$100k salary, packing up from Fort Wayne

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Hickory, NC cityscape

next stop after fort wayne

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

$372

the monthly premium over Fort Wayne

Hickory runs a little pricier than Fort Wayne. The case has to be about something other than rent.
landable, recorded on the hickory entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,434/mo

21% more expensive than Fort Wayne(vs $1,187/mo)

02state income tax

4.5%

$125/mo more in state tax than Fort Wayne

vs 3% in Fort Wayne

03after rent

$6,524/mo

$372 less than Fort Wayne

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

04a house here

$268k

6% more expensive than Fort Wayne

vs $254k in Fort Wayne

05metro size

370k

vs 458k in Fort Wayne

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

189

pleasant days a year, in hickory.

Fort Wayne barely cracks 161 pleasant ones.

Things to do run about even with Fort Wayne.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

64/100

39% higher than Fort Wayne

vs 46/100 in Fort Wayne

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

·walk score®

70/100

22% lower than Fort Wayne

vs 90/100 in Fort Wayne

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

0

100% fewer than Fort Wayne

vs 10 nonstops in Fort Wayne

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