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My name is Jana, I am 24. My husband (Daniel) I are looking for possible places to relocate. I would like to be an elementary school teacher and Daniel a high school teacher. I am from a coastal town, Torrance, in Ca. Daniel is originally from Caracas, Venezuela but moved to Torrance in 9th grade. (His dad is from CT and wanted to come back to the US)
We have read all the city data.com info for Wilmington and Jacksonville. The weather sounds ideal (to us) and the houses there are beautiful, not to mention huge! It seems like such a beautiful state, from all the pictures we have googled.
1. We would love to visit! Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do on a visit to Wilmington to get a feel for what it would be like to live there. Also, places where one could talk to locals, when they are not busy and such. I know that it is a CA thing to keep to oneself and not talk to strangers, and everyone is in a hurry always, but we want to meet some NC people!
2. We prefer Wilmington. However, we are concerned as to why city data says Wilmington has significantly more crime (517) than the US average (321) in 2008....& Jacksonville's crime rate is (283) for 2008. City data has not posted any numbers for the 2009 year though. For anyone whom does live there, does it seem like a city with a lot of crime. Is it a dangerous city? I am very shocked at these statistics. Wilmington seems to be ideal, besides the crime rate.
3. Does anyone know if we would be able to use a CA teacher credential in NC, or should we wait to get credentialed in NC?
Thank you, in advance, for anyone whom takes the time to read all this and give a response!
Jacksonville, while smaller than Wilmington, has a lot of things going for it. Jacksonville is more of a middleclass/working class/ military town. There are many young families in the area due to the (growing) military bases, so teachers should be in demand. I don't know the exact percentages, but many of those families are originally from California. Housing is less expensive, on average, than in the Wilmington area. Nice mix of people, nice beaches nearby, decent amenities... somewhere between the "basic cable" and "family favorites" level. All in all, a nice place if you don't have overly specialized needs/wants.
The following website might be helpful regarding NC teaching credentials:
Thank you for the website link. It is very helpful! ...and for your insight of Jacksonville. I must visit and check it out. I think NC is very beautiful especially the beaches. The styles/ architecture of houses are gorgeous and you actually get a house instead of a condo/ townhouse for a reasonable price, at least compared to CA.
I agree with sleestak, I live in southern end of Jacksonville and visit Wilmington frequesntly. For a family Jville is the way to go, however I suggest staying out of city limits. Richlands is a nice area and very affordable compared to Wilmington.
If you don't mind a drive to go to like Wal-mart and such consider Holly Ridge. They are between Jacksonville and Wilmington and its a nice place. 30 minute drive to Jville or Wilmington
Some of your questions are discussed in a similar thread. The cost of living may be lower, but basically, the surfing isn't very good, jobs are hard to find and don't pay well, and hurricanes are always a risk even 100 miles inland. So, if you approach Wilmington with no illusions, you might might be able to enjoy living there. Here's the thread: http://www.city-data.com/forum/coast...living-nc.html
Wilington's per capita income (according to the C-D profile) is about $28,000. You would have to search a job board like Monster.com to find what office managers with you experience would be paid.
As the above poster said, you would do well to look at the other thread. Ive lived in both places and these two places are very different. Generally, Eastern NC makes the most sense for retirees where they can use the equity from selling their home in a more expensive place and move to a cheaper locale. People in this situation don't have to worry about employment or schools.
Wilmington specifically is mostly a service economy and what jobs available are heavily competitive. Also don't discount the southern good ole boy network which is still live and well.
Wilmington specifically is mostly a service economy and what jobs available are heavily competitive.......
If BVergara23 is still interested in the east coast, I'd suggest looking at the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area. The job market is larger and stronger.
From Virginia, one can more easily travel to the Outer Banks, which probably has the best surfing on the North Carolina coast. The OBX juts out into the ocean and has stronger waves than the more sheltered southern NC Coast. In fact Virginia Beach might have better surfing. This map is showing 6 foot waves versus 4.4 foot waves at Nags Head and 5.2 foot waves at Rodanthe: http://www.obxsurfinfo.com/interactive-wave-map/
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