Winston-Salem relocation!

[RNWannaBe724]

hello! i was thinking of the possibility of relocating to the winston-salem area...

i did some research, and i am pleased with home prices over-all! around here in northern nh, prices have skyrocketed! you can buy a 2/3-bedroom, 1-2 bath, somewhat updated home on 1 acre for $250k++, it is insane!

i have always had fascination with nc, and since my friend moved there when i was a junior in high school, i have always contemplated the idea of moving there.

i wanted to do pre-req's, and hopefully get into an associates degree program for nursing before i moved, then reciprocating to become licensed in another state.

or is it better to possibly move, then do the program? i am not sure.

we don't have much $ saved right now, and i am very very scared of even being able to find a job if i was to move.

i work in the hotel/hospitality industry, with an associates degree in travel & tourism.

my fiance is into culinary arts/cooking.

i am not sure of what jobs in that area pay like, and any info would help. i have looked at stats, and salary.com, but there is no way to get it to be accurate because the titles always have 'casino' at the end of them.

what are apartments like in that area for $/deposits/utilities? any good tuition reimbursment programs?

what are taxes like? since i live in tax-free nh, i dont know what sales tax is like, or how the taxes u pay out of your check is like? do they still do income-tax returns/audits?

i have heard that they tax for anything, like if you have a boat on your property, they tax you for that?

what about vehicle registration?

---:chuckle sorry there are sooooo many questions!! i have been pondering this for a long time, and my fiance is all for it (someday), so i want to gather as much information as possible and make sure i set myself up for a good life in another state!!

thank you in advance for any help/info!!!!

-mmd

[RNWannaBe724]

i forgot the most important part!!

-what do rn's, just staff get paid like?

what about any specialties?

thanks!!

[texan]

Idont live in NC but am looking to relocate also. I can only answer one of your questions. Staff nurses make the same amount reqardless of specialty. IN other words ICU nurses make the same as med-surg. Experience is the only thing that pays more for staff nurses within a facility. Also, reading another thread I saw that in w-s new grads were making 19.25 and hour plus shift dif after 3pm. I dont know about getting a job in your current field but never worry about getting a nursing job anywhere unless you really want a specific job. Jobs are everywhere. I live in upstate NY and got 3 offers out of school and declined many more interviews.

[midwife2b]

My daughters live in Winston Salem. Very nice city! You are about 4 hours from the beach and 2 to 2.5 hours from the mountains. It snows occasionally, there is a definate season change. Very hot and humid in the summer, as is most of NC. Interesting history of the city and quite a few cultural centers.

My daughter was a patient at Baptist Hospital and I can't speak highly enough of her care. She was in one of the ICU's and then a med-surg floor (severe asthma like sx). Baptist is a Magnet Hospital and everyone really acted like they liked to be there! I don't think they deliver babies there. That is at the other hospital.

Housing prices have skyrocketed in NC as well, perhaps not as badly in WS as they have on the coast. I enjoy visiting there and would consider living there without hesitation if I wasn't happy with my current situation!:)