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Looking a few years into the future, my husband and I will be in our early 50's.
1. Coastal town/small city. Large enough for shopping, dr appts, gym, etc. We don't need a house on the water, but definitely would at least like to have lunch or coffee at the beach and see the water when running around town.
2. Within 1 hour of an airport (preferably international)
3. Prefer more year round residents and less touristy areas. I realize anywhere on the coast will be more crowded in the summer, but we still want to be able to get a table at dinner, for example.
4. Outdoor trails/parks
I have lived most of my life in one beach town or another (Maine, Florida, and California) and have committed to staying in Texas until my son finishes high school, but am already planning my getaway. I think we have narrowed it down to NC due to proximity to parents, cost of living, seasons, and job opportunities. Would love some suggestions.
I realize this is a little vague...I'm just starting the research process!
Technically, nothing exactly meets your specifications, as the closest true international airport is Raleigh, which is 2 1/2 hours from the beach, minimum. And it only has a few international flights. Charlotte is the real international airport in NC.
Southport/Leland/Shallotte all come to mind as possibilities. Wilmington if you want something larger. Maybe Morehead City too. Places like New Bern, Washington and Elizabeth City are possibilities, if you're ok being on/near the water but not the ocean.
The international airport was just a preference, not a must have. My husband currently travels frequently overseas for work, but there is no guarantee that it will continue in the future. So I guess within an hour of the Wilmington airport would probably be more accurate. I'm fine with him having to take connecting flights if I get my waterfront town.
Thanks for those suggestions BC. I had some of those on my radar but not Leland or Shallotte.
If you drive to Wilmington airport in an hour, you pretty much are going to a hub after that. Might focus on drive to RDU which is longer drive but a better chance for better and fewer connections.
Good luck. If I were flying a lot and wanted waterfront, I would look at the lakes around Charlotte.
We spent several weekends one summer looking at multiple coastal NC towns. New Bern was very pretty but on the river and not that close to the beach, which was a "must" for us. It also flooded badly during Hurricane Florence as did Washington. We found Elizabeth City to lack any sense of vibrancy. Morehead City was just too far out from things. As soon as we pulled into Southport, we knew it the place for us. Beautiful riverfront town at the mouth of the Atlantic, just a few minutes from lovely beaches. Downtown is wonderful, so many shops, boutiques, restaurants. It's only a 25-30 minute drive to Wilmington to access larger scale shopping.
To me, Leland is an up and coming suburb to Wilmington but not close enough to the water and Shallotte did not appeal to us, in terms of the town itself and location. Best to take some time, research and visit several locations. Best of luck.
Be sure to Research Gen-X and Nuclear Power Plants around Wilmington.
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