Wilmington, NC ?'s (Charlotte, Raleigh, Carolina Beach: 2011, townhomes, job transfer)

[rhonda p]

Hello,

My husband and I live in Northern, NJ with our family and have the ability to move to Wilmington on a job transfer. Can anyone tell us about the area? It looks beautiful. Is it expensive, do the hurricanes come through a lot, how are the schools? Is there any particular area that's nicer than others. Thank you!!!

[RaleighRob]

Wilmington is very tourist friendly, so I suspect some things there are more expensive than in other parts of NC.

Hurricanes can be an issue....don't live in a floodplain or near the beach. The older part of Wilmington, downtown and areas immediately around it, are more resistant to hurricane damage. That's probably why so many buildings there have survived so long.

[a1m1700]

Originally Posted by rhonda p

Hello,

My husband and I live in Northern, NJ with our family and have the ability to move to Wilmington on a job transfer. Can anyone tell us about the area? It looks beautiful. Is it expensive, do the hurricanes come through a lot, how are the schools? Is there any particular area that's nicer than others. Thank you!!!

I am currently on my first trip in Wilmington and have managed to break my ankle in 2 places, but besides that I am not impressed to say the least. I can't wait to leave and will probably not visit again. It is not at all what I expected. Just my thoughts. Too laid back and not my cup of tea. So far I have visited 4 places in NC and to me they are all the same do nothing for me except for the Charlotte area.

[stefanmro]

wow. You must be looking for more hustle and bustle...Wilmington is not the place for that for sure..I always found Wilmington to be a bit of an enigma. The old riverfront/"downtown" area is beautiful with little resturants and shops along the waterfront, old but well kept houses, but as you move away some areas quickly get kind of trashy looking, but overall I like it and have never had any trouble there, plus it is a very conveniant way to affordbly live at the beach as it's probably 15 mins to Wrightsvill Beach or Carolina Beach. Housing is super cheap in Wilmington compared to Raleigh or the beach towns and with this new port deal getting ready to take off I imagine prices will start rocketing, I hope anyway as I'm starting to buy a few properties in the area...

[stefanmro]

Oh and hurricanes are an issue but typically, not always it seems they lose enough strength by the time they get to Wilmington to not cause too much of a problem. My sister inlaw lives in between Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach and in 10 years (fingers crossed) has suffered no major damage or inconveniance. Hell, I think Raleigh got hit harder by Fran then Wilmington did, and I don't recall to many problems there from Floyd either..

[roxors]

I lived in Wilmington from 1997-2002. Schools are not the greatest, if you are comparing them with those from say the north or midwest, but for NC they aren't too bad. My son attended the New Hanover County schools from 2nd-6th grade. I lived in Carolina Beach for about 3 years, then moved to Northchase, a nice subdivision north of town in the Laney school district within the county. That was a nice area with homes and townhomes relatively affordable. I know home prices are rising in the region. I had to evacuate 4 times within that five year span for hurricanes. It's slowed down some recently (my parents still live there) but honestly, they are probably overdue for some action.

[a1m1700]

Originally Posted by stefanmro

wow. You must be looking for more hustle and bustle...Wilmington is not the place for that for sure..I always found Wilmington to be a bit of an enigma. The old riverfront/"downtown" area is beautiful with little resturants and shops along the waterfront, old but well kept houses, but as you move away some areas quickly get kind of trashy looking, but overall I like it and have never had any trouble there, plus it is a very conveniant way to affordbly live at the beach as it's probably 15 mins to Wrightsvill Beach or Carolina Beach. Housing is super cheap in Wilmington compared to Raleigh or the beach towns and with this new port deal getting ready to take off I imagine prices will start rocketing, I hope anyway as I'm starting to buy a few properties in the area...

Yeah I'm more of the Mrytle Beach type, but I highly recommend Cape Fear Hospital. I had the very best treatment and a superb doctor. I cannot say enough about the medical treatment I have gotten there.

If you live there and have orthapedic problems look up Dr. Moore he is the very best! I was lucky to have him.

[sillygal]

Stefanmro........What are u talking about when u say a "new Port deal"? I don't know anything about this and I am curious as to what it is, and what it will entail......TY

[stefanmro]

The land for the new port that is to rival Charleston's just went through the last purchase stage with work scheduled to begin in early 2007 with completion scheduled for 2011.. Expected to rival the amount of containers shipped through Charleston and Newport, VA...This will be a huge deal to bring new life and jobs to the region..

[U.S.Citizen]

Originally Posted by sillygal

Stefanmro........What are u talking about when u say a "new Port deal"? I don't know anything about this and I am curious as to what it is, and what it will entail......TY

Look at Southport's weekly online version of their newspaper http://www.stateportpilot.com/ for the running story on the "New Port". On the left side of the home page under "Services" is the "Archives". Scroll down to the beginning of the year with the week of Jan. 4 and the first article is titled "SPA buys new port property". Just start there. This website is worth reading, for all that is interested in this area. Many things are happening there. The new port just added to it. It already is babyboomer central.