MKW Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 My family and I currently live in So.Cal and cant afford to buy a house here. My husband works in finance and his industry is primarilly on the east coast. We are looking at North Carolina and I was wondering if anyone knows what the church membership is like and if there are good wards out there. Everyone I've talked to says theres not many members so if anyone has any advice or suggestions that would be great. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JcDean78 Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 There are tons of members and wards here on the east coast. You might only find one Church building per city but most have 2-3 wards and are packed. I must admit I am a little thrown back by the question and the thought that the church is empty around here or different. No matter where you live, the lessons are the same, the structure is the same, and the spirit is the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 There are tons of members and wards here on the east coast. You might only find one Church building per city but most have 2-3 wards and are packed.I must admit I am a little thrown back by the question and the thought that the church is empty around here or different. No matter where you live, the lessons are the same, the structure is the same, and the spirit is the same.You beat me to the punch. Thanks for putting it so well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKW Posted May 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 There are tons of members and wards here on the east coast. You might only find one Church building per city but most have 2-3 wards and are packed.I must admit I am a little thrown back by the question and the thought that the church is empty around here or different. No matter where you live, the lessons are the same, the structure is the same, and the spirit is the same.I wasn't implying that the church is different. My question was about church membership. I am trying to find accurate information because every time I mention the fact that we are looking to move to the east coast, the response I usually receive is something about there not being many members. I understand that most areas won't be as dense with members as Utah or CA, but my concerns are more along the lines of my children going to school with people that believe the same things they do. I've also been told that North Carolina is part of the "Bible Belt" and I don't want my family to feel alienated because we are LDS. Are my concerns warranted? Or is the information I've been told completely untrue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JcDean78 Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 There is a mix. A lot of people are ignorant on the teachings of our Church and believe in the lies promoted against it but I believe you will find that anywhere you go. I do not think your family would feel alienated. As I said, there are tons of us here and we do just fine. While it might not be as large as Utah or Idaho, there are plenty of good Saints in this area. Also being in the Bible belt is not a bad thing at all. I have found that most around here share the same values as we do. We might all go to different Churchs but we all share the same love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I have found more in common with the people in my community than I have found diffeerences. I really think those people who are replying to you in CA have very skewed ideas of what it is like here. I have been to Utah, Arizona, and Nevada to attend Church services and they are the same as they are here. Do not believe all the sterotypes you hear, only some are true. The best advice I can give you is to come here and see for yourself. The larger the city, the more LDS there will be. I think NC is a wonderful state for the most part. Collumbia SC temple would not be too far away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanstress70 Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 I am no longer LDS, but live in Raleigh NC. There is only one meetinghouse in Raleigh, but there are maybe 3 wards that meet there. It's pretty packed. That being said, most of the LDS here are transplants from Utah... there aren't that many who are NC natives like myself. NC is in the bible belt... you got that right! But what JCDean said is true, it's not so bad for the most part, although there are some fringe people out there. My IL's live in a small town in NC and I don't think they feel alienated. They are very strong in their LDS faith so I don't think it's possible for them to feel alienated... they just don't let it get to them. It may be different with small children. I guess it would totally depend on the individuals involved. My husband grew up in the LDS church and he was very well-liked at school. Although I live in a good sized city now, I'm from a small town. When I would talk to people there about my faith, they were more curious than anything and were never hateful to me. There is a temple in Raleigh... well, really Apex which is a few miles away. NC is a beautiful place! You should consider living here. We are 2 hours away from the beach and 3 hours from the mountains. Lots of greenways and parks here in Raleigh. Real estate is very reasonable. Lots of choice as far as childrens' education goes... primary and secondary. Duke is in the next city of Durham, so the health care is outstanding. The quality of life here is amazing! Let me know if you'd like anymore info. As you can tell, I love talking about my state! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanilla Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 NC is a beautiful place! You should consider living here. We are 2 hours away from the beach and 3 hours from the mountains. Lots of greenways and parks here in Raleigh. Real estate is very reasonable. Lots of choice as far as childrens' education goes... primary and secondary. Duke is in the next city of Durham, so the health care is outstanding. The quality of life here is amazing!Let me know if you'd like anymore info. As you can tell, I love talking about my state!It sounds like you could work for the state of North Carolina as a PR Rep Shan! I agree with you though....it is a beautiful place...and if I could convince at least half of my sisters to move their families out there, I would move there in a heartbeat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanstress70 Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 <div class='quotemain'>NC is a beautiful place! You should consider living here. We are 2 hours away from the beach and 3 hours from the mountains. Lots of greenways and parks here in Raleigh. Real estate is very reasonable. Lots of choice as far as childrens' education goes... primary and secondary. Duke is in the next city of Durham, so the health care is outstanding. The quality of life here is amazing!Let me know if you'd like anymore info. As you can tell, I love talking about my state!It sounds like you could work for the state of North Carolina as a PR Rep Shan! It does, doesn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palerider Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 My cousin and her family live in Franklin North Carolina and they attend a Branch there with an average attendance of about 80....they are not from Utah....they came from Mississippi. They love it there and have lived there for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LT04 Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 I live on the northern part of the East coast in NY. Buffalo is a fast growing comunity for accounting for both HSBC and Citi bank. Not sure about the LDS population there. I havn't been to N Carolina in several years but I used to live in Virginia. There were a lot of LDS families there and in S Carolina. -LT04 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaskagain Posted May 25, 2007 Report Share Posted May 25, 2007 My family and I currently live in So.Cal and cant afford to buy a house here. My husband works in finance and his industry is primarilly on the east coast. We are looking at North Carolina and I was wondering if anyone knows what the church membership is like and if there are good wards out there. Everyone I've talked to says theres not many members so if anyone has any advice or suggestions that would be great. Thanks!From the March 2000 Ensign: Regarding the dedication of the Raleigh Temple"Located in the suburb of Apex about 10 miles southwest of metropolitan Raleigh, the new temple serves about 27,600 members in eight North Carolina stakes: Winston-Salem, Durham, Greensboro, Raleigh, Goldsboro, Kinston, Fayetteville, and Wilmington. "That was 7 years ago, so there are probably more members now. West Coast to East Coast: A big change is getting used to the sun rising, not setting, over the ocean.Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveler Posted May 25, 2007 Report Share Posted May 25, 2007 Ashville NC is a wonderful place and is the stake Center - I would live any where in that stake in a heart beat. I know a couple of Baptist Ministers in Bavard NC that are as good and kind as anyone I have ever met. We use to talk about religion all the time. I attended their churches several times and they came with me to the local ward in Bavard. Good people. Wilmington NC is another great place. There was a branch there that never went to Utah and is still strong with many good members that have roots as far back as LDS roots go in Utah. It is my personal belief that you are just as apt to run into the anti nut jobs in Utah as you are on the East coast. The Traveler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.