RFI: Moving to the Mountains of NC/VA

[HeavyDuty]

I have noticed an increasing amount of interest in “the mountains of NC,” for the past several years. So, if buying, buy a big-enough piece of land, so it will still feel remote when the area gets loved to death by other like-minded folks. If there is a nice view that is dependent upon that hillside/mountainside remaining undeveloped, buy the whole hillside/mountainside, to the top.

Actually, this principal applies just about everywhere. We live on flat Gulf Coastal prairie, but our neighborhood is being changed by folks who knock-down the bungalows, and build McMansions, surrounded by high fences. We are about to lose our morning sun, and have to live with a view of an eight or ten feet of solid fence. The plants that attract the butterflies and hummingbirds, along the east side of our house, are going to fail to thrive, or die, if we do not move them. We are wondering whether to knock-down our bungalow, and build a modest multi-story house, or move to, well, somewhere like the mountains of NC or TN.

ETA: Take a look at the entire tax situation, and chose the state that is best for your individual situation. A few years ago, I drove to Piedmont, AL, to pick up a Bloodhound, from a lady who was downsizing her dog operation, after a move to AL, from FL, for tax reasons. (She had retired, and was also retiring from canine SAR volunteer work.) If I recall correctly, she and her husband carefully considered several states in the region, and chose to move to the mountains of northern AL.

I’m such a Philistine - I had no idea AL had mountains.

[mtnbkr]

I'm proud to say I spent 4 years getting an education in the area. Appalachian State University, class of '97.

Boone, Banner Elk, Blowing Rock, Seven Devils, Foscoe and West Jefferson are all places worth looking at, depending on your tastes and desired budget. Truly beautiful country up there. And, if need be, an easy drive down 421 puts you right in Winston-Salem if you need "big city" stuff, for whatever reason.

Vehicles with 4WD or all-wheel drive (specifically Subarus) are common. There's a reason for that.

Good luck in your hunt. Good people up there.

Appalachian State was on my shortlist of colleges (ended up going to Campbell for their 5yr BBA+MBA program). I would have been two years ahead of you. While going to school in NC, I made a few trips to Western NC for mountain biking outsie of Brevard.

Chris

[RevolverRob]

Not sure you can put up with them or they with you?

I'll shoot you a PM.

Definitely the latter.

Alas, they aren't hiring currently, but you never know if something will open up.

App State in Boone and UNC Asheville are two options. My institution provides staffing at several hospitals in Boone and greater Asheville. All of my partners working at those sites love both areas although they are different. Asheville is a lot more granola.

Appalachian State is a great place, but alas already has several good folks doing similar things to me there.

UNC Asheville just put out a search last year for someone doing kind of what I do. So, I probably won't get a chance there in a reasonable time-frame. Though, you never know.

I run a weekly search for all jobs in biology/geology across the nation. Plus monitor three or four other sights where jobs and postdocs are posted regularly.

But none of this has anything to do with moving to the mountains of NC, except for my personal desire to move to the mountains of NC (or Kentucky, or Alabama, or Tennessee...or anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon), given the opportunity.

[blues]

@RevolverRob Have a look at WCU and see if that might be a fit.

From the picture that pops up it looks like they might be able to use a bit of, um, diversity.

Seriously, though, most people seem to have had a good experience there from the bit that I hear.

[RevolverRob]

@RevolverRob Have a look at WCU and see if that might be a fit.

From the picture that pops up it looks like they might be able to use a bit of, um, diversity.

Seriously, though, most people seem to have had a good experience there from the bit that I hear.

I looked and they have a job open in zoology, alas it's invert not vert zoology, so I won't be applying. But in the job advert is something that drives me batshit insane...

Minimum Qualifications: Applicants should have a Ph.D. in an appropriate field, postdoctoral experience or its equivalent, teaching experience at the undergraduate level, and a record of scholarly productivity with the expectation of continued scholarship at a primarily undergraduate university. ABD considered.

Bolded are two contradictory statements. One cannot simultaneously be ABD ('All But Dissertation'; in other words virtually finished with a PhD but it is not yet turned in or in some cases defended, but it merely 'academic' to finish) and have postdoctoral experience or its equivalent. By definition ABD means PRE-Doctorate, Postdoctoral Experience means POST-Doctorate.

I could go on a whole, very long, rant about how often I see contradictory crap in job adverts. It's hard enough to read between the lines on job postings, let alone try to figure out which part of the contradictory statements you should interpret as correct. Incomplete adverts, vague adverts, adverts with conflicting dates, conflicting contact information, etc. I've seen most of it by now.

[blues]

@RevolverRob Here's my last try, Rob...

Warren Wilson College

[Tensaw]

ETA: Take a look at the entire tax situation, and chose the state that is best for your individual situation. A few years ago, I drove to Piedmont, AL, to pick up a Bloodhound, from a lady who was downsizing her dog operation, after a move to AL, from FL, for tax reasons. (She had retired, and was also retiring from canine SAR volunteer work.) If I recall correctly, she and her husband carefully considered several states in the region, and chose to move to the mountains of northern AL.

If I can be allowed to take my own thread OT for just a second... Piedmont is a nice little town. The trail head of the Chief Ladiga Trail is there. The CLT turned out to be a great escape valve for a hike on the Pinhoti that got a little spicy. Everyone we encountered there was pretty cool. As for the "mountains of northern AL", I have had some experience up there. Me and some guys from my church spent a few days on Sand Mountain and thereabouts after tornadoes raked our state a few years back. I was a little taken aback when our contact up there told me in very clear terms not to mention that I was federal LE once we got up on the mountain. That all turned out just fine. The folks we were there to help were a little untrusting and stand-offish at first, but after they saw that we just wanted to help out and had no other motives, they were cool. (Although I did avoid mentioning the whole fed thing.) I would think that a place like that might be a little tough to settle in to coming in from the outside.

ETA: Tennesse doesn't have a personal income tax. I would be fine living there, but the properties we have been able to find aren't really checking the boxes.

[Tensaw]

4WD comes in handy on steep, windy roads which may include gravel, mud, clay etc.

Winters aren't too bad, depending on elevation. We're at about 2500'. The higher elevations will be colder and get more snow in winter than we do. Some years we get none...some we get a few feet.

We're also in a rainy part of the state, as much of western NC tends to be.

If you find the right spot, I don't doubt you'll find it a good place to live.

Thanks for that. Those are some useful nuggets right there.

Some of the stuff we are looking at is toward the northwestern part of VA and at about 3500 feet. I would imagine the winters might be a bit more extreme, but hopefully the summers would be more on the mild side.

Does anyone have any comment on the summers/winters in the Franklin/Boone area?

[Tensaw]

Boone, Banner Elk, Blowing Rock, Seven Devils, Foscoe and West Jefferson are all places worth looking at, depending on your tastes and desired budget. Truly beautiful country up there. And, if need be, an easy drive down 421 puts you right in Winston-Salem if you need "big city" stuff, for whatever reason.

Vehicles with 4WD or all-wheel drive (specifically Subarus) are common. There's a reason for that.

Boone, Banner Elk, and Blowing Rock have all come up in the search. I will check out the others. Thanks.

[blues]

Thanks for that. Those are some useful nuggets right there.

Some of the stuff we are looking at is toward the northwestern part of VA and at about 3500 feet. I would imagine the winters might be a bit more extreme, but hopefully the summers would be more on the mild side.

Does anyone have any comment on the summers/winters in the Franklin/Boone area?

Franklin and Boone are a ways apart in distance and elevation. Franklin will be milder. Boone colder and snowier.

Franklin is pretty hot and humid during the Summer.