What is North Carolina Like?

[itself]

We are talking about making some trips to NC to get to know it, and perhaps retire there as apparently, the climate is mild, no snow, so riding year round would be possible.

So what is the weather like in this state? Is it bike friendly? Are the people pretty cool about different lifestyles?

Thanks for your input!

[OakLeaf]

It's a big state! What part of NC are you talking about? Asheville? Nag's Head? The Triangle? .... ?

[itself]

Any part! I would like to know about the "warmer" part of the state.

[TsPoet]

Any part! I would like to know about the "warmer" part of the state.

Wow! Check it out first. Like you, I moved from Az to NC and I hated it there. I had great friends and everything was OK in that regard, but tree trees trees trees... you can drive right by a major city on a major highway and not know you've done it.
and humidity, ug!
As far as lifestyle, I'm not entirely sure, but I can ask a good friend of mine about that. He lived there at the same time I did and we all got along great, but the RTP area is a weird gamish of educated scientists and profesionals and local folks. I don't know how the society as a whole was.
PM me and I can either ask Jack for you or get you guys in touch with each other.

[sfa]

Coastal areas are generally mild year-round and flat, flat, flat. Four seasons, but rarely any bitter cold or snow. I lived in the piedmont (Winston-Salem) where summers were unpleasant (although, honestly, not as humid and hot as Baltimore), fall and spring were heavenly and lasted forever--none of these two weeks of pleasant weather stuck between months of heat on one side and cold on the other. Winters were dreary, drizzly, and icky. We got snow once in the couple of years I was there. The mountains are gorgeous--beautiful fall colors, cool summers, and lots of snow in the winter.

In some of the towns, people are pretty cool about different lifestyles--Raleigh Durham in particular since the major employers are the universities and tech companies. There are a lot of transplants from the rest of the country in Raleigh Durham and Charlotte. Other areas, not so much--lots of small town mentality and intolerant of outsiders. Politics are largely dominated by the Christian right, although remember that this is also the home state of John Edwards (make whatever jokes you want, but he got elected there with a liberal populist platform). I suspect as more people move to the state from outside of the state, politics will become more mixed--it was an entirely Republican state when I lived there, but Obama barely won the state in 2008, something I never would have imagined was possible.

The warmer parts of the state--south and east--are pretty rural. Small towns, poultry processing, pine forests. I think it's probably the ugliest part of the state except when you're actually on the coast, but I LIKE trees and hills and snow, so maybe I'm the wrong person to ask!

[Grits]

I live in the central part of the state and grew up at the coast.

The weather is relatively mild, although this summer was unusually hot with a record breaking number of days above 90 degrees. I can cycle regularly about 8 months out of the year, keeping in mind that I only will go out if it is above 40 degrees. Dec. - March, there are quite a few days that I can ride, but it is not regular. There are days with snow and temps that do not get much above freezing during those months. Not a lot of days, but some. If you don't have the 40 degree cut off, like I do, then you can ride almost all year.

The coast is warmer and gets less snow and is, of course, flatter. I have heard that New Bern and Wilmington have nice retirement communities.

The weather is usually considered to be mild, except (in my opinion), July and August which are miserably hot and humid, and Feb. and March, which can be miserably cold (for here - I know it is much colder elsewhere!).

The mountains get quite a bit of snow, but are beautiful. I especially like the Asheville are.

Cycling varies by city. There is a big cycling community where I am with a lot of clubs and organized rides. I imagine most cities here would have the same. If you have any more specific questions, I can try to answer them.

[OakLeaf]

I will add that WNC is totally overrun by halfbacks (i.e., people who retired to Florida but hated the congestion and the lack of scenery) right now. We considered moving there for a while, until the situation became clear. Property values are very inflated as a result. My neighbor, who had vacation property in WNC, says there's quite a bit of resentment among the locals, especially toward people coming from Florida.

[tulip]

We are talking about making some trips to NC to get to know it, and perhaps retire there as apparently, the climate is mild, no snow, so riding year round would be possible.

So what is the weather like in this state? Is it bike friendly? Are the people pretty cool about different lifestyles?

Thanks for your input!

It really depends on what you like and what you value, just like any place in the world. North Carolina is a whole state. You cannot generalize the whole state.

I grew up in Durham. I lived there for many years in graduate school, too. I went to college and grad school in Chapel Hill and Raleigh. My family lives in Durham and Asheville. I travel to NC for work several times a month.

If I were to move back, I would choose to move to Durham or Asheville. I might consider Wilmington, but I'm not very familiar with it, although I do like the coast quite a bit. Durham has really changed over the last 20 years. The downtown is vibrant and interesting, with many very good restaurants, a new transit center, and a newish minor league ball park. The Farmer's Market is fantastic, and there are many wonderful older neighborhoods with bungalows and cottages. The old tobacco factories have been transformed into lofts, and there is a thriving arts scene. Duke University brings many interesting people and events to Durham.

The thing I really dislike about Durham and the Triangle is the traffic. It's terrible if you have to get on the interstate for any reason. The traffic results from many, many new subdivisions and shopping malls that have ruined the rural character of much of the region. I used to ride my bike all over southern Durham County, but those days are long gone. There is too much traffic and too many subdivisions and too many malls.

Asheville is very progressive, but it is surrounded by very traditional culture. That is to be expected anywhere except maybe somewhere like Portland, Oregon, where it appears nearly everyone is from somewhere else. I really like meeting people who are locals. Asheville has many wonderful restaurants, lots of tourists (especially in the Fall) and is a beautiful city. The cycling is good, particularly the mountain biking. The housing prices are on the high side, but if you go out into the counties, as many transplants to, then the prices are very low. There are lots of artists, as well as traditional rural people, too. It's a nice mix.

Chapel Hill and Carrboro are nice, but unless you can afford to live downtown, I wouldn't recommend it. Living isolated in a subdivision is not for me, but then it might work for you.

I have not lived in Greensboro or Charlotte or other parts of the state. At this point, I would not choose to do so. Greensboro is too far from the ocean without the benefit of the mountains, and just doesn't appeal to me. Charlotte is interesting, but too sprawly (although the downtown is pretty neat). YMMV.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to send me a PM.

[Koronin]

I moved from Ohio to North Carolina 10 years ago. I moved to the Charlotte area and loved it. Yes it does snow. We had at least a couple of days of snow every year I lived there. But the winters are definitely more mild than in north eastern Ohio. The only thing I really didn't like about the Charlotte area is the traffic. The traffic in and around Charlotte is much worse than the Raleigh/Durham area. I lived in Mooresville and there is one road that leads to housing on the penisula that is a parking lot from around 4pm until about pm. On the other hand at least the Mooresville area is mostly friendly towards cyclists. Although not many bike lanes there are a lot of cyclists who ride some of the roads and motorists seem to pay attention and have respect for them. We just moved to Jacksonville, NC this spring as my husband was able to get a civil service job here. Anyway, I'm trying to get used to this area. It's a military city, which I'm not used to. The summers here are hotter and more humid than in Charlotte. Charlotte is a 5hr drive from here. Haven't been through a winter here yet. My husband grew up in eastern NC and prefers eastern NC to western NC. I haven't been in the eastern part of the state long enough to decide which I prefer.

[bcipam]

Itself... where are you from? If you live in the Southwest, humid NC may not be for you. All parts of NC get hot and humid and all parts get cold. There are warmer parts. It snows up near Ashville and seldom snows around Raleigh or Charlotte. Personally I love the Charlotte area. It's absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately not all that good for road riding. Nice roads, beautiful countryside but no shoulders/bike lanes and inattentive, fast drivers.

I have often though of retiring in NC, but up near Ashville. Or maybe over the state line near Nashville, TN. TN is also a lovely state, one worth considering and weather is milder.