[kingchef]

north carolina is projected to continue growth over the next 10 years, although i believe it, along w/ the rest of the south is expected to slow some. the northeast is expected to regain some growth momentum; however, those retirees coming from the north, who have the kind of incomes to purchase such houses in closed communities, won't, in majority, keep a second house, as was the practice until the late 80's. the wealth is just not there. old wealth will continue to furnish some inheritance homes, but, imo, those days of summer and winter homes---possiblely a third home internationally---are pretty much over for our generation onward.

enclaves such as the highlands, the wilmington-wrightsville beach area, and many others pull in high dollar retirees, unlike sister states such as tn, kentucky, and the like. tn gets several retirees in east tn, but they can hurt local economies because of infrastructure use, but relatively low tax contributions, generally speaking. other advantages that north carolina has over tn, ky, and some others is their coastline. they have mountains, golf courses, good retirement advertisement to keep those who retire in the state and those looking for a retirement settlement. also, nc has high dollar retirees coming from the banking, commerce, insurance, healthcare, and biomedicine communities. advanced economic drivers that will help settle those retiring. nc has done well for herself, and is probably a good 15 to 20 years ahead of southern states surrounding it. i think charlotte's heyday growth is coming to an end, and that rate will begin to fall w/in a moderate growth rate. still, north carolina is my bet for overall desirability for living in retirement and certainly for working families. this, although i am generally skeptical about giving too much credit to public school systems, seems to be a state that has educated many of its own, and has enjoyed the influx of the highly educated from other states. again, however, certain high dollar sectors of the economy have shaken the area for a good while, now.