Tennessee side will give you all of what you’re looking for including some top schools if you chose the right city or county to live in. It will only add an extra hour to Charlotte. Tenn has no state income tax. Tax on goods is higher than NC but it will be a hop and skip to the NC side. I lived in WNC most of my life. Real estate is very different in Avery,Watauga, Macon, Buncombe and Jackson counties, tons of multi million dollar second or summer homes in these counties and public schools are just ok at best. Johnson County in Tennessee along Hwy 421 has a portion that’s next to Watauga lake and within minutes to Boone.