I'm considering moving from Dallas to Nashville/Charlotte in a year or so but would like to hear suggestions from those that know the areas well. Im 25 and looking for an adventure whether it be two years or ends up being my new permanent home. I'm from Dallas originally and prefer to stay in the South and have heard great things about both Nashville and Charlotte. I love the music/country scene (hence Nashville) as well as sports and outdoorsy type things (fishing/hiking). I have a finance background but am open to other types of careers. Any suggestions on the two cities? Also open to other areas such as Rahleigh or Charleston.

I appreciate any and all help!

Move to Nashville. I have been to both and will tell you Nashville wins hands down. Charlotte is kind of in the crappy part of NC, not in the mountains and not by the beach just there. Nash is considered to be the next billion dollar city (growth) and has hot women, good food, and great music. There are also two huge lakes right by Nashville that are great to fish in. If you need more than that I don't know what to tell you. I live in Cleveland right now and I am hoping (praying) that I move to my company's Nashville office within a year or so.

Nashville. Great hunting and fishing close by. Charlotte sucks.

I'm not sure why you would leave Texas. I did 8 years ago and just made it back. I look back and ask myself why I ever left in the first place.

I left Texas in 2007 to TN and moved back in 2011. Moving back to TN now.

Don't know why I ever left TN. Yes, the food is bettering Texas, but TN has better weather, the mountains, and I generally think the people are friendlier (too many non-texans in Texas).

I prefer TN over Texas, and it's not close.

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I'm not sure why you would leave Texas. I did 8 years ago and just made it back. I look back and ask myself why I ever left in the first place.

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I ask myself this everyday in CLE...I couldn't pass up the job opportunity though. Graduated in May and offers were few and far between. Hope to make it back to Texas if I don't get a transfer into TN.

Thanks for the insight. Anyone have any experience/opinions on other NC towns? Just trying to look at all my options.

Also, a reason I want to leave is the typical "I want to get out for a bit" thing now while I'm young and I can. Simple as that. Love it here and will probably end up back in Texas, but I will regret not taking an adventure elsewhere.

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Thanks for the insight. Anyone have any experience/opinions on other NC towns? Just trying to look at all my options.

Also, a reason I want to leave is the typical "I want to get out for a bit" thing now while I'm young and I can. Simple as that. Love it here and will probably end up back in Texas, but I will regret not taking an adventure elsewhere.

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I have relatives that live in Asheville (right on TN border) and they love it. They are in the mountains and have mild summers and mild winters. One of the said relatives lived in Raleigh for a little while and then Durham. Tobacco country is absolutely gorgeous in my opinion. If you want to live near the coast I recommend Wilmington, NC.

Honestly if I were you I would do the move, it sucks moving to a completely different town at first but it's also fun exploring something completely new. Plus once you get settled and get into a social circle it gets way better. My only wish was that A) winter didn't exist and B) more ags lived in NE Ohio.

I recommend it too. Moved to California when I was 24 looking for an adventure and I found it! But I ended up missing Texas too much and moved back less than a year later, but it was still fun!

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I'm not sure why you would leave Texas. I did 8 years ago and just made it back. I look back and ask myself why I ever left in the first place.

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Been gone a few years and miss it dearly, but followed my husband's job. We love where we are, but definitely not home/Texas. Hoping to make it back in the next 5-10 years

I lived in Vancouver, Toronto, & Seattle. It was fun, but I never felt at home.

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Also, a reason I want to leave is the typical "I want to get out for a bit" thing now while I'm young and I can. Simple as that. Love it here and will probably end up back in Texas, but I will regret not taking an adventure elsewhere.

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That's a good outlook. I've been out of Texas for 5 years (Denver), and I have no desire to ever go back to Texas. The food is good.... that's about the only nice thing I can say.

I've only spent a couple days in Nashville, but it seemed like a cool place with nice outdoor opportunities in close proximity.

Let me preface: both my wife and I were born in New England...so we aren't native Texans. I moved to Texas to go to A&M...and I hated those first two years in Texas. However, over time I grew to love Texas, and lived there for the next 30 years. Regrettably, I left five years ago for East Tennessee when a job I couldn't refuse came up.

We currently live south of Knoxville, an easy thirty minute drive to the Smoky Mountain. We're about three hours east of Nashville, and 4 hours west of Charlotte. There is so much I miss about Texas...the food, the people, the sun/sunsets, Friday night football, and three grown daughters who found their careers in Dallas, San Antonio, and Lubbock.

My business requires a great deal of travel...and while I don't frequent Nashville or Charlotte often, I've found I'm quite biased in my perspective: Nashville all the way. Ironically, over the past five years I've grown to really like Tennessee...and would be hard pressed to leave.

One other thing...I really, really, really like Asheville, North Carolina, which is an easy two hour drive east. If I had to live in North Carolina, it would definitely be Western North Carolina, which includes Asheville.

Good Luck.

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Let me preface: both my wife and I were born in New England...so we aren't native Texans. I moved to Texas to go to A&M...and I hated those first two years in Texas. However, over time I grew to love Texas, and lived there for the next 30 years. Regrettably, I left five years ago for East Tennessee when a job I couldn't refuse came up.

We currently live south of Knoxville, an easy thirty minute drive to the Smoky Mountains. We're about three hours east of Nashville, and 4 hours west of Charlotte. There is so much I miss about Texas...the food, the people, the sun/sunsets, Friday night football, and three grown daughters who found their careers in Dallas, San Antonio, and Lubbock.

My business requires a great deal of travel...and while I don't frequent Nashville or Charlotte often, I've found I'm quite biased in my perspective: Nashville all the way. Ironically, over the past five years I've grown to really like Tennessee...and would be hard pressed to leave.

One other thing...I really, really, really like Asheville, North Carolina, which is an easy two hour drive east. If I had to live in North Carolina, it would definitely be Western North Carolina, which includes Asheville.

Good Luck.

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double post

Thanks everybody. One recurring theme seems to be Nashville, even though for some reason I want to find a perfect town in the Carolinas. One thing I should maybe point out is that I'm single and still want to be in a fun, lively town. Not sure if Wilmington or some of those other NC towns fit the mold. I was hoping Charlotte or Raleigh would be that place but no one seems to high on either.

Actually, reread all posts and Asheville seems to be a fan favorite as well. Is it a big town? Are a lot of young people there? What about jobs? One good thing about Charlotte is that it has a lot of banking/finance so it wouldn't be too hard to find a job

If you're into art stuff then Asheville is the place for you. It's kind of got a liberal feel to it if that makes any sense. It has about 80,000 residents so not too big not too small. It has a great downtown with a lot of microbrews, live music venues, and it's in the smoky mountains. Wilmington is a coastal town with a little over 100k in it. If I were you I would do some independent research so you could get your own feel for it. I have a buddy who was born and raised in Wilmington, went to UNC, moved to TX, and then back to Wilmington to work there and he loves it. Granted he has a kid and is married.

KB...

Here's my suggestion...do what YOU want to do...not what an anonymous 50-something year old suggests. Just because I may opt for Nashville doesn't mean that Charlotte doesn't work for you. Your young, single, and in the finance industry...then Charlotte may be your best option. Charlotte is a great town! Let me put it this way....Dallas or Austin? Neither one is a bad choice. From my perspective, Charlotte is like Dallas, Nashville is like Austin. It doesn't make either one a bad choice...it's just a personal preference. Asheville is a great place...but if you want to make a career in finance, Charlotte may be your best bet. But it's what works for you.

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Thanks for the insight. Anyone have any experience/opinions on other NC towns? Just trying to look at all my options.

Also, a reason I want to leave is the typical "I want to get out for a bit" thing now while I'm young and I can. Simple as that. Love it here and will probably end up back in Texas, but I will regret not taking an adventure elsewhere.

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I think you have a great idea. While Texas is great there are many other great places to live in the US. Look around while you are young. Once you have a family, your options narrow considerably as you now have family and the financial obligations that entails.

We moved to Idaho 25 years ago. While I like Texas, I could never go back. I like 4 seasons. I love the mountains, etc etc. To each their own. Try out a new area, you may find out you like it better than Texas.

As others have stated you should really do what makes you happy.

Out of A&M we took a Job in Boston for close to 3 years and had an absolute blast. But then we wanted to buy a house and start thinking about starting a family. So we moved back to Tx, well BCS that is. But we only stayed there for less than a year before moving to Durango, CO. Stayed there another 2-3 years before moving to the Charlotte area where we have been since 2007.

If you can do it, definitely branch out and try different places. We have had a great time, expanded our experiences and met a TON of Great Ags from all over.

Now that being said, a lot of people have made some great comments about Nashville. I have been there on multiple occasions and it is a very fun town for what I have seen. But I have Limited Experience.

Onto Charlotte. I think a few on here have jumped awfully quickly on giving Charlotte a bad name. Yes I am biased.

We absolutely love it here. It is a big enough city to have things only big cities have yet still small enough that traffic is not terrible, and this is getting better as they finish/expand the 485 loop.

Yes , as stated above, it is not in the mountains nor on the beach. However it is basically two hours from each. Not many major metropolitan areas can say this that also have the low cost of living Charlotte has. There are A TON of lakes surrounding Charlotte, the biggest and closest being Lake Norman, and Lake Wylie. We frequent Wylie and a few of the other in SC quite a bit. Outdoor activities are ABUNDANT.

Now, unlike you, I am married(very happily) and have two kids and live in the Burbs just over the state line in SC, better taxes, cheaper RE, and no vehicle inspections(I like jeeps...) and love it. We are close enough I can get downtown in 30-45 minutes yet far enough out that I don't have to deal with the city unless I need to.

Yet if I were a younger less tied down man I would be in the South End just south of downtown(which they call Uptown here, kinda weird) which is a BOOMING area with lofts and nightlife and a TON of New Micro Breweries. MB's are exploding here. I might have gone to two of them last night... Had an event at one

So there is a lot to offer in Charlotte, you I would assume already now of it prowess in the Financial field which is why I am guessing it made the list.

Another overlooked town is Columbia SC, where USCe is. It is a very cool little city with an awesome river running through it.

I Know TLDR. Also I would move back to Durango in a heartbeat but my heart is set on exiling to Ambergris Caye...

Late to this thread....

Been in E.TN for 10 years now. Work in Chattanooga. One our our customers is in Mooresville, just north of Charlotte. Have been to Charlotte for some events and to Nashville a bunch. I like Nashville overall, between the two. The traffic in Charlotte, while not Houston/ Dallas/Atl bad, is still bad. Depending on what side of town you get on.

As others have said, you need to decide. I came here because of a headhunter and $$$.

Do I miss the food? Yes
Do I miss being only 300 miles from Kyle Field vs 900 as I am now? Yes
Will I move back to Texas when I retire? Probably not.

Too many things to do within 300 miles of where I am.

While the sales tax is higher, property taxes, insurance and a lot of other things are cheaper, I mean way cheaper. Car registration is only $25 and no inspection BS, unless you are in one of the air controlled counties.

Again, it is your choice, but if you want seasons and a lot of things to do, TN is as good as there is, IMHO.

Amen, EMC! Moving back in two weeks! Got a job up in Loudon County.

Thanks EMC and BlockingDummy. I think what I may do is book two separate weekends to each city (may add in Asheville or one other highly recommended place) and visit each so I can get a thorough feel of what I like/dislike about each. I'm planning on checking out a few apartments in the areas as well, so any suggestions on places to live would be beneficial (thanks BD for the uptown suggestion in Charlotte). If I were to move to Nashville, any suggestions of where to live?

Also, anyone know of any good headhunters in either place that specializes in finance?

I think you'd love Asheville. It's like a smaller better version of Austin in the mountains. Tons of hinges to do. Really like visiting; if I were single and you're age, that's where I would live.

KB12- I can check on Nashville as one of the owners of my company has a son living in Nashville and he is about your age. I know families live out of Nashville. The guy that was my best man and from Angelo originally too, lives out south near Brentwood, IIRC.

Ashville reminds me of a cross between Santa Fe and Ruidoso, if you can visualize that. Pretty pricey, but really nice.

Also, NC has a state income tax and all the other bureacratic bs that a red tinging blue type state has.

One more plug for TN- I met a c/o '66 Ag at my first muster here in '05. He asked if I thought we would move back to Texas when we retired. I told him that we more than likely wood, though, at the time that was 15 years or so away. He said if we lived here 10 years we wouldn't leave. December 31 completes year number 10 and guess what.... He was right!

Make your trips and see for your self. Do know that it isn't near a pretty in the winter around with the leaves down, etc.

Ok, I typed more than the TN CoC paid me to type!

KB, I know some head hunters here in the CLT who specialize in Finance. Shoot me an email at rjlynn67 at gmail dot com

Check out the Gulch and apartments along West End in Nashville. Can't help with Carolina living references unfortunately.

Being close to family again was a big factor in me being able to move back to Texas. I live in Plano and my parents live south of Houston. It's much better to be able to jump in the car and drive for 5 hours to see them than having to schedule a plane trip.

Being able to go to Aggie home games is just a bonus.

Asheville sounds interesting based on the talk on this thread, but I looked into it and it seems to be just a wannabe San Francisco (which is where I live now). Is it really just filled with liberals and hippies? Serious question, since I'm trying to get away from these people. Or is this exaggerated online?

There are some libs there, but western NC has a bunch of independents who would rather just be left alone... Think of the moonshiners, etc. But it seems more liberal to me, but I live in the hills of E.TN not too far from western NC!

Like EMc said it does have more libs than normal, but I would put it more like a small city in Colorado like Durango than San Fran. And I love me some Durango!

Lived in Nashville, moved to Texas for a few years for grad school and then quickly moved back to Nashville (live in the Franklin area now).

OP: as a young buck in finance you will have plenty of options. Texans in particular thrive in Nashville as the Nashville Ag Club is pretty vibrant and I have quite a few Ags/Texans who go to my church. It seems to fit.

When I was in my mid 20's, I lived in Hillsboro Village. Even today, I love going down there and eating at Pizza Perfect or McDougal's, and I would highly recommend it for a young professional wanting to lay down some roots in the city.

Be warned: if you come, you will probably never leave.

Ky Ag...

Never experienced Frankin until about 4 months ago. Agree with you...if I lived there, I'd never leave.