I was born and raised in Massachusetts until I married a Marine when I was 21. I stayed in NC, even seven years after Roger passed, then decided to move back “home” to Massachusetts. That didn’t work so we moved back “home” to North Carolina. Both states have a piece of my heart, and if you placed them gently on a metal balance, it would be quite even, but the list of pros and cons is long.
Since the pros are basically the opposite of the cons, and for the sake of positivity, I will list them solely and you will be able to figure out the rest. Also, these lists concern the particular areas of each state I live(d) in which are the coastal areas of NC and the more mountainous woods of MA. These lists contain only a few of them and I put no effort into equalizing the lengths:
Massachusetts Pros:
- Pizza
- It’s normal to walk into a grocery store with reusable bags.
- The woods (Of course, there are mountain woods in NC but we don’t live close to them.)
- People in my life
- Pizza
- Regular snow
- You don’t have to shave your legs as much.
- Autumn
- Dunkin!
- A real effort to create a more sustainable lifestyle
- Pizza
- No fear of hurricanes
- Windows open all summer
- Coyotes, bears, general mountain wildlife
- Tyler’s and my roots
- Open-minded and accepting
- Pizza
North Carolina Pros:
- Tyler (This one cancels out the rest, but I thought it would behoove me to mention.)
- The beach
- Biscuits exist in most restaurants.
- Affordability
- More outside weather (I don’t like to be in the house too much.)
- Bojangles
- Less crowds and people in general
- Non-muddy, clean springtime
- Smooth roads
- No shoveling snow
- Lizards
- More freedom from rigid regulation (homeschooling, zoning, etc.)
- Sammy’s, Max’s, and, Baylee’s roots
- Military connection and appreciation
- Privacy
Teresa Forester Adams 