Moving to the Carolinas? Anyone up there?

[JimRori]

I started this thread not really expecting much but I always knew there were a bunch of helpful people hanging out on these boards...

I am a Creative Director or Art Director or Manager of Creative Services or Senior Designer, etc. It depends on the company. Basically I would work in or manage an art dept. either in-house or at an ad agency. I do art, shoot and edit video, copywriting, marketing, etc.

I’ve heard that Asheville is beautiful, but I haven’t seen any openings up there either. Most of the jobs I've been finding are in the Charlotte area with a few others in Raleigh. Although, there is something in Mooresville that I am pretty interested in right now, if I can get the cost of living to work out. It looks like the homes are less up there than in the Orlando area. So even if the pay is lower and there is a state tax (our sales tax is the same - 7%) I might end up with a very small mortgage.

Thanks Heraclid for the link to the cost-of-living calculator. I spent some time googling different ones and found that none of them seemed to agree much at all.

"Charlotte is a giant bank with a ghetto." Well, that's just ripe for a bumper sticker isn't it? Makes me want to concentrate on Raleigh…

[JimRori]

So, with all this helpful info, nobody has anything to say about South Carolina...good, bad, ugly...?

[shoota77]

As you can see from my location I have great insight to this question.

Two words: Myrtle...Beach. I'll visit every year...twice.

Seriously though, good luck with the decision!

[technocoy]

jim, oddly enough my company is looking for someone with your credentials... lol... check out craigslist for the area and look up brooks bell interactive or senior designer. they should be moving me into the position, but what the hell, i'm not one to stop a fellow VXer from finding work!

also send a resume to "mckinney and silver", "center line productions" and ogilvy in durham.

lol, no one said anything about south carolina because the only remotely good thing there is the beach and thats a serious matter of opinion, not to mention after living in florida the beaches here will seem shoddy, lol. oh and charleston is beautiful, but noone can afford to love there unless they are independently wealthy. ha ha.

the triangle area is booming and has great schools and a mix of taste as far as what kind of community you want to be in. not to mention the largely best part of the ACC basketball bracket ;-)

not sure if center line is hiring but they are great people to work with and mckinney seems to always need someone for an art director role. i know ogilvy was looking a while back... OH and don't forget to look up the "republik" in durham as well as "front door advertising", i hear they are doing well and growing fast....

my brother lives in mooresville, unless you love nascar and being bored, don't bother. of course, it may just not be my style.

if you are in to video/post/production check out "serious robots" and "trailblazer studios".

[technocoy]

also, if you have a price range for housing i can point in a good direction for some cool neighborhoods... you like historic and downtown or whitey and housing development? I'll send you info on both.

hope that helps,
technocoy

[JimRori]

Hey Technocoy, thanks for the leads. I'll check out craigslist and see if the position you mentioned looks like a fit. But don't let me keep you from the job. If you want it, go for it!

I'll take you up on the housing info when I get a little closer to knowing whats happening.

[Mikeys00vx]

Yes..Charlotte does have some rougher areas...but Bank with a Ghetto may be a little harsh. I'd check it out for yourself before making a decision.

Mikey

[coolk41]

I[/IMG] live in Rock Hill, S.C. and commute to Charlotte for work 4 times /week. I love it down here. I live about .5 miles from Lake Wylie. The Property taxes here in York County are much lower than in Charlotte(Mecklenberg County) and the sales tax is 5.5%. It is a little safer here too. The crime rate is lower and the life style is slower.

[technocoy]

in Rock Hill back in my manual labor days... pretty nice area, and a short commute into charlotte.

[JimRori]

Thanks for the Rock Hill, SC tip. If I end up with a job in Charlotte I will keep that in mind.

Well the phone interview went well. We're trying to schedule a face-to-face sometime in the next week or so. This job is in Mooresville.

I'm really interested in this job. The problem is that the pay is a lot less than I make now. On the other hand there might be more potential with this job. One step back for two steps forward?

Anybody have any specific info on Mooresville - schools, nice neighborhoods, etc?