$100k a year, no longer in Birmingham

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Hickory, NC cityscape

if you left birmingham

Hickory

nc · metro 370k

photo: Mark Stebnicki / pexels

a dispatch from

hickory

NC

35.73°N

81.34°W

Hickory is North Carolina's furniture capital, with the Hickory Furniture Mart and the surrounding factories shaping the local economy. The downtown has come back nicely with breweries and a walkable feel. The Blue Ridge foothills start just outside town. Lake Hickory is right there for boating. Cheaper than the bigger NC cities, with mountain access an hour away.

metro370k

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$14

cheaper each month than Birmingham

Hickory and Birmingham land close on cost. The reasons to move are about how you'd live, not what you'd save.
landable, recorded on the hickory entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,434/mo

2% more expensive than Birmingham(vs $1,407/mo)

02state income tax

4.5%

$42/mo less in state tax than Birmingham

vs 5% in Birmingham

03after rent

$6,524/mo

$14 more than Birmingham

gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.

04a house here

$268k

3% more expensive than Birmingham

vs $261k in Birmingham

05metro size

370k

vs 1.2M in Birmingham

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

189

pleasant days a year, in hickory.

Birmingham barely cracks 171 pleasant ones.

But the calendar thins out: Birmingham stays 4.7× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

64/100

5% higher than Birmingham

vs 61/100 in Birmingham

Closest outdoor draw: South Mountains State Park, 21.5 mi.

·walk score®

70/100

11% lower than Birmingham

vs 79/100 in Birmingham

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

0

100% fewer than Birmingham

vs 20 nonstops in Birmingham

04 · see also

neighbors of hickory on the map of tradeoffs:

see also

spartanburg

more flight options

turn the page

see also

roanoke

better park access

turn the page

see also

lancaster

$37/mo cheaper

turn the page

compare hickory with:

SpartanburgRoanokeLancaster