I don't live in that area of the state so I can't comment on housing but I garden year round in Raleigh. I prefer working outdoors in the winter over the heat of summer, but I'm the oddball that likes cold weather.

To me the seasons are all pretty much equal in length. Mid summer is pretty hot and humid but there are nice days mixed in. The bigger problem is that the weeds grow very fast in that time of year and it is a lot of work to stay ahead of them in June, July and August. Bugs that eat plants and humans get bothersome but its the same pests you have in NJ summers.

Winters are mild but to have a productive garden you have to have everything in place by early fall. The days are so short that it can be hard to get seeds to sprout or seedlings to size up. You can start things inside and move them outdoors but you won't see a lot of growth unless you start pretty early in the season. But there are few pests and most days are mild enough to work outside.

As far as housing goes, it sort of depends on what type of environment you are looking for and where you are going to be working in Charlotte. You can live in Charlotte and it take you just as long to get to work as it would if you lived 45 minutes away on the outskirts.

John is right. You can grow a garden year round, and because the first frost is delayed, you can get in alot of generations of beans and corn and the usually mild winters make growing cool season stuff like lettuces, coles and radishes fun in the off season. Note that in both spring and fall, frost can happen anytime, even when you have days of warm/hot weather. Especially in the spring, resist the temptation to plant frost sensitive plants (like tomatoes) until past your last frost date. In the fall, when the weatherman says its gonna frost, believe him and protect your plants. You might get another week or more before the next frost. It's a great place to garden overall!!

You should check out the book by Bob Polomski, "Month by Month Gardening in the Carolinas" and Pam Becks, "Best Garden Plants for North Carolina".

Visits to your location's botanical gardens in Fall and Winter will help you identify what does well in the less well known seasons. That's how I got many, many ideas for my RTP area garden- by visiting the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh and watching what was looking good in the cool months.

Charlotte is distinctly cooler than Raleigh but still many plants have interesting foliage and color in the colder months.

The book "A Southern Garden" by the late Elizabeth Lawrence is another jewel with specific recommendations for winter and lesser known plant choices. BTW, Lawrence had a garden in Charlotte that is in the process of being renovated.

RJ

I have lived and gardened in south Charlotte for 30 years. I watched the change from 7b to 8a in my own backyard. We are an urban homestead, growing vegetables,fruit trees, flowers, pond plants, bog plants, berries and chickens in our backyard year around (with a bit of season extension help) as well as practicing edible landscaping in the front. If you are serious about year round gardening you have come to right place. (BTW- Charlotte is warmer than Raleigh, not colder). One thing I would recommend while you are house hunting- be wary of the HOA rules and regulations so prevalent in newer neighborhoods (as well as much smaller lots). If I were you, I would look at an older neighborhood that has given up the tight regulations that might prevent you from fully using your garden space. My neighborhood, Starmount, is 60 years old with very well constructed housing stock that has been lovingly maintained by a fairly stable population over the years. We have half acre lots and an active neighborhood assoc. without a lot of covenants. It is a short walk to the Lynx line of the rapid transit train system.

Anna, good luck. Be very communicative with your Realtor, because if you are not..you'll be shown what's in the best interest of the Realtor in the areas with which the Realtor is most familiar.

If this is your last move and schools are not an issue and distance to job is not an issue then you can buy whatever feels comfortable from the group of homes you are shown.
City water supply is recommended as is city sewer connection. Some agents may tout having 'free water' if that house is on a well.
Just remember that we had two years of extraordinary drought and it is hugely expensive to have your well deepened when you run out of water.
Septic tanks in clay soils isn't optimum either.
Your price range is going to deliver a huge selection both in Charlotte and the surrounding towns and counties. Start thinking of more 'must haves' and 'preferred features' to help narrow the selection.

Oh..one more thing Anna...save yourself the headaches and heartaches of trying to garden where the builder or the neighbors have those dammmmm bermuda lawns. If you come to search during the winter months, you'll recognize the bermuda lawns..they look like bleached out thatch where most winter fescue lawns are mostly green.