Snowbirds and Halfbacks Head for the Mountains

Like wild geese, human ’snowbirds’ fly southward every year to avoid the travails of northern winters. Over a lifetime, this seasonal ritual becomes a welcome habit. When the day arrives for snowbirds to fly south for retirement, their determination to never shovel snow, chip ice, wear heavy clothing or defrost plumbing again compels them to head south… and stay there forever.

But lately, an unexpected blip has appeared on the demographic radar of experts who track retirement consumer trends. Snowbirds have begun to defy the laws of nature, reverse-migrating against conventional trade winds in their quest for the ideal life. Rather than journeying south, retirees are flocking to the foothills, lakes and mountains of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains in ever-increasing numbers. The real estate industry has branded homebuyers who are migrating south to north with the pet name ‘half-backs’.

Developers in the mountains and foothills of the Carolinas report that their forests are teeming with prospective buyers, many of whom have fled the southeastern coast. Western North Carolina represent a natural geographic compromise for snowbirds who seek relief from harsh winters but aren’t quite willing to deal with the near-tropical extremes of Florida.” The same applies to halfbacks from the deep South. The Carolina mountains are an acceptable midpoint, climate-wise, between long, oppressive summers and driving on icy roads in a blizzard.

Other buyers who don’t fit the definition of a true halfback maintain a condo in the big city as their second home close to where they work and keep their primary home in the mountains. They feel it offers a better quality of life, better schools, cleaner air and less crime.

It seems a lot of home buyers these days are dissatisfied with cold weather up north, hot weather down south and blizzards, floods and hurricanes anywhere. They are yearning for a port in a storm, a personal hermitage or sanctuary. For many, the journey will lead to a mountain lake, stream, river or clearing nestled in the woods. If our happiest memories growing up were summer vacations at camp or with the family at a mountain retreat, chances are we will gravitate toward those spots when vacationing or retiring as an adult. We want our kids and grandchildren to experience and share the same happiness we enjoyed when you were young.

Source: Living Southern Style Magazine Fall 2007 issue by Robert C. Shafer

Cashiers, North Carolina and Stonefly offer all of the things we come to the mountains to enjoy.  While secluded and private it is by no means isolated and still offers all the amenities that make our lives so rich and rewarding. A home in Stonefly could be perfect fo

For More Information visit: www.stoneflync.com

Or email stoneflync@comcast.net