where is the best place to move to North carolina or New England?

looking for advice we want to be closer to the ocean within 1.5 hours but also close to a city. We love Maine and New Hampshire but are also considering other places. Where is best to buy affordable homes and find employment. It has to be the cooler states as we cannot take too much heat. I am from scotland and would like somewhere a little more like home. we currently live in upstate NY and the taxes are killing us!!

Public Comments

1. It depends on what your priorities are. North Carolina is going to be waaay cheaper than New England (VERY expensive in N.E.), but N.E. is much cooler, lots and lots of snow in the winter, though. Research it on the internet before you decide.
2. Carolina is much cheaper, I live there, and Raleigh and Charolotte are both cities that have produced growth this past year (recent forbes article or one of those websites). Raleigh is 2 hours from clearer warmer ocean water and it's really an easy drive. Raleigh has plenty of IT/science oriented positions and I'm not sure how far Charlotte is from the ocean but they have more finance and banking positions. Your average 2 bedroom 2 bathroom house will be much less in NC. I've lived in PA previously and the beach isn't far from the eastern border to PA however the jersey beaches are awful with a few notable exceptions (sorry jersians). Carolina can be hot and outside the cities there isn't much to offer for employment...depending on what you do. Jersey and PA are expensive places but there are places to work all over. Those are just my two cents though.
3. I would choose North Carolina....weather is nice and you are close to the ocean. The beaches are beautiful down there. It does get humid in the summer but at the same time you don't have to worry about all the snow New Hampshire and Maine get in the winter. I live in New Jersey, so I am very familiar with New England. You definitely will get way more for your money in North Carolina...it's unbelievable! I know several people that have moved down there and the houses they get are new with everything you could want....plus property taxes are cheaper. You can live close to a city and the beach....and not be paying a ton of money like you have to in the NorthEast. They all love it too. Of course, New England has a lot of charm and character...which attracts people....and autumn is gorgeous. But there are plenty of outdoor activities in North Carolina and things to keep you busy. I think you would be happy in either location! Good luck with your move!!
4. if upstate ny taxes are killing you then unfortunately you should stay out of new england (although new hampshire has no state income tax but they get you other ways)...i would still vote for new england over carolina--i moved from upstate ny to portland maine-- in portland you're about 10 minutes from the ocean depending on where in town you live (i'm about a 10 minute walk from it) plus you are very close to the mountains of new hampshire plus the mountains of maine...although portland is not a big city (only 70,000) it is very lively with lots of pubs, restaurants, shows, galleries,etc and boston is only about 1.5 hours away...coming from scotland you would feel much more at home in portland compared to north carolina
5. I live in Raleigh, NC and I think it is a great city with lots of southern hospitality! It's the capital and we are located right in the middle of the state so we are 31/2 - 4hrs from the Smoky and Blue Ridge mountains and 2 - 2 1/2 hours from the coast. Charlotte is our largest city and has more of a metropolitan feel (has a light-rail system, large banking center, active "up-town" night life) and I think Raleigh is better suited for families and the job market is decent because of Research Triangle Park (IBM, Cisco Systems, several pharmaceuticals etc). Wilmington is a great coastal city...expensive but very quaint. There is a small TV/movie studio there so you never know who you may run into! Asheville is the beautiful quaint city nestled in the mountains. The Biltmore House is located there and at one time it was the largest single family home in the country.