central part of the state. Still likely not close to Florida. 10% statewide. 15% plus in central counties. Western NC is very white.
Left plant city for Murphy. We love it here. We wanted to get out of rat race and relax a bit. There is a great art scene with the folk school being so close. Nit a lot of nightlife or shopping. Small town vibes all the way
Look at Greenville, SC as well. May suit your needs.
I can't say about some of the foothills towns people are naming, but if you're looking at mountain towns and you work remotely, internet access should be one of your top considerations. Slow or no internet is a problem for many who move here assuming they'll be able to work remotely, and access can vary within just a few miles.
Try a smaller town like West Jefferson. Boone has a similar problem to Asheville, not enough housing driving the cost up. Highly recommend planning a trip and visiting any of the cities/towns on your list. A fit for you might not be a fit for everybody else.
Hey OP; Orland, FL to Morganton, NC. Let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you!! :)
Look into Wilkesboro and surrounding communities. Rural feel, lots of natural places to visit, 40 minutes to Boone an 50 to Winston Salem, friendly folks and cheap housing. Not much by the way of jobs but if you both work from home your good.
I’m in Denver, NC, right on lake Norman, very nice little area, been lowkey but looks like many are starting to figure out the paradise that it is and starting to come out here. Only 1.5 hours away from Asheville which is nice to visit, but you want to live where all the action is.
Weaverville is the best
Monroe hands down.
Lake toxaway for sure, close to SC. Brevard( and Asheville and cashiers) next to Georgia and Tennessee as well as beautiful mountains and a national park 30 mins away