Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Tim Mauer, the co-author of The Ultimate Financial Plan: Balancing Your Money and Life, said it best when he was quoted for saying, “States like North Carolina and Tennessee boast living costs that are a fraction of those in the Northeast or West. You could find a comparable home at half the price, along with lower prices on property taxes and eating out”. That just about sums what life in North Carolina is like.
In The Old North State, you get the best of both worlds: the peace and close-knit togetherness that town-based communities offer as well as all the urban pleasures that you get to enjoy from city living. In fact, for 2011Kiplinger.com – one of the Internet’s well-known sources of business forecasts – gave Charlotte, North Carolina second place in its list of Top Value Cities.
Referring it to Charlotte as a banking mecca, Kiplinger.com cited Mayor Anthony Foxx as he describes his city as one of America’s “best-kept secrets”. Charlotte today remains to be the headquarters for the Bank of America, but the banking industry is not the only one that’s providing like Family dollar Store and Lowe’s. Ninety percent of companies, however, are local small businesses and their numbers are expected to continue growing due to the government’s simplified process for business registration. The local government’s willingness to quickly provide promising companies with a small business loan program doesn’t hurt either.
Charlotte is also proving to become one of the country’s energy hubs, with Duke Energy already headquartered in the city and showing signs of becoming America’s largest utility service provider. Engineering centers of Toshiba and Siemens Energy also provide a significant number of jobs and preventing the city from suffering from brain drain the way other Southern cities are.
Now, you are probably all thinking that’s all well and good, but where’s the part about lower costs of living and having the good life? Well, bear with me for now. All those impressive facts and figures are meant to show that finding a high-paying job in Charlotte or North Carolina for that matter won’t be as hard as it could be in other states.
It’s affordable to live in the Tar Heel State because, as Mauer pointed out, taxes are truly a lot lower than what you would normally be charged with in other places. Utility rates are quite cheap as well and especially when you support the state’s bid for energy efficiency.
Homebuilding costs are eighty percent of the national average, and the state’s real estate market had proved to be relatively stable in spite of the economic downturn. Prices for homes for sale in North Carolina are very attractive.
Last but certainly not the least, North Carolina – especially with cities such as Charlotte – is also a culinary haven as well as boasting a “cultural mile” that features mega sports stadiums, the best museums, science centers, and theaters. Festivals are also celebrated year round, ensuring that you won’t lack for any kind of entertainment day or night.