I moved to Mass for a great job opportunity but am from Tennessee. My prior assignments had me traveling extensively throughout the southeast and working with team members in the various states, so I have good familiarity with the region.
North Carolina is a beautiful state with a generally good culture, but it has been steadily moving left-ward. I kid and refer to NC as the NJ of the South. I've seen studies comparing total individual tax burden that indicate NC ~20th nationwide, vs. TN at ~48th. Raleigh Durham is a nice area, and further west is gorgeous and laid back. If you don't mind the higher taxes and want to be closer to New England in terms of distance (and culture), NC is ok. Seems like a lot of folks move there from the northeast. Schools are decent, but you will need to do your homework to ensure that you select the good ones.
You have an idea of the property tax difference between here and Alabama- Tennessee is very close to that. Assessed values tend to be generous to the low side, and rates are much lower. My property tax there vs. here would be close to 1/4 of what I pay now. I'll give you a few positives regarding Tennessee- in particular the region near Nashville:
- Don't be surprised: Great healthcare in Nashville. In case you need upper tier healthcare, Nashville is almost as good as Boston.
- Low taxes, as mentioned. In fact, zero state income tax. Also no ankle-biter add on taxes like paying dog tax, or extra dog tax because my Rottweiler has his nuts.
- Gun friendly. Not many laws beyond fed law, and it's one of those states that would buck fed law if it became too oppressive. No stupid 'gotcha' laws like the Mass storage / ammo laws. Also home of Hickok45, LOL.
- Nice scenery & lots of outdoors activities.
- Very good hunting and outstanding fishing. You can even hook tailwater stripers, locally known as rockfish. State record is 65 lbs and plenty of big ones are caught all the time. I fished medium to small rivers for smallmouth and trout. You probably saw the news regarding the recently bagged apparent world record buck from Sumner County- just north of Nashville.
- Very good schools if you look for them. Willliamson County (SW of Nashville) has many nationally ranked blue ribbon schools. There are terrible schools in some areas, but those are easily avoided with minimal homework.
- The Nashville area is not too native-centric. Lots of transplant folks and local 'natives' are accustomed to it.
- Generally low crime, and 'higher' (relatively) crime areas are easy to avoid. Downtown is very safe.
- Generally friendly, positive culture. If you have even a little 'm@sshole' in you, before moving I suggest you give it away in a NES karma.
![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
- I completely disagree with others regarding stability of the local economy. I was 'killing it' in the southeast during years that other regions were tanking, and growth has been steady throughout all years. Business continues to thrive in TN- it's one of the most 'business friendly' states in the union.
Negs are weather related: The occasional winter ice storm, hot humid summers, and rarely there may be a tornado. On the positive side, you still have the 4 seasons, though spring lasts about 2 weeks, LOL.
Glad to discuss in more detail- you can PM me for my number.
