I know we have some people from North Carolina, but is there anybody here from the Charlotte area? If so, please private message me. I'd like to chat with someone from Charlotte and the general area. And if you are in the NoDa district that would be the royal flush.

I'm from the central eastern area of NC..... Wilson county to be more precise. I'm 3.5 hrs from Charlotte.

There's another PG'er from the Winston Salem area but I don't recall anyone here specifically being from the Queen city.

I think the user named "Tano Music" might be from Charlotte.
Here is a link to a song posted by that person, and from the link you can get contact information
TANO MUSIC


I'm in Winston-Salem, which is about 1.5 hours away... not a convenient commute, but doable.

If you need free lodging while you do something in Charlotte, I'm here for ya buddy! Shoot me a PM! I'd love to meet you in person!

May just take you up on that somewhere around March, Pat. Just an 8 hour drive.

Between Lexington, NC and Winston-Salem, NC but have a Winston-Salem mailing address. I'm about 50 miles (80 Km) northeast of Charlotte, NC.

Cool! If you come, maybe we can get some other NC forum members together to see what kinda TROUBLE we can get into!

;-)

you are totally invited... just let me know a little in advance so I'm not out of town

Party at Pat's house!!!!


ROAD TRIP !!!!!!!

Count me in !!!

Bob, you would certainly be welcome too! You've given me a lot of good advice and encouragement!


Likewise Charlie!
Looks like we got the makin's fer an east coast BIAB get together!

Geeze! All because I might come down for a few days???

hey, it's not every day we get a celebrity around here!
;-)

And you don't have one NOW!!!

Just me and a little dog....

I am now adding Raleigh-Durham to my request for anybody who knows neighborhoods. Looking at some real estate sites and I can tell in many cases that the neighborhoods are shaky (boarded up houses, etc...).

That's just in winter to keep the draft down ..

And that's YOUR fault!!!

PARTY ON PAT's PATIO....

I'm only about 2 to 3 hrs depending on where in the WS/G area.....

Raleigh isn't a bad place to live..... in any city, you certainly want to choose your neighborhood carefully and with much thought.

Outside the city tends to be better. Small towns rock. My town has a blinking light..... and a post office.... the bank closed, as did the hardware store. So, we have a gas station, a mexican tienda, a corner grill and a country convenience store..... that's about it.

.. and I thought I lived out in the sticks!

I was talkin' about the dog.

;-)

(Sorry Eddie.. that was just too good a setup to pass up!)

gotta love the alliteration ;-)
yeah, man! Come on down! Bring instruments!

I'm not sure I understand your goal, Eddie.. are you coming here to buy real estate?

I would come down to LOOK at real estate. I am starting to hate the northern winters more and more. Now that "Where would I work" is no longer a concern, and with not much holding me here, I may as well explore some options. Even the small group of people I DO call friends communicate with me by text and email, and that can happen from any point A to any point B. So, if I can find a house in a neighborhood that doesn't require my being armed even in the shower, maybe I'll do it. And by now, nothing says I have to own anymore. A rental of a decent condo would be fine as long as it isn't a noisy area full of screaming kids.

And stay off my lawn!

Glad you're to that point Eddie.
Not the being armed in the shower part, but the feeling free to make the change part.
Wish ya luck.

Keep yer stick on the ice!

Eddie,
the house across the street from me is for sale. Old lady got shot in the shower. Just sayin'. You could probably get it cheap because of the poltergeist.

Charlotte is OK, but I wouldn't want to live there. Plus, it's full of Yankees!

They have winter there as well. Not Cleveland, but still.....


79 and sunny here though. Plenty of Yankees , but gator's gotta eat too.

Eddie, in all seriousness... consider Winston-Salem. When I moved here from Pa. in 1985, I drove all over the city looking for "the bad side of town" and couldn't find it. (at least not by the standards from the town I used to live in) We do have all 4 seasons here, but winters are mild (Compared to Ohio). Spring and fall are long and temperate. WS is 3.5 hours from the beach and 1.5 hours to the mountains. Employment here is pretty good... not that you need a job... but it means that money is flowing in case you decide to gig. There are No Alligators here (that I'm aware of).

For such a small town, we have 4 colleges... maybe 5 or 6... Fairly genteel population. People take care of their property for the most part. Its is a very artsy town. Two PGMusic forum members live here, and several more live not far away. The sky is actually blue here about 80% of the time... seriously... rarely overcast. Best of all... Nobody here has EVER told me to get off his lawn!

Now here's where information overload sets in. I have a page bookmarked that lists the 50 safest cities in North Carolina and Winston-Salem is not in the top 50.

And here is what I find about it on a web search.

http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Winston-Salem-North-Carolina.html

It says an exact 180 from what you said.

I could probably find data in both directions. I have a friend who lives in Cameron and he suggested Raleigh. I would prefer to be west of Charlotte, but not suburban Charlotte, like west of Gastonia toward Asheville. That puts me by the mountains and closer to Nashville.

Remember, this is all IF I would ever move. I like my house and I like everything about Ohio except days like today when it is just cold enough to allow the falling rain to freeze on the roads. I am just sick of winter. 63 of these was enough.

Eddie, having owned a home for many years in the Ashville/Hendersonville area and visiting my brother when he lived in Columbus, OH, I feel qualified to advise you if you don't like the winter in Cleveland, you won't like winter in Ashville. If you are in your 60's, you won't like to walk up the steep inclines and unfortunately, they are everywhere.

Check out a small town inland from Myrtle Beach called Aynor. You will find the climate more temperate, the ground more level. Far enough away from the beach to miss the traffic and biker weeks. Be close enough you can slide in on the weekends for some gigs. Have a four lane straight shot to two interstates that can have you in the mountains in about three hours. If you are ex-military, V-A and several bases are just a stone throw away in Charleston, Sumter, Columbia, Fayetteville, Cherry Point, Beaufort. You are close to several quality medical complexes in Florence, Charleston, Wilmington and Myrtle Beach. Housing is reasonable, taxes are low, there are plenty of folk from Ohio to reminisce with. There are plenty of other equally desirable towns spotted around SC but having the beach and mountains easily accessible all from a four lane highway at my age is something hard to beat.

Mid 70's all week here Eddie, just saying.

Later guys,

And you have Gumbo!

We need a guitarist.... That knows BiaB!!

We offer low paying gigs at Alabama Theatre, The Palace, Dixie Stampede where you can meet busloads of people from Ohio. <grin>

There's really no place that is "safe" anymore.... but some that do come close.

Small towns are among the better choices in that regard. We even know who some of our neighbors are.....imagine that concept for a minute.

I can walk around my neighborhood at night without feeling like I need to carry my weapons with me. I sometimes forget to lock the doors at night and if I do, hey, it's no big deal. The locks aren't there to keep me safe anyway.... they're there to keep the people outside safe. Between me and the dog.... yeah, you might not wanna "accidentally" wander into my house at night.....or in the daytime either.

But in all seriousness, the smaller towns are where you want to look. We don't have the drug and gang problems that are the basis of the high crime rates that you will find in the larger cities.

Affordable housing is available in the large country areas between the cities.... rent or buy....

My business is installing and servicing alarm/security systems of all kinds. Country homes are vulnerable to B&E due to the lack, in some cases, of neighbors close by. Dogs and burglar alarms are helpful. That tends to be the extent of crime in many areas that are not city.

NC is a concealed and open carry state so robbery and other major crime is curbed a bit by the laws that allow citizens to arm themselves and use firearms in defense of life and limb.

Winters tend to be milder than up north, but it can and does get cold and we get snow. Snow shuts this state down unlike up north where snow is just another event to deal with. 60 and 70 degree winter days are not uncommon. The closer you are to the mountains, the more likely you will see snow. Here in Eastern NC.....around Wilson County, we don't get enough snow to make me happy....I like snow. We've gone several winters in a row with none at all. The mere mention of snow in the forecast is often enough to shut the schools. Get an inch.... and you can count on one full day canceled and late openings for 3 days following.

In this little town, life is good.... we have maybe 500 people now..... and that's only because of a new subdivision that was built a few years ago. It was 200 for a really long time.

I agree with GH on small towns ..
Picking the right small town is the key.

I lived in Texas and Chicago for a while (both high density areas) and never felt really safe (often violated) so I can relate.

Here I've had so many small town experiences it restored my faith in mankind.

You don't want the snow we have here, obviously, but I wouldn't trade being in a 'good' small town for anything.

When I came home from a vacation a few years back and my CO2 detector was beeping, I called the fire department. They showed up within 10 minutes, checked the house, said everything tested fine and loaned me a new detector until I had time to replace it .. bring it back when I could (no charge).
If I was in Chicago I'd still be waiting for them to show up 15 years later.

Many many experiences like this involving myself and my kids made me realize how important it is to select the 'right' small town.
I wish you good luck with this, since it is such an important decision.
I may be facing the same decision some day soon.
I can handle the snow but the cold gets annoying. More so every year.

Sorry for my late entry. I live in a small town called Lincolnton, about 30 minutes from Charlotte. Close enough to the city to enjoy the benefits (though I rarely do) but far enough away to avoid things like higher taxes, higher property values, crowds and traffic.

Charlotte has become the "North of the South". I work in a town 15 minutes north of Charlotte called Huntersville. Everyone there is from PA, OH, NJ and NY. Many moved here for jobs/opportunity, but yes also for Climate. These working families also brought their retired parents who love it. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who lives there that was originally from Huntersville.

NoDa is very popular among the 20-30 crowd. My daughter is 23 and she loves it, and Charlotte as well. She loves all the opportunities to listen to live music. It's not really known as the safest part of town. But I don't live there and only been there a few times, so I probably shouldn't comment on crime in that area. That 20-30's crowd like folk music and are pretty calm.

Charlotte, like many cities, have their crime problems. Most of the local news is filled with drama from Charlotte.. Don't recall anyone getting getting shot in the shower though.

Lots of the small towns within a 30 minute drive of Charlotte are typical "Southern" towns. Courthouse in the center and a few churches on main. Many of once thriving stores on main are now closed, but have been replaced by small specialty shops, restaurants and quite bars. Some even have great music stores.

Statesville would be a great place for music and culture. It's about 45 minutes north of Charlotte and has the small town appeal - if that's what you are looking for.

I think my email address is in my profile, so feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Marty, I have a customer in Lincolnton and a guitar playing buddy from a former band lives in Huntersville. I also have customers throughout that area including Statesville. Compared to Charlotte, yeah, Stateville is a small city.

I don't get up that way often, only when they call me with troubles in their systems and need my specialized skills.

There are quite a few towns that have been "overrun" with the SNOWBIRD crowd from up north. Pine Knoll shores on the beach (30 years ago) will filled with folks from NJ wanting a more secluded and private beach experience. The town of CARY, NC near Raleigh has the nickname Containment Area for Relocated Yankees. C...A...R...Y... and yeah, that name was earned righteously.