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My husband and I are going to be stationed at Cherry Point in a few months. I've been trying to do some research on the state (I'm a born and bred Westerner) and I still have a few questions:
1. What are the people like in coastal North Carolina? Friendly, snobby, hillbilly, etc.?
2. What kinds of hiking/mountain biking opportunities are nearby, or are most of the opportunities in the western part of the state?
3. What kinds of wildlife might I encounter out there?! Very important question!!
That would be MCAS Cherry Point, in Havelock. Carteret and Craven Counties, as Havelock is Craven, right on the Carteret County border. Havelock can be a bit military. But, most of the towns are typical small, southern and friendly, but some people say a little reserved.
There is Croatan National Forest around, I mean around Havelock, Newport, and inbetween. There are a few biking trails, mostly sandy. There are the usual NC critters, rattlesnakes and cottonmouth. But, you would really have to go out of your way to run into one. Depending on the amount of development, you can get raccoons, possums, deer, and birds. A black bear did run through Morehead City, a couple of years ago. Morehead is a town, not a city. Be sure to refer to Beaufort as Bow-fort, not beu-fort. New Bern is a pleasant city. Jacksonville is MCB Camp Lejeune, and definitely a Marine town. Mustn't forget marine life. Porpoises in Bogue Sound. Fresh seafood.
Oh, the worst of the wild life-hurricanes. Just be prepared, know your elevation and nearest shelter as necessary, and try and enjoy Nature's power. Remember, hurricanes can create tornadoes, tornadoes can't create hurricanes.
Location: Ellicott City, MD soon to be New Bern, NC
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Pharaoh, you are probably in for a bit of a culture shock if you are moving to Coastal Carolina from the west. I am new to New Bern, but grew us not too far north of here in Va, so I have spent time in eastern Carolina most of my life. The people are friendly and genuine and will not call you a Yankee unless you act like one. A large number of the locals are from somewhere else, the conversation usually begins " I moved here from ___ 20 years ago...." Biking and hiking are probably better in the western part of the state, but there are a lot of ourdoor things to do here as well - kayaking is really big.... Have not seen any wildlife yet, but it's there. Expected to see snakes since we built a house in a wooded area, but so far so good. You will see "Watch for Bears" in a couple of the local counties, don't know if they are real or not. You will only be here for a few years, so enjoy.... We are retired Military (AF), and have lived in some good places and bad, but I tried to find something good about every place, even the bad ones....
My husband and I are going to be stationed at Cherry Point in a few months. I've been trying to do some research on the state (I'm a born and bred Westerner) and I still have a few questions:
1. What are the people like in coastal North Carolina? Friendly, snobby, hillbilly, etc.?
2. What kinds of hiking/mountain biking opportunities are nearby, or are most of the opportunities in the western part of the state?
3. What kinds of wildlife might I encounter out there?! Very important question!!
Thanks in advance for your answers
1. The people are great and as Brandjack and silty1 have said this is an area of small towns and lots of people who have moved here from away.
2. We live on the western side of Carteret County and there are some trails in the area. They are beautifully done with bridges across the marshes. They are great short hikes.
Kayaking is one of the favorite activities, I love it. There are some pictures I took the while kayaking in the September 4th gallery.
There's a pretty big network of dirt roads over near Haywood Landing in the western part of the Croatan National Forest. I would think they would be good spots for mountain biking without the mountains.
3. So far I have seen a bear, which was very small compared to the ones I was used to in Canada. I have also seen some deer which are even smaller and a couple of water snakes far up the White Oak. I have seen some foxes also.
The animals here (Emerald Isle deer are probably the exception) are still wild.
That means they head in the other direction as quickly as possible.
One of my neighbors who has been here four years has seen an alligator way up one of the back water creeks. My neighbor apparently went as fast as possible in the other direction.
Of course we have some great birds that are neighbors, lots of Egrets and Herons. We even have Pelicans for a while in the winter.
Welcome! I am also a westerner (California Native) that was sent here by Orders. One thing I didn't see mentioned was the different pace out here. It's a LOT slower than a big city. Sometimes that's a good thing; sometimes that's a bad thing. It is what you make it.
I certainly don't miss the traffic and the smog of the big city. We don't have too much of that out here, and everyone is friendly. I hope you enjoy it here.
Cheers!
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My view on the coast
