Today, we're diving into a topic that's been buzzing around the internet for about two years
Why are folks packing up and making a beeline straight for North Carolina
Now, the desire to move to North Carolina has been going on for quite some time
But in recent years, stories of moving to North Carolina have been picking up on the internet
And for good reason. It has a lot to offer people. Whether you're a hippie and you want to move to Asheville and live amongst their artsy murals
maybe you're craving a bite of some world-class barbecue, or you just want to be a Carolinan
There are thousands of reasons people would move to North Carolina. In this video, we're gonna spill the sweet tea
on the top 10 reasons North Carolina is becoming home for so many people
So grab a snack, get comfy, and let's see why people are making the Tar Heel State their new home
Got it, get it, good. Let's take a look. Number 10, art, music, history, and culture
Now, if you didn't know North Carolina has a serious music scene and an art scene
and they've got a lot of history and a lot of good culture that goes along with all that
you've been missing out. A lot of the emphasis for the art will be on Asheville, but it's not
just in Asheville. It's throughout the state, along with their music. They have a real emphasis
on folk and bluegrass music, but they're also have a long history with jazz. I mean
Thelonious Monk is from North Carolina. So is John Coltrane and Nina Simone. That's just a few
You also have a history of the Chapel Hill Rock. Gospel music goes way back in this state
there's a good argument that North Carolina is the best state for artists
And then you look at history. North Carolina goes deep in history. I could do four or five videos on the history of North Carolina, and I'd just be skimming the top of it
The rich history and cultural heritage from the first English colony in Roanoke Island
to the pivotal roles played during the Civil War, the history is preserved in numerous historical sites, museums, and annual cultural events
that celebrate the state's past. Number nine, a thriving craft beer, wine, and culinary scene
Barbecue is almost a religion in North Carolina with the state famous for its distinct style
of pork barbecue. Beyond barbecue, there's a growing food scene offering everything from Southern comfort
food to international cuisine. Seafood in North Carolina is pretty big also, not as big as let's say the New England states
but it's pretty good and I think it's often overlooked as a seafood state
North Carolina has a rapidly growing craft beer scene with Asheville often dubbed the East Coast San Francisco which you know that not really the best thing to be called these days If you don know San Francisco has a lot of art and they got a lot of beer
All that stuff is often overlooked by all the other strange stuff going on there
If you wanna get your wine on, the Tar Heel State also has a blossoming wine industry
with the Atkin Valley and other regions gaining recognition for their vineyards and wineries
I think the Atkin Valley I read has like 40 vineyards alone
And believe it or not, things like that do bring people into a state or a city
I know a lot of people that have retired and retired in the Sonoma Valley because of the vineyards in California
Number eight, transportation. North Carolina has a few different places where their public transportation is pretty good and a couple that aren't great
Where they really shine is their highways. North Carolina's highway system ranks second in the nation in overall cost effectiveness and condition
In planning and design, they're ranked fifth in the nation and ninth when it came to best states for traffic
Now to the average Joe, that really, you know, it might matter a little bit, but it's really not a big deal
When you start looking at companies that are moving into areas, they look at this
They look at it hard. And of course, if companies move into a state, more people move into a state
Number seven, outdoor recreation. For those who love the outdoors, North Carolina is a paradise
from the Appalachian Trail to the Blue Ridge Parkway to numerous state parks
There's endless opportunities for hiking, biking, fishing, and camping in the state. Water sports are also a huge draw
from the coast offering surfing, kayaking, and sailing to the many lakes, rivers, streams, whatever
I've never gone fishing in North Carolina, but I was watching this one guy's channel
and he was talking about all those quality fishing holes they got in North Carolina
Number six, friendly and safe communities. North Carolina is often noted for its friendly residents
the Southern hospitality being more than a cliche here. The mix of small towns and growing cities
allows for a variety of communities where newcomers can often feel like they're welcomed
and quickly feel at home. You know, the internet's filled with a bunch of negative Nancys
and you're gonna get that in the comment section. Don't move to our state, you're gonna ruin it
We don't want you here. That's just what, you know, internet people do. The reality is North Carolina's very welcoming state
and they're safe communities. North Carolina is one of the four Southern states that has seen their crime rate drop since 2020
Kentucky Virginia and Alabama for some reason are the other ones All the other Southern states have seen their crime rates go up Out of all 50 states North Carolina is ranked as the 18th safest That not the best but it
nowhere near the worst. You want that kind of action, you got to go to Alaska or Arkansas
Number five, sports fanaticism. Sports, particularly college basketball, are taken very seriously in North Carolina. The storied rivalry between Duke and the University of North
Carolina generates buzz across the state. Additionally, North Carolina is home to
professional sports teams like the Carolina Panthers in the NFL, the Carolina Hurricanes
which is in the NHL. And of course they got the Charlotte Hornets, which wasn't always the
Charlotte Hornets. They were the Charlotte Bobcats for a while. Then they moved to New Orleans and
became the Pelicans. I know they ceased operations for a couple of years. The whole thing is just
weird and messy, but North Carolina is a great state if you like sports, period. Now I know a
people that aren't into sports are going to be people don't move to states because of sports
teams sometimes they do but usually it is something they consider when they're kind of on the fence
number four mild climate with all four seasons residents of north carolina enjoy a generally
mild climate and get to experience all four seasons now their winters can be bad especially
if you live in the hill areas, but their winters are nothing near Minnesota
North Dakota type winters. I've been to North Carolina. Well, I drove through North Carolina one time in the winter
No real snow. I was there once for a week where they had a little bit of snow, a little dusting
Sort of reminded me how it is here in Portland. When you get a little snow, it's kind of a treat
It doesn't happen that often. You go to North Dakota and they get that first snow
People go out on their porch and start cursing at the sky. Number three, education
You could do a lot worse trying to get an education in the United States than North Carolina
The state boasts a strong educational system, including esteemed institutes like Duke University
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University
They've got a whole bunch more. I could spend 10 minutes just listing them
When you look at their K through 12 rankings, you know, it depends on what part of the state
you're at and what school, obviously, but overall, they do pretty good. They're a little above middle of the road when you rank the state's K through 12
And if you're, let's say 20 years old and don't have kids or a teenager, education rankings are
important. Number two, affordable cost of living. Compared to many other states in the U.S., North
Carolina offers a more affordable cost of living Housing in particular tends to be more reasonably priced although this is changing in some of the faster growing areas Obviously Raleigh Charlotte
those areas, their prices are jumping up pretty quick, but there's a lot of communities like
Wilmington, North Carolina, their real estate prices are pretty low for an area on the coast
And of course you have places like Camden, North Carolina, which are dirt cheap because they don't
have great stats. Overall, the average home value in North Carolina right now, second quarter
2023 is $321,000. Now, if you go to the cities, it's going to get a little higher, like Raleigh
home values are 433,000 and Charlotte is about 386,000. That's going to be cheaper than both
Georgia and Virginia, a little more expensive than South Carolina and a lot more expensive than West
Virginia. In case you don't have a map in front of you, those are the states that are right around
that area. Oh, and I forgot Tennessee and Tennessee is about $10,000 less. That's 311,000
is their average home value. Now, when it comes to their goods and services
North Carolina is 2% lower than the national average, which is pretty good
It's pretty good because it's a desirable place to live. If it's a place nobody wants to live, like Arkansas
then it should be expected that the cost of living is gonna be really low
When it comes to utilities, North Carolina is even with the national average
All right, before we get to number one, don't forget we have another channel called On This Day
There is a link down below. There's also a link for Home and Money. If you're thinking about moving to North Carolina
or any state, they can get you in touch with a real estate agent. All right, on to number one
And number one, a booming economy. Yes, this is what's pulling everyone into North Carolina
It's the number one thing. They're getting jobs in North Carolina because North Carolina has plenty of jobs to offer
and they're paying pretty good. The economy in North Carolina is robust
I love the word robust, I don't know why. It is driven by sectors like technology, banking
higher education and healthcare. If you don't know, the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area has
some of the best healthcare in the nation. I think I just mentioned that in a video recently
So if you're getting deja vu right now, yeah, it was a couple of weeks back. In the Raleigh-Durham
area, they have this thing called the RTP or the Research Triangle Park. I've also heard it called
the Triangle, but this is an area with a bunch of startups and tech companies. And then if you
go out to Charlotte, they have a major banking center, second only to New York City. All of
these industries have high paying jobs and they're always looking for new blood. This is drawing a
lot of young professionals to both the Raleigh-Durham area and to Charlotte. All right, that's today's
video. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Hope you got some information out of it. Now go out, have a great day
and be nice to each other