Learn me down south

I don't think I've ever had a learn me thread, so here goes. I officially started the countdown to retirement last week. We are talking about spending winters in a warmer climate. I loved both Arkansas, and N. Carolina (and of course Florida) when I was there, but don't know anything about any of the other states. We would be looking for a small, rural house or cottage, nothing fancy. What predominantly rural and inexpensive areas should we be looking at? A local motorsports scene is always a bonus, and the closer the drive, the better. We are right across the lake from Erie Pa. right now.

Kershaw, South Carolina.

About a rural as it gets, I think they have two stop lights. Carolina Motorsports Park is within a few miles. You can probably buy a mansion on 50 acres for pennies.

If there's one in Mississippi, I haven't heard of it. It's a nice place otherwise.

Mississippi is one of the places that I really like the look of. Not that I know anything about it.

You want to move to Raleigh, NC, where the grass is green, the people are friendly and the racing is cool. And we have SEASONS!

as a northerner, here is my perspective.

the south is scary. people have less teeth than i do. they speak in tongues, i can't understand a thing they say. they fear change and hate people from the north, and still blame us because they can't own people to work for them anymore. they also hate catalytic converters, non budweiser beer, they all drive trucks with at least 12 inches of lift that have confederate flags on them, and the entire state of georgia smells like a landfill for some reason.

and if someone is offended by that, they do not have a sense of humor.

NC is rough. They have everything you could ever want in the state, but it's all pretty far from eachother.

Charlotte has a crazy car scene. Everything is new. It's one of the most 'up and coming' places in the USA and definitely the South East. It's very comfortable. I hope you like barbeque and NASCAR. Or at least barbecue.

The Outer Banks have amazing beaches/dunes/vacation.

Raleigh/Durham have awesome college sports rivalries, history, heritage, etc. Riches culture in NC for sure.

Asheville is right in the mountains. You've never seen mountains until you hit blue ridge parkway. It's a pretty weird, mixed, hippy/conservative, funky place. I've heard it described as a Portland, OR in the mountains with a twang. I've never been though.

Wilmington is probably the best party scene, but there are a lot of military men there. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your wants and needs.

I would not settle for anything less than NC. I'm convinced it's the best state in the union.

If it were me, it'd probably be somewhere outside of Matthews, NC.

Raleigh is nice, my home ( Asheville) incredible country, but some of the winters will remind you of the NE ... not all ... this yr has been very mild

as long as it was mainly for the winters I'd go along with Kershaw ....( the summers are VERY hot) looking at many of the homes there the price of land/homes must be fairly low

patgizz wrote: as a northerner, here is my perspective. the south is scary. people have less teeth than i do. they speak in tongues, i can't understand a thing they say. they fear change and hate people from the north, and still blame us because they can't own people to work for them anymore. they also hate catalytic converters, non budweiser beer, they all drive trucks with at least 12 inches of lift that have confederate flags on them, and the entire state of georgia smells like a landfill for some reason. and if someone is offended by that, they do not have a sense of humor.

You forgot about the inbreeding

OH and for what it's worth, I would not wish Florida on my worst enemies.

Taiden wrote: OH and for what it's worth, I would not wish Florida on my worst enemies.

It was 72 today, and I was happy. Beats Denver this time of year

It's hard to go wrong with upstate SC or most parts of NC.

Alabama has really low taxes.

No more damn yankees.

Taiden wrote: Raleigh/Durham have awesome college sports rivalries, history, heritage, etc. Riches culture in NC for sure. If it were me, it'd probably be somewhere outside of Matthews, NC.

The eight hours I spent in Raleigh last December was very pleasant. I really liked how the city was organized.

If you want to check out Florida, you should look at Gainesville. It's about equidistant from both coasts, has a lot of nature-related things to do, and compared to the north, it's quite affordable. It has a lot of culture given its small size. If you hate hippies, though, you may want to look at some of the more conservative areas of the state (read: Any other area of the state).

NW AR. Check it out. Y0.

Born and raised in Raleigh and the small surrounding towns. I grew up in Cary. It was/is a very quiet suburb. I now live in Raleigh, on the edge of Garner and Clayton. Ten years ago this area was backwoods and a whole lotta nothing. Now its becoming a cool little area with buisnesses and stuff to do. I do love NC.

Cary,

"Concentrated Area of Relocated Yankees"

I'd take Denver residence over Florida residence any day unless my child's life was at stake.

+1 on upstate SC.I moved to Florida from greenville 4 years ago and still rethink my decision daily.Can't swim in the river for aligators sharkes in the ocean.and been hit twice on my bicycle by blue hairs.

Check out North Central Florida. Deland is a nice small town that's very close to Orlando and Daytona. There's a lot of land down there, and it's fairly cheap.

A few of us on the board live in Palatka, FL. The area is nice, is 30 minutes from the beach, and an hour from 5 medium-large cities. The weather is nice, the land is cheap, and we're on high enough ground to not have to worry about a storm surge.

30 years in Florida. Don't come here. Went to a family reunion in Magnolia MS back in June, was very impressed. Very welcoming people, nowhere near the redneck attitude I had expected. Reasonable political atmosphere even. Saw no racism, as I had expected. Even Gay Friendly. Very reasonable real estate. I really enjoyed our stay there. Downside- bring your money with you. I asked my cousin what the main industry was in the area and he replied "Poverty".

Come on, Chris, those gators are more afraid of you than you are of them. Blue hairs are everywhere, but at least down here they only live for 3-5 years.

Flat land and seas of 4 way intersections make you bonkers. Nuff said.

Alright, who +1'd every post?

Central Kentucky. Dirt ovals in every direction, rolling hills, awesome curvy roads, and BURBON.

In reply to Taiden:

Yeah, around here, 20ft is a "large" elevation change.