Making the Move
The Palmers of Long Valley, New Jersey
Two years ago, during a visit to their daughter at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, John and Carol Palmer decided to drive about an hour south to the town of Aiken to ".kind of check it out." They had been talking about and considering retirement options for six years - and, with two married daughters in the South (one in Atlanta, one in Raleigh), plus another daughter at USC, looking South was a natural thing to do. At first Carol didn't want to go on the road trip, but John persuaded her - and it was Carol who ended up falling in love with the town. Two years later, after attending a LiveSouth Real Estate Show in northern New Jersey, they found themselves on a Discovery Weekend back in Aiken, checking out Woodside Plantation. According to John Palmer, "Woodside is beautiful and well-run and our salesperson introduced us to another couple who were from the same town in New Jersey. Then we went downtown to have dinner and walk around and we met yet another New Jersey couple. So we felt right at home." The LiveSouth show was a critical piece of the puzzle for the Palmers. As John relates, "The LiveSouth show saves a huge amount of time. It's the perfect way to start because of all the different developments you can see there. And make sure to go to the free seminars. The classes regarding future retirement, how to plan for it, and what to expect financially were extremely helpful." The Palmers have bought a lot at Woodside and expect to build in a couple of years. Meantime, John says that Carol is having a great time playing around with the floor plan for their new home.
What to Know Before You Go
Expert says "Forget everything you think you know" about
your lawn.
John McGee, owner of Lawn Doctor of Wilmington (NC) and Lawn Doctor of Horry County (Myrtle Beach area, SC), says he gets calls every October from baffled former Northerners who ".want to know why their lawn is dying." Most of the time, there's no problem at all - it's just the lawn going dormant for the winter. "The folks from up North are used to grass types such as fescues that basically stay green all winter. Those couldn't survive down here. On the other hand, the types of grasses that do well in North and South Carolina - St. Augustine, Zoysia, Centipede, Bermuda - couldn't make it up North." McGee's advice to Northern transplants: "Forget everything you know or think you know about your lawn and be prepared to start over." New homeowners in the South are going to have to learn everything from new fertilization patterns to new types of insects and lawn diseases to battle. "If you really want to be an expert," McGee concludes, "go to your local arboretum or county agricultural extension service. They'll tell you - for free - everything you want to know about the types of plants and grasses that thrive in this climate."
Based on current trends, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that the 10 fastest-growing states over the next 25 years will be Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Utah, Idaho, North Carolina, Georgia, Washington and Oregon (in that order). The 10 slowest-growing states will be North Dakota, West Virginia, Iowa, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska and Louisiana (50th to 41st). The top 10 are expected to grow from 114% (Nevada) to 41% (Oregon). The bottom 10 will range from negative growth of -5.4% (North Dakota) to +7.5% (Louisiana). (Source: U.S. Census Bureau.)
CHECK IT OUT – Aiken, South Carolina
Population 32,000 or so. Twenty miles from Augusta (GA) and Augusta Regional Airport. One hour from Columbia (state capital and home of USC). Three hours from the Atlanta airport. Charming downtown with free parking, good shopping (from Talbot’s to TJ Maxx), excellent restaurants. Educational options include a private K-12 prep school and several Christian and Catholic schools. Close to Woodside Plantation and Cedar Creek. Check it out.
What areas interest you?
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