Looking to live in North Carolina but not sure about the state? Let us take you on a quick tour filled with info to help you decide!
What big cities are in North Carolina?
The top 5 most populous cities in North Carolina are Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, and Winston-Salem. Charlotte is the largest, with 885k people!
What about beach towns?
There are so many beach towns to choose from that you’ll have difficulty deciding! From Wilmington to Kitty Hawk to Nag’s Head, the options continue.
Looking for mountains instead?
North Carolina has mountain life too! While Asheville is the one everyone goes to, don’t skip over Hendersonville, which gives you all the feels that quaint small towns do!
Skiing is plentiful during the winter too. There are so many great spots to hit, like Boone (minutes from the Appalachian ski resort), Banner Elk (Grandfather Mountain is nearby), and Blowing Rock (also close to the Appalachian ski mountain).
What’s the average home price?
Across the state, the average home sales price is $300k. This number will increase in some larger or more popular cities.
What’s the average income in North Carolina?
The average income is somewhere between $30-35k.
Who are the largest employers in North Carolina?
Lowes, Bank of America, Honeywell, Compass Group, IQVIA, Family Dollar, Food Lion, HanesBrands, VF Corporation, and Truist Financial are the top ten employers.
How’s the weather?
The average annual temperatures vary based on region. In the mountains, the average temperature is 55º. It’s 60º in the central portion and averaging 66º towards the coast. Please note they still have some brutally hot summers with average temps hitting 90º.
Cold season only lasts about three months, and the entire state averages 5 inches of snow – with many areas never seeing any.
North Caroline also gets hurricanes – they are ranked 4th in the amount they endure after Florida, Texas, and Louisiana.
Is insurance expensive there?
The average car insurance policy here is $1446 for full coverage. Homeowners insurance average is around $1300/year.
North Carolina airports
The big airport in NC is the one in Charlotte. Most of us have had a leg through there before, but if you haven’t – make sure you stop to take a quick break in their rocking chairs.
They also have smaller ones located in Raleigh-Durham (which is an international airport), Wilmington (also international), and Piedmont Triad (international as well!).
There are 72 public airports in the state. So, no matter where you live, you can access an airport!
How is the healthcare?
NC ranks 34th out of 51 in the United States regarding health care. (51 because Washington DC is included)
15% of adults in the state do not have health insurance. They have also not expanded Medicaid, which contributes to this factor.
Universities + Colleges
North Carolina is filled with amazing universities and colleges. Whether you’re looking for private or public, you can find many top-ranked schools here. Here is a sample of some options: Duke, University of Mount Olive, Wake Forest, UNC Chapel Hill, East Carolina University, NCU, UNC Charlotte, and UNC Greensboro.
Politics
The Republican party controls both chambers of the state legislature. The state had consistently voted for a Republican president, except in 2008 when they voted for Barack Obama.
Their current governor is a Democrat.
Economy
They have the 11th largest economy in the United States.
Diversity
The 2020 census showed that North Carolina is 60% white, 20% black, 11% Hispanic/Latino, 3% Asian, 3% multi-racial, and 1% Native American.
The proximity to all things nature seduces many people into heading to the Tar Heel State. Whether you need to surf on the outer banks or hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it can all be found in North Carolina. A great job market and housing affordability are icing on the cake!
Need to find a real estate agent in North Carolina? Let us do the work for you!