Hey, I’m Suzel, the photographer behind the lens at “el pictures” and I specialize in documentary photography. I’m originally from the archipelago of the Azores, lived a long time in Massachusetts and was stationed in to many parts of the globe with my military husband. Settling in North Carolina had been in our radar for a long time as the ideal location for both of us. I needed to be close enough to the ocean and I didn’t want to deal with snow and ice anymore. In 2013 we chose the triangle for all the academics, good schools for our children, great job prospects and have I mentioned it’s simply gorgeous?!!
This area really is a melting pot of different ethnicities, while honoring its rich history and Southern Charm. Bonus, if you’re a foodie we got that! Art, yup got it! State of the art medical and research facilities, you bet!
Moving is never easy, especially with little ones. What I always struggle with the most besides my own bed when we’re in between housing is making sure my kids felt comfortable and safe, plus re-establishing my business to a whole new clientele.
My advise; equipping yourself with professionals to guide you is key, asking a lot of questions, accepting help and being gracious gets you a long way. I am loving what I do and doing what I love here in N.C. and would love to meet you someday. Welcome, Y’all!
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My husband and I have 5 young children and before moving, we lived in Missouri our entire lives. Our lives were good in the Midwest, but we always wondered if we were missing something to make life truly great. During the pandemic, we started really feeling called to think of life in North Carolina and continued to see signs pointing towards moving. We tried to talk ourselves out of it, but doors continued to open for our family to make the move.
My husband found a wonderful new job, the best relator found us a home that truly feels perfect in a close-knit neighborhood, our home sold easily, and we began to make friends before we officially moved. Moving halfway across the country is not easy, but every challenge has been worth it. We knew in our hearts that North Carolina was meant to be home.
Since moving, we have discovered that southern living in N.C. is exactly what our family needed! Our community is warm, welcoming, supportive, fresh, inviting, and always offering opportunities to grow as a family. We are surrounded by people from all over the country and different perspectives on life. I find myself growing in conversations with friends each day, and love that my children are experiencing the same in life. We are so grateful our children get to grow up in a neighborhood surrounded by loving families, with fantastic schools nearby, and numerous community activities available. We have the warmth of a smaller town with the ability to quickly travel to other towns or the city in less than 30 minutes.
My husband and I both grew up in the Willamette Valley region of Oregon. Our entire lives were there- friends, family, and many wonderful years full of adventures exploring the Pacific Northwest. However, while we loved our lives there, our hearts were in North Carolina.
On a family trip to the Outer Banks four years ago, watching our daughter and son splash in the warm waves while a pod of dolphins jumped and played in the water just beyond the break, we knew at that moment that North Carolina is where we wanted to raise our family and where we belonged. On that same trip, we used our sightseeing as an opportunity to look at the state not only from a tourist perspective but from a potential resident perspective. We flew home to Oregon with the intent to move to North Carolina as soon as we could. However, years passed and an opportunity to relocate did not present itself. When the opportunity to move finally came, we were not going to waste our shot! We worked with the most incredible agent that helped us relocate. Even though we were three thousand miles apart, our agent helped us through the entire process, every single step of the way. Once we took our shot at North Carolina, we sold our house rather quickly, said goodbye to family and friends, buckled our two kids and the family dog in the car, and began our journey to where our hearts had already called home for so long.
There are so many things that pulled us to North Carolina. When we considered moving, we knew we wanted a climate that experienced all four seasons. The seasons here are outstanding. We love that we can spend so much time outside exploring our new town. North Carolina is incredibly diverse; there is something for everyone. We can hike and explore the gorgeous mountains in the western part of the state and play in the many streams and waterfalls, or we can head to the beach and play all day in the sun and sand. North Carolina has a long, rich history, and the parks, monuments, museums, and exhibits are fantastic. Last, but certainly not least, Southern Hospitality is very much still a part of North Carolina culture. Everyone that we have met has been so warm and welcoming everywhere we go.
We can honestly say moving to North Carolina has been the best decision for our family. We are so grateful that we get to raise our kids here. We have top-notch schools, a fantastic small town that is just minutes from the bustling city of Raleigh, and there are so many activities for our kids to engage in to learn a new skill, make some new friends, and have fun. People are moving to North Carolina from all over the country, and the world. Our neighborhood is so diverse, almost all of our neighbors have moved to North Carolina from somewhere else. We have had so much fun getting to know everyone and hear their story about how North Carolina came to be their home. It feels good to finally be home in our little slice of the South.
We had so much happiness in our life in Michigan. Yet, we felt pulled to find a place to live that allowed us to have the lifestyle we always wanted. We wanted to find a place to build a life, not just grow where we were planted. We longed for sunshine, to be outside as much as possible, a place where we could golf, and be a part of a community where there were social events that made it easy to ‘do life’ together with other families like ours.
When we came down to Raleigh for one week to see what it was like we put a deposit on a lot of land and started building on day 5 of our trip. I felt like we had “found our people”. The next 7 months, we sold everything and prepared for our move to North Carolina. A friend had told me: sell everything and start fresh. So, we did just that. We did not move much down and started our new life in North Carolina with a freshness that looking back, we needed.
Moving across the country is a tall task, no matter how it is done. The planning, the organizing, the resources, and vendors needed could drive a lady crazy! But I kept thinking about what we were moving towards. So, if you are in a position and thinking about planning your move – say yes when people offer to help. They do not know how else to tell you they’ll miss you. Say yes to offers to help you pack your kitchen. Everyone who loves you wants you to stay but understands that you are moving. As I look back, I am grateful I did not stress out about the things that didn’t matter. We did pay a lot of attention to spending the time with people who are important to us. That is what was more important that the things we were packing. Also, sell as much of it and start over. You deserve a fresh start.
When we arrived, the economy was so different than what we were used to in the Detroit area. At the start of 2020, I decided to open up my own business; Goosehead Insurance – Wagner Agency. I chose downtown Raleigh to have my office and when I signed the lease in February 2020, I was full of hopefulness and a plan. Then BOOM. Everything changed with the pandemic and all the plans I had needed to change. So, I had to pivot my mind, approach, and keep moving. That year was rough. One thing I can say with absolute confidence- our community rallied for each other. We all supported local businesses, local restaurants and my community supported me too. I am humbled, grateful and feel lifted up by the families and community around us. The relationships we’ve built here are strong and deep because there is something that resonates with us all. We’ve all chosen to be here and live our life together.
My Life in NC is full of the things that matter to us: people, exploring, being outside and creating memories together with friends who have become more like family. I can honestly say we pack a lot more into our days and nights here. The weather allows us so much more time to do sports, outdoor movies, evenings on the porch, friendly bon fires with neighbors. I am happy to say that we do a lot more living in this life we have created. I’ve heard this saying and it’s true for me, “I wasn’t born a Southerner, but I got here as fast as I could.
I’m living proof that having the courage to try something new can elevate your happiness and that of your family.
My husband and I were both born and raised in Colombia, South America. We lived in Canada for over 20 years. After building our first home and having our 2 kids we were happy; however, we wanted to make a change in our lives. We decided to give our kids the opportunity to grow up somewhere in between Canada and Colombia. We looked for a destination with all four seasons and warmer weather; a place that we have more diversity to experience our favorite places. We like the beach and mountains and are into adventurous sports like snowboarding, hiking, motorcycling, golfing, swimming, running and a little of everything. We love being outside and keeping active in nature throughout the year.
On Christmas 2017 we were driving down from Toronto to Florida to visit family and we made a stop in North Carolina. At that time, we felt that we were ready to make a change in our lives and we made the decision to come and live in North Carolina. We remained very focused on what we wanted and what we had to do next to make it happen. Shockingly, it took us 35 days after this trip to leave Canada and head South. We left our home rented through AIRBNB. I quit my existing job, we packed our car with only the essential things and drove down to start our new life full of dreams in NC.
After 3 years of discipline, hard work, dedication, planning, passion, patience and trusting in God, we have crossed all the boundaries and success to create the most beautiful life for our family. We are surrounded by loving and supportive families, thriving economy with diverse opportunities, high quality of life with a lower cost of living and prestigious private schools for our kids.
We’re so grateful our kids get to grow up in a wonderful neighborhood. There is so much diversity of cultures and beliefs here. And yet, we all have the main priority in common: family first. One thing we love about living here is the ability to be outside so much and creating our dream life. We are surrounded by people who have similar stories of how they got here and what brought them to North Carolina. It’s amazing how much we have in common.
When we moved to North Carolina, my husband and I put everything we had into starting our own roofing company. Thankfully, my husband’s entrepreneur mindset and my extreme focus permitted us to navigate the landscape of starting from the ground and building something for ourselves. We love serving our local communities and protecting the families we work with.
We have found that by making sacrifices on the front end, working extremely hard and focusing on our priorities, we have been able to create and build a life we love. The independence of owning our own business is what allows us the flexibility to be able to raise our children and be present with them as they grow.
We are now living our dream life in North Carolina filled with so much love and blessings.
Name: Ultra Roofing LLC
Email: margie@ultraroofing.net
phone numbers: 1-800-977-3110
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Blog: www.ultraroofing.net
Websites: www.ultraroofing.net
I’d like to start by saying that I am not a risk taker. I work in finance and a great deal of my time and energy is spent eliminating risk. I make sure every ‘what if’ has an answer so our investments are successful. Not surprisingly, I carry this same cautious trait in my personal life as well.
In January 2020 I went on a business trip and couldn’t wait to get home to see my husband and kids. On the drive home from the airport, I stared out the window and really took stock of the city we had been living in for the past seven years. It was in that moment that I finally acknowledged something I had been wrestling with for quite some time- Nevada wasn’t home.
Finding a new place to call home was both exciting and daunting, but North Carolina quickly moved to the top of our short list. There seemed to be so many beautiful places to explore, events to attend, and restaurants and museums to visit. After spending many years together in San Francisco, we felt our current city was lacking the diversity we wanted our children to grow up in. We quickly booked a trip to visit North Carolina in the middle of March. The day before our flight, the world changed because of Covid. We had to cancel our trip and we felt incredibly defeated. We were so ready to make this huge life change, but it didn’t feel safe to get on an airplane and travel to North Carolina. Months passed and we couldn’t shake the feeling that we were meant to be in North Carolina. It seemed like every day something related to North Carolina would cross our paths. We felt like we couldn’t ignore the signs any longer and decided to just…. go.
We booked a moving company, packed up our house and drove for five days to North Carolina. We had never stepped foot in this state, but our excitement for ‘what if’ was far greater than any fear we had about the unknown. We took a huge risk by uprooting our family and relocating to somewhere we’d never been, but I’m so happy we did.
Young and single in the city. Married with kids in the neighboring suburbs. But what if the move to the suburbs gave you a chance to experience much more than having the comfort of the city nearby? What if that meant suburbia was determined by moving to a different state altogether with a more serene atmosphere and having the luxury of being able to hike the mountains or visit the beach by merely driving 2-3 hours? That’s exactly why we chose North Carolina when we moved from Chicago.
My husband and I prioritized lifestyle and the well-being of our children above all else when we were deciding where to move next. We were fortunate to find a community in Holly Springs which checked off all the boxes including safety, schools, and a very large population of transplants that made it feel like home. Everyone who’s moved here seems to have the same values when it comes to the lifestyle they desire. It’s great to be able to be outdoors almost all year round and ditch the snow shovels and windshield ice scrapers! We do get all 4 seasons but the winters are very mild.
We’ve taken more weekend trips and vacations than we ever have because of the ability to always drive to surrounding cities and getaway destinations. These kinds of trips have become second-hand nature and are getting more priority now because of convenience and the desire to further foster the lifestyle we were craving.
North Carolina has changed our perception on how we should really live to promote health and well-being as individuals and as parents. We’re grateful to have found the home we did, to have met the people we have and most of all, for taking a leap of faith in thinking outside the box. We embraced the uncertainty of not having the comfort of the city we loved so much at one point and it’s helped us grow tremendously!
Born and raised Jersey girl here! Never in a million years did I think I would leave my life in New Jersey. My husband is from NY. We lived in NJ 16 years together before moving to NC. We have 2 boys ages 13 & 10. We were enjoying living our lives in NJ but felt like we needed a change.
We had more grey days then sunny. Winters were cold, high taxes and the overall cost of living were taking a toll on us. We lived in a lake community which was beautiful to look at, but we weren’t lake people. We were looking for a sign or something and out of the blue my husband got a call from a recruiter about a job opportunity in North Carolina!
He was working for a competitor for 20 years, it was very stressful and time for something different. We decided to take a road trip to NC with the boys to check out the area. What a fun weekend! We saw some houses, found some great restaurants, drove around and just explored. We loved it! Everything was clean, green, bright and white!! It was beautiful! Our journey to NC was born!! We were so excited even though it was also bittersweet.
It was a perfect time since Alec was starting middle school and was going to a new school anyway. There are so many options for schools here charter, magnet, private, traditional and year round. Who knew that was a thing? It can be very overwhelming at first but it will all fall into place.
One of the best things about NC for us was its like NJ being you have 4 seasons even though they are very different, We love that you can be in shorts March-October! The Winters are so mild and yes the summers are hot, but it’s hot everywhere! We landed our dreamhouse in Holly Springs. We live in a extremely friendly neighborhood with tons of kids and lots of social events. I remember our “moving” day like yesterday June 13, 2019, we left NJ we were driving it was grey raining and I was sad. I had my sunglasses on and was crying most of the way. I had to be strong for my family. We got to NC and all of a sudden the sun was out and my whole mood changed! The saying “Carolina Blue Skies” came to life! It was beautiful the rest of the ride down. We pulled in our driveway and were greeted with by our ‘new” neighbors! How sweet was that? They invited us over for a Father’s Day BBQ that weekend. You see that’s the difference living here everyone welcomes you with open arms. Most people in our area are transplants and want to make friends. They don’t have family here so your new friends become family! I hate to say this but I don’t think I was ever in my neighbors house in NJ in 16 years? Its a totally different lifestyle here. It has taking me some time to get used to ‘Southern” time but I’m adjusting. Everything moves a lot slower here. Our kids have made so many friends here and are outside so much more! There are walking trails, a pond in our neighborhood, the kids take their bikes and scooters everywhere! The shopping is good but they don’t have all the malls like NJ. Southpoint mall has Nordstrom and is more upscale that’s in Durham. Trust me its not Short Hills by far. There is Crabtree mall in Raleigh to which has Macy’s, GAP etc. My favorite shopping area is North Hills in Raleigh. Its an outside mall with great stores and restaurants. They have some great boutiques to! Downtown Raleigh has some great restaurants and bars to. I would say other then family and friends we miss the food! There aren’t any diners here no disco fries for me. We miss pizza and bagels. Its getting better here, we just found out favorite Italian restaurant Vieni in Holly Springs. It’s like Jersey style Italian food. There are also a lot of chain restaurants and no BYOB. We miss going to out favorite Italian restaurant and bringing a bottle of wine. The grocery stores are pretty much the same. We have Aldi, Trader Joe’s, Costco, Publix and Harris Teeter. We went to the Outer Banks last year for vacation it was great they don’t have a “boardwalk” though. We haven’t been to the mountains yet but its on our list. There are so many great things to explore and learn. I have to say this move has been so amazing for me and my family! We wouldn’t move back, we love the life we’ve created here. I wish you all the best on your move or journey to NC, you wont be disappointed! One last thing is you have to pump your own gas here, I think its a Jersey thing! Good luck my friend!
I grew up and lived all around NJ my whole life. When I moved in with my husband in 2017, I moved to PA, outside of Philadelphia, which was a change in itself. But then my husband soon mentioned that his ultimate goal was to move to the Raleigh, NC area. Whoa! NC! I had never before considered leaving the NJ/Philadelphia region. While I seek adventure and new experiences, I also know that I am very close to my family and friends, and I have an abundance of family and friends in the area. Plus, my mom, who is in her 80s, lived in NJ by herself, so I could not possibly relocate too far away. Moving 90 minutes away from life as I had always known it to be was “good enough” for me. I did not need to be further away than that.
At least that’s what I believed at the time. I knew nothing about the Raleigh area, so I began my research as I do strive to keep an open mind. I quickly learned some fun facts from Google: that it is often voted one of the best places to live, great job opportunities, cost of living is less compared to the Northeast, and the school systems are highly rated. This definitely had me intrigued but I still had many questions. What was life truly like in NC? And how about the other things I valued: culture, food scene, diversity, and opportunities for exploration?
We first visited Raleigh in 2018 for our 1st year wedding anniversary. Immediately I noticed the presence of culture and all of the above that I was looking for in our next city. I am a major foodie and had filled the weekend with a variety of eateries to try, and all of them were delicious. As we explored numerous sites, we also noticed the southern hospitality. People were so nice and welcoming. On top of that, the weather allowed for more opportunity to spend time outdoors. The following year, we came back to Raleigh, but this time explored the suburbs. We fell in love with all that this area of NC had to offer that before we left, we connected with a realtor and spent an evening and a morning exploring as many homes as we could.
Fast forward to 2020, and here we were closing on our NC home in Holly Springs, right outside of Raleigh. We have the small-town vibe of our little town, but at the same time, can be in downtown Raleigh in less than 30 minutes. Everything is accessible. We are located between beaches and mountains. Everything is so green and clean looking. We travel back to NJ/PA regularly and can easily get there by car or flying. Our daughter loves her school and all of the friends she has made. My husband and I have also met our own tribes, consisting of friends from all over the country who share the same values and desire to truly live life. And boy are we living! We spend a lot of our time exploring, whether at restaurants of various cuisines or at the vast number of parks and outdoor space that NC has to offer. There is so much to see and do.
My mom has also recently relocated from NJ to NC. She never imagined she would have the courage to move but when she saw our pictures and heard our stories, she couldn’t help but want in on this new and improved life of ours. I’d say overall, our lives down here are just easier and more purposeful. I realize in making the move to NC how much of an impact weather has on happiness. The sunny days shine positive vibes amongst us, makes us all happier, and just puts a little more pep in our step. This life in NC that we are building has truly surpassed all expectations and continues to allow us to live a life by our own design.
My husband and I are both from Florida. Our families and friends are from Florida. Our whole lives together were in Florida. Until my husband was offered a promotion within his company- one that would relocate us to Holly Springs, North Carolina. To be completely honest, my initial reaction was one of hesitation. Of course, I was incredibly happy for my husband and proud of his hard work and achievements. Yet, the decision to accept the job and move to North Carolina was initially bittersweet.
We made the decision in the winter of 2019 to accept the offer and began planning out our move to North Carolina. There were so many unknowns! We had a 3-year-old son at the time, who was thriving in his Montessori pre-school. Where would he go to school in NC? Knowing that our son was just a couple years away from kindergarten, we knew that we wanted to make sure we lived in a good school zone. Additionally, I was very pregnant. By the time we actually moved to NC, I was 33 weeks pregnant. Knowing that a lot of physician groups don’t accept new patients who are more than 30 weeks into their pregnancy, would I be able to find someone who would accept me as a new patient? We also needed to find a good pediatrician for our son as well as our upcoming baby, yet we had no idea where to start to find a good pediatrician. I had to quit my job in FL prior to our move. Where would I find a job once we moved to NC? And, when I did go back to work, who would take care of the baby? We no longer had family nearby to help with our children. Also, where would we live? We knew nothing about the area and the neighborhoods. All we knew was that we wanted to live in a family-friendly community. One where we could easily meet people. Considering we knew no one when we moved here, and I was so far along in my pregnancy, it was very important to us to be surrounded by other like-minded people who had young families.
I will say that our biggest blessing within our move was finding the neighborhood which we now live. We absolutely love our community! It has literally checked all the boxes that we needed checked. Immediately, we were greeted and welcomed by friendly neighbors. Everyone that we have met is from a different part of the country. We didn’t feel like outsiders, because basically everyone in our neighborhood is a “transplant”. Additionally, our neighborhood is the absolute epitome of “family-friendly”. Kids of all ages are constantly outside playing together. Neighbors are hosting gatherings and get-togethers. Everyone that we met was so open to sharing their advice and findings on many of my questions regarding childcare, physicians, employers and even great restaurants and entertainment!
We are so happy to live here in NC. We have made some amazing friends, we love where we live, and we are so glad to call North Carolina “Home”.
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