Tell me about Winston-Salem, we are moving there soon from TN..

[sam sarrha]

it sounds like a nice place.. It totally sucks here in West Rural Tennessee in the Tribal Bible Belt.

i am an artist..gold/silver smith, paper maker, wood worker, metal smith, Mad Scientist, Wife and i are Buddhists, into Drum Circles, I'm making a Recumbent bicycle and restoring an old 50's tandem bicycle..putting a side car on it with an electric drive, i am an old bicycle racer, at 57 my back needs a recumbent bike. i was a Texas Master Naturalist, an environmental information program i would like to help start there.. 'North Carolina Master Naturalists', Texas also had a group called the Texas Master Gardeners that promoted gardening in communities. i raise carnivorous plants... i love a good Right Brain free flowing round table conversation... which will get a cross burned on your lawn here... after they lynch you.

i am just really excited about getting out of here..

my 84 year old mother is not happy about moving again.. she is very intelligent, a quick mind, she reads at least 4 books a week.. i keep telling her that there might be a good senior program there.. it took her 2 years to make an acquaintance here, and all they are interested in here is going out to eat at restaurants.. she doesn't like, too much sweet or really greasy food here.

any electronic manufactures there.?, i worked for Boeing and built Avionic Control circuit boards for the F22, Delta3 Rocket.

i am really Jazzed about getting out of here, first time i have been excited since i got here.

:woohoo:

[mwooldri]

1. Well W-S is more a 'purple' shade than anything.

Good things: Baptist Hospital (bloody good place I'm telling you. And they're poaching the good doctors!). Wake Forest University - good but not cheap to go to since it's private. But at least their basketball team is in the ACC (like top college sports league). There's NC School of The Arts - so downtown reflects this. Their public transit seems better than Greensboro's. But only marginally so. Dell is coming/came to town, if you call them an electronics manufacturer. W-S is also home to the new Piedmont Triad Research Park - the 'Triad's answer to Research Triangle' (from across-the-way Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill). Problem is there's one really really good university in the Triad and that's Wake Forest (not to denigrade my alma mater but A&T, UNCG, Elon, High Pt U, Guilford College, WS-State are darn good schools but just not in the top flight) - RDU has Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, and NC State.

Bad things? Richard Burr our Senator? Some of the politics in Forsyth County can be very red I am told. Wachovia got bought by First Union, so the Wachovia building now is a shell of its former self with most stuff going to Charlotte. The religion around here can get a bit fundamental Christian though. Buddhism is better supported in Greensboro - yes there's a place or two for Buddhists in W-S but Greensboro's community is apparently bigger and better supported. Hooters Air flew from Winston-Salem but as a passenger airline it is no more.

Anyway, if you want to get away it's easy. Pretty much anywhere is 5 hours away by car.

Mark.

[libnnc]

2. What Mark said and there's Old Salem and Bethabra Park....

Bethabra was the first pre-Revolutionary Moravian settlement, followed by Old Salem (which is in the heart of downtown). It is part of Salem College and Academy, a private Moravian Women's college. Really pretty. Old Salem is a living history village (costumes and everything--pretty cool).
http://www.oldsalem.org/

And in my opinion, the live music scene is really hot here. I'm a bit biased, I work weekends at Speakeasy Jazz Tapas Bar in downtown--live jazz every Fri and Sat night
http://www.speakeasyjazz.net/

We have lots of fun. Downtown is great and getting better.

Come on down for a visit!

[sam sarrha]

5. I love music, i have a collection of percussion/rhythm instruments but i

totally lack any musical ability, i just really enjoy the effort, however futile.. probably just some past life thing, ..i mean i have a bunch of Rythem stuff.

i have 8 drums and some african and latin percussion stuff.. maybe i can get a drum circle going..

I will definately drop by, I will let you know when i get to town.. we have to move and sell this place and it will need some working on. it looks like a pretty sure thing at this point tho

[CRK7376]

3. Welcome to WS!

It's a great place! I've been here forever and love it. Family is here, unfortunately I'm military and often gone, but family stays here. As a WFU Alumni it doesn't get any better than ACC Basketball, but good community college system, plus WSSU and Salem College and NCSA. My eldest son wants to attend NCSA and study trombone. Four hours east is the beach, 1 hour west and you're in the mountains. Burr, Dole and Fox, all rabid Repugs. Local politics gets crazy sometimes. Good symphony in town, Little Theater does some interesting work, plenty of art, music and minor league baseball with fantastic 4th July fireworks. Dixie Classic Fair in Oct signals fall is here....Welcome to WS, hope it's good for you and your family.

[sam sarrha]

4. thanks for the information, my wife goes for her job interview tomorrow. I

hope she gets the job, i cant wait to get out of here.. she has to live in Memphis and commutes home weekends, it isn't a good situation.

also her supervisor here doesn't have a clue as to how the business works, that supervisor put the last department was in charge of out of business. It is a big East Coast Corporation.. that spends more time trying to look stylishly Corporate and UpTown, than actually figuring out how to do the job. they haven't got a chance if my wife leaves leaves..

her profession has been nearly totally outsourced to China.. but the Chinese cant do the work, so her new job is fixing their problems, and the Chinese have cleverly conned them into explaining it for them. my wife has discovered that what is happening is that they keep getting new vender's, when one vendor is finally trained to do the job right.. they pass it on to a new business with the same last name that doesnt understand what is going on from word one. and then she has to start from scratch teaching them how to do her job again.. the Chinese are just creating new businesses for all their family members and getting rich.. her misery will never end.. so she is changing careers at 57 and bailing on her life time career. we have had 4 jobs outsourced to Mexico and China since Bu$h became Emperor. each paying less, much less

W-S sound interesting.. where i am here is a community of about, 1200.. 40 miles from anywhere.. which happens to be a wallmart and not much more.

[sam sarrha]

6. the interview went really really good...

[Ashamed_American]

7. Hope all works out.

We need more of you in NC. Winston is a great place. The triad (Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point) is becoming more progressive. Slowly, but it's happening. I've been in High Point for most of my 26 years. An environmental program would be wonderful around here and I'd love to get involved. Interested in this 'Master Naturalist', what exactly is that?


www.BlackEyedSundays.com

[sam sarrha]

15. Master Naturalists is a Local Environmental education group, they help

inform people of the local ecology, how precious and fragile it is. in El Paso they had a program to eliminate Lawns and replace them with low water local flora biospheres to provide habitat for the local birds and animals.. called Zeroscaping for no water or minimal water plants. and Desertscaping to provide habitat, 4 bio levels and a water feature.. for which you got a little bronze plaque to put in the yard to spread the word. it involves an 8 or 10 week, one evening a week training. they work with he city and government agencies and always have a table at all the local activities.

[left of center]

8. Chatham county would fit you well

Not sure of your reasons for moving to the Triad, but good luck with that. I'd just add that where I live, in east Chatham county on the edge of the Triangle, you would fit right in. The county has been settled with earthy eccentrics and artisans like yourself. Much of these folks have emigrated here since the 70s from nearby Chapel Hill and Carrboro. The county is very progressive due to the eastern half of the county. That is where most of the people live, so what they do is what the county does. The western half that sits below Guilford county and adjacent to Randolph county is very red and not anything like the east. It is nonetheless beautiful. The entire county, west and east, is rolling hills of forest and farmland- worthy of a postcard.

The Triangle itself is the most liberal region of the state. For that matter, Durham, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro are some of the most liberal municipalities in the entire country. Again, this has fed out into surrounding areas like Chatham.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

9. Good place for family, plenty of good stuff

You can live in a nice quiet neighborhood yet still be close to everything.

I live on a dead end street in a residential neighborhood, and
most evenings I see a herd of dear at the end of the street.

It is quiet on my street, but I can be at the grocery store or gas station in about
3 minutes, yet the commercial areas don't encroach on my neighborhood.

There is Ken's bike shop, the owner sets up long bike trips.
This is an artsy fartsy kind of town, after all, we have the
School of the Arts.

For the elderly, if your mother wants to liver on her own, but wants to be around
other seniors, there is Independence Village, a sort of secure apt
living, with ball room style dining room, waiters to bring the food to the
table, studio and one bedroom apts.
This is not assisted living, just a bit more sheltered than living alone.

There are some activities, and a nice TV room with a giant screen tv.

We are a small city. Probably not enough for single people to do, but
a good place for couples or for families.

The only thing wrong with Winston is that we aren't on the beach.

Aside from that, it is a good place to live.

[Ross K Smith]

10. Howdy

Good description, neighbor.

I live on Idlewilde Dr.

I'm a candidate for Board of Education here, too.

Was glad to see we got oprical scan ballots!

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

11. Ken's Bike Shop - Ken leads long bike rides

I think you will find stuff to do, this guy sets up long bike rides,
his shop used to be right next to Wake Forest U, but now is
on the mainstreet Reynolda Ave. I used to take my bikes to him to be
fixed.

Winston is a good town. Especially when you have been living in a really
isolated place, you will appreciate having neighbors and amenities
close by, but still having your privacy.

Nice houses are affordable.

Good luck, I hope you move here.


http://www.kensbikeshop.com/

Here is the apartment place for seniors (some folks are very active)
the place has a bus/van that takes the folks on outings, some of the seniors have cars,
and it is quite plush there. My mother stayed there for several years until
she couldn't live alone.



http://www.seniorhousing.net/seniors/search/brochure/pr_brochure.jhtml?pid=553057&name=independencevillage&trigger=shn&source=a1shzr2t070

[PJ Puryear]

12. Moravians vs. Vernon Robinson

I'm a Moravian, so Winston-Salem is home base for my family. Moravians are great people, fairly liberal, and make great cookies and sugarcake. Sugarcake is to die for.

On the other hand, Winston-Salem is home to Vernon Robinson, who calls himself the black Jesse Helms, and is running against my boss in the 13th CD (which doesn't even include W-S....carpetbagger!). Vernon Robinson is about as annoying as it gets. If you find yourself in a race with him, before you know it there will be mail sent to everyone you know saying your grandmother was a gay Mexican. No, really.

Unluckily for the citizens of Winston Salem, he is going to lose in November, so there hopes of sending him away, anywhere, will be dashed.

Sorry, fellow Moravians...

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

14. maybe he will pack up his ten commandments

I live in Winston, and remember when he hauled a monument to the 10 commandments
down to City Hall on Martin Luther King Day.

The city removed it promptly before Vermin could get a big bunch
of kudos.

Further, Vermin knew that he was violating a city statute about
unauthorized monuments etc on city property because
he was there when the city councel voted on the issue.

Still, he scares me, because he almost beat Virginia Foxx.
What a crazy crazy man!

Of course, the white GOP won't forget how Vermin turned on Va Foxx
and impuned her integrity. That is what made him lose the runoff.

He is pure ugly.

Maybe he can move to another state. Or to Mexico.

[carolinayellowdog]

13. Stokes and Surry counties have fantastic hiking and paddling

and the Sauratowns are a lot closer than the mountains to the west. Here are some links to my favorite spots:
http://ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/haro/home.html

http://ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/pimo/home.html

http://danriver.org