Moving from Maryland to North Carolina
North Carolina is a state filled with opportunities, and people from all over the United States, including Maryland, are choosing to relocate to the Tar Heel State. It’s only a five-hour drive from Baltimore to Raleigh. If you are considering trading crab cakes for BBQ, read on to learn about moving from Maryland to North Carolina.
Benefits of Moving from Maryland to North Carolina
When people hear North Carolina, they might think of several things: beaches, airplanes, furniture, Michael Jordan. North Carolina is so much more. The state is home to beautiful mountain ranges, coastal gems, and vibrant cities. It is also home to top-notch educational institutions, which has built an annual economy worth over $500 billion.
Beautiful Scenery
North Carolina has breathtaking beauty from the western border with Tennessee to the eastern coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Several mountain ranges cross through the state: the Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Appalachian Mountains. They all offer grand heights, but they have subtle differences that North Carolinians recognize.
The mountains are on the western side of the state, and as you move east, the Piedmont Plateau eases the way to the Atlantic and the swampy coastal plain. The varying topography offers plenty of outdoor activities for residents and visitors. It also offers plenty of weather, from the heat in the summer to snow in the winter. All four seasons exist in North Carolina.
When you make your home in North Carolina, there are a few tourist spots to see. You must drive the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the Linville Gorge and Falls in the “Grand Canyon of the East.” Spend some time in Asheville, where you can see the Biltmore Estate and dream of big houses, then check out Chimney Rock State Park to see the massive granite spire.
Off to the east, you should take time to visit a few spots along the coast. Cape Hatteras and the Outer Banks offer beautiful scenery. Wilmington is the home of the USS North Carolina Battleship used in World War II. The Great Dismal Swamp is a unique spot that crosses Virginia and North Carolina and shows what life is like in the wetlands.
Along with mountains and coasts, North Carolina is home to vibrant cities. Charlotte is an exciting city with amusement parks, professional athletics, and a plethora of industries. The Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets make their homes in Uptown Charlotte. The town is also home to the exciting US National Whitewater Center.
Sports
If you love watching sports, then you must visit Durham to see the iconic Bulls. This minor league team inspired the movie, Bull Durham. The stadium has been updated since the film, but the game is still the same. The Triple-A team feeds players to the Tampa Bay Rays, so you never know what future (or current) Major Leaguers you might see on any given day.
Other towns are home to major universities like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University in Durham. UNC-Chapel Hill is one of the oldest public universities in the United States, and it’s the school known for being the Alma Mater of Michael Jordan. North Carolina State University in Raleigh is another top school in the state.
Finally, North Carolina is home to the infamous Wright Brothers, who pioneered flight. Kitty Hawk, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, is the town where the brothers first attempted to fly.
Cost of Living
People have been moving to North Carolina for the beautiful landscapes and fantastic job opportunities. If you are moving from Maryland to North Carolina, you might notice an increase in your housing costs. The median home cost ($273,900) in Raleigh, North Carolina is more than double that of homes in Baltimore ($114,300).
The only costs that are lower in North Carolina are transportation and utilities. Other expenses like health care and groceries are more expensive in North Carolina when compared to Baltimore. But, when you move from Baltimore to North Carolina, your salary should increase by about 15%. This might not make up for the housing differences, but it helps a bit.
Outdoor Activities
North Carolina has a diverse landscape that offers plenty of outdoor activities. People who live on the west side of the state enjoy hiking through the mountains, especially the Appalachian Trail, which is a bucket-list goal of people all over the world. Smack dab in the middle of the mountains is Maggie Valley, which has some of the most beautiful golf courses on the planet.
On the east side of the state, water activities rule the day. Swimming, surfing, boating, and fishing are popular in the rivers and sounds. In Charlotte, the U.S. National Whitewater Center is a popular spot for people who enjoy the thrills of river rafting.
Excellent Education
The educational experience in North Carolina differs from the experience in Maryland. While some of the colleges in North Carolina have top reputations, the public school system ranks 25th in the United States. The Maryland schools rank 13th.
North Carolina serves over 1.5 million students in 115 school districts. It’s no surprise that the best district in the state is in Chapel Hill, where the University of North Carolina makes it home. Wake County Schools and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools educate over 300,000 students between them.
Traffic and Public Transportation
Both Maryland and North Carolina have varying traffic. The big cities experience traffic jams during rush hour, but the rural areas are quiet. Charlotte is the only city in the state with a light rail public transportation system. The bigger cities, like Raleigh and Durham, do have bus systems. Most people get around the state in their personal vehicles.
Cost of Moving from Maryland to North Carolina
According to The American Moving and Storage Association, the average cost to move less than 1,000 between states is $3,500 to $5,000. The cost to move from Maryland to North Carolina is $2,925.11 with Allied.
With any move, there are several factors to consider, including the distance from one residence to the next and the amount of items that need to be moved. The best way to get an accurate quote is to fill out the Instaquote in the menu above.
Most Popular Cities in North Carolina
Charlotte
Charlotte is the most populated city in North Carolina, and it is the 15th most populated city in the United States, between Columbus, Ohio and San Francisco. There are two big draws to Charlotte: job opportunities and climate. The city is on the border with South Carolina, and has average temperatures that reach the 50s in the winter and the 90s in the summer.
Raleigh
The capital city is the middle of the state, with mountains to the west and ocean to the east. Raleigh has many of the benefits of any capital city: government jobs. There are also plenty of jobs in the financial, biotech, high-tech, and education industries. The city is home to North Carolina State University, and it is the third most educated city in the US.
Greensboro
Greensboro, the third-largest city in North Carolina, is one of the points of the Piedmont Triad, which also includes High Point and Winston-Salem. These cities have major furniture and textile industries. They are on the Piedmont Plateau but are close to the mountains to the west. There is plenty to do with so many metro areas so close to each other.
How to Move from Maryland to North Carolina
From finding a new job and new home to packing up your belongings and leaving all that you know, moving is stressful. When you make a move across state lines, the stress increases, this is why you need to use a trusted company like Allied Van Lines to take away the stress. In the past 15 years, Allied has moved more than 750,000 families.
Let the professionals at Allied Van Lines help remove your stress and ease your move from Maryland to North Carolina.