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If you consider yourself above middle class there are a lot of opportunities in New Bern. You will definitely want to join a country club, have a second home at the beach, send your kids to private school, buy a boat, jet skis and kayak, have a water access home and develop good relationships with local attourneys to help guide you. Shopping trips to Raleigh, D.C. and N.Y. are also popular and provide relief from the local lack of shopping.
I think your post was accurate for the most part. However, the median income for a family in New Bern is under $40k. 20% of the population is below the poverty line. Many live paycheck to paycheck.
-2nd home at beach
-Country Club
-Private schools
-Boats, jet skis, etc.
What you described is the lifestyle of millionaires. What percentage of the New Bern population can actually afford such a lifestyle? Very few. Perhaps 1-2% of the total population.
Dr. Mcninja, on your post it says you are located in Corpus Christi. How well do you know New Bern? I agree with dell2645. Disappoinment does set in after a year or two. But to respond to your comment: Of course not everyone in a locale will be completely happy, there is no such thing as a "perfect" place. Actually, I didn't say anything in my post about happiness Satisfaction with life comes from within, but environment is important, too. There are some people who are satisfied with life in New Bern, I guess, but many that I know wish they had chosen better. Many have been caught off-guard by crime. The bottom line is that if one is looking for a "great" place to live, with better-than-average cultural, educational and recreational opportunities, one could easily do better than New Bern. If one is looking for a safe place to live, one could do better than New Bern. My point was that the negatives outweigh the positives, and the few positives are not exceptional in any way.
Dr. Mcninja, on your post it says you are located in Corpus Christi. How well do you know New Bern? I agree with dell2645. Disappoinment does set in after a year or two. But to respond to your comment: Of course not everyone in a locale will be completely happy, there is no such thing as a "perfect" place. Actually, I didn't say anything in my post about happiness Satisfaction with life comes from within, but environment is important, too. There are some people who are satisfied with life in New Bern, I guess, but many that I know wish they had chosen better. Many have been caught off-guard by crime. The bottom line is that if one is looking for a "great" place to live, with better-than-average cultural, educational and recreational opportunities, one could easily do better than New Bern. If one is looking for a safe place to live, one could do better than New Bern. My point was that the negatives outweigh the positives, and the few positives are not exceptional in any way.
Lived in/around New Bern for 4 years. Moved just 2 years ago, so I'm not reminiscing about the distant past. If there's one thing I've noticed across the board about city-data forums, is that every town thread has at least one person who thinks the city being talked about is the highest crime place they've ever been.
Maybe everyone else is just going to the wrong places, but I've yet to be robbed in New Bern, Little Washington, Edenton, Greenville, or Corpus Christi, which if you stop by is regarded as the "dirtiest, worst place in Texas" by some.
To each his own, but just because you don't like somewhere doesn't mean someone else won't. Also, whatever "better than average" culture is to you, by definition rules out half of the country.
McNinja, you make a good point. My personal experience does color my opinion of New Bern. My experiences were very bad. I have recently talked with friends there who say some of the problems continue. I also have friends there who have had no issues with crime, so I understand your comments and would not characterize you as wrong or as "one of those people on these forums". To be fair, I did state the positives about the city. Once again, New Bern is "charming". I think these forums are very helpful in that readers are exposed to a variety of viewpoints. The forums can only be helpful if people give their honest assessment and respect others' right to do so. The hard data can be gained from the very good info on the website. I have been so very fortunate to have lived in some wonderful, interesting, exciting places in America. There's always a trade-off though, isn't there, like terrible weather, or traffic, or something! By the way, I lived in Chicago and the Chicago area for 30 years and never personally experienced any crime (isn't life full of irony?), but I wouldn't tout Chicago as a particularly safe city, nor did I characterize New Bern as the most crime-ridden ever. I am not that naive. I am interested to know what you love about New Bern as opposed to what you think about me
McNinja, you make a good point. My personal experience does color my opinion of New Bern. My experiences were very bad. I have recently talked with friends there who say some of the problems continue. I also have friends there who have had no issues with crime, so I understand your comments and would not characterize you as wrong or as "one of those people on these forums". To be fair, I did state the positives about the city. Once again, New Bern is "charming". I think these forums are very helpful in that readers are exposed to a variety of viewpoints. The forums can only be helpful if people give their honest assessment and respect others' right to do so. The hard data can be gained from the very good info on the website. I have been so very fortunate to have lived in some wonderful, interesting, exciting places in America. There's always a trade-off though, isn't there, like terrible weather, or traffic, or something! By the way, I lived in Chicago and the Chicago area for 30 years and never personally experienced any crime (isn't life full of irony?), but I wouldn't tout Chicago as a particularly safe city, nor did I characterize New Bern as the most crime-ridden ever. I am not that naive. I am interested to know what you love about New Bern as opposed to what you think about me
I agree. I only argue that what some people hate (rural areas, big cities), others love. So I have no problem with people saying that they themselves don't like a place, but only when they say others won't (or worse, shouldn't) like somewhere as if it is the geographic centers fault.
Aside, some people complain about the weather in Texas. That's something we can't change, but we do have air conditioning now.
Now, as far as what I love about New Bern? Basically, the proximity to the water, the size of the town, and the fact that most of the stores aren't big box stores (at least downtown). They've got some good restaurants now, and the Tryon Palace is fun to visit every so often (especially Christmas). I like that there is enough there to spend an entire day downtown, as opposed to some of the smaller cities like Edenton, where you walk around for an hour and then have nothing else to do.
In my opinion, New Bern is not so bad. Shopping and cultural activities are not what one would get in Raleigh, but I'm assuming the person was looking for a smaller place to retire to. There is a community theater, art shows, art and pottery classes etc... There are some very nice and quaint shops in the historic district, as well as a few Big Box types in other sections. There are a number of decent restaurants in the historic section as well, along with the regular fare of chain types. Numerous churches of most denominations, a fairly large boating community, both sail and motor, a country club, several horseback riding groups. It's really not so bad as long as one isn't looking for studio 54 type places. On the negative side, it IS hot in the summer. I'm originally from Calif. and New England so I may be more bothered by the humidity then some folks might be. June, July, Aug and some of Sept. can be pretty uncomfortable to be outside unless you are at the beach. Then again, the beach is only about a half hours drive. The price of homes and rentals are fairly reasonable compared to much of the country. Really, it all depends what is important to someone.
I lived in New Bern for 7 years, as I've said in my last post, the first two years were great. Weekends were spent at the beach, evenings downtown on the waterfront, the economy was booming, tons of people were moving here from all over the country.
The allure of a coastal community is a very unique thing, however, when reality sets in and you have to create a day to day life for yourself it can be complicated in a town like New Bern. Since the downturn in the economy many, many people have left New Bern, the unemployment rate is 29%, and the struggle to afford the costs that come with living in a coastal area are showing in the local population.
You must be somewhat prepared to go back in time. A community like this, far removed from an urban area can make you feel like society has regressed. That along with the lack of education, the poverty and the overwhelming lack of common sense displayed by the locals can make for an interesting experience.
I have returned to what I consider to be civilization, and have found that people are happier, life is easier and expectations are more relaxed. When I need the sun, sand and salt water I find a way to go to it, get my fill and go home to available jobs, more responsible people and a more forward thinking and progressive environment that is also easier on the wallet!
More specifically, Fairfield Harbour. My family and I moved there from Memphis in 2001. We were seeking peace and quiet and security after the crime of the Memphis area. We got it. Kind of. My husband and I were both in our 40s and had jobs. Our kids were in school and had very few other kids to play with but that was ok. They were the indoor types anyway and didn't run around disturbing the neighbors. Ah, the neighbors.....
Most were in their 60s and over. Most had retired from the Northeast, made a big profit on selling their homes, and then moved to New Bern and had a beautiful custom home built. I say good for them, I hope to do something like that someday. Most were pretty nice. But with retirement comes time on their hands, and one couple gave us grief from the start. He actually complained that he didn't want "working people" in "his" neighborhood. After his third hi-ball of the day he would get on his golf cart and run around looking for some kind of violation on all of his neighbors to call the HOA about. 99% of the complaints were bogus and just dismissed. His wife didn't want their visiting grand kids to come over and play with my kids because we didn't belong to the private yatch club and therefore were beneath them. I won't even go into the geese killing incident out there, the golfers were upset the geese were pooping on the course and had them carted off and killed. (We had been told they were being relocated.)
From 2001 to 2005 it was an okay place over all. When we moved back for a year in 2008, it had really gone downhill. One of the golf courses closed and the pool wasn't in the best of repair. The common areas were barely mowed, the little mini mart closed, and the whole place just looked kind of sad. We moved out and as much as I like to visit downtown New Bern, I would not live there again.
I am aware there are many other neighborhoods in New Bern, so check them out well before you commit to buying a home there. I wish we had. Good luck.
More specifically, Fairfield Harbour. I won't even go into the geese killing incident out there, the golfers were upset the geese were pooping on the course and had them carted off and killed. (We had been told they were being relocated.)
What a horrible thing to do. Nature is precious. No wonder that place has gone downhill.......karma.
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Very few. Perhaps 1-2% of the total population.
Satisfaction with life comes from within, but environment is important, too. There are some people who are satisfied with life in New Bern, I guess, but many that I know wish they had chosen better. Many have been caught off-guard by crime. The bottom line is that if one is looking for a "great" place to live, with better-than-average cultural, educational and recreational opportunities, one could easily do better than New Bern. If one is looking for a safe place to live, one could do better than New Bern. My point was that the negatives outweigh the positives, and the few positives are not exceptional in any way.
Never again
