Moving to Winston-Salem NC: 5 Things to Know Before Choosing Where to Live

When my husband and I moved to Winston-Salem from the Boston area at the beginning of the pandemic, we bought a brand new house with a low payment and warranties. It checked every box. But by year two, I dreaded pulling into our neighborhood. The house wasn't the problem. We had chosen a location that just didn't match the life we wanted.

It took us another two years to actually make the move. So before you choose where to live in the Winston-Salem area, here are five things you need to decide. I'll walk you through everyday convenience, walkability versus space, the difference between suburbs and village atmospheres, why drive times still matter without gridlock, and what happens when the house is perfect but the location makes you unhappy. Near the end I'll tell you what finally made us sell, where we moved, and why I now tell my clients there's so much more than four walls that makes a house a home.

I'm Kristen Brown, a retired teacher turned North Carolina realtor, and I help buyers and sellers move to, from, and around the city every single day. One of the biggest mistakes I see relocating buyers make is searching for the house first and location second. They set the bedroom count, the square footage, and the price. And then the prettiest kitchen wins, right? But your kitchen's not going to shorten your drive to the doctor. A giant island will not create better restaurant choices, and that quartz countertop will not make you enjoy spending half your Saturday running errands.

Table of Contents

• 27106 Zip Code: Variety and Convenience on Winston-Salem's Northwest Side
• Downtown Winston-Salem: The Strongest Urban Experience
• Innovation Quarter: Activity Outside Your Front Door
• West End: Historic Character With Maintenance Realities
• Ardmore: Convenient Access to Medical Centers and Downtown
• Buena Vista: Established Residential Surroundings Close to Downtown
• Reynolda Area: Larger Yards and Quieter Streets
• Clemmons: Established Suburb Feel With Tanglewood Park
• Lewisville: Village Atmosphere With Community Gathering Places
• Kernersville: Central Location Between Three Cities
• Lexington and Davidson County: More House or Land for the Money
• Which Area Is Right for You: Comparing Lifestyle Trade-Offs
• Conclusion

27106 Zip Code: Variety and Convenience on Winston-Salem's Northwest Side

One area I would personally consider is the 27106 zip code . It sits on the northwest side of Winston-Salem, and what I like about it is the variety. You can find established single-family neighborhoods, new construction, townhomes, condos, mature trees, and different architectural styles all within the same general area.

Depending on exactly where you are, downtown can be a fairly easy drive. You have several grocery and restaurant options nearby. Some of my neighborhood favorites include Mitsu for Japanese food, River Birch Lodge for American food, Burke Street Pizza , and Saffron for Indian. You're also near Reynolda Village where you can walk through the grounds, stop for coffee, browse the shops, or grab something to eat. The Village Tavern is there and they have the best patio hands down in Winston-Salem.

It gives you a little pocket of activity without having to live directly downtown. That's why I like the 27106 zip code for someone who wants convenience but still wants a more traditional home and neighborhood feel.

One Very Important Disclaimer About Zip Codes

A zip code can be huge. One street can feel completely different from another, and drive times can change depending on which end of the zip code you are on. So I would never tell someone just search 27106 and you're done because that's not how this works. The exact location within that zip code matters as much as the zip code itself.

Before you save a single listing, write down the places you visit during a normal week. Groceries, healthcare, restaurants, fitness, your job if you commute. Maybe the airport, maybe pickleball if you play or if you're thinking about playing, whatever your actual life includes. Then decide how far you're willing to drive for each one because convenience has a price, but so does inconvenience. You either pay more for the location or you pay with your time, gas, and patience.

Downtown Winston-Salem: The Strongest Urban Experience

If your vision is walking to coffee, restaurants, events, and nightlife, your search needs to be much more targeted. Downtown Winston-Salem is going to give you the strongest urban experience. You get activity outside your front door and the best walkability to coffee, restaurants, events, and nightlife the area offers.

But there is a trade-off. You may be sharing walls. Your outdoor space may be a balcony or it might be a shared green space. Also, parking can look very different from what you're used to, and you need to check what those rules are for parking, the fees, and the arrangements for that specific building.

This can be a great fit for someone who wants activity outside their front door and does not want to have to maintain a large yard. But it's not the right choice if you need a fenced yard for dogs, a home office with total privacy, or enough room that you cannot hear your neighbor sneeze.

Innovation Quarter: Activity Outside Your Front Door

Around the Innovation Quarter , you have apartments, lofts, and some condo-style living along with Bailey Park , the Long Branch Trail , restaurants, breweries, and regular events happening throughout the year. That can be a great fit for someone who wants activity outside their front door and does not want to have to maintain a large yard.

The trade-offs are similar to downtown. You may be sharing walls. Your outdoor space may be a balcony or it might be a shared green space. Parking can be challenging, so you need to check what those rules are for parking, the fees, and the arrangements for that specific building.

The Innovation Quarter gives you a strong urban experience without living in the most traditional downtown blocks. If you want regular events, walkable breweries, and a sense of activity without the most historic architecture, this area delivers.

West End: Historic Character With Maintenance Realities

The West End has historic character, older homes, restaurants nearby, and easy access to downtown. You get single-family homes instead of shared walls, and the neighborhood has a distinct identity.

But older homes can come with older home responsibilities. Plumbing, electrical, windows, roofs, foundations, smaller closets, and sometimes just quirky floor plans that made perfect sense in 1925 and make absolutely no sense now. That does not make them bad houses. It just means you should not buy the charm and ignore the maintenance.

If you love historic character and you're prepared for the realities of maintaining an older home, the West End offers easy access to downtown with a residential feel. Just don't convince yourself that the charm will somehow exempt you from the plumbing bills.

Ardmore: Convenient Access to Medical Centers and Downtown

Ardmore also gives you older single-family homes and convenient access to major medical centers and downtown. If you have regular medical appointments or you work in healthcare, that proximity can save you a lot of drive time over the course of a year.

The same maintenance considerations apply here. Older home responsibilities include plumbing, electrical, windows, roofs, foundations, smaller closets, and sometimes quirky floor plans. You're buying character and location, but you're also buying the upkeep that comes with an older home.

Ardmore works well for someone who values convenient access to downtown and medical centers and who understands what maintaining an older home actually requires.

Buena Vista: Established Residential Surroundings Close to Downtown

Buena Vista keeps you close to downtown while offering more established residential surroundings. You may get a larger yard and quieter streets compared to the most urban blocks. The neighborhood has a more settled feel without giving up proximity to downtown.

The price usually reflects the location and the demand. You're paying for that combination of residential calm and downtown access. If that balance matters to you, Buena Vista delivers it. Just know that the price tag reflects what you're getting.

Reynolda Area: Larger Yards and Quieter Streets

The Reynolda area also keeps you close to downtown while offering more established residential surroundings. You may get a larger yard and quieter streets. The neighborhood has mature trees and a settled feel.

Again, the price usually reflects the location and the demand. You're paying for proximity to downtown combined with a more traditional residential experience. If you want both, this area offers it.

A Word About Walkability in Winston-Salem

I want to be careful with the word walkable. Winston-Salem is still a very car-oriented city, and even in areas where people describe it as being walkable, the experience can change block by block. One person's pleasant 15-minute walk is another person's absolutely not, get the car.

So when a client tells me they want walkability, I ask what they actually want to walk to. Is it coffee, dinner, a park, work, a grocery store, live music? Those answers matter because no single neighborhood gives everyone the same version of walkability.

Clemmons: Established Suburb Feel With Tanglewood Park

Clemmons is west and southwest of Winston-Salem. It feels like an established suburb. You have shopping, grocery stores, restaurants, healthcare options, and fairly easy access to Winston-Salem. What Clemmons does not really have is a traditional downtown where you park the car and wander from shop to shop. It's more spread out and commercial.

But its crown jewel is Tanglewood Park . Tanglewood Park covers a little over 1,100 acres and it includes walking trails, golf, gardens, a dog park, swimming, a BMX track, horseback riding, and then there's the Festival of Lights every holiday season. Greg and I have gone there regularly for years, and we still have not gotten bored with it.

Clemmons can work well for someone who wants suburban convenience, access to a major park, and a location on the west side of Winston-Salem. It also puts you on the side of the area that is directionally closer to Charlotte. If you make regular trips to Charlotte or you want easy access to a park with serious amenities, Clemmons delivers both.

Lewisville: Village Atmosphere With Community Gathering Places

Lewisville feels more like a village. Shalaford Square acts as its community gathering place with concerts and movies during the warmer months. There's also the Mary Alice Warren Community Center which offers classes and programs, and the town has local services gathered within a relatively compact area.

You've got two grocery stores, a few restaurants, a post office, a couple of hair salons, two veterinarians, and all of this is within walking distance of each other. Some neighborhoods also have mature trees and a mix of different style homes such as colonials, Cape Cods, split foyers, and mid-1980s contemporary homes instead of rows of identical houses like cookie cutter.

From some neighborhoods, you can even ride your bikes into that village area. That village atmosphere is what eventually pulled us there, and I'll tell you more about that decision in a minute.

Why Lewisville Reminded Me of New England

The first home I sold in Lewisville was in October 2021, and I loved that neighborhood immediately. It just reminded me so much of New England and where I grew up. It had mature trees, colonial-style homes, Cape Cods, contemporary-style homes from the mid-'80s, and the houses were all different from one another. Lewisville had that village feeling that I had been missing.

Shalaford Square had concerts and movie nights during the warmer months. There were grocery choices, the post office, the UPS store, salons, and other services all close together. And from the neighborhood that we liked, we could even ride our bikes into that village area. So I told Greg, we need to look into moving there.

Kernersville: Central Location Between Three Cities

Kernersville sits between Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and High Point, which is why I call it the heart of this area. It has its own small downtown, shopping, restaurants, and access to both sides of the region. For someone working in Greensboro while a spouse works in Winston-Salem, or someone who's not ready to choose one side, Kernersville can make a lot of sense.

Triad Park in Kernersville is another benefit. It offers trails, picnic shelters, playgrounds, disc golf, an amphitheater, and other recreation. It's a nice park, although it does not have the same scale or range of amenities as Tanglewood does.

But the trade-off with Kernersville is growth. Its convenient location is not a secret anymore. The main shopping corridors can get really busy, so you need to consider exactly where the home sits relative to your regular route. If you're driving through the busiest corridors twice a day, that convenience starts to feel less convenient.

Clemmons or Kernersville or Lewisville?

People ask me, well, is Clemmons better than Kernersville? And my answer is, well, better for what? If you regularly go to Charlotte, the west side may make more sense. But if you need access to both Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and High Point, Kernersville may make more sense. If you want a village gathering place in older varied neighborhoods, Lewisville may feel more natural.

And when schools are part of your decision, research the assignment for the exact address. Boundaries and programs can change all the time, and I will point you toward the appropriate sources rather than label one school or neighborhood as the best.

Lexington and Davidson County: More House or Land for the Money

Around Winston-Salem, people hear not much traffic and assume that distance does not matter. Well, I'm here to tell you that it does. 25 miles without gridlock is still 25 miles. You still have to make that drive every time you want groceries, dinner, you have a medical appointment, entertainment, or a flight.

My rule of thumb for any of my remote workers is to stay within about 30 minutes of downtown Winston-Salem, Greensboro, or High Point. You may work from home, but presumably you still want a life outside of the house. You want to maybe try a restaurant, see a show, join a group, meet people, or go to an event without talking yourself out of it because the drive feels like a production. And if your job situation changes, being within reasonable reach of employment centers gives you more flexibility.

There's no shortage of places where you can get a home office, a yard, more house within that radius. The exact options just depend on what your budget is, but you do not automatically need to disappear into the countryside just to get space.

What You Need to Know About Lexington and Davidson County

This is especially important when people are looking at Lexington and Davidson County . First, a Lexington mailing address covers a large area, and northern Davidson County can put you relatively close to Winston-Salem. The farther south you go, the more often you may find yourself driving north to Winston-Salem or south towards Salisbury for things you want.

Davidson County can offer more house or land for the money than comparable options in parts of Forsyth or Guilford County. There is also plenty of new construction, but location always dictates price. If you pay less for the house because it's farther from amenities you use, then that's not automatically a bargain or a mistake. It's a trade-off.

Lexington has a small downtown, some local restaurants, some wineries nearby, and its own identity. Some people genuinely want that quieter, more rural or small town experience. For us, the available grocery and restaurant choices there felt limited, and we were driving constantly for entertainment and everyday variety. That became old very quickly.

Verify Internet Service Before Going Under Contract

So do not just map the house to your job once. Map it to your real life. Drive from the house to the grocery store, then to your preferred healthcare system, then to the restaurants you will try based on what you like. Check the airport, check the parks, check anything you expect to visit regularly.

And if you work remotely, verify internet service at the exact address before making an offer. Do not rely on a general coverage map or the fact that the neighbor has service. Some rural pockets around here, like in East Bend, Danbury, and Walnut Cove, and some of those other outlying areas can have fewer or less consistent options. It's always best to call to find out about internet service before going under contract.

Which Area Is Right for You: Comparing Lifestyle Trade-Offs

Now here's the question that ties the first four together: what happens when the house is perfect, the payment is comfortable, and the location still makes you unhappy? That brings me to the fifth thing you need to decide, and this is where I owe you the rest of my story.

When we moved to North Carolina from the Boston area, it was at the beginning of the pandemic. There was uncertainty around both of our jobs. My husband did not know whether he would be able to continue working remotely for the same company up north or whether he would eventually need to find a new job here. I was starting an entirely new chapter after 20 years in education. I was burned out and I had wanted to become a realtor for a very long time.

Our goal was to live on one salary while I built my business. We wanted to keep our expenses as predictable and as low as possible. We had made good money on our house up north, so we were able to put down a huge chunk towards our down payment. We locked in an interest rate of around 3%, and we really had no idea at the time how extraordinary that would become. Our total house payment was about $300 less per month than what we were paying in rent on our first apartment 25 years ago.

Why We Bought in Lexington (And Why We Left)

We bought brand new construction. Financially, all of this made sense. The house came with warranties, so we felt like our expenses would remain predictable. And if something stopped working the way it was intended, we could just submit a warranty claim. On paper, we had nailed it. Financial freedom, here we come!

But after about two years, I knew I wanted to move. By then, I was showing homes all over the Winston-Salem area. I was seeing mature neighborhoods, village-style communities, different architecture, and places where I could picture our actual life. Yes, I started having a little real estate FOMO, but it was more than that.

The daily atmosphere in our neighborhood was just not a good fit for us. We wanted quieter, more established surroundings and a shared sense of pride in how the neighborhood was maintained. Instead of feeling relieved when I came home, I felt this wave of angst every time I pulled in. Lexington itself was not giving us the lifestyle we wanted either. Its small uptown area was cute and growth was happening very slowly, kind of like watching a snail cross the road. But we were still driving to Winston-Salem or Salisbury for many of the restaurants, entertainment, and just everyday choices that we wanted.

I knew at year two that it was not going to be our forever home as we had planned. But knowing and moving are not the same thing. It took another two years to make it happen and four years total in that house.

Why We Chose Lewisville

Fast forward about three years from that first Lewisville sale and we finally did it. We bought in Lewisville, we sold the Lexington house, and we moved. And here is the funny part. The Lewisville house has essentially the same floor plan as the house we owned up north, just bigger. We have more in common with our neighbors here. We have become good friends with a couple of them and we just feel like we belong.

Now when I'm driving home after showing houses all day, I still say to myself, I cannot believe I get to live here. I never had that feeling in our new construction neighborhood. And that does not mean that Lexington is wrong, and it does not mean new construction is wrong either. And it definitely does not mean that Lewisville is right for everyone. It means the pros did not outweigh the cons for us.

For somebody else, the lower payment, newer house, bigger yard, and quiet or small town setting may outweigh the driving. They may love exactly what did not work for us. And that is the entire point. You're not trying to find the place everyone agrees is best. You're trying to find the place where the trade-offs make sense for your life.

Five Questions to Answer Before You Choose

So before you choose a house, answer these five questions:

• How much everyday convenience do you need? Are you willing to drive 25 minutes for groceries, or do you want multiple options within 10 minutes?
• Do you want walkability or more space? Would you rather walk to dinner and share a wall, or drive to dinner and come home to privacy?
• Do you want a suburb, a village, or a central location? Does Tanglewood Park matter more than a village square, or do you need access to three cities instead of one?
• How much driving are you honestly willing to do? Map your real life, not just your commute. Include groceries, healthcare, restaurants, entertainment, and the airport.
• Are you choosing a house or choosing the lifestyle that comes with it? The house may be perfect, but if the location makes you unhappy, the house won't fix that.

Then visit the areas before you become emotionally attached to that listing. Drive them during the day and in the evening. Test your regular routes. Look at the upkeep you will actually be responsible for. Verify that internet and decide whether the pros outweigh the cons for you. Because there's so much more than four walls that makes a house a home.

Conclusion

If you're beginning to realize that you're not sure which lifestyle or area fits you best, this is exactly what we would work through on a video call. I'll ask you your budget, your daily routine, what your commute's like, your home style, and what your priorities are. Then I'll share my screen, pull up the map, and narrow the search to the areas that actually make sense for you.

About 90% of my clients start with a quick video call, and it gives both of us a much better experience. You can call or email me directly to schedule a time that works for you. I’d love to learn more about what you’re looking for and see how I can help.