Asheville

Asheville is cool. Its the Austin TX of NC, but -in a nutshell- without the jobs. The historic neighborhoods, the artsy flare... there are good restuarants and a great quality of life. Winter is never too harsh, but you will get the seasons. The nearby mountains offer great hiking and exposure to all things outdoorsy. If you are retired, or not in need of earned income, Asheville offers a great quality of life and a cool community. That being said, housing isnt cheap- sure, your dollar will go further than in NY, CA or DC- but is Asheville for you?

We asked ourselves the same question. One of us works remotely in NYC, and we were looking for better weather, a fun and funky downtown, diversity of thought and in people... and while we liked Asheville, many of the locals warned us not to move unless we both had jobs lined up. Since the neighborhoods werent inexpensive, we decided to keep looking. A couple in our 30s and 40s, we were also a bit concerned that Asheville might be somewhat cut off from other major cities.

If you picked up the city of Asheville, slashed the housing prices, kept the awesome restaurants, the dog parks and the green space, but made it into a port city 20 minutes from the beach, youd have.... Wilmington, NC. Possibly one of the best kept secrets on the East Coast, Wilmington was never destroyed during the Civil War- many of the historic neighborhoods are walking distance to downtown. Dawsons Creek and One Tree Hill were both filmed here and the neighborhood that we chose (Carolina Heights) has visits regularly from fans wanting to snap selfies with their favorite houses. The tree lined streets are somewhat Savannah-esque with their hanging Spanish moss and many of the micro breweries and restaurants are dog friendly. Our local airport is never too busy, and we are always able to book flights without a worry.

We feel incredibly lucky to have found Wimington, while the prices were low. The riverfront is undergoing a resurgence, luxury condos are being built and there are even houseboat communities getting developed along the river.

Ultimately, Asheville brings you the mountains and Wimington offers the beach. One is inland and one has water... but when your dollar goes so much further in one city than the other, its hard not to resist the draw!