Just Saying ~ Visiting North Carolina

I just got back from North Carolina a few days ago, and let me just say it is good to be home.

I went to Wilson, Benson, and Cary and found these cities to be warm and inviting.

~Wilson~ 

What a wonderful little city. It had a small town feel with everything seemingly in close proximity. I was told everything in Wilson is only five minutes away.

As I enter the city limits I make a mental note of things I see and things I don't see. I'm surprised to see a tattoo parlor. I laugh to myself. I see a church, a few businesses, and a Golden Coral. Did I miss the mall, the schools, or even the grocery store? Maybe so.

I think I passed the projects. A short row of what looked like one story apartment dwellings. You know, the way a cheap motel looks? But where are the people hanging out front? Being from D.C. when you hit the projects, you see more than bricks and mortar.

I turn right in to a sprawling housing development. The house are magnificent, southern style, the neighbors are far enough away that you have to phone them instead of speaking across the fence.

Ponds, pools, driveways, and landscaping show that these home owners are vested in their property and their community. And the prices of these magnificent homes , UNBELIEVABLE!

Demographics:  Population ~ 49,167     47% Black       46% White
I don't know where the blacks were when I was visiting, but I sure didn't see anywhere close to 47%. Counting me, I think I saw no more then 10, and I don't mean 10%.

~Benson~ 

Then I was off to Benson. Can you say rural? Cows, horses, sheep, and a general store. It is about 1.5 hours from Wilson and about 30 minutes from Raleigh. It did appear that they are building up the area. I think I saw a Walgreens under construction.

The houses are nice there as well, but not as fabulous as the houses in Wilson, but nice none-the-less. At night, there were no street lights, no sounds of traffic, and I wondered if someone was on the outside looking in.

I took a country morning stroll down a country lane to check out the surrounding houses, and came across a house selling for $215,000. It has a pool, 3 bedrooms, 2 car garage, pool house, bar-b-que pit, screened in deck, 2 full bathrooms, and 1/2 bath. The amenities are too many to mention.

Most of the houses I saw were, no money down and no closing costs. I wondered if they included bad credit, no credit, and bankruptcies.

What a wonderful little town.

Demographics:  Population ~ 3,374        34% Black        58% White
I think there were more cattle than people in the quaint little city.

~Cary~

I headed to Cary for a spa appointment at Massage Envy. It had the mall, Harris Teeters, Trader Joe's, but still had a country feel. Everyone was so nice, and I had the best massage that I've ever had. Ask for Keisha if you are ever in Cary and are in need of a great massage.

The homes, town homes, and apartments were perfectly landscaped and looked new. They had country clubs, walking and biking trails, and everyone was all smiles. I almost thought I was in Stepford.

The homes are a little more pricey than Wilson and Benson, but still a bargain compared to D.C. I could really see myself walking my dog Sebastian and shooting the breeze with my neighbors on the doggy trail.

The following morning I had breakfast on the campus of North Carolina State University. There too everything was clean and fresh and everyone was all smiles. They even had a farmers market on campus so I said to myself, they like to eat healthy too. An organic life style, I said to myself.

I sat down with the menu and everyone suggested I get the sampler: Pancakes, hash browns, toast, biscuits, eggs, sausage gravy, spiced apples, bacon, sausage, and ham. Yes all of that. When I asked about turkey or veggie sausage, they responded "Sweetie you must not be from around here."

Demographics:  Population ~ 139,633      73% White         8% Black

Out of all the cities Cary had the smallest Black population, but I saw more blacks there than the other two cities. 

On my way home I fantasized about having a life in North Carolina, sitting on my porch, walking on the trail, and having a stress free job to boot. Note to self: Find out when I am fully eligible for retirement.

Just Saying......