North Carolina, what's it like

[rubbachicken]

I'm going to be starting a new life in America in the summer
somewhere on the east coast, I recently got married, my wife lives in Boston MA, for me the winters a too cold and there is too much snow
she's willing to go as far south as North Carolina
what's it like to live there, are there area's that are better than others
any input welcome
thanks

 

[AfterDark]

I'm going to be starting a new life in America in the summer
somewhere on the east coast, I recently got married, my wife lives in Boston MA, for me the winters a too cold and there is too much snow
she's willing to go as far south as North Carolina
what's it like to live there, are there area's that are better than others
any input welcome
thanks

If you haven't yet you might post this in the regional section and get the attention of people living there. I've never been so I don't know. I heard it was cold there recently but normally it's not too cold there.

 

[paddler3d]

Well, I won't comment the people down there, but I will comment on the diving.

The diving is awesome!

So the Gulf Stream comes up North rite along the coast and then heads out towards Bermuda around Cape Hatteras. The Labrador Current flows South and collides with the Gulf Stream around Hatteras and then turns back North.

North of Hatteras, the diving is similar all the way up the coast. Cool to cold, not great vis, so on so forth.

Hatteras and South you get warm water with some awesome vis.

North Carolina is called the 'grave yard of the Atlantic'. There are a lot of shipwrecks off the coast.

My very first NC dive was on a U-boat called U-352. It was actually sunk by the US Coast Guard. I was kneeling in the sand and 112fsw and I could look up and see the guys on the boat. The water was 82degreeF. At one point in the dive I lost track of my buddy who was no more than 15ft away, because of all the fish.

Most of the good wrecks are 2-3 hours boat in sometimes rough water. They tend to be deep dives and everyone does some deco. The wildlife tends to be abundant and there are wrecks that are loaded with Sand Tiger sharks.

N. Carolina is broken into three regions. You have the coastal, the piedmont and the mountains in the West. NC in the summer in the coastal region is warm and humid. I believe there is a lot of technology work in the Raleigh/Durham area.

Good luck!

 

[rubbachicken]

Well, I won't comment the people down there, but I will comment on the diving.

The diving is awesome!

So the Gulf Stream comes up North rite along the coast and then heads out towards Bermuda around Cape Hatteras. The Labrador Current flows South and collides with the Gulf Stream around Hatteras and then turns back North.

North of Hatteras, the diving is similar all the way up the coast. Cool to cold, not great vis, so on so forth.

Hatteras and South you get warm water with some awesome vis.

North Carolina is called the 'grave yard of the Atlantic'. There are a lot of shipwrecks off the coast.

My very first NC dive was on a U-boat called U-352. It was actually sunk by the US Coast Guard. I was kneeling in the sand and 112fsw and I could look up and see the guys on the boat. The water was 82degreeF. At one point in the dive I lost track of my buddy who was no more than 15ft away, because of all the fish.

Most of the good wrecks are 2-3 hours boat in sometimes rough water. They tend to be deep dives and everyone does some deco. The wildlife tends to be abundant and there are wrecks that are loaded with Sand Tiger sharks.

N. Carolina is broken into three regions. You have the coastal, the piedmont and the mountains in the West. NC in the summer in the coastal region is warm and humid. I believe there is a lot of technology work in the Raleigh/Durham area.

Good luck!

that's a good start, many thanks

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Check in at the NC divers forum

NC Divers

Most of the people on the forum either live there or dive there frequently.

I like NC a lot and if I could find work doing VR or program evaluation I'd move there in a heart beat. The people are very nice and generally very rural. Closer to Raleigh/Durham it gets a bit more urban but the people are still nice. There are a fair amount of technology and research jobs in that area.

In the eastern Carolina coastal plains winters are mild with almost no snow. Summers are also not all that bad in terms of heat or humidity. The diving is great from Moorehead City south. North of there, as noted above, the diuving is colder and lower viz.

That said the diving varies. I have been on dives that are absolutely epic with mill pond flat seas, 100 plus ft viz, warm cerulean blue gulf stream water, vast numbers of tropical fish, huge bait balls and scores of sand tiger sharks. I have also spent 2 hours both ways puking over the side in very closely spaced 6 ft seas, and ended up on a wreck in 60 degree water with 5' viz getting sucked in and out of hatches by the surge with basically zero fish. In NC, your diving mileage WILL vary.

You can also plan on getting blown out about 1/3rd of the time.

 

[SelkieDVM]

I am a North Carolina native though I live in Virginia now. I miss home and go back every chance I get, so I may be a little biased. The wreck diving is world class as stated. Deep (100-120') and long boat rides (1-2 hours) typically but well worth it especially in summer. Blow outs are not uncommon.

North Carolina has a wide range of topography from one of the oldest mountain chains in the world to a very long coastline. Climate wise off course varies depending on where you are but can range to very hot and humid (sometimes over 100F) to icey and snowy especially closer to the mountains. We don't typically get big snows though as they do up north and I think temps in the single digits (F) would be considered very cold. Hurricanes are a risk in season.

The people in general I would say are very friendly. Of course there are all types as there are anywhere. You can find very rural farming communities and eclectic metropolitan regions. It's a beautiful state IMO, but as I said, I'm biased. Anything in particular you would like to know?

 

[rubbachicken]

i'm retraining as and electrician, i've been at it now for what seems like years, i only have a few months to go now
i know I'll have to retrain, so i'll need to find a trade school to learn the regulations
we'll be looking for a quiet neighbourhood, and to rent an appartment or maybe a house
with luck we'll buy a winnebago, for weekends away and cheap vacations

 

[SelkieDVM]

Well, sorry, can't help you with finding an electrician trade school though there are plenty of community colleges all over the state. Maybe someone with more specific knowledge will chime in here. The are plenty of nice neighborhoods but a lot of folks especially from overseas don't realize how big the state is, as long east to west as Florida is north to south, over 500 miles. You'll need to do some research to find out where you'd like to settle. I suppose a lot depends on job opportunities for you and your wife. Cost of living too can vary a great deal. Good luck and let me know if I can be of more help!

 

[rubbachicken]

what's the price of real estate, rental and to buy
can anyone point me in the right direction

 

[lulubelle]

Well, I won't comment the people down there

Oh, but please do.

That said the diving varies. I have been on dives that are absolutely epic with mill pond flat seas, 100 plus ft viz, warm cerulean blue gulf stream water, vast numbers of tropical fish, huge bait balls and scores of sand tiger sharks. I have also spent 2 hours both ways puking over the side in very closely spaced 6 ft seas, and ended up on a wreck in 60 degree water with 5' viz getting sucked in and out of hatches by the surge with basically zero fish. In NC, your diving mileage WILL vary.

You can also plan on getting blown out about 1/3rd of the time.

That might be the best description of our range of diving that I have read. But I'd say this summer it was more like 2/3 of the dives getting blown out, at least on the weekends.

Rubbachicken, good descriptions of our diving, so I won't repeat. I'm a Raleigh native. In fact, the family has been in North Carolina since your people gave us some land. Although I am very much the city girl, most of my people are country folks.

Feel free to ask something specific. I don't have any connections in your field.

It is a big state with tons of variety both culturally and topographically. From the west to the east...Our mountains are simply stunning, the northwestern corner is the only place where the appalachian trail and the blue ridge parkway converge. These are not very good skiing mountains though, we just don't get good powder. I'm not fond of Charlotte, our largest city and a southern banking center. But others love it. Then there is the Greensboro/Winston-Salem area which is good small city living, a bit quieter than where I live. I live in the center of the state in Raleigh. The Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area is full of universities (8 I think), start up companies, tech companies, the research triangle park, over-educated people, a decent arts scene, etc. Then there is interstate 95 and east of that everything changes. Eastern NC is flat, rural, not very affluent for the most part, key industries are still tobacco and pigs. I love it though, the people are very genuine and lovely.

We have 4 seasons, Summer being rather hot and humid, winter being blissfully short. I lived in Boston for a bit, January and February cured me of any need to stay.

Speaking of pigs, it will be very important for you to understand barbecue if you come here. Start here...

YouTube - The BBQ Song

Good luck with your new life!