Living Your Best Life in the Carolina Mountains
The North Carolina and South Carolina Mountains with their beautiful views, varied terrain, and numerous recreational outlets have for generations been a favorite tourist destination.
Recently not only are they a favorite tourist destination but they are increasingly becoming one of the best places to live, relocate or retire to in either North Carolina or South Carolina.
Much of the appeal of living in the Carolina Mountains comes from the regions relatively mild and pleasant four season climate.
Part of finding and deciding upon your best place in the Carolinas comes down to certain intangible things, and something that is important to many of you is finding a climate that is both comfortable and agreeable to your budget and lifestyle plans.
In the past couple of weeks, we have discussed the Coastline and Piedmont regions of both North Carolina and South Carolina, so it is only fitting that today we talk about the Carolina Mountains region.
Talk about its climate and how that will affect your overall lifestyle, if you should decide the Carolina mountains are your best place to retire or relocate to.
Of the three geographical regions of North Carolina and South Carolina, the Mountain regions are the smallest, comprising less than a quarter of the western sections of each state.
The mountains themselves are the southern reaches of the Appalachian Mountains, most prominently two major mountain ranges, the Blue Ridge Mountains and Great Smoky Mountains that run parallel to one another across the western edge of each state.
This is an area of rugged mountains, tranquil valleys, beautiful forests, steep waterfalls, man-made lakes and clear rushing streams.
Moving from north to south through the Carolina Mountain regions you’ll find great variances in altitude but generally the higher elevations are found in the North Carolina Mountain regions with mountains ranging from 3-7000 feet in height, whereas the tallest mountains in South Carolina are only in the 2-3500 foot range.
The rugged terrain and a history of slower development of adequate roads and other lines of transportation into some areas of the Carolina Mountains means less crowding. Small towns are the norm and even larger cities like Asheville, NC or Greenville, SC, both with 60-70,000 people, are a bit smaller than cities found in the Coastal and Piedmont regions of each state.
In terms of climate, the higher elevations in the Mountain regions means that average year round temperatures will be cooler than in other parts of the state.
In general, when the Coastal and Piedmont regions are seeing summer temperatures in the 90s, temperatures in the mountains are at least 10 to 20 degrees cooler, and the same goes for winter when average temperatures in the mountains are in the 20s and 30s.
If you decide to live in the higher elevations you can expect greater precipitation, both rain and snow, with levels decreasing as you move into the lower elevations.
For instance, there are places on the western side of the mountains in southwestern North Carolina that get 70-80 inches of rain but move 30 miles east to say Asheville, NC and you can expect half that.
Another thing you’ll find is that come fall and winter, when lower elevations in South Carolina are getting rain, in North Carolina you’ll probably be seeing snow.
Given the large numbers of small towns in the Carolina Mountain regions you'll find real estate is quite affordable and overall cost of living is not only below the national average, but below the state averages as well.
Depending on where you live, things may feel a bit smaller and isolated than where you came from, but there are all types of roads, state and national highways to take you wherever you need to go.
Carolina Mountains
Also large cities alike Asheville, NC or Greenville, SC or Spartanburg, SC are not that far away from most places in the mountains.
Although you'll avoid much of the more destructive weather systems seen on the coast and parts of the Piedmont plateau, fall and winter can be challenging in the mountains.
Heavy rains are known to cause rock slides in the mountains and snow, sleet and freezing rain makes leaving home very challenging if not impossible in some areas of the mountains and foothills.
In fact, most people who live or grew up in the southern Appalachian Mountains pretty much stay put when snow and ice come, and it doesn’t take much winter precipitation to shut down schools and other public services in many areas.
When deciding if living in the mountains of North Carolina and South Carolina are your best place to retire or relocate to, you can speak to the Department of Transportation or Highway Department to find out which areas may experience harsher weather patterns and which roads are cared for.
If you're living in the city limits, you're less likely to experience snowbound days in your house during the winter.
All in all, the mountain region of North Carolina and South Carolina are beautiful and well worth a consideration for your Best Place to Live in the Carolinas.
See You next week!
About Bob Bencivenga
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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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