Hey guys,

Well, I think in about 1.5 - 2 years, the family and I will be moving to North Carolina or maybe South Carolina.

My wife and I have lived in Los Angeles all of our lives and I am looking for a change. I found out recently that one of my friends moved from Mission Viejo to Holly Springs. He showed me some pictures and it literally looks like Mayberry. The homes look beautiful and are so inexpensive by California standards.

The only bad thing is, the surf I know is not going to be nearly as good and if we moved to Holly Springs, the beach is about 2 hours away. But what's really got me spooked is that that area does not appear to have any wind. This would be a deal breaker for me.

I've looked in areas around Wilmington (Surf City, Topsail, Hampstead, etc. ) and they look really nice as well and the homes again, seem to be relatively inexpensive. But I wonder how the job market would be....I am a Business System Analyst working in the Healthcare field. I even thought about Charleston, SC but that looks a little more expensive.

If we can find a house for around $250K, we can buy it outright (proceeds from the sale of our house in CA of course). I would consider paying up to $350K but probably not any more. 3 beds, 2 baths....maybe more if it falls into that range.

I know there are a lot of people on this forum from the Southeast and I would really love to hear your thoughts on life in the southeast and some recommendations in areas that are safe, friendly, relatively close to the ocean or a lake with wind, good schools, and not too far from a city where I can find work. Please let me know also if my price range for a house sounds reasonable.

Thanks in advance.

My mother in law lives in Murphy NC. Not anywhere you would want (work) as its a small touristy town in the Mountains. They had a huge lake there where the was enough wind last summer to kiteboard. The coast is several hours away. Not too many empty areas for a power kite in that neighborhood with all the mountains and trees, but I saw a spot here or there.

I think if you got closer to the coast, that would be what you are looking for. A couple hour drive shouldn't deter you from having your fun once in awhile. Find out where the wife wants to go.

The Outer Banks (OBX) of North Carolina is one of the premier spots for kitesurfing in North America. Get within a couple hours of of OBX and you will do fine.

Not alot of work in NC, many commute to VA everyday
Cost of living is cheap,just not many jobs.

dont sell the east coast surf short for starters it can pump...their are great breaks from Maine to Miami and the waters warmer...you will learn to look forward to Hurricane season
and when you lie in the sun on the beach you will actually face the water...i cant suggest the spot but know 250-350$$ will get you what you want near or on the coast
screw Holy Springs

Charlotte, Ashville ,, research triangle there around durham /raleigh.

definitely better waves myrtle beach and north of there.

Charleston has alot hospitals.

you might consider university/college with similar analyst needs

Jacksonville heavy hitter in the area, with way better wave action than Ga /SC

Charleston has a very active kitesurfing community. Very affordable housing a half hour from the beach.

Cool....thanks a lot guys. We decided to re-fi and pull out about $40K and put it back into the house...according to my wife who is a real estate agent, we should be able to double it when we sell if we're lucky.

When it's finished, we might list it and see what we can get. It is absolutely crazy what home prices are going for in nice suburbs of L.A. with great schools.

One thing is for sure, once we sell and move out of state, I will not be able to afford to move back. But, I'm pretty much done with L.A. so no big deal.

absolute waste of that quiver to be in LA...you should get over here as fast as possible anyway

Today I go to LA for the fourth time this summer. I'm glad I've gotten to know the city but it would be hard to live there unless you could live and work in one of those cool communities up near the mountains to the north. Just too many people.

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absolute waste of that quiver to be in LA...you should get over here as fast as possible anyway

Yeah, most of those kites I don't use anymore. Gonna be a huge kite sale on here just before I move. Another crazy, everything's an emergency day today...man, I'm exhausted. Unfortunately, got to wait for my oldest son to graduate high school...

Quote:

Today I go to LA for the fourth time this summer. I'm glad I've gotten to know the city but it would be hard to live there unless you could live and work in one of those cool communities up near the mountains to the north. Just too many people.

We live in Agoura Hills which really is a nice place to live. Great sense of community, great schools, tons of places to mountain bike and it's about 18 miles to the beach. Speaking of which, there is waist to shoulder high surf all week with clean conditions in the mornings. Wind was up today and will probably be the same in the afternoon for the rest of the week. So if you surf, bring your board and also your surf kites!

blade 6.5 ???
sure hope i have $$ when that happens

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blade 6.5 ??? sure hope i have $$ when that happens

Never say never, but that is one kite I don't think I will ever sell. If I do, it will be only fair that you get first dibs

So I gotta ask....how is the humidity? I heard you get used to it?

Quote: Originally posted by lunchbox

So I gotta ask....how is the humidity? I heard you get used to it?

I was wondering when the discussion was going to head in that direction. IMHO, this is the big negative about the East / South and the big positive about the West. I lived in both Georgia and North Carolina and now reside in Utah and think this is a HUGE deal. To each his own but heat with humidity just plain SUCKS. Nothing quite so fine as walking out of your front door at sunrise only to find it already sopping.

There are huge positives about the East and South but this sure ain't one of them.

dont rule out Northern California and Southern Oregon! and when i say Northern California, i dont mean San Fransico.... there are pluses and minuses up here but it certainly isnt like the rest of California!

blade sale regret is the worst regret
if you dont consider long beach NY...your doing it wrong
solid surf...afternoon onshores

oh yea...some healthcare as well

No... you never get used to the humidity. That's why yer home has A/C....the car has A/C.... work has A/C.... restaurants have A/C...

But that's just for summer- in North East. Then you have very cold Winters...But that brings Kite skiing and skating on the MANY lakes.