After TX itÂs hard to go anywhere else ;-)

Quick answers:
Roses do well here. People for the most part are friendly & polite. Tortillas used to be scarce, but weÂve had an influx of Mexicans in the last decade, so now it isnÂt so bad. Durham is one of the higher priced areas and real estate is up nationwide, so you may need to do some hunting, but if you get out of the cities there is still some wonderful land for cheap. The climate is somewhere between your apt descriptions of hot Texas and bleak Baltimore. Winter is cool, with occasional freezes, mid summer is hot and humid. In between we can have weeks of "perfect" days, and I suspect spring and fall are the reason many of us live here. There is something growing year round, though Jan & Feb can be tough. I have spent time in the Southwest, the Rockies, FL, and the northeast, but feel very lucky to be here. On the whole NC is a great place to live and garden.

Check out the Carolina Gardening forum. I live in Durham and love it. Soil here was topsoil over clay, but I amended it and continue to do so with mulches of leaf mold, compost, a bag or two of manure, wood chips. I garden year round, though as was already mentioned, January and February can be difficult, and midsummer humidity and mosquitoes are not too much fun either (that's when you plan for early morning gardening). Roses may mind the humidity; I have enjoyed old roses (bloom only in spring) and ballerinas, but have lost patience with other varieties (Hate the thorns and maintaining them) but have heard that many in this region do quite well, and they are hardy here. I recall reading or hearing somewhere that you can grow more varieties of plants here in zone 7 NC than anywhere else in the country. So you have a lot to look forward to!
Andrea

I live a couple hours south of Durham in Charlotte, I too love roses. For me the roses have two good bloom seasons, spring, prior to the arrival of Japaneese beetles and humidity, and fall, once the Japaneese beetles and humidity subsides. In between I just try to keep my bushes as healthy as possible.

Hi Cory, I'm about 20 mins west of Greensboro in a 7a zone. You may want to check out a zone map as this state varies quite a bit depending on which part you settle in. I can drive about 15 minutes south of here and be in 7b, then about an hour north of me I could get into some zone 6. Part of the coast I think goes up to 8.

I'm a transplant to the Carolinas myself. It's a beautiful state with much to offer. Mountains, beaches, sandhills, I think we've got it all. Of course each area has its own growing challenges. I love the extended growing season. We tend to have some problems in the spring. Some things get nipped, which can be a problem for fruiting trees. Depending on where you live, how the house is sited, etc., can create some interesting microclimates too.

Check out Tony Avents nursery at PlantDelights.com. He's in that area of NC and is notorious for zone pushing.

We also have a wonderful bunch of gardeners in Carolina, that love helping and sharing with one another. We (Carolina Forum) get together a couple times a year for a plant swap in Garner and then there are several other swaps that go on in other areas of the state. There are a couple people that post regularly that are into roses. I am sure they could answer your rose questions in more detail.

As to the fresh tortillas, not that I've ever heard of, but ask around and you might find some place that does it.

Hope you find what you're looking for!
D

I have lived in New Orleans, Pasadena CA, Phoenix, and Alabama coast. I always dreamed of living in the Research Triangle area, and now I have been living the dream for past 11 years. It has everything - warm/hot summers, mild winters, season-changes, friendly southern people, cross-multi-cultural people from influx for universities and hi-tech. It is heaven on earth - although I still have clay soil - just like every place else I've gardened. I lived in Cary for 6 years for overrated schools. I was happy but now happier with schools, culture, rural living, and housing cost in Orange County. (I live 100 feet from Durham County line). You have lots of choices for neighborhoods, from yuppy, costly (but appreciating) housing in Cary, to rural low-cost housing on local lakes - Kerr, Falls, and Jordan - still 30-40 minutes from heart of RTP and airport. Move here, but don't tell anyone else, because it is getting too popular/crowded. (And by the way, I have spent lots of time in Maryland, near DC, and it is NOT the South - unfriendliest people I have met anywhere in U.S. - no offense to the friendly few living there.)
All the best,
Brenda

You'll love the weather. We've decided that we're never living anywhere farther north than NC. It's just too cold and depressing in the winter. We have all 4 seasons, but mild winters. I've lived in MD and NY and now I know why I was depressed each February. Because there was no end in sight to the winter.

Hey Cory,
I am in the kind of the same shoes as you. I'm in Massachusetts right now, but thinking hard about moving south. Go to the North Carolina forum and check out the thread named "Future transplant?" Lots of folks have given me some really good advice and suggested lots of towns that are good places to be. Even better, start your own thread and ask them any specific question you might have.

Best of luck
Angelica

I guess I'm in the minority here. I miss my native state, Michigan, but only for the gardening. Yes, we had a short season there compared to NC, but, I don't have the wonderful variety of evergreen shrubs and trees here that I had in Michigan. I also miss the Lilac bushes, and the abundance of spring tulips. I've had to re-learn roses. The wonderful no care rugosas don't do so well here. Even the althea, Rose of Sharon, doesn't do as well here. Cherries cost a fortune in the super markets...as do raspberries and blueberries...because they don't grow well either. I don't know about Lily of the Valley but I don't see them offered here? Does anyone grow it?

On the up side, I now have Gardenia bushes and don't have to shovel snow...yeah!

I live in Chapel Hill and like gardening here much better than Florida (fewer bugs, better soil). I grow lilies of the valley and old roses. The price of housing is outrageous but if you don't mind commuting, there are areas of Orange and Durham counties that are much more affordable. My biggest problem as a gardener is getting enough shade. We love our trees here!