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Our Story: Why We Relocated & Why It Shaped Our Work
- Elizabeth Leonard
- Jan 21
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 25
By now you know we relocated to North Carolina from California.
But why? How?
I'll tell you all about it, in detail, in this blog post.
It all began with a ton of online research - youtube, zillow, live cams, galore....
It continued with many discussions - here, there, or where?
It was confirmed with a long plane ride (and many toddler snacks).
It became a reality with the hard work of our real estate agents on each coast.
It was logistically possible with ABF Freight and 4 hour car rides per day.
It shaped our personal and professional lives in unimaginable ways.
Today is August 21, 2025. 6 years ago on August 21, 2019, our little family of three (we are now four) fell in love with Raleigh, North Carolina and the surrounding area. The "triangle" of North Carolina.
Like many folks relocating, the beautiful city of Cary, NC initially drew us in. The accolades for the area boasted safety, charm, and a sense of utopia. These were cities and towns all connected to a larger city that somehow balanced southern, charming, historic small towns with a bustling city full of opportunity. Our top towns of interest were Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, and pockets of Raleigh itself.
Coming from California, the summers are brown and dry. As our plane neared landing in North Carolina, all we could see was green. // You mean it actually RAINS, here? // This continued on the highway and in the neighborhoods. Lush trees - everywhere.
Why was the greenery itself such a welcome surprise to us? I can't really describe the feeling but initially it was just fresh and different. It was a physical sign that we were onto something. That we weren't wrong about NC.
All our lives we grew up in California - 41 years for John and 33 years for me. Sure there's stunning areas of California and we loved the experience of the mountains, beaches, cities, lakes, you name it. But diving head first into our NC visit taught us something right away. There's more to life (and our Country) than California. There's other states that have similar qualities from an objective standpoint [we won't go into the subjective quite yet...]
Driving around NC, we loved being on the freeway and not being inundated with billboards, shopping centers, and dry brown fields. The trees in North Carolina shield and provide a buffer to the commercialization, which is not as much the forefront as we were used to. In California, the majestic tall forests full of ancient trees and a sense of wonder or adventure are limited to the vacation areas like Lake Tahoe or Yosemite.
Why North Carolina? Why not Texas? Why not Idaho? Why not _____ ?
Our list looked like this:
North Carolina (we pray this works because it fits the bill better than any other states...)
Texas
Tennessee
South Carolina
Virginia
We REALLY wanted NC to work. We had researched it the most and BELIEVED in it.
Our criteria for wanting NC to work looked like this:
Safe communities with low crime and family friendly atmosphere
Walkable, charming towns with a historic or nostalgic feel
Clean, vibrant cities that were politically moderate
Access to mountains and water (didn't matter to us what kind but it was a bonus that NC had many beaches, lakes, and rivers!)
Moderate weather with four seasons
Access to the outdoors (we love being outside) through parks, trails, greenways...
Reputation for employment opportunities and industry (i.e. Research Triangle Park)
Bonus: great food, beer & wine offerings
Bonus: great schools, enrichment programs, and amenities
What we got (in less than 24 hours) was this list and so much more.
We got friendly, loving people that stopped to say wave hello or engage in a quick chat.
We got sophisticated experiences that didn't feel stuffy or snooty.
We got FUN.
We got peaceful and dreamy. (...This is a big deal when it's hot and humid. To still be delighted amongst that much SWEAT. Lol!)
Here's what shocked us [[beyond the most obvious - the friendliness of the people]].
We also *jaw dropped* over the:
CLEAN streets, parks, and other public spaces (including bathrooms) not littered with drugs, trash, or worse
FREE amenities and programs like free parking, free museums, free gifts, free events, free advice, and much more [we got really tired of being nickeled and dimed in CA]
BEAUTIFUL architecture with thoughtful and picturesque cityscapes, parks, historic buildings, and city sculptures to name a few...
EASY living experience full of common sense and strategy by community leaders evidenced through city planning and maintenance programs [tax dollars actually going towards improvements that all can benefit from]
We absolutely loved our time in the triangle. There's so much to love about that area and if you're relocating from out of state, we'd be happy to share why.
But then, if we loved the triangle so much, why did we move further east to small town Washington, NC?
That's a very long story but in short: we wanted a small, walkable town that wouldn't grow as fast and furious as the triangle area in our short time there between 2019 - 2022. We were still on the hunt for the perfect place to settle in and raise our family.
Why did we choose Washington? Check out our in depth blog on this topic or come visit to see for yourself. We'd be happy to show you around!
How did relocating to small town Washington, NC shape our work?
John and I have career backgrounds in marketing and sales. What makes those jobs easy?
A product that sells itself. A product so great that it offers it's own marketing. It's authentic.
That's Washington in a nutshell.
Relocating here shaped our work because it's our "why" - we believe in it so much and want to share it with you... to see if it'll become your dream-come-true, too.
It's changed our lives and is the place our children will call home. We want to invest in our community in the right way - with right growth, with right opportunity, and with right people who want to be here - who truly love Washington and the community that makes it so special.
Let's connect and talk more about your move, your goals, our town, and our experience here. We want to help you feel more confident about your next home, the steps to get there, and settling in to a life well lived.
Elizabeth Leonard
(252) 974-3007
John Leonard
(252) 940-2003
Want to hear more about the logistics of our move from California to North Carolina?
Read our blog post all about it to learn more!
