I can’t look at that list and think of why anyone would willingly move to any of those states except maybe NC. Not that I don’t see each having some potential attraction, but as a woman I would not choose to move to any state that is rife with politicians aggressively working to demote women to second class citizens.
41 Likes
Trust me, that was a VERY big discussion in our house. Especially coming from basically the most liberal state in the county. My SO and I are pretty darn left, and he’s also Mexican so the immigrant thing is a concern as well. We are hoping proximity to a major metro will offset that somewhat, but if the job wasn’t perfect for him, I would have refused as well. Just trying to make the best of a not-so-ideal situation.
9 Likes
I lived in middle TN for 11 years and while it ticks most of your boxes, the eventing scene is really subpar. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a tight knit community of wonderful people, but you are sooooooo far from everything. With River Glen for sale, I don’t even think there will be an event in the state that runs above training level. And everyone vacates the area for Ocala from Dec-Mar, even the lower level trainers.
I’d investigate NC.
4 Likes
The Raleigh/Durham area of NC or anywhere within an hour (except maybe to the east) should tick off most of your boxes.
2 Likes
In 2017 I moved to Atlanta. I’m within 3.5 hours to Aiken, I have Chatt Hills next door, Poplar within 2 hours. There’s some HJ/Dressage shows at Conyers. I can do Ocala in a half-day. There’s a great horse community north and south of the city. I love the city, and flying out of Atlanta you can usually get a direct flight anywhere. If you want more “upscale” suburbia outside of the perimeter you could look at Roswell or Alpharetta. While North Atlanta is higher-end and there’s some horsey communities (lots of H/J) I like being south in my little town which has a few more eventers. (I now commute into the city for work) so I have Chatt next door, my coach 5 minutes, and horsey friends 
(I havent gone hunting, but there is a local hunt). You have to be strategic with traffic, so not all neighborhoods inside the perimeter have good access to barns in a fair commute. If I had a family/hubs to buy a moderately priced home Smryna is walking distance to Braves and an easy drive to the country. (I could go on)
We also have sports teams. Go Braves! Soccer, Pro-Football, Basketball… And its a fun city with lots of cool neighborhoods. Plus prices comparatively are fair.
2 Likes
I don’t think Aiken would be a good fit for your husband and I don’t think it’s very close to a major airport. Along with other locations mentioned, you might look at Greenville, SC. It has a nice downtown and an airport. I’m not sure what the eventing scene is like these days (I grew up there but moved away many years ago) but it is ~2.5 hours drive to Aiken and less to Tryon.
You might also look at this recent thread: Need advice - Best place to live GA/SC/NC/VA/DE
6 Likes
I’d personally be VERY wary about buying anywhere flooding is a real possibility. The fallout from Ian is going to be tons of coastal properties are going to be uninsurable. I’m your age/situation and I’m staying in the north…we will have a Carolinas climate in no time, I guess.
6 Likes
This thread was SUPER helpful to read, thank you!
1 Like
Sending you a PM!
I am your age and live between Athens and Atlanta. I really like it, but I think outside of Charlotte would be my choice! Most of my friends from college are there and love it!
My vote would be NC. It’s in the super competitive area 2, and you can go north or south easily for many competitions. Good luck with your move!
I chose Ocala. And I’m from the Carolina’s originally and have lived in Aiken off and on over the years.
It meets most of your requirements and is growing every day. Idk about the schools, but so know that there are a few private schools around that the horse people prefer.
Aiken isn’t terrible. I think it would be harder for you to find non horse activities in Aiken. Augusta is a pretty fun place though, and isn’t far away. A lot of horse people are seasonal in Aiken, and most of them stay a lot less time than people do in Ocala, but there are some lower to mid level riders there all the time. The horse care scene is a lot different in Aiken, farriers are thin on the ground and while there are good vets, there is no one to do emergency surgery. That can mean a few hours in a trailer before you can get to someone who can do a colic surgery.
1 Like
Just as a general guiding principle, and coming from the NE, when I was looking to move it seemed I saw a lot of non horsey attributes similar to the ones you are looking for went with being near decent universities or colleges. The other thing even though I am not music oriented might be a town with a symphony (but that was a less reliable indicator!) A decent nearby university also tended to be related to decent hospital/health care.
3 Likes
We chose Aiken 3 years ago. My husband is only horsey by association and he absolutely loves it. I think the schools are solid per what my friends say. The downtown is just wonderful. People are nice. Augusta airport is so easy to hop to Atlanta and Columbia is not too far either. Both Augusta and Columbia are fun towns and not far. The horse scene is amazing. A huge influx of full time folks since 2020 and we literally have multiple, big venue shows in town every weekend. Weather is great. Also, we are definitely of the blue persuasion and we’ve had no problem finding friends and getting involved in progressive activities. Anyhow, just a plug Aiken is really wonderful to live in full time.
1 Like
+1
I grew up in Alpharetta, and its a super place for riding. Atlanta is a very vibrant city!
2 Likes
I’m wondering how many insurance companies are going to quit operating in Florida? Also, I’m betting home prices for places that didn’t flood will really go up too.
The home prices are probably already on the way up; supply and demand.
If the they’re all uninsurable, how are prices going to go up?
No lender will lend so everyone will have to pay cash.
Meanwhile, every last mortgage out there requires the borrower to maintain insurance on the property so those with mortgages will be forced to pay astronomical insurance premiums added on to their mortgage payment.
I guess people will care about climate change when it whacks them in the pocketbook and makes their house both unsellable and unaffordable to keep.
3 Likes
Seriously??? Go move to Afghanistan, Iran or India where women are actually second class citizens.
6 Likes
NC-Southern Pines area. Close to 2 airports RDU & Fayetteville. Southern pines/Pinehurst cute small towns with great restaurants. Raleigh about an hour away has museums, theater and also great restaurants.
As for eventing-mecca for event trainers Bobby Costello, Will Faudree, Caitlin Romeo, Jasmine Hobart to name a few plus the Carolina Horse Park for competitions. Not to mention the 4000 acre Walter-Moss Foundation with tons of trails with great footing.
As for hubby-golf courses out the wazoo. My friend Cassidy Oletjen (Eventer) husband created a equestrian husband support group called Equestrymen he could join. 
5 Likes
