Albemarle is a friendly, affordable small city with a walkable downtown, local restaurants, parks and regular community events—an easy, comfortable base for multi-week contracts that still gives you things to do on days off.
If you want bigger-city nights or major-flight options, Charlotte is about a 40–45 minute drive (~41 miles) and offers pro sports, museums and a large airport.Greensboro, with regional arts, a university scene and extra dining options, is roughly 1–1.25 hours away (~65 miles).