[nyssaneala]

We're looking to relocate next year, and I'm looking for input on some great places to live. We're looking for a town or city that is homeschool friendly (local homeschool groups would be wonderful, too!), has a great public library, lots of CSA's, local farms, farmer's markets, great parks and playgrounds (ie lots of stuff to do for the kiddies), biking trails and paths....I guess that's all. My ideal is probably a small town not too far from a city, where I can walk to the library, park, bookstore, etc etc.

I'm also wondering what Charlotte, NC is now like, I haven't been there in 8 years and in the meantime there seems to have been a huge population boom. Better, worse, about the same?

Thank you so much for your input!

 

[beanma]

Sounds like Chapel Hill or Carrboro to me. Durham, Hillsborough or Pittsboro might fit the bill, too. We've got CSAs coming out the wazoo and a fantastic homeschooling community. Fabulous farmers mkts. I've lost count how many, but my fave is still the Carrboro mkt.

 

[SeekingJoy]

Yup, the Triangle area would be a great fit for you. I have lived across much of NC and SC, but Carborro and Chapel Hill are probably my favorites.

 

[KoalaMommy]

I'm in Knoxville TN, and we have most of what you mention. We don't have lots of CSA's, there's one I know of and it's not clear if they're running next year or not. But there are lots of farmer's markets, in fact the only days there isn't a Farmer's market are Sunday and Monday. You might check out Oak Ridge (if you don't mind the nuclear industry) or Maryville. Maryville is about 20 minutes from Knoxville and they have a nice downtown area, including a market that sells organic pasture fed meats and organic milk from local farmers, and they have a weekly farmer's market. It would probably be more walkable than Knoxville.

 

[hapersmion]

I was getting ready to plug Knoxville.

(Do you get the Green Man Farms CSA, KoalaMommy? That's the one I get, just wondering from what you said...) I am told by someone at the farmer's market that there's another CSA in the area, but I haven't gone looking for it. There are farms too, but some require driving.

Maryville also has a very nice children't section and storytime in their library, we used to go when we lived over that way. There are quite a few good libraries in Knoxville too. Also, I know there are at least some homeschooling groups in the area. My son is only three, but I've been noticing that there are homeschooling programs at the zoo and other places.

We do have some good parks and playgrounds, and there is even a trail going from the back of one of the farmer's markets all the way to one of the really big playgrounds near the UT campus. Not sure what other trails there are, but my dad finds places to bike when he visits - he mostly goes up towards the Smokies, I think.

 

[mama kk]

I really love Black Mountain NC. It is 20 mins from Asheville and there are lots of great hiking trails, an awesome shady castle park right by a shallow stream, a beautiful new town pool, and the town library is super cute (but sort of small). I know there are CSAs around as well as lots of farmers markets. I know there is a big homeschooling community here, but I am not directly involved in that yet so I don't know too much about it.
It sounds like you have a lot of good options!
Good Luck!

 

[nyssaneala]

Wow, these are some great suggestions! I will definitely be following up on some of the towns (Black Mountain sounds esp awesome!)

One more question, which of these towns have community hospitals nearby? Hubby is finishing a surgery residency, and he plans on going into a smaller practice rather than working at a large teaching hospital.

 

[beanma]

UNC (Chapel Hill) and Duke (Durham) both have teaching hospitals, but there are some smaller hospitals around, too. Durham also has Durham Regional, which is run by Duke, but is more of a community hospital I believe. I know that there are some smaller hospitals in Siler City and Sanford which could be a doable commute from maybe Pittsboro (probably about 20 minutes). Pittsboro is a great little town. I, personally, wouldn't want to live in Siler City or Sanford, but I know some progressive farmer folks who have a Siler City address. They're both small southern towns (Mayberry-esque) but not especially progressive. Pittsboro is a very progressive small town. It's very cool and has a nice little co-op HFS and great farmer's mkts and plenty of CSAs (like oodles).

I really like epodunk for giving the lowdown on towns. You can also check out localharvest.org for CSA-heavy areas.

Hope you find a good place. I agree Black Mountain is a lovely town and well-worth checking out.

 

[Kodachrome]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mama kk I really love Black Mountain NC. It is 20 mins from Asheville and there are lots of great hiking trails, an awesome shady castle park right by a shallow stream, a beautiful new town pool, and the town library is super cute (but sort of small). I know there are CSAs around as well as lots of farmers markets. I know there is a big homeschooling community here, but I am not directly involved in that yet so I don't know too much about it. It sounds like you have a lot of good options! Good Luck!

 

[organichic]

Asheville has everything you mentioned! The homeschooling activities here are amazing! Way too much to do it all. Check it out!

PEACE!

Bryce

 

[nyssaneala]

Thanks! I knew about UNC and Duke, but hubby doesn't want to work at either; it's good to know there are smaller hospitals in the area. It means we can put that area back on the list as a possibility to check out on our trip down there in a few months.

Quote:

Originally Posted by beanma UNC (Chapel Hill) and Duke (Durham) both have teaching hospitals, but there are some smaller hospitals around, too. Durham also has Durham Regional, which is run by Duke, but is more of a community hospital I believe. I know that there are some smaller hospitals in Siler City and Sanford which could be a doable commute from maybe Pittsboro (probably about 20 minutes).

 

[beanma]

here are some links if that helps:

http://www.durhamregional.org/

http://www.chathamhospital.org/ (in Siler City, about 25 min from Pittsboro)

http://www.centralcarolinahosp.com (in Sanford, about 25 min from Pittsboro)

http://www.armc.com/ (in Burlington, about 25 min from Hillsborough)

You could live in Sanford, Siler City, or Burlington, but there aren't as many of those other amenities like CSAs, etc...

Hillsborough is about 20 minutes north of Chapel Hill/Carrboro and Pittsboro is about 20 minutes south of Chapel Hill/Carrboro. Durham is also close to Hillsborough.

 

[KoalaMommy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hapersmion I was getting ready to plug Knoxville. (Do you get the Green Man Farms CSA, KoalaMommy? That's the one I get, just wondering from what you said...) I am told by someone at the farmer's market that there's another CSA in the area, but I haven't gone looking for it.

We DO do Green Man Farm...we're secret twins! Same CSA, same DDC, same town. It's crazy!

 

[KoalaMommy]

And another quick plug for the Knoxville area, if you're really crunchy, home birth is way more available in TN than NC and legally well protected, and, while it's not totally clear, it would seem that selective vaxing is allowed under the religious exemption.

Also, our cost of living and housing is much lower than I've seen in NC. Knoxville has several smaller hospitals. There is the big UT teaching hospital, but there are really an unbelievable number of other options here too including St. Mary's, Baptist, Park West and I'm sure some others I'm leaving out.

 

[organicchic]

Hi,

Can anyone give me more info about asheville? We are here on a visit to check out the area. We just spent a couple of days in black mountain and loved it! We stayed at a B&B in the mountains and did some hiking, but there weren't many people around. I asked around and some of the people who were local told us that it gets really quiet in August. We even went to the playground with the creek after school hours and there were no kids there.

I have a couple of questions? What is a nice neighborhood to live in (I would prefer not to live in a housing development)--kinda of hoping for a real community feel. Also, I am interested in alternative schools/homeschooling. Or something in between. My son goes to a part-time school for homeschoolers on a farm don't know if you have anything like that around here.

I was going to check out the Odysessy school (even though it's full time) just b/c they were the only ones that were offering tours.

I am also looking for natural health people (any naturopaths around), CSA's etc.

Thanks for any info. I'm already in love with this area!

 

[hapersmion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KoalaMommy We DO do Green Man Farm...we're secret twins! Same CSA, same DDC, same town. It's crazy!

Heh, neat!

Maybe I've even seen you at pickup without knowing... if you're Tuesday pickup.

Other hospitals in the area - Fort Sanders and the Children's Hospital come to mind. There's also at least one hospital out in Maryville, and one in Oak Ridge.

 

[KoalaMommy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hapersmion Heh, neat! Maybe I've even seen you at pickup without knowing... if you're Tuesday pickup. Other hospitals in the area - Fort Sanders and the Children's Hospital come to mind. There's also at least one hospital out in Maryville, and one in Oak Ridge.

We do have tuesday pickup...

But Children's hospital I'm pretty sure is part of the UT teaching hospital network, I don't think that's what the OP is looking for. In any case, within about half an hour of anywhere in Knoxville there are at least half a dozen non-teaching hospitals.

 

[krystyn33]

Quote:

Originally Posted by organicchic Hi, Can anyone give me more info about asheville? I am also looking for natural health people (any naturopaths around), CSA's etc.

This is a wonderful place to live, especially with a child. You might check out West Asheville for the neighborhood feel. Rainbow Mountain School (another alternative school is there. Lots of homeschool support here too. Some links for you:

CSA/Farmer's markets/local food info: http://www.asapconnections.org/

Things to do: http://www.wildwnc.org/
http://www.thehealthadventure.org/
http://www.ashevillenc.gov/departmen...lt.aspx?id=370
http://www.ncarboretum.org/

And so much more.

Great place to ask questions/get more info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ashevillemamas/

We have an active LLL and many other programs for moms with little ones. A bar downtown even has a weekly Babies & Beer night. Check out the Mountain Xpress next time you visit: http://www.mountainx.com/

Plenty of choices here for alternative health care--naturopaths, acupuncture (several community centers offering low rates), massage, herbs, chiropractic, homeopathy, etc.

HTH!

Kristin

 

[hapersmion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KoalaMommy We do have tuesday pickup... But Children's hospital I'm pretty sure is part of the UT teaching hospital network, I don't think that's what the OP is looking for. In any case, within about half an hour of anywhere in Knoxville there are at least half a dozen non-teaching hospitals.

Neat!

And I don't actually know anything about the hospitals, I was just listing the ones I could think of.

 

[Carita]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KoalaMommy We do have tuesday pickup... But Children's hospital I'm pretty sure is part of the UT teaching hospital network, I don't think that's what the OP is looking for. In any case, within about half an hour of anywhere in Knoxville there are at least half a dozen non-teaching hospitals.

Hey we do green man farms as well!!!! Tuesday Pickup. Well we just moved away, so I gave the rest of the season share to my neighbor.

there are at least 2 other csas in knoxville listed under localharvest.com, but you have to get in early!!

There's baptist hospital, fort sanders, parkwest, and st mary's all in knoxville, and most of those are in downtown which would be very walkable, espcially if you live in north knoxville area. UT is the bigger teaching hospital.

I could rave and rave about kville, but my heart is where my family is, and so we just moved away... great baby wearing and cloth diapering community too!