Neighbors are moving to Charlsetown (not Charlotte), SC and I have an opportunity to tag along.

I am currently in the Pocono mountains of PA. I am renting a nightmare of a house and ready for a fresh start in a new place!

My friends live northwest of Charlestown (not Charlotte) in Sunnydale. I am trying to find out more about desirable neighborhoods around Charlotte. My friends have a newly constructed house in a new development. I am interested in an affordable smaller house/cottage in an established area. I am renting now. I will probably rent for a while and explore the area, but I am keeping my options open.

My little dog, Winston the pug, hates walking on snow and ice. He has moved with me twice already. He gets concerned when I pack up the kitchen gear, but he is happy to be wherever I am.

Correction Charleston, South Carolina. Heat and stress are frying my brain.

I spend every spring envying the southern gardeners early blooms and every summer waiting for fresh tomatoes (a few in stores, no ripe ones on my plants yet). The idea of being able to grow gardenia, jasmine and tea roses makes me happy!

Do you mean Charlotte, NC? In any case, I hope that you do move somewhere, considering all the problems that you have kindly put up with. I hope that you find a nice place to live, with great gardening space and not to troublesome weather. Charlotte sounds like your kind of place. It is in zone 7. Charleston, SC is an even warmer place and is on the coast (Zone 8b), beautiful city, weather and with little chance of snow.

I am in SC, too. Of course, to me, it's a great place to live. The heat and humidity is rough, bugs are bad, snow is rare. I am a bit envious of those in warmer zones too.

I live in upper western South Carolina about midway between Charlotte NC and Atlanta GA. I have visited Charlotte many times but have not looked for housing there. The Blue Ridge mountains are to the west of Charlotte and a nice place to drive. Visiting Biltmore House in Asheville NC is a must. The area around Asheville, west to Hendersonville and south to Greenville,SC rank as great places to live in many magazines...none are anywhere near the size of Charlotte.

Snow is replaced mainly with sleet or freezing rain. We get it 2_3 times a year, but it usually melts in a day or two. You may want to check out Rock Hill, SC...it serves as a suburb for Charlotte NC on the southern side.

Charlotte I just discovered is in N.C. as I thought, but it sits right on the border and is often confused as being in South Carolina.

Yep, and as Ed said, Rock Hill in on the SC side of the border. The amusement park, Carowinds, is on the NC border, not in SC, as many people think. It sits in the middle of the 2 cities.

I love the Pocono Mts

My daughter is in Forest City / Browndale. was in Carbondale and also Scranton...not a fan of these.
Of course visiting Pocono and living there too different things

Our mts in NC lovely
If you want to move from where you are..I am sure once you arrive in Charlotte..youmcan explore neighboring towns and find a home. Charlotte is associated with banking in NC..great restaurants.. It is a bit pricey ..but many mice affordable areas within 20 mins or so.

The Pocono mountains can be nice, but aspects are difficult. The endless polar vortex winters are too much. I have a few nice neighbors, but most people are either beyond backwoods (can't read, don't go to the dentist variety backwoods) or New Yawk transplants trying to bring the worst of New Yawk (crime, drugs, delinquent children, shopping malls, cookie cutter McMansions) to a formerly beautiful area. I was born in NYC, but I am not a New Yawka ...neither are most of them, they just watch too much television.

I like living in the mountains. It is very beautiful.

I currently have a mold problem (and other problems) in a rented house. If I am going to move, I am considering a big move to a new area! I want a place closer to civilization with a better climate.

Short growing seasons make it difficult to grow vegetables - still waiting for a ripe tomato in my garden, but some local farmers have tomatoes.

This county has terrible internet and phone service. There are areas nearby that have more isp options. Here we have the local cable company and Verizon dsl (or Verizon dsl billed by a third party). All are beyond capacity and behind the times. I work and take classes, so I need reliable, modern internet access. Areas a bit south of me in the next county are still beautiful, but are near better hospitals and have more updated infrastructure.

Many companies and most of my friends have already left this area. I would like to travel and visit a bit, perhaps finding a better quality of life in a different area.

Concerns about Charleston are hurricanes and recent flooding. I don't need another mold problem or a flood! I have had too many crisis already lately.

Better get the town right in the gps before embarking on my journey .....

Andi, I think you will love Charlotte, NC. If I were to pick up and move away, that may be where I would head. I have 2 SILs who live there. That is, if I don't choose to move further south, like Jacksonville, FL. Have a great trip!

I would move to a small town near Asheville..Saluda

Charlottesville, Va

Or right where I am...Hillsborough, NC or Pittsboro NC

I got lucky!

Charlotte has high taxes, crime and traffic. South of the border here in SC taxes are low, gas prices are low, crime is low, and people are nice. Charleston SC is a wonderful place, I lived there over the summer one year but crime is a little high there as well and cost of living is crazy high to live in a good area of town. the people are nice and the food is out of this world but in the poverty stricken areas it's dangerous to even be out a night. A lot of murders and robberies happen both there and in Charlotte. Charleston is also a major hub for drugs so there are some people that will kill you if you see something you wasn't supposed to. I love the small towns in South Carolina and North Carolina better as a place to live but I'm a country boy and don't care things like traffic, mile long shopping malls, and housing stacked on top of each other.

Coming from the city...a small rural town would be a HUGE change.
a loaf of REAL italian bread can't be had...Bertoli Oil is in the international foods aisle ..if lucky enough to find it ...

The Poconos are amply supplied with restaurants and services ..Charlotte may be less of a culture shock

Charlotte has some good foods as well. I do enjoy shopping at Super G mart in Charlotte because of the exotic fruits they offer like lychee, jackfruit, Mamey Sapote, and much much more. I'm a sucker for fruits and love trying all kinds of new things. I agree if you come from a large city Charlotte may be the place for you. It's growing by leaps and bounds and is the second largest banking city in the US hints the name Queen City. Charlotte is actually a zone 7b with micro climates within the city of zone 8a. I think the pavement has something to do with part of Charlotte being a zone 8 because I'm 20 miles south and still a 7b.

There is an asian market in Cary that is huge..like a walmart..with many exotic fruits and vegetables..fish swimming and you pickmthe ones you fancy. Pastries and candy and rice and all sorts of things (at least last time I was there ) Hot food too.

Could it be Summerville where your neighbors are moving? It is a suburb of Charleston and a very beautiful town but growing rapidly.

Charleston and Charlotte are good sized cities with the usual urban issues. Both have outstanding areas around but bear in mind those metropolitan areas are the most expensive in both states.


Charlotte and the surrounding areas do have cold winters, not as much as you have now but they do get ice storms and the occasional snow. From the midlands of SC down to the Lowcountry along the coast you will have mild winters.

Amsterdam or New Zealand would be my choice!