North Carolina and South Carolina Best Places to Live

One of the best parts of helping people find their best place to retire or relocate to in North Carolina or South Carolina is that it gives me a chance to do some traveling.

This week I wanted to share with you some of the best places I found on a recent car trip across the Carolinas.

After racking up thousands of miles and visiting over 60 towns and cities I was truly blown away by the many beautiful landscapes, friendly people and sheer variety of best places in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Now, I know we’ve covered a lot of big name best places in this blog like Asheville, NC or Charleston, SC, so I thought it’d be nice to talk about some of the smaller towns that really warmed my heart on this trip.

If you’re lucky enough to find that small town lifestyle close to a larger town or city then you have the best of both worlds.

Anyway, if you’re interested in laid-back small town living near the ocean you can’t go wrong with Pawleys Island, South Carolina, a small barrier island oasis north of Charleston, SC utterly without pretense or many tourists for that matter.

A longtime favorite of mine, Edenton, NC is another small coastal town with a great sense of identity, wonderful downtown and all the signs of a true up and coming community.

Moving inland from the coast into the Carolina heartland, I found a lot of unique smaller communities that had the added advantage of being close to larger towns and cities.

Just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina I loved Apex's combination of commercial activity, historic railroad town setting and ample new residential development.

Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina just west of Columbia, SC was wonderfully quiet with handsome well-kept neighborhoods and a vibe that says we value our community.

Hendersonville, North Carolina south of Asheville, NC also exuded a great family atmosphere with a lot of art, culture and diversity, oh and check out all those painted bear sculptures!

Not to far from Augusta, GA, Aiken, South Carolina was another trip favorite for its beautiful surrounding farmland, preserved antebellum equestrian heritage and general lack of fast food joints.

A little further to the northwest, Abbeville, SC wowed me with its town square, and the many public green spaces that bring people out of their cars to interact with their neighbors was also a welcome breath of fresh air.

Speaking of fresh air, if you value getting outdoors then Santee, SC on beautiful Lake Marion doesn’t have much of a town center but the people live simply and outdoor recreation from hunting and fishing to golfing and hiking is king.

People who read this blog know I love the mountains, especially in western North Carolina, and Blowing Rock, NC’s beautiful cliffs, thriving art community, and outdoor entertainment make it one of the area’s true gems.

Brevard, NC, another small mountain town further to the south in the Pisgah National Forest impressed not merely for the 200 or so area waterfalls, but I liked the signs of new development and could spend days checking out art and cultural centers like the prestigious Brevard Music Center.

All and all, it's been a great trip.  Great places to consider in both North Carolina and South Carolina for your Best Place to live.

About Bob Bencivenga

Bob Bencivenga is a professional site locator and location analyst for major corporations and has been researching the growth of NC and SC to find the Best Places to Retire or Relocate that are still affordable.

Visit his blog The Carolina Report and sign up for FREE updates by email,his FREE Affordable Best Places To Live Report and, get FREE Expert Advice on how to find Your Best Place to Retire or Relocate to in North Carolina and South Carolina, additional resources, and a lot more. Bob does not sell real estate.

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