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Old 03-12-2013, 01:18 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kidseven View Post
Thanks everyone for the great feedback! We're working on scheduling a trip to the area as soon as possible. Beaufort remains at the top of the list, but we'll plan to drive from Southport and Wilmington all the way to Elizabeth City. I'm confident one or more of the towns along the coast will meet our needs for a safe town with good schools, lots of sailing, and some vibrancy/culture/stimulation.
Not trying to take a pot shot on E-City...but I'd recommend you take a more right turn and go to Manteo over E-City...mainly for the schools option. The Camden Co schools are considered good right next to E-City, but its mainly subdivisions in farmland, so keep that in mind.
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Old 03-12-2013, 01:56 PM
 
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OK, good advice. Thanks. We wanted to see Kill Devil Hills and that area anyway. Have heard some so-so things about E-City, so it wasn't high on the list anyway.

Thanks again. If you have any other suggested towns, let me know.
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Old 03-12-2013, 03:47 PM
 
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Can anyone tell me a little about the humidity on the coast. I can see statistics, but in a more tangible sense hows does it affect life?

Are you compelled to stay indoors during the middle of the day?

If so, does is this true for days, weeks, or months?

Is it often so hot and humid that even being on the water or beach is uncomfortable?

Also read about high pollen counts in the area. Are allergies a bigger deal there than elsewhere? Typically just spring?


Thanks again.
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Old 03-12-2013, 08:28 PM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
13,323 posts, read 26,772,505 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kidseven View Post
Can anyone tell me a little about the humidity on the coast. I can see statistics, but in a more tangible sense hows does it affect life?

Are you compelled to stay indoors during the middle of the day?

If so, does is this true for days, weeks, or months?

Is it often so hot and humid that even being on the water or beach is uncomfortable?

Also read about high pollen counts in the area. Are allergies a bigger deal there than elsewhere? Typically just spring?
This is my honest impression, and it is shaped by the fact that I was raised in the north. I find the heat and humidity to be oppressive and unpleasant during July and August, and I stay indoors most of these months. A few of my neighbors go running in the mornings during summer. We live 2 miles from the ocean, and there is usually a slight breeze, but not enough to provide relief. If you were *at* the beach the weather is tolerable.

The other issue is mosquitoes, which are everywhere unless you spray your property every 3 weeks. It means that, if you walk around the block, you will return with numerous mosquito bites.

The heaviest pollen counts are in the spring when the pines shed. Everything is coated yellow, but it does not bother my allergies. My nose is no worse off than when we lived in Maryland.

I don't want to scare you away from Beaufort, but you will have to weigh whether 2-3 months of hot, humid weather is worth it to escape from 8 months of cold and rain in the Pacific Northwest.

Last edited by goldenage1; 03-12-2013 at 09:48 PM..
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Old 03-13-2013, 08:17 AM
 
3,060 posts, read 4,793,226 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kidseven View Post
Can anyone tell me a little about the humidity on the coast. I can see statistics, but in a more tangible sense hows does it affect life?

Are you compelled to stay indoors during the middle of the day?

If so, does is this true for days, weeks, or months?

Is it often so hot and humid that even being on the water or beach is uncomfortable?

Also read about high pollen counts in the area. Are allergies a bigger deal there than elsewhere? Typically just spring?


Thanks again.
I live in Wilmington in the center of town. In the middle of the summer it is hot (although typically 5 degrees cooler than places 30 minutes or more inland)...the beaches on the same day are usually about 5 degrees cooler than my house. Keep in mind most of the beaches in NC are on barrier islands, so just that difference of being out into the water makes a big difference. As well the beaches are breezier so it is a reprieve from the hot summer....it may be 99 in Raleigh and 89 on the beach in Wrightsville Beach....and 94 at my house 4 miles from WB.

There are no mosquito's on the beach...where I am in Wilmington they spray so it keeps them under some control (many of the municipalities spray). As long as the sun is out, they are ok, typically they get bad for a few hours at dusk but once it gets dark they aren't that bad if you use some protection or citronella.

Towns like Southport and Beaufort stay warm at night because of their closeness to the water, so in the middle of the summer the high in Southport may be 91 and the low 79...whereas in say Kinston it may be 99 and 70....that's the effect the water has in the summer.

The water at the beach always feels good in my opinion, although some beaches are warmer than others because they face south (Oak Island and the Crystal Coast)...we go to Corrolla every year and my kids think the water is freezing...its a northeast facing beach....they are used to either east facing at WB or Carolina Beach or south at some of the others.

One thing to remember about ENC weather is that it is different than just about anywhere....for example the Wilmington area has its own climate, it is the only place in the world where venus fly traps grow naturally. It stays 5-10 degrees warmer than Raleigh in the winter and 5-10 degrees cooler in the summer...sometimes the difference can be 20 degrees difference if a front is coming through. It also can rain from the coast that never gets inland, which is one reason why we get so 50 inches of rain a year. Many of the fronts that come through die out when they get to Wilmington because of the ocean breezes.

The Outer Banks can be even more drastic...cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter...routinely its 50 degrees in the winter at Hatteras and in the 80's in the summer.

As for the pollen counts, the spring is tough but its usually just a few weeks.
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Old 03-13-2013, 08:53 AM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
13,323 posts, read 26,772,505 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HP91 View Post
There are no mosquito's on the beach...where I am in Wilmington they spray so it keeps them under some control (many of the municipalities spray). As long as the sun is out, they are ok, typically they get bad for a few hours at dusk but once it gets dark they aren't that bad if you use some protection or citronella.

Towns like Southport and Beaufort stay warm at night because of their closeness to the water, so in the middle of the summer the high in Southport may be 91 and the low 79...whereas in say Kinston it may be 99 and 70....that's the effect the water has in the summer.
Thank you HP. You explained the weather better than I can.

Let me point out to the OP, that their budget of $150-300K won't get them close to the ocean, unless in a high-rise condo. They can certainly find a house a few miles inland in their budget.

Onslow County sprays for mosquitoes only on the margins of roads, and it is not enough to kill them all off. I am not sure what Beaufort does about spraying, but the OP should check before committing to a house.
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Old 03-13-2013, 09:02 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by goldenage1 View Post
Thank you HP. You explained the weather better than I can.

Let me point out to the OP, that their budget of $150-300K won't get them close to the ocean, unless in a high-rise condo. They can certainly find a house a few miles inland in their budget.

Onslow County sprays for mosquitoes only on the margins of roads, and it is not enough to kill them all off. I am not sure what Beaufort does about spraying, but the OP should check before committing to a house.
And there are "Mosquito Squad" type treatments you can do to your property, which are good if you are having a big get together outside.
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Old 03-13-2013, 06:56 PM
 
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Thanks. I guess that brings up another topic. I wonder if I'm underestimating the impact of the bugs. Here in this region of the PNW we don't have any bug problems to speak of.

One of our justifications for making the move to to the SE is that we'd be able to spend more time outdoors and on the water. While you CAN (and many people do) be outdoors year-round here, I'd say the weather is truly pleasant less than 5 months per year. It's the months of cool, grey days that seem to have a physical effect on our psyche.

Obviously we'd see much more sun in NC, but I wonder if, given the humidity and bugs, we'd end up with the same or similar number of pleasant outdoor days.

And as I've seen discussed elsewhere on this board, I'd find the idea of my whole town being sprayed with chemicals a little disconcerting. Although I'm sure that having endured he alternative I might end up in full support if I lived there.
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Old 03-13-2013, 08:57 PM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
13,323 posts, read 26,772,505 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kidseven View Post
...Obviously we'd see much more sun in NC, but I wonder if, given the humidity and bugs, we'd end up with the same or similar number of pleasant outdoor days.

And as I've seen discussed elsewhere on this board, I'd find the idea of my whole town being sprayed with chemicals a little disconcerting. Although I'm sure that having endured he alternative I might end up in full support if I lived there.
I understand your ambivalence, but I have had to be honest. The spring, fall and winters are very pleasant here. So I would say we have 7-8 months of pleasant outside weather. I think the way to enjoy the summer outdoors is to be in motion, on a boat or on the beach as much as possible.

FWIW, the most pleasant weather I have experienced recently was in Hillsboro, Oregon last September. It was in the low 70's and dry. I would be delighted to have a summer climate like that. Oregon has beautiful country, unlike anything in Eastern North Carolina. Perhaps you need to experience other parts of the country to appreciate what you have.
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Old 03-13-2013, 09:36 PM
 
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Good points and good information—thanks very much. If if weren't for the negative effects we suffer from the lack of sunlight, I don't know that we'd consider leaving.

Even though the weather is cooler than we'd like, everything else works pretty well. Philosophically we're pretty good about "making the best of it" but then we go into a mild depression every February. We get about 60 fewer days of sun than you guys do, and last year we went 7 months between 60-degree-high days. That's what has us looking around, and coastal NC has a lot of appeal. I think we'll time our visit for a summer month so we can experience the downsides firsthand.
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