I moved away from coastal NC because~~~~ (Durham, Wilmington: apartment, buying a house)
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I would be interested in hearing the stories from people who moved to coastal NC and then for various reasons, moved away or are planning to move away.
As I look at resales I often wonder why they are selling.
Did you move to a different part of NC? Did you move back to your original state/home? Did you move to a different part of the country?
I would be interested in hearing the stories from people who moved to coastal NC and then for various reasons, moved away or are planning to move away.
I suspect you won't get many answers. I know of a few people on this forum who have left coastal NC, and in one case it was for better job opportunities.
I am here, but it is not the best place for me. The lack of urban culture and the long distances to drive for medical care are the two biggest problems. It would be different if I were alone, and I would do one of two things:
1. Return to an urban area with decent culture: libraries, museums and arts.
2. Find a 55+ community with plenty of neighbors in a state with better tax policies. Delaware is currently my top choice for proximity to Philadelphia or Washington DC. I don't mind a little snow.
I suspect you won't get many answers. I know of a few people on this forum who have left coastal NC, and in one case it was for better job opportunities.
I am here, but it is not the best place for me. The lack of urban culture and the long distances to drive for medical care are the two biggest problems. It would be different if I were alone, and I would do one of two things:
1. Return to an urban area with decent culture: libraries, museums and arts.
2. Find a 55+ community with plenty of neighbors in a state with better tax policies. Delaware is currently my top choice for proximity to Philadelphia or Washington DC. I don't mind a little snow.
This is what I'm looking for. The thought of moving to a small coastal community sounds great after a long career but then~~~after a short time of 1-2 years I have heard many leave to go where there are more things to do. My realtor felt that this was the case for Southport.
I may stick to my idea of Wilmington.
I wasn't expecting too many replies - once people leave many don't bother coming back to this particular forum.
I don't like to talk about the prospect of my spouse's death, and he loves where we are. So if (God forbid) I were alone, yes, I would certainly consider moving. Furthermore, I might not be able to afford my house expenses on one income.
We have been here three years and I am quite bored. I would have been happier in Wilmington NC or Durham or Charleston or Wilmington Delaware. For comparison, we lived in the Washington DC area because the employment picture for mainframe computer jobs was so good. I could even consider moving back to the DC area into a small apartment.
We moved to Wilmington almost eleven years ago from Florida. When we both fully retire,we are seriously considering moving because N.C. is not retirement friendly. You get no breaks and they tax you to death. The cost of living is also a lot higher here than we thought it would be. In S.C.,you get Homestead Exemption like you do in Florida and the property taxes are also considerably lower.
I don't like to talk about the prospect of my spouse's death, and he loves where we are. So if (God forbid) I were alone, yes, I would certainly consider moving. Furthermore, I might not be able to afford my house expenses on one income.
We have been here three years and I am quite bored. I would have been happier in Wilmington NC or Durham or Charleston or Wilmington Delaware. For comparison, we lived in the Washington DC area because the employment picture for mainframe computer jobs was so good. I could even consider moving back to the DC area into a small apartment.
I can certainly relate. Folks move here due to affordability, less traffic, etc. But then reality eventually sets in and you find yourself too far away from "civilization". I miss having access to nice amenities. It gets rather old having to spend several hours on the road in order to go anywhere decent.
OP: Yes, I will eventually move away from here. Many of my neighbors have already moved "back home" and their homes here remain vacant. They can afford to hold onto them and sell them at a later date if/when the local housing market improves.
Lived in coastal NC for about a year and a half with the spouse in 2010. Loved the beach and the fair winter season.
One reason we left had to do with lack of job opportunities. Depending on what you do or what you're interesting in, lack of job opportunity may not be an issue, but for us it was. We were only able to really hold down seasonal jobs. We also loved the mountains but it was over a 5 hour drive from the coast. That was a big negative for us. Once we realized what we truly wanted in a geographical location, we ended up moving to Colorado. All just personal preference, really.
Lived in coastal NC for about a year and a half with the spouse in 2010. Loved the beach and the fair winter season.
One reason we left had to do with lack of job opportunities. Depending on what you do or what you're interesting in, lack of job opportunity may not be an issue, but for us it was. We were only able to really hold down seasonal jobs. We also loved the mountains but it was over a 5 hour drive from the coast. That was a big negative for us. Once we realized what we truly wanted in a geographical location, we ended up moving to Colorado. All just personal preference, really.
I lived in Denver for 2 years and loved it. I was transferred back to Minneapolis and always swore I'd move back when I retired, if not sooner. That was my plan for a very long time and then the NC coast got my attention.
You made a good choice. I could end up living on the coast for a few years and then just may mosey up to Asheville. Who knows.
I lived in Coastal NC for almost 5 years. We chose to leave when my husband got out of the Marine Corps. Neither of us had strong ties to anywhere, so we looked at multiplr options. We would have moved to Wilmington or Myrtle Beach had we chosen to stay in Coastal Carolina.
Ultimately though, we chose to leave. We wanted to start a family and Coastal Carolina had never ticked all of the boxes for me, as far as cultural amenities. I wanted...
1)lots of free or affordable amenities such as big museums, science centers, galleries, and top tier theaters with Broadway quality shows. Coastal NC couldn't offer any of that in the scale I wanted.
2) Foodie Heaven. Coastal NC was improving but still dragging behind in a lot of regards.
3) Access to a major airport, without having to drive 2 hours or connect out of ATL / CLT for every flight
4) Walkable neighborhoods. Sure, some neighborhoods are walkable in Coastal NC but for the most part is all extremely autocentric.
5) Affordability. This is the biggest one of the list. When people think of the South, they automatically think it's cheap. It's not. While it's cheaper than the Northeast or West Coast, the COL is still surprisingly high and the wages are pitifully low. We looked into buying a house, and couldn't get nearly the bang for our buck that ee could in the midwest. Also, both DH and I had the potential to earn more (a lot more) in a major city.
So, we moved to St. Louis. A year and a half later, we have two beautiful baby boys, a house in a walkable suburb, and I swear I am out almost every day of the week with the babies, enjoying everything St. Louis has to offer.
The beach is pretty in NC... But there's more to life than just a pretty beach!
I lived in Coastal NC for almost 5 years. We chose to leave when my husband got out of the Marine Corps. Neither of us had strong ties to anywhere, so we looked at multiplr options. We would have moved to Wilmington or Myrtle Beach had we chosen to stay in Coastal Carolina.
So, we moved to St. Louis. A year and a half later, we have two beautiful baby boys, a house in a walkable suburb, and I swear I am out almost every day of the week with the babies, enjoying everything St. Louis has to offer.
The beach is pretty in NC... But there's more to life than just a pretty beach!
It really does matter on what stage you are in life. You are young and starting a career and family. Your decision makes a lot of sense.
I'm done with the career and while I know I would only last just so long sitting on the beach all day, the idea of having the ocean so close that all I have to do is jump in my car within minutes I'm there. I used all my vacations going to places with an ocean.
I may tire of it after several years - maybe not. I'd love to have a little place in Asheville also. NC is a cool state.
People mention NC taxes - I live in MN which is #5 for the highest tax burden so NC looks pretty good.
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