Originally Posted by TootieAnn
I live in NC. I'm not sure I can answer your questions, but I'm happy to try. NC has a wide range of lifestyle choices. We have mountains, coast, and the Piedmont in between. The largest cities are Charlotte, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem. You can choose an urban lifestyle or a rural one. Obviously there's a wide range of cost of living options. Some of our small towns won't have anything in new housing whereas Raleigh will have whole developments for sale. What does your SIL do for a living? I know there is a camp for disabled kids called Victory Junction. It's close to Charlotte, but I don't know exactly where it is. You can PM me if you like. I'll be happy to
answer any questions I can.
I ws forced into an almost opposite situation 8 years ago - forced to move from Indiana to Virginia due to DH's job. Left behind my only child, all of my family and all of his. Our son was only 15 and ended up staying with my parents - still there. He graduates from Purdue next week.
That said - I HATED living in Virginia. Almost 5 years ago, we purchased property in North Carolina - Gates County specifically.
We had to move to Maryland at the beginning of the year - again due to DH's job. I MISS NORTH CAROLINA. TERRIBLY. Loved everything about North Carolina. Albeit we did live in the middle of nowhere (closest McD 25 miles away, no real shopping, two restaurants) but we adjusted. LOVE the people, the area, the lifestyle (well most of it - hate the ambush hunting), and the flow of life. Oh, and the SPACE - really miss the space. Absoluetly a different speed to life there - at least in our neck of the woods. We were a short - 1.5/2 hrs to Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks - 1 hr to Norfolk and all of that stuff.
Except for the last two winters, not a lot of snow and realy great weather.
So, alot depends on the area. Where we lived was a little over an hour from Raleigh, close but not too close. Great stuff in Raleigh too.
So the real choice is yours. Personally, if I was in your position I would move in an instant. I am trying hard to get back closer to my family because their moving is not an option. At least for me, I have learned that I can be happy/content just about anywhere. But the changes would so much easier if my family was with me. Hope you can figure out was is best for you and your family.