[Racerbox77]

My family and I are going to be moving south in about one year from now. We are considering Nashville TN, Raliegh NC, or somewhere in northern Florida.
We are currently in Ohio and the weather is horrible. I've almost moved a couple times but this time we are doing it for sure. I don't want my son growing up in this crap economy and climate.
We are going to plan a few weekend trips to drive down and check places out over the next few months. I have looked online at compare cities sites.

My concerns are obviously jobs (I'm in the automotive aftermarket field and she's an interior designer)
Race tracks near by? Prefer 1/4 mile and road coarse within at least an hour
Car scene on the weekends? It used to be great here but has died in the last 10 years considerably.
Weather of course. Hate snow and rain.
Will be looking in nicer neighborhoods to rent first then buy (middle class)

Any help to point us in the right direction would be great.

Thanks

[Dave08]

I have lived in FL. Georgia and North Carolina. My advice would be to stay away from N.C.
Taxes are highest of any southern state and weather is worst. Fl. has no state income tax and housing market is very depressed. Atlanta is pretty good also. Tenn. has no state income tax also.
I am in the process of moving back to Fl. now.

[Green_6er]

i would say TN. but the weather here in NC isn't that bad. we haven't had snow yet this winter but it has been raining the past like week here >.< also, the job market here isn't that great.

[Racerbox77]

Originally Posted by Dave08 I have lived in FL. Georgia and North Carolina. My advice would be to stay away from N.C. Taxes are highest of any southern state and weather is worst. Fl. has no state income tax and housing market is very depressed. Atlanta is pretty good also. Tenn. has no state income tax also. I am in the process of moving back to Fl. now.

No state tax in Tennessee? I didn't know that. I know the sales tax is high if i remember correctly its over 9% but if there's no state tax it will balance and then some compared to Ohio

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[97S281]

Well, The gov. here just raised our state sales tax to 7.75%. So on top of the property taxes, income taxes and one of the highest fuel taxes in the country we now have a high sales tax too. I personaly would like to move to South Carolina.

As far as jobs they are pretty plentiful in Raleigh, but it is the state capitol so that helps. There are alot of shops and dealerships in Raleigh and the surrounding areas so I don't think you would have a hard time getting work. We are one of the areas in the country that is supposed to not have been effected badly from the recession. I personaly did not see my income drop off at all during the recession and i drive a tractor trailer making deliveries to Restaruants if that gives you an idea of the economy. My wife recently left a job she had for 15 years to the tune of a substantial pay raise as well.

The weather is nice most of the year and our winters are generally very mild. When we get snow and ice around here most places just close until it melts off. The summers can get a little hot but having a choice of either the blue ridge mountains or the atlantic ocean each being only a 3 hour drive away is great.

All in all I like it and it's a great place to raise a family. I just feel the government is a little to involved in what I can and cannot do. Wake county has special rules as well. Wake county schools redistrict almost every year due to the rapid growth and they also run most school on year round schedules. It's hard for the kids to get used to from what my family says. I personaly live in Johnston County. It is more rural and alot more "ole' country boy ish" than Raleigh.

Wake county speedway is just outside Raleigh. It is a 1/8th mile round track that runs several different race series on Saturday nights in the spring and summer. There is also a 1/4 mile drag track in Benson, which is about 35 minutes outside Raleigh. I have not been there yet but plan on checking it out this coming summer. Fayetteville also has some good action going on with all the military down there. It's about an hour from Raleigh and several of us from the site are planning on meeting up there this April. Here is a link: April 6th Freaky Friday @ Fayetteville Motor sports park

On top of all that MUSTANG WEEK at Myrtle Beach, SC is only a few hours away. It is like the mustang convention of the entire south eastern US. Check it out here : http://www.mustangweek.com/home.shtml

[RockyTopDaddy]

I live in Knoxville TN. Have the smokey mountains and car shows in Pigeon Forge. Got plenty of lakes. No state income tax. Pretty nice.

[Racerbox77]

Thanks for the info thus far guys. We are planning a weekend trip to Nashville in March so far. My girl may have an opportunity with her old company down there (they have a location in Cleveland and Nashville).

[e3sean]

i just moved to NC from phoenix where i spent 8 years and i grew up in florida.. i will say northern florida might as well be alabama... back woods hicks over there ... no offence to those who live there and are not as stated in my steriotype.

but north carolina is the most beautiful state i have been to. and for what i like to do it is perfect, i love fresh and saltwater fishing, racing, going to the mountains in the snow, the only complant i have is no casinos. i dont know anything about the state taxes cause i am military so i am exempt as i claim florida. and coming from a place that had very high sales tax i didnt notice any difference. gas is cheaper then in phoenix too. income is less though but so is cost of utilitys and food. milk and cigeretts for those who smoke is much less.

[TrueBlueGT2002]

I live in Florida now and i love it. Even though i live a little more south than you'd be willing to go, Jacksonville is a nice place. I'm pretty sure there's a track up there within an hour, and if not there's one in orlando that would only be about an hour drive. I don't know what the job situation is like there but i've also heard a lot of people recommend places to take my car that are in jacksonville so it seems like there's a good amount of aftermarket car places. Oh and you can't beat the weather

[RickIsYoDaddy]

Florida, Im from Miami but my family lives in orlando. Great weather year round, no state tax, sales tax is not bad, either 6.5% or 7% depending on where you are, houses can be found cheap, lots of car shops, quite a bit of tracks, shops, lots of things to do, etc.. No crazy car taxes like GAs Ad valorum, fees, emissions, etc... I pay about $100 for two years of registration per car. Full coverage insurance on my 2011 Mustang GT and better than basic on my corvette is $750 every 6 months. I would move back to FL in a heartbeat!! You should not have a problem finding a job in the automotive field, and your spouse can always start her own interior design business.

[Racerbox77]

When I think of Florida I think of rain every day for 30 minutes and crazy humidity. Where in FL is that not true? Northern area? One of my customers lives northwest of Orlando and says its kind of hilly and beautiful weather. IDK.

I will be going to Nashville in two weeks for the weekend with the family. Where should I check out?

[tobynt]

sales tax in TN is kind of high...but, if you live north of Nashville...say about 20 miles...then your only another 20 miles from KY...no sales tax!

Best of both worlds. I have no state tax and if I'm doing major shopping...I ride up to KY.

[kennyGT]

Originally Posted by Racerbox77 My concerns are obviously jobs (I'm in the automotive aftermarket field and she's an interior designer) Race tracks near by? Prefer 1/4 mile and road coarse within at least an hour Car scene on the weekends?Will be looking in nicer neighborhoods to rent first then buy (middle class) Any help to point us in the right direction would be great. Thanks

Just in reference to the above quotes

First there are not many jobs here in Florida. But in you field there is a huge abundance of shops here. very high name aswell. Lamotta performance, is here ModularHeadshop, STEEDA, Real Street Performance, CFT, TITAN motorsports, TRZ motorsports, Murray's. Plus 1 million no name performance shops aswell. Car scene is ridiculous here in orlando aswell as Tampa. Gainsville 1/4 is here. Orlando speedworld 1/4 is here. a new 1/8th mile and autocross Central Florida Racing Center. Then there is Sebring of course. From my location i can get to any of these locations is an hour. some 30 mins. Houses are pretty damn cheap too.

[GreenFaleen]

Raleigh has by far the best job market, and the economy in Raleigh is really good. The car scene is also really big, especially around NC State. You also have 2 1/4 tracks within an hour, and VIR is about 2 hours away, 2 hrs to the beach, and two to the mountains

[Racerbox77]

We're leaning more towards Charlotte NC. We've been there a few times and are kind of familiar with the area. Raleigh is a place we want to check out for sure. What are good area's of Raleigh?

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[RebelTide]

About 10 yrs. ago I took an early retirement to north Alabama. Suggest you look at Huntsville, AL with a Google search. Unemployment is way below the nat'l. average. There are tons of technically-oriented jobs available. There are also mechanical support jobs available. Property tax here is 75% less than it was in Illinois, and my house is larger. I can drive to any of 3 8-mile drag strips in 30 minutes. Quarter-mile track about an hour or hour and a half away. Top-quality road racing track is in Birmingham, 80 mi. south. Yes, we do have a few rednecks, kind of like cowboys in Arizona. Everyplace has their charming individuals. Good luck, and take your time. Cross-country moves are very expensive.

[97S281]

Originally Posted by Racerbox77 We're leaning more towards Charlotte NC. We've been there a few times and are kind of familiar with the area. Raleigh is a place we want to check out for sure. What are good area's of Raleigh? Sent from me

To visit or live in?

[Racerbox77]

Both

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[97S281]

Downtown has alot of stuff to offer families. We have several museums, parks, the now renamed PNC center whhere NC state plays basketball and the carolina hurricanes play hockey. We have 2 minor league baseball teams in the area as well. The Durham Bulls and the Carolina Mudcats. It's great to take the kids out to the ball park in the summer for some good baseball. The Carolina Panthers play in Charlotte which is only 2 1/2-3 hours away as well. We also have the walnut creek ampitheater where outdoor concerts come in the spring and stay through the fall. The pnc center takes care of the winter shows. The circus comes every year in February. The nc Zoo at asheboro is only an hour down the road and we have several aquariums at the coast. You can even rent one out for a nightime party or sleep over if you want. We did that last year with the cub scouts and we all slept in front of the huge aquarium window in the nice cold A/c. All the boys ( and parents ) Loved it.

There really aren't any " Bad " areas of Raleigh to live in. The southeast side is more lower income while the higher end is "Inside the beltline " and North Raleigh. Pretty much everything else is solid middle class.

Wake Forest has "Wakefield" with a pga approved golf course if your into that sort of thing and Pinehurst isn't far away either if you wanted to see a pga tour come through.

For nightlife the downtown area is the hottest with glenwood south being the current hotspot. There are plenty of places to go see live music too. In the summer the city actually brings in a free concert series with some good names. There are also alot of fine dining restuarants down there. If you have kids check out pullen park, the natural history museum ( coincidentaly the history museum is directly across the square.) and eat some good hot krispy kremes at the production store on Peace street. They give you little hats and you can watch the donut assembly line in the back through a set of huge viewing windows.

If you want to take your wife out for some super fine dining try Sullivan's steakhouse on glenwood south. Bring your wallet though as the food and drinks are absolutely top notch but the bill is crazy high. Mitch's tavern on Hillsborough street is awesome too, much lower priced as well. Actually it is where all the bar scenes from the movie " Bull Durham " were filmed. Sadlacks on Hillsborough is great too.

For a good car scene check out Garner on a friday or saturday night. The Wake county speedway is running races on Friday nights now and the PASS series comes through once a year with the Nascar guys trying out a 1/4 mile round track. There is also a mustang club that meets every other Saturday for a car show and cruise in at one of the local burger joints on Hwy 401 south.

In short, The Triangle area ( Raleigh, Durham, Cary) offers alot. WE have great employment opportunity, great weather, the beach and the mountains are close. There are also 3 major universities in a commutable distance as well as 3 all girls colleges downtown. We also have 2 Historically black colleges as well.

Honestly my family moved here when I was 16 from The Gulf coast of Mississippi and I hated them for it for a long time. Now that I am older I can see that they made the best choice. This area has nothing but opportunity.