Greensboro, North Carolina

Due to the many parks, restaurants, and family friendly homes, a lot of people say that living here feels like living in a suburb. While this is certainly true and is something that people here are incredibly proud of, many people also say that they have the opportunity to make it feel like the country. With the Appalachian Mountains, Hanging Rock and Pilot Mountain State Parks all within reach, the benefits of living in Greensboro don’t just end at the city borders. The city is dedicated to the environment more than you might expect for a southern city, implementing eco-friendly initiatives to protect these great outdoors.

Here's a summary from a local about the experiences available in Greensboro:
If your interested in the outdoors two great state parks are nearby - Hanging Rock and Pilot Mt. Both have great hiking and rock climbing.We have a maker space called the Forge if that's your cup of tea.

The local restaurants are pretty great. In fact Hops Burger Bar was rated best burger in the country a few years ago by Trip Advisor.Plenty to do for a small city. The Greensboro Science center is awesome. It has a ropes course, a small zoo, (there is a bigger zoo in the nerby town of Ashboro), and a lot of neat stuff. I personally love Box Car which is a Bar Arcade. Kersey Valley is nearby which has ropes course, zip lines, laser tag, and escape rooms.

This city is geared towards families and college students, there are a number of solid colleges here, which is a plus, but if you’re single and in your mid-late 20s/early 30s, you might find Greensboro alienating.

Locals also note it can be a challenging job market for young professionals:
If you don't move here with at least 3 months of rent, I honestly wouldn't risk it. Had I have known how hard it was to find employment as a professional I may have moved elsewhere. I'd heard north carolina has a bad job market but figured I was safe because I'm a professional and not looking for a retail job at wal-mart or something like that. Turns out it's difficult no matter what your education is.

Greensboro is more small town than big city. The downtown is growing but it remains more suburban than urban. The lifestyle here is quiet and kind, particularly for families. To some degree some of what makes Greensboro special is the beauty of the area. There are huge parks and greenery, lakes in the city and so there is plenty of options for hiking, biking and boating. If you enjoy the outdoors within the city then you’re going to love how the Blue Ridge Mountains and the coast are just a few hours away.

If you're curious what locals do for culture and play check out the Greensboro calendar of events: https://www.downtowngreensboro.org/events/