Property taxes can be high here in NC too. I think Gaston county has a lot of crime. Charlotte is wonderful, that's where we go to do decent shopping/dining. Charlotte is definitely where it's at as far as I am concerned. Wilmington is nice but too close to coast, hurricanes. Personally I like Asheville a lot. Lots of art and culture there including hippies. I don't have a clue about the schools in any of the areas I mentioned. I live in Hickory, NC, small city with the traffic of a large city, yuk. Winston Salem is also nice. Greensboro is near and High Point although I don't know what High Point has to offer. Carla

Well, if you're looking in Mecklenburg county, look at Matthews. There you have the Little League,the Farmers Market,local businesses,access to I485,strong town leadership,a town green where they hold spring/summer/fall concerts/arts and crafts shows/childrens carnival. Matthews is very independent of Charlotte. They even repave their own roads. Taxes are cheaper than Charlotte and the town has plenty of corporate and manufacturing tax support. Good banks..BB@T is the strongest most solid bank in North Carolina (no TARP funds needed). Local theater for plays. Lots of church variety to choose from. One church has its own K-12 school (Covanent). Matthews School (elementary) is still excellent. There are actually multiple elementary schools,middle school and high school although assignment is determined by your location and schools are part of Mecklenburg County public school system. Big, new, town library. Presbyterian/Matthews Hospital. Marios Pizza, Carrabas and tons of other good eateries. Siskey YMCA (huge indoor outdoor facilities) The weather is a micro climate in most parts of Matthews. It can be a touch cooler/colder than Charlotte and Pineville but in 20 years and one hurricane (Hugo) I found the worst of the weather skips west of Matthews. Water quality is good, better than what we have in Union County (different source). Of the Mecklenburg towns, including Charlotte, I'd say Matthews has best adapted itself to accommadating northern transplants while retaining the Southern flavor and hospitality.

Welcome creativegarden - you don't say if you are planning on moving to the Outer Banks or just the sound side of the coast. There is a difference. The zone chart shows basically a zone warmer on the Outer Banks (it's usually ten degrees cooler in the summer and ten degrees warmer in the winter!) in relation to the center of the state. Though inland you can grow just about anything, the salty air and constant wind limit what you can grow out on the islands. If you're thinking inland a bit from the coast you simply have to grow camelias, azaleas and gardenias (it should be a law), there are hardy palm trees that like the area and some hardy citrus (you won't get a crop every year). The soil is sandy so you have to ammend it all the time. The coast gets more rain then I do in Raleigh, but they are suffering in this drought too. Gardening is gardening no matter where you are - you can grow all year if you want down here (few people do). Expect mosquitos and biting flies just like in Minnesota (same number, just smaller) except the season is longer. You might see snakes near the water - but they are pretty rare. You will probably see alligators but not in your yard (they like golf courses along the coast!). If you're lucky you might see Red Wolves (or hear them), similar call as the Grey Wolf but they are smaller and look more like a Coyote. Depending on the area, you might see the same amount of Black Bears as you have up north. In one afternoon of hiking near Lake Bemidji MN I saw 5 black bears. On one morning hike in the Alligator River State Park near Manteo NC I saw 6 - though most people here have never seen a bear in the wild.

Hi Everyone, Interesting debate of the line of demarcation for sabals along the east coast. I would love that line to continue moving north and here's a few thoughts. Years ago (1995) Virgina Beach barely had any palms, along the coast I visited the winter wind was too strong "some" years. I could have guessed a mile from the shore they would have done better and indeed Palms have caught on and are doing better. As street trees, by the Spring they appear to me to need help(colder years), but as yard trees they do well. The pindo palm is relatively new and catching on well also. One may measure a "natural" line of demarcation to see if the palm can successlly bloom and have seeds grow. TZ7 has a good point that they may be able to survive the delmarva penninsula, but that's within microclimates (against a house or building). For me its amazing more people have not tried it. Usually you see them planted on beaches in the north(maryland, del, Jesey, even Long Island) and they do not make it - 1, because cold wind, 2, temps temps too low too long. However, I theorize that we may be able to have cabbage (sabal) palms survive in our better sheletered microclimates (in those areas) with winter proetcion from wind. Against a tall house with a heated basement for example. During milder years it would not need protection. T7 I beleive correctly pionts out many of the cabbage palms north are not that large (except Laura in VB) with rare exceptions. She's an expert and knew where and how to cultivate best. With that know how it is very doable - but for regular folks planting along streets, I am not sure the natural line is that far north. I do not mind to be proved wrong about this.