NFT: Greensboro, High Point N.C. Anyone have any information?

A few days a month or so ago

There’s a restaurant in downtown Greensboro called Machete that made me one of the best meals I’ve had in quite sometime

What was your impression of the town? Did it seem like a peaceful quiet place for the short while you were there?

Drove out to visit friends who live in Winston-Salem for a day and spent the other around Greensboro. Real nice town, beautiful area…that area of NC in general is fantastic. Enough going on that you won’t get bored but also can get away and live the quiet life if you wanted

Thank you, Sir.

you will be happy no matter where you are. (Scruggs style, 1979 Stelling for me)

I play old time clawhammer. I know, I'm a misanthrope.

Moved for work and to be closer to family. Aside from the horrible BBQ here it's been a great place to call home.

Could you tell me your impressions of the area?
Cost of living?
Nice people?
Climate?
Anything else you can share would really be appreciated. Thanks.

So I go through Highpoint fairly often. People have all been nice. Climate is generally good except for about 6 weeks around August when the heat and humidity get pretty brutal. We moved here from Indianapolis and cost of living was comparable. If anything we noticed grocery stores were more expensive but restaurants were cheaper. Of the towns you mentioned I do like Greensboro the best. It just has more to offer than Highpoint.

It sounds like you're glad you moved there?
I'm in south FL, and the heat is just too much for me. From June until the middle of Oct, it's hot and humid. From the research I've done, it sounds like Greensboro is only like that in July and Aug.

30 from High Point. Both nice cities. Haven't spent a lot of time in High Point except to play soccer or pickleball.

Greensboro has a bit more to offer. It's a bit bigger than High Point.

You could always choose Burlington. Right in the middle of the state. Mountains to the west. Beaches to the east. Small town living is great.

Lived there for about a year back in 2018. She was 21 then and stayed with a friend so I don’t know about rent or home prices. Her teacher/junior high volleyball coach moved there a couple years ago as well. Her husband is a minister. Both really like the city, though my daughter couldn’t find a good job there, I was pretty impressed with the area. We played friizby golf and ate at some unique places. Diverse place, with a yuppie and also blue collar feel to it. I can ask her for more info when she wakes up if you’d like.

The area is pretty vibrant due to the universities around there. UNCG , Elon, High point to name a few. I remember they had some good food choices downtown and I have gone to a few concerts there, they get big acts lwhichnis cool.

There is also a nice golf resort near there that is popular for conferences,

I think it’s a better choice then some areas in NC. I live in Wake Forest , which has lots of scenic trails and is quiet, but the triangle area prices are quite high.

What is is about Palm Beach that you are dissatisfied about that you think would be better in Greensboro ?

This is an honest question, I'm not trying to be a smart ass. My wife is from just south of Greensboro so I am somewhat familiar with North Carolina, both good and bad.

Its a beautiful state with a lot of diversity. You have mountains and beaches and you're a day's drive to the Outer Banks. There are plenty of good restaurants throughout the state.

On the minus side, you are far enough north to get nasty winter weather which they are not well equipped to deal with. Although the hospitals in Raleigh are excellent, health care in the other parts of the state can be spotty. Also they have a high state tax for a Southern state. Social Security is exempted but after that its a flat 5%. From my calculations my wife and I would pay more state tax in N.C. than we are in California.

You would be moving from a state with no state tax and good healthcare for seniors ( or so I have been told )

she loves it...she's 73 and was looking for a nice safe clean city to retire in....

Ron: It's a lot of small things. The heat is too much for me, for one. From June, or May, until Middle of Oct, or longer, it's hot and humid, and I can hardly exercise.

I moved here (Lake Worth), 5 years ago, from Seattle, to be near an older brother and sister. I was all alone in Seattle, and although I had friends I loved, I wanted be near family for the last few years of their lives. I had been away from them for 40 years while I was in Seattle.

Well, my brother had a stroke, and went to live with Grandchildren in NJ. My sister is 91 years old, and will not live that much longer. So why am I here then? I would not have have moved to FL except for them being here.

I may move back to Seattle, which I loved. I came to enjoy the weather there, over time. I like cold weather (within limits, I'm not moving to the Arctic)and even snow. I liked the social climate of Seattle. I liked the political ambiance, I liked the spiritual and psychological atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest. However, it's so expensive, and I would not be able to buy anything to live in.

I've just been playing with the idea of other parts of the country. I like some cold weather, but I think the mid-west and northeast would be too cold for me.
I can't afford CA, although I would love to live in S.F. So what I'm left with are the upper southern states, the southwest, and back to Seattle, but renting and not owning.

I'm 75 years old now, and I mostly want peace and quiet. I want to read my books, and take my walks, and play my banjo, and gaze at my navel. If I can make a few good, close friends, all the better, but the thought of living in a small, quiet town really appeals to me.

I've researched housing costs, climate, cost of living in High Point etc. Things are about 25% less expensive than Lake Worth/ West Palm. Mostly related to housing costs. The weather looks like what I would like, 4 distinct seasons, some cold, hot in July and Aug.

The area around High Point University looks like a nice, vibrant, but still small area with restaurants, shopping, art galleries, and good for walking.

I would of course go and visit H.P. for a period of time before I decide anything. I plan on staying in Lake Worth while my sister is alive, and longer if necessary, until I've made a good decision about where I want to live.

Thanks for your question, Ron. It's always helpful to have people question my decisions. It forces intellectual rigor and honesty, and that's a good thing.

Dennis

I didn't know about the 5% state tax, I need to research that.

The suggestion of Burlington is a good one. I need to research that also.

David, your information is really good. The area around High Point U is just where I've been looking. I'm seeing decent houses for sale there for $120-$150,000. I'm seeing well reviewed 2 bedroom townhouses for rent for less than $1,000 a month.

In comment 15415365 BCD said:

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she loves it...she's 73 and was looking for a nice safe clean city to retire in....

Thank you! This is just the kind of information I was hoping to get. That's just what I'm looking for also.

It’s not bad. You can live suburban or even rural and be close to what you need, and there are some fun, interesting towns within reach (Durham, Chapel Hill, Asheville). It’s sprawly though, and the traffic is a PITA. Some of Greensboro is pretty run-down so just make sure you’re looking closely at neighborhoods to find something that meets your needs.

Loved western NC. Don't blame you for wanting to get out of S Florida. Expensive and NC winters are not too bad. Really nice people and not as over crowded as some of the bigger cities which have grown as people keep fleeing the N East. Much more affordable.

Good luck

In comment 15415811 LauderdaleMatty said:

Quote:

Loved western NC. Don't blame you for wanting to get out of S Florida. Expensive and NC winters are not too bad. Really nice people and not as over crowded as some of the bigger cities which have grown as people keep fleeing the N East. Much more affordable. Good luck

Hi Marty. Thank you. I feel the same way about S. FL. From the research I've been doing, N.C. looks wonderful. More moderate climate, very affordable housing, both to rent and buy, and more of a small town ambiance. I'm thinking I'll go for a 2 week-1 month visit in April or May, and if I like it, I'll rent a place for 6 months, and if I still like it, I'll start looking to buy or rent. I won't sell my place in FL until after that.