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Oriental vs Saluda

321 miles apart. The biggest differences: age 65+ (+19 pts in Oriental) and kids under 18 (+11.4 pts in Saluda).

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Oriental, NCHomes around $396KNorth Carolina · 873 people
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Saluda, NCKnown for its schoolsNorth Carolina · 683 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

OrientalHomes around $396K
Housing$396K typical home18% above the NC typical home All about Oriental →
SaludaKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 74%of NC districts History10 archive photos & papers5 places on the National Register All about Saluda →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Age 65++19 pts
Oriental has more people 65 and up
Oriental 70.7%Saluda 51.7%
Kids under 18+11.4 pts
Saluda has more kids
Saluda 13.3%Oriental 1.9%
Typical home built31 yrs
Saluda’s homes are older
Oriental 1993Saluda 1962
Growth since 2010+9.3 pts
Oriental has grown faster since 2010
Oriental -2.2%Saluda -11.5%
Average commute7 min
Oriental has the shorter commute
Saluda 29 minOriental 22 min
Trails+83%
Oriental has more miles of trail
Oriental 1.1 miSaluda 0.6 mi
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Oriental$2,270/mo
Typical home $396K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.59% · or rent about $1,138/mo · Housing →
Saluda$2,150/mo
Typical home $367K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.72% · or rent about $1,263/mo · Housing →

The difference: $120 a month, about $1,500 a year, between Oriental and Saluda.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every North Carolina ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
–OrientalNot graded B+SaludaBetter than 74% of districts in the state
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
OrientalSaluda
Snow a year1″5″
January low36°F32°F
July high90°F86°F
Growing season (days)249d231d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)99th56th
Outdoors & history
OrientalSaluda
Trails1 mi1 mi
Conserved land0.6%1.9%
National Register places—5
Archive photos—10
Famous people born here—1
Community
OrientalSaluda
Library hours a week—47 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

321 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

OrientalNCSaludaNC
Oriental ↔ Saluda321 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

OrientalSaluda
People
Population 873Highest 683Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2.2%Highest NC: +9.5% -11.5%Lowest NC: +9.5%
Median age 69.6±1.3Highest 78% above NC 65.4±5Lowest 67% above NC
Oriental and Saluda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 1.9%±3.6Lowest NC: 21.8% 13.3%±4.2Highest NC: 21.8%
Age 65+ 70.7%±3.3Highest NC: 17.2% 51.7%±8.1Lowest NC: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 51%Lowest NC: 35.7% 53.9%Highest NC: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.5%±1.7Lowest NC: 6.4% 1.9%±1.5Highest NC: 6.4%
Saluda and Oriental are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $57,880±$12kHighest 20% below NC $52,137±$7kLowest 28% below NC
Oriental and Saluda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $422,900±$29kHighest 46% above NC $372,400±$48kLowest 29% above NC
Oriental and Saluda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,138±$67Lowest 7% below NC $1,263±$238Highest about the NC average
Saluda and Oriental are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,511Lowest 32% above NC $2,682Highest 41% above NC
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 63.1%±32.2Lowest NC: 48.9% 63.3%±46.9Highest NC: 48.9%
Saluda and Oriental are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.7%Lowest NC: 13% 13.2%Highest NC: 13%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 84.4%Highest NC: 66.6% 83.7%Lowest NC: 66.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1993Highest 2 yrs newer than NC 1962Lowest 29 yrs older than NC
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minLowest 14% below NC 29 minHighest 14% above NC
Work from home 23.7%±12Highest NC: 16.3% 13.1%±12.7Lowest NC: 16.3%
Oriental and Saluda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 10.8%Highest 5.7%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 21.3 miHighest 20.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.17Highest 0.88Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town New Bern (8%)Hendersonville (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SaludaFew work in Oriental
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.6%Lowest 1.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.1 miHighest 0.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 53.1Lowest 73.4Highest
Schools
School district —Polk County Schools
High school in town —None in town
North Carolina average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Oriental neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oriental’s Town Square.

Saluda neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Saluda’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Oriental and Saluda

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Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks North Carolina towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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