North Carolina

Full of military and ex military.a veritable buffet of men. Marines, soldiers and sailors. Also coast guards. Not sure about air Force.

I was thinking of relocating there myself, OP. Tired of red state hell hole.

I'm afraid I found Charleston kind of creepy. Lots of beautiful old buildings that were built by slave labor, some modern neighborhoods and some decaying. Lovely coastal setting, but I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time there.

R2, that's South Carolina.

R1, which red state hell hole are you in?

Durham has Duke -- hot guys. Near Raleigh, one of two major cities in NC (Charlotte is the other one).

Well it's better that Arkansas. At least it's Billy Graham country and not Oral Roberts

North Carolina is a socially backward red state with pockets of blue scattered about in such places as Asheville, Greensboro and Chapel Hill. But step outside their city limits and you're in Trump country. Even in the big cities of Raleigh and Charlotte, which have progressive majorities, there is a strong fundamentalist minority that has way too much power. Just look at the state's insane liquor law and civil rights laws barring gays as examples of the Southern Baptists' influence.

Chapel Hill, Durham and Asheville are pretty great. However, you will find that anywhere you go in N.C (the south in general) you are still living in the past. For every liberal college town, you have easily dozens of shitheel backwater towns where you just do not feel safe unless you are a straight white guy. Also if you are white, start getting REAL used to people assuming you are straight, Christian, and 100% all in for trump. It is breathtaking just how nasty people can be when they think you are one of them 🤯

I spent some time in Winston-Salem and really loved it. It's cozy.

Race relations are still poor, like the rest of the South. Even decades after the federal government intervened to abolish Jim Crow laws, most towns and cities are still segregated with a sense of quiet hostility between races. Charlotte and small towns in the East are especially bad, but you can feel it everywhere.

Can't one just stay in the bubble of one's liberal city/town?

The liberal cities of Asheville and Chapel Hill are small, so staying in the bubble would be constraining. Both have charms but you will find them lacking in many areas.

Durham, Greensboro and Winston-Salem are medium-sized moderate cities with more conveniences, but nothing like big cities.

Charlotte and Raleigh are the major metros but they are pretty boring for their size. They do have more big-city conveniences, however. But they pale in comparison to Seattle and Portland, which are about their size.

You simply must visit the charming Hardy Estates in Cameron, Moore County.

The esteemed company there will greet you atop dirtbikes and make you a fine bed on their dusty Compound soil.

Lots of cute military guys in Raleigh.

Ohio.

Cold, redneck and we're stuck with fucking Mike dewhine for 6 goddam years of hell.

At least NC has a Dem governor and a chance to get rid of Tillis.

You don’t know what you got til it’s gone. Sure NC seems cheaper and easier - but that new house gets old and familiar in a few months. People forget how lucky you are to be surrounded by interesting and informed and non-religious people in places where there is lots to do and see. After a week in NC, I’m always reminded it’s a redneck state - with some moderate areas that are bearable but no place I would choose to be.

R14, what's the reference to Ohio in response to?

NC has a reactionary legislature. It's a place filled with stripmalls and ugliness. It's a compromise place--people we they can easily go to the mountains or the beach but never do because each is hours away.

I left NYC 20 years ago for the Raleigh area. I find the posts here that only mention Asheville and Chapel Hill as liberal areas ludicrous. The 3 counties where Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill are located are solidly BLUE. The people who have moved here since the 1960's are overwhelmingly from the NE, not a collection of rednecks who arrived from the country. Some of the things I like about living here: a decent gay community with bars, clubs, meetup groups; Theater in all 3 cities, most of the area is new, clean, manageable traffic, low taxes and cost of living. Is it HK or WEHO? NO, If you go 80 miles outside this area wearing your caftan and earrings, you might have a problem. My personal experience is that I was harassed for being gay much more in NYC. than in 20 years in NC. When I return to NYC I see more plays in a week than I would see in a year as a resident. and have the money to do so instead of paying for a roach infested shithole of an apartment off Granercy Park.

I just spent 2 months in NC for work: Durham, RTP, Raleigh, Wilmington.

Wilmington was much, much less charming or cosmopolitan (read: not at all) than I'd expected given its filming industry, but it somewhat grew on me. Worse traffic than Durham, not quite as bad as Raleigh. (That said, NC is the easiest state to drive in I've ever experienced - huge plus!). Beaches are better than NJ/DE/NY but East Coast beaches are never going to be beautiful.

Durham was nice (tiny!) and Raleigh was charming though outdated. Everyone in Durham/Chapel Hill is from DC. Gocciolina restaurant was excellent.

I found North Carolina quiet, peaceful, interesting, but couldn't move there. Way too reserved and "family-oriented".

[quote]Well it's better that Arkansas. At least it's Billy Graham country and not Oral Roberts.

Oral Roberts was from Oklahoma (and built his university and hospital there).

R16, someone asked me where I was currently living that I would think NC is a better alternative.

Shithole Ohio. So NC looks like paradise compared to this bullshit.

I'm not a huge fan of NC. It's one of those places where you are either wasp white or black with not a lot of other ethnicities thrown in. Va and other parts of the south are the same. I'm white adjacent and I need to be around other white ethnics.

Asheville is very cool but it is a tourist economy, difficult place to find a real career.

The Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area is the best place to live in North Carolina.

I could afford a nice newly built suburban home there. I like Stanley Martin (Daiwa) and Pulte designs.

There's no Equinox there. Where do people go to the gym?

Most of these posters couldn’t have ever been to NC. I’ve lived here all my life. Charlotte has a black female liberal mayor and a Democrat controlled city Council. It’s a great place to live!

Charlotte is okay. It becomes hickish once you leave the core though, every county around them is quite red.

[quote] becomes hickish once you leave the core though

There is some variation of this in every thread about various cities. Yes, the population becomes less urbane and more provincial the further away you are from any city, it has become redundant to point that out.

Yes but I am comparing it to the triangle region which is composed of several blue counties r28.

That was my point.

Pulte Homes is a choice you will regret.

Pulte homes have that weird larger-triangle-behind-a smaller triangle thing. Hate that. Nice that the garage is hidden sometimes.

If OP is serious, then a Pulte home--sensible brand name probably fits with living someplace like the Research Triangle or Charlotte. Most people I know who've lived there did it as a comprimise. My one friend who taught at UNC cam to hate the area after awhile--lots of traffic, very inward looking, and you see the same people over and over and ot always in a good way. Lots of people in the Research Triangle come from elsewhere in the South. NC , generally, is popular with people from Atlanta which is reason alone not to move there.

I live in The Triangle and am involved in real estate. You don't want a Pulte Home or Stanley Martin, they're mediocre quality. The tract builders have invaded the area, but there are still plenty of custom builders who are more expensive but deliver a high quality product. The tract builders like Pulte create large communities filled with kids, neighborhood pools and play area. HELL on earth for a gay man/couple! The majority of people moving to the area are from the Northeast for IBM, Fidelity, Metropolitan Life, and Banc Suisse. The last three have relocated their back office ops here from NJ or NY. There are also quite a few from California with Cisco. Glaxo Wellcome is also located in Research Triangle Park. While smaller than Charlotte, it doesn't have the taint of Billy Graham and the PTL club=more educated people.

What is Greensboro like? It is hosting next year's US Figure Skating Championship. Lots of gay will swarm the town.

Yeah I mean I'd have to go with Pulte and the like for a new home. I'm not in the custom builder bracket. So funny Stanley Martin is owned by a Japanese company now. Weird investment.

That annoying triangle behind a triangle thing — what's that called, other than bad design?

Stanley Martin is prolific in Raleigh.

R33, will North Carolina become nearly blue in ten years?

I dream of suburbia. As long as I can work at home and have everything delivered. And a nice gym.

Charlotte has started to change for the worse lately--Getting too big too fast, all the problems of Atlanta and none of the charm. Traffic is hell and home prices are so high that they are through the roof. Crime starting to be more of an issue, too. The typical person wanting to buy a house is easily priced out of the market now. Racial tensions everywhere. Problems with police violence. Plus, investors have bought up a lot of the houses and are turning many of the houses into rentals in the once modestly priced neighborhoods. The area is popular with investors, since it's a growing city, but this is making it hard to live there for the average homebuyer. The driving is a bit like LA--nothing is convenient or walkable in Charlotte. It's very spread out and traffic heavy.

For those asking about gyms: Lifetime Fitness is probably the best known, nicer gym chain in the RDU area. I work for a university and get access to its fitness complex for $15/mo.

The Durham of the 90s was much more African American, Latino and lesbian than it is today; Chapel Hill was much edgier, or as much as a small charming college town could be. Gentrification is pricing out the more interesting residents.

Raleigh has always been and will always be one big sports bar.

Cary, as a growing bedroom community to both RTP, attracted a large Asian/Indian population and offers great restaurants if you’re into Thai, Korean, dim sum.

NC politics are depressingly controlled by its rural “majority” though backlash to the disastrous McCrory at least got us Roy Cooper.

[quote]The Durham of the 90s was much more African American, Latino and lesbian than it is today; Chapel Hill was much edgier, or as much as a small charming college town could be. Gentrification is pricing out the more interesting residents.

R40 is right, sadly.

I used to live in Chapel Hill, and still miss it at times. Even today, the Triangle is the most sophisticated region of North Carolina, and hands-down the best place in the state to be gay. OP, I'm sure it would be an improvement over your current situation. But the cookie-cutter, upwardly mobile, bourgeois bohemian types who have sniffed out and invaded other creative and affordable communities have also discovered Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Carrboro.

I don't want to discourage you from moving; I'm just frustrated that everything the outsiders and freaks manage to build for ourselves is coveted by our "betters," and eventually taken from us. There's no place in the country where this is not happening.

Greensboro is more classic North Carolina-y r34, it doesn't have that rapid growth from transplants that you see in the Triangle and Charlotte. I found my time there a little boring, but there was a gay club, Chemistry.

Y'all come to Charlotte.

If you're white and hot.

Is Lifetime Fitness Equinox's more affordable brand? I forget what it's named.

Joints starting to ache when the polar vortex hits, OP?

R45, I'm in LA. Yes, it's cold right now I do realize NC is colder. No issues.

#2 this year.

Why is the garage so often on the front of the house? Gross.

What about Toll Brothers? The homes near my parents are up to $3 million (they bought in the 80s so don't worry — my parents aren't rich).

Lumbee men in North Carolina are HOT. But crazy.

Lumber jacks, R50?

Lumbers are a Native American tribe. Recognized by the state, but not the federal government. Still hot. And hot tempered. I had a brief hookup with one of the chiefs on my frigate. Divorced with grown children. Sexy as fuck. But went crazy after a couple of drinks. He admitted that Lumbees were nuts. Miss his body and peen.

[quote]most towns and cities are still segregated with a sense of quiet hostility between races.

I'd say this is false. On a personal level, blacks and whites in the South get along quite well. They have to, because they've lived so closely together for 200 years. It's when blacks start asserting their rights as a group that whites get hostile.

NC also has a large number of Hispanics and my impression (although I don't live there anymore) is that neither group is very fond of them.

Greensboro is growing but still has that old, run down poor feeling. I wouldn't get excited about visiting other than for the skating championships. The modern civil rights museum is worth a visit, but otherwise, expect mostly old buildings and poor people. The main thing is they now have a nice outlet mall nearby that opened about 8 years ago.

Relocating Northeasterners love Charlotte because they can buy a McMansion in a new subdivision for less than half of what a smaller older house would cost them in NYC, DC or Boston and their salary may only be 10-15% less.

Not sure what would be attractive about one of those communities for a single gay man or childless couple.

How does a gay site end up even talking about the “dream” of living in a Pulte /Toll Brothers house? Dear God - first marriage, then kids - now tract homes!?! What have we come to? What happened to the dream of the unique historic or modern home that needs a little love but is one of a kind? Oh, how we have fallen.

So the NC fantasy is a tract home surrounded by straight families where you cans dive to Olive Garden? Hard pass.

Lots of people who post here are not gay men r56.

R45, Why should anyone apologize if their parents are wealthy? In the United States historically most people want to get ahead and live better, not sit in their own garbage, let tax payers support them and deficate on the sidewalk and help spread disease!

Oy - R58 is losing track of all the threads he is trolling. Sad old man.

It is funny to me how some consider those from other places more enlightened than the natives. Some of the most bigoted people I know are not from here.

I want to live in a suburb where I can hook up with a neighborhood DILF.

R56, it's about leaving the city, working from home, in peace. I'd never go to Olive Garden or the like. Just Whole Foods delivery and I'll cook for myself.

I’m moving to Winston-Salem from DC. Lots of people are moving to the area from DC and NYC. Housing prices are rising fast in nC. I really love Winston!

R56, perhaps you’re stuck in a stereotypical past that is no longer the norm for modern bi and gay people.

Raleigh-Durham home prices are skyrocketing and the area is growing explosively. It seems half the Northeast wants to move there

Blacks and whites get along well and socialize more in North Carolina than they do in the Northeast

LA Fitness is in Winston-Salem

Try Asheville. Very laid back scene, lots of artists. Good mountain folk that aren't judgy and it's not too isolated.

Avoid coastal traps like Wilmington and the surrounding suburbs if you're not white. Wilmington had a huge racial violence problem in the 90's and still does today. The genuinely good natured people in the area are sadly overshadowed by the bigots. Expect to be shouted at by rubes on the street.

[quote] Blacks and whites get along well and socialize more in North Carolina than they do in the Northeast

Totally untrue. Even worse if you're hispanic.

I’m a native black North Carolinian. I’ve experienced little to no racial issues in North Carolina. NC has one of the highest rates of black in-migration in the nation, and it has one of the fastest growing Latin populations

R63, which neighborhood in Winston? I grew up there.

r68, I went to boarding school in Asheville and hated the weather. Sept/Oct to April/May it was gray, overcast and cold nearly every day. It is beautiful in the summer though.

Yea, there are no inter-racial friends in Raleigh or any other area of NC.

Winston Salem is not a Charlotte or a Raleigh/Durham r63, coming from DC it is going to be quite an adjustment for you. Hope it works out.

I am moving to Ardmore. People are leaving places like NYC and DC because we don’t like living there. I’m escaping it for a reason.

I escaped W-S to Manhattan in the early 1970s. NC was no place then for an openly gay man. I've never regretted it. But things are very different now. Ardmore is a lovely neighborhood. I still go home to visit family.

Don't do it, OP. It's a Slave state. Nothing good happens in any of the Slave states.

R72 Who said there weren't? You're the idiot that thinks blacks for Trump means he couldn't possibly be racist.

The person who said there are POCKETS of NC that are normal was on the money. Just like in Maryland or Virginia. There are also parts of these three states I wouldn't stop my car in. There are parts of Maryland where the Klan still marches. NC just happens to be the one where these areas most frequently pop up.

Sorry if your state pride is wounded by this observation, but it's true. I wouldn't wish a minority race the experience I had in one of the more "progressive" NC areas. Called a nigger, a fag, and a spic in the same day. Stop misleading folks.

LOL I'm not some person that claims that. My first post. I work outside of Raleigh and know MANY African-American rednecks, as country as their white brothers and go hunting and fishing together. I bet they do support Trump.

I posted the link to show how diverse the Triangle is, and it is.

r78 = r72

Although, from the pictures preppy white people all hand out together.

Sorry this happened to you, R77. Was a native the offender?

R81 I lived there for about 2 years and had enough, had visited many times. I never asked if they were locals, but it was a regular thing. You're at the very least bound to overhear some pretty despicable attitudes said comfortably in public.

The Asheville area was the best part of my experience-- has a lot of transplants and open minded, kind hearted natives. I would really consider moving there if I wanted some peace of mind.

R59 loves dirt and trash heaps.

Well, R82, if this happened in a more progressive area of NC, the place is probably full of transplants. You seem to have this belief that they are less racist and more tolerant. I know plenty who moved here because it is cheaper but aren't.

R 77 I have had similar experiences in MD. Supposedly Maryland is one of the most liberal states but it has a weirdly middle American conservative vibe. Even when I go to the more liberal areas of the state, I never feel the sense of freedom or openness of a place like NYC or San Francisco. Personally I would not live in North Carolina either . As an earlier comment pointed out, even the edgy unique areas get colonized.

R84 They might have been transplants from Kentucky but I know a southern accent when I hear it. It was a never a northerner screaming "fag," that much I can tell you.

The hill folk in NC seem to have a different relationship to minorities than those in cities where slavery was bustling.

R85 Yes, I was born and raised there and have no wish to return.

Evolving + North Carolina = Oxymoron

sorry you had a bad experience, but has not been my experience in NC.

R89 I'm glad!

Ya'll think it's 1955? WTF? I know a federal judge here, appointed by Bush Sr., whose daughter married a black man...and they don't care!

R77 R85

Where were you in Maryland

Lots of transplants from NJ. Hence, they are terrible drivers

If by “evolving,” you mean a bellwether state then North Carolina is a good choice. So is Florida. If you want a state that is emerging, consider Arizona, Georgia, and Texas. There is also Omaha, which is the second Congressional District of Nebraska. If by “evolving,” you mean a state that has already arrived, and is getting even more interesting, choose either Virginia or Colorado.

Winston-Salem has a very well known arts college called UNCSA, so there are definitely some gays there. I remember that city having a very cute and walkable downtown area with a few good places to eat. But it's a lot like other towns where you take one wrong turn and you suddenly see a bunch of run down homes and sketchy characters lurking around. I think the city is bigger than one might think, but it's sorta spread out. I remember there being a few movie theaters there. Two were discount theaters that placed second run movies, which was great.

R92 Thurmont, Frederick, Chevy Chase, Baltimore, Waldorf... up and down. What do you want to know about it?

North Carolina does have the only mayor in the country who can claim he was babysat by Marilyn Monroe when he was a boy.

R92 Baltimore, Montgomery county, Howard cty. I can not recommend living there, though obviously everyone has different experiences.

92 here. Long term resident. Baltimore and northern Md is much different from the Washington suburbs. Thurmont has the KKK. Frederick city is liberal but not so much the county. Waldorf, I agree, is very weird. Montgomery County is very liberal.

R99 Well duh.

I live in Baltimore, half my neighborhood is gay (Mount Vernon of course), and there is a mural of Divine a couple blocks from my place.

Baltimore has many issues, but being gay isn't one of them.

But you might get stabbed going to Harris Teeter

lol!

Heh, no argument r102. But Maryland was the first state that passed same sex marriage by a popular vote, we deserve some credit.

Actually Maine did it before Maryland albeit the same day

Raleigh downtown scene has become quite vibrant (the arts, restaurants, nightclubs, festivals, museums) and is getting more so every single day as newcomers pour in. It's irreversible. Might as well get here on the ground floor.

Durham is cooler

Durham has a much higher crime rate than other parts of the Triangle.

If freakin Durham is too dangerous for you, then you are a huge Mary who really shouldn't live in a city.

[quote] If by “evolving,” you mean a bellwether state then North Carolina is a good choice. So is Florida. If you want a state that is emerging, consider Arizona, Georgia, and Texas. There is also Omaha, which is the second Congressional District of Nebraska. If by “evolving,” you mean a state that has already arrived, and is getting even more interesting, choose either Virginia or Colorado.

R94, you're spot-on about why I'm interested in moving to NC. We have to transform it into a blue state — as Virginia is almost a blue state (largely but for the current crisis, and I'm waiting on the 2019 off-year legislative election). I grew up in VA (30 years) and I saw the change for myself. VA needs a trifecta now.

It's doable in NC. Getting there. I want to do my small part (volunteering, promoting it after I move there among my friends so maybe a couple consider moving, etc.).

Ashton Woods is the gay homebuilder. Super gay design.

Garman Homes is also very gay.

R94, there is also, of course, the idea of living somewhere where life is easier and somewhat more peaceful than Manhattan, West LA, and even DC. It really appeals to me.

r94 Evolving? Emerging? You’ve listed several of the most conservative states in the country. Who are the senators, the reps from these states - who do the people elect? Republicans, republicans, republicans. Of course there are gays at the few arts universities - who then promptly get the fuck out of these shithole states. Yeah, “Come to North Carolina/ Georgia/ Virginia/ Arizona/ Texas/ Nebraska/ etc. - the new home of open, progressive gays!” CRAZY.

R114, who said anything about seeking "open, progressive gays"? Some of us are just gay Democrats.

Progressives so often assume everyone else discussing politics, if a Democrat or on the left at all, is progressive.

It's also about stretching to make a contribution to changing states for the better. It happened in Virginia.

Oh, Virginia is friendly to gays now? I must have missed that.

R116, yes, Northern VA is gay-friendly now. Amazon chose Arlington County in part b/c of the LGBT protections. The rest of the state is like Upstate NY.

I've got to agree with R116. I moved to Charlottesville recently, and it's much more conservative than I anticipated, in a pearls and lacrosse sort of way. As much as I dread the rent in NoVA, I think I'm headed there next, because all the gays are in D.C.

[quote]Evolving? Emerging? You’ve listed several of the most conservative states in the country. Who are the senators, the reps from these states - who do the people elect?

If you think the Southern states are one big Republican monolith, you're totally wrong. In North Carolina, Durham and Chapel Hill/Carrboro (to name two) are about as lefty as they come and full of native-born Southerners. The NC Supreme Court now has a 5-2 Democratic majority and the governor is a Democrat (although of course the legislature is still creepy right-wing). It shouldn't be difficult to get at least one Senate seat back. You can't paint the entire state with one brush.

Idaho, bitches. Californians are moving in droves.

R109 I did the urban guerilla gentrifying thing in Brooklyn many years ago. If I wanted to do that again, I'd move to Durham. Raleigh is a larger city and has a lower crime rate. Sorry if the facts don't match your snark about my living in a city.

I'm looking for a planned community in Utah. Want to live around cute Mormons. Daybreak is cute. Any DLers in SLC?

R111 R112 Ashton Woods is a tract builder that bought its way into the Triangle market by overpaying for land . They're based in ATL. Garman Homes is local semi-custom builder started by a software tycoon who decided to become a "builder." I agree their designs are pretty good and quality is passable though. Depending on the size of home, the local custom builders in the Trangle market are competitive. The Pultes and their ilk are for the fraus who want the max square footage for the least amount of money and don't care if the entire 1st floor is laminate, the roofs are truss, and the framing is 2x4 on 20 in centers. Do your research and compare or find a competent real estate agent. There is a difference if you buy from the equivalent of the McDonald's of home construction.

R123, yeah, I'm looking for like the Starbucks of home construction -- definitely mass market, but just a bit better than Pulte. Would that be Ashton Woods?

It really depends on your price range and type of neighborhood (hundreds of homes with pool and clubhouse? one a bit further out with half acre + lots but no pool, etc) you want to live in. The upper tier large builders are Toll Bros, and NVR. Slightly below them I'd place Drees & David Weekley. The ones I'd avoid would be Pulte, Beazer, Lennar, Centex, Mattamy and Dan Ryan espevially. If you are looking over $500/600K you can definitely go custom. Garman and Ashton Woods are okay. If you're coming from the NE remember property taxes here are normally 1% or less depending on town; Chapel Hill being the exception.

[quote]I really love Winston!

Do they sill have that gay bar where you have to apply for membership in advance in order walk inside, because of some weird local law?

When I gave up on Winston in the early1970s and escaped to Manhattan, someone had tried to open a gay bar there. The cops would park across the street from the parking lot, write down everyone's license plate number and your boss would get a call the next day asking about you, saying that you had been reported in a known homosexual hangout and they wanted to make sure you had shown up for work as they were concerned about your safety. I'm not making this up.

Of course, this was decades ago.

^ Of course, the gay bar owners in Greensboro, 20 miles away, knew how to handle that stuff. They paid off the police generously. Thus General Greene's was the only gay bar in well over a hundred mile radius. (You'd otherwise have to go to Richmond or Charlotte.) Gigi's, as it was affectionately known, was fabulous. Big dance room in the back. It got *everybody* -- the leather guys, the drag queens, the down low daddies, the hot college guys, the diesel dykes and the lipstick lesbians, etc., etc., etc. We had a fabulous time together. Being gay was a felony and we were all joined by being outlaws! I was astonished when I got to New York and all the bars were "segregated" by interest. In some ways, not as much fun.

Hipsters are moving to Durham. Raleigh is dull suburbia.

1970? That was common almost everywhere. Stonewall had occurred just a few months ago in NYC.

Out of curiosity, I did a search for the Best 10 Gay Bars in various NC cities on Yelp. This is what I found.

Greensboro: 1 Winston-Salem: see Greensboro Raleigh: 3 Durham: 3 Asheville: 3 Charlotte: 7

Not even Charlotte (pop 850,000) could come up with 10.

Out of curiosity, I did a search for the Best 10 Gay Bars in various NC cities on Yelp. This is what I found.

Greensboro: 1

Winston-Salem: see Greensboro

Raleigh: 3

Durham: 3

Asheville: 3

Charlotte: 7

Not even Charlotte could come up with 10.

Charlotte is biggest, but a lot less charming than Durham, Asheville, or Winston-Salem.

10 gay bars?! Only very big cities could support that.

And I know that list is inaccurate, Durham does not have 3 gay bars for instance, they aren't big enough to support that.

Ugh - I understand the desire for quiet and peace. But remember that comes with boredom, isolation and anti-social behaviors. Also ignorant people because of the aforementioned. Tried it - realized it’s a fantasy. Now just Airbnb a place for a week here and there to get away. Debating a cheap place upstate CT.

I had a project in Winston-Salem and I found the area dull, racist and there is no way I would move there. I have been to Charlotte many times for work. Typical "urban" US city, not much there. A shitty, overcrowded airport with great routes. And everyone complains about how expensive it has become. I do not understand how it is always in the top ten of cities in the US.

R135, not everyone is like you

The poster judging the cities by number of gay bars must be ancient. I’m 40 and even I understand that most younger people now prefer to go to mixed bars. When I moved to the Triangle over twenty years ago the population was half of what it is now and Raleigh had double the number of gay bars it currently does.

Bump

If you forced me at gunpoint to move back to NC, I'd choose Durham. I could survive (with medication) in Asheville or Charlotte.

(It's true about Boise incidentally, it's taking off. But Idaho is even more Republican than North Carolina.)

Charlotte’s RM page seems to have lots of transients and mostly older resident escorts. Not a good sign. I need a steady supply of twink hole; without it, why even move to a place?

Economists predict 1.3 million Americans will leave Blue states like California for Red states like Texas in the next 3 years because of high taxes

Over the past decade, 3.5 million have relocated from high-tax to low-tax states

And all of those red states will end up raising taxes to provide for the amenities that the new residents became accustomed to in their former states.

R143, has that happened in Virginia? Just wondering. It used to be a red state, then educated professionals moved in.

Nope, Virginia has low taxes

R144 northern Virginia is liberal in terms of voting but it's almost painfully dull and conformist. Just completely devoid of any character whatsoever.

R146, that's your subjective opinion. The point of bringing up Northern Virginia, for R144, is in relation to the question of whether blue-state types moving into Virginia translated to higher taxes, as the state has transformed into a purple-blue state. Turns out the answer is likely no.

I love NoMA. I’m not looking for weirdness or freaks. Normal people are good enough for me

How many adult bookstore gloryholes per capita?

I meant I love NoVA

R150, where in Northern VA? I love McLean...

Not that I'd ever be able to afford to buy a house there, of course.

R142 writes,

[quote]Economists predict 1.3 million Americans will leave Blue states like California for Red states like Texas in the next 3 years because of high taxes

That isn’t the No. 1 motivating reason why people move from one state to another. The No. 1 reason is employment.

Taxes are way down the list. The biggest reason I know people move is the cost of property. The economies are so competitive they get priced out.

I Love Shirlington

Yeah - except retirees from high tax (and high home equity value) states, taxes aren’t a big reason for moving. A 3-5% chnage in income is easily offset by the increased wages in the higher tax states. The net take home is probably better in the high tax states because the salaries are much higher. As always, oversimplification of issues is the major issue with our politics today.

Let’s all move to Union Grove, Iredell County. The 2000 locals will be so happy to have us.

Iredell County is rightwing

Loved this. Election fraud, Harris's son blows up Mark Harris's defense ("I had no idea they were collecting ballots.")

NC is run like a banana republic. Horrible legislature, election corruption. Harris was freaking out crying as his son testified, because he realized he was caught.

Y'all going to hell for criticizing a fine Christian man like Mark Harris. How can you doubt the word of a preacher who talks directly with God?

OMG they're holding primaries again for NC-9.

Lots of money pouring into this race

Harris is so ... corrupt. Only calls for a new election after he's caught in his lie that he had no idea Swollet was collecting ballots — because his son called him out on it.

That said, that son is attractive and a good man. This time.

Bump

Charlotte’s on the up-and-up, but coming from a guy who’s from the Carolinas, don’t move here. Even though NC is branded as an “evolving state” it’s still ass-backwards. Georgia’s a better bet if you want a southern state that’s turning, since it’s a bit less archaic. Either that or metropolitan Tennessee.

Is this shithole of a state going to stay red?

Any hope for North Carolina or should I move to a blue state? Moved to WNC from the west coast right before Covid looking for peace and quiet and lower cost of living. It's nice in many ways, but the political climate has got me down.

Also, the healthcare here is terrible, ever since HCA bought the local hospital. Feeling stuck, because this area is beautiful but backwards in many ways.

For now, I have to stay in the region due to a variety of reasons. Should I look into Georgia, perhaps Athens? I like mid size to smaller cities, though appreciate access to larger, metropolitan cities. What are some better options in the Southeast?

[quote]Race relations are still poor, like the rest of the South.

Race relations are poor everywhere in the United States.

I was really disappointed in Raleigh. Strip mall after strip mall and urban sprawl. I couldn't tell one chunk of town from another. I was only there for five days and a friend from there showed me around. I didn't get the appeal at all.

R169 Truth.

I always find it sad and slightly amusing how people from the north think that racial problems only exist in the south.

Its seems to be a trend here that people only want relocate new and different if they can 'remake' it in their own image. If you don't like the specifics of a place, don't move there.

The Triangle leaves a lot to be desired, at least aesthetically. Generally, it seems to have more open minded people compared to the rest of the state. Western North Carolina is the most beautiful area in NC in my opinion. Unfortunately, it has Madison Cawthorn, low inventory of housing (though that exists everywhere at the moment), and now poor healthcare since HCA bought the local hospital.

[quote]Unfortunately, it has Madison Cawthorn

And don’t forget Lara Trump.

[quote]Charlotte’s on the up-and-up, but coming from a guy who’s from the Carolinas, don’t move here. Even though NC is branded as an “evolving state” it’s still ass-backwards.

Exactly.

What a progressive state!

Such lovely people!

Just lovely.

Nice!

Until January of 2021, it was the only state that did not recognize same-sex domestic violence, and it took a federal judge to change the law.

Chatham County, r168. Buy now!

Apple is now coming to RTP.

Pittsboro is where it's at!

It is. If you like quiet (20 acres) but hop in the car and drive 30 minutes to civilization.

Those yankee retirees can't drive! Ummm...the illegal left turn when the light turns green to get to Lowes is not worth our lives.