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I am wondering if coastal NC is where I should be looking to put down long term roots sometime in the near future (1-2 years). My biggest concern is the weather. I am not a fan of snow but out of all the regions I've lived in, worked in, and traveled to, my favorite is the northeast, followed by the mid-Atlantic. I have been all around NC and enjoyed my time in Raleigh. It was a bit too southern for me at times but I have heard and read that coastal NC (specifically near the Wilmington area) isn't really like that due to being transplant heavy. Could anyone verify this or correct if wrong?
As far as the weather goes, I was raised in MA and as a result I learned to hate the long winters. Cold, dreary, miserable, and wet. I am a business owner and travel a lot. I plan out my entire calendar year specifically to avoid snow and haven't seen snow in 3 years. It has truly been great.
Anyway, does coastal NC get a lot of snow? Is the cold during the winter time a cold that makes your bones hurt like it does in the northeast?
I'm assuming there are other transplants from the northeast that are in this forum. Does anyone have any tips for a guy like me?
Wilmington is a transplant mecca, you'll have zero issues with blending in here. My current neighbors are from Maine, Ohio, Connecticut, and Virginia. The people I work with are a mix of local, Australian, Bostonian, Californian, and another Maine refugee.
There are still plenty of rural southerners in the surrounding counties, but they're generally good people who get along with everyone (yes, there are always exceptions, true of every area/culture on the planet).
We get some frozen stuff falling from the skies in Wilmington about once a year - about every 3 or 4 years the frozen stuff will actually make it all the way to the ground and stay there for sometimes as much as 24 hours. There have been some very rare occasions when we got actual snow accumulations more than once in a season, but that happens here maybe once in 10 years or so.
The further from the coast you get, the more likely you are to get some snow, but nothing at all like what you're accustomed to.
A word of warning - when it does snow, we're pretty defenseless against it. The road departments logically don't have much of a budget for snow related equipment, so in the rare years where we get snow or ice more than once, they pretty much run out of salt and sand for the roads. On top of that, no one here knows how to drive in ice and/or snow. You'd think all these transplants would be able to, but it's like they forgot all that when they got here.
It sometimes gets quite cold here during the winter, not New England cold and not for any extended lengths of time. I guess it's due to the humidity, but even the folks from the northeast complain at times about how cold it is. Or maybe they just forgot, like how they forget how to drive in snow and ice. Still, our winters are typically quite mild, with our first freeze often not coming until well into November and with Christmases sometimes in the 80's.
I have been all around NC and enjoyed my time in Raleigh. It was a bit too southern for me at times but I have heard and read that coastal NC (specifically near the Wilmington area) isn't really like that due to being transplant heavy. Could anyone verify this or correct if wrong?
If Raleigh was too Southern for you, I think you will find most of coastal NC even more Southern. We have barbecue and grits on menus everywhere. The Republicans dominate politics, people go to church and support the military, etc. The exceptions are the retirement-oriented plantations in Brunswick County which seem to be populated with New Jerseyites.
The winter weather is quite nice, refreshingly chilly with occasional snow. It was cold last year, but only about 17 degrees at the lowest in Sneads Ferry.
You don't say whether you are looking for a job, and finding a job can be difficult.
Coastal North Carolina is southern. More so than Raleigh, I would say. While there are transplants from other parts of the country if you are not comfortable with living in the south you probably won't like it here. Your other responders have described the weather here.
I'm assuming there are other transplants from the northeast that are in this forum. Does anyone have any tips for a guy like me?
I was also raised in Western Massachusetts. The one suggestion I have is to tell us whether you need to work, or whether you are retiring.
Coastal NC is a great place to retire, but not so great if you expect to find a well-paying or professional job. If you need a job, you might look at the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, or Charleston, SC.
The Southern-ness extends to Wilmington also, although there is a Democrat in the US Congress. The ABC stores are closed on Sunday, and you can't buy wine or beer before noon on Sunday.
Last edited by goldenage1; 10-11-2014 at 10:05 AM..
If Raleigh was too Southern for you, I think you will find most of coastal NC even more Southern. We have barbecue and grits on menus everywhere. The Republicans dominate politics, people go to church and support the military, etc. The exceptions are the retirement-oriented plantations in Brunswick County which seem to be populated with New Jerseyites.
The winter weather is quite nice, refreshingly chilly with occasional snow. It was cold last year, but only about 17 degrees at the lowest in Sneads Ferry.
You don't say whether you are looking for a job, and finding a job can be difficult.
I am wondering if coastal NC is where I should be looking to put down long term roots sometime in the near future (1-2 years). My biggest concern is the weather. I am not a fan of snow but out of all the regions I've lived in, worked in, and traveled to, my favorite is the northeast, followed by the mid-Atlantic. I have been all around NC and enjoyed my time in Raleigh. It was a bit too southern for me at times but I have heard and read that coastal NC (specifically near the Wilmington area) isn't really like that due to being transplant heavy. Could anyone verify this or correct if wrong?
As far as the weather goes, I was raised in MA and as a result I learned to hate the long winters. Cold, dreary, miserable, and wet. I am a business owner and travel a lot. I plan out my entire calendar year specifically to avoid snow and haven't seen snow in 3 years. It has truly been great.
Anyway, does coastal NC get a lot of snow? Is the cold during the winter time a cold that makes your bones hurt like it does in the northeast?
I'm assuming there are other transplants from the northeast that are in this forum. Does anyone have any tips for a guy like me?
Thanks!
This is a little confusing as you say your favorite place is the northeast. Why are you looking to retire somewhere that isn't at the top of your list?
I'm a transplant (not near retirement age though) and I love it down here. But it is nothing like the Northeast at all. Regardless of the fact that Wilmington seems to be 90% new englanders.
I say retire in the North East if that's what you love and deal with the winter.
If Raleigh was too Southern for you, I think you will find most of coastal NC even more Southern. We have barbecue and grits on menus everywhere. The Republicans dominate politics, people go to church and support the military, etc. The exceptions are the retirement-oriented plantations in Brunswick County which seem to be populated with New Jerseyites.
The winter weather is quite nice, refreshingly chilly with occasional snow. It was cold last year, but only about 17 degrees at the lowest in Sneads Ferry.
You don't say whether you are looking for a job, and finding a job can be difficult.
I haven't seen grits on any menu yet living in Wilmington...
Being in the South, I would call Wilmington the least "southern" feeling city I have been in.
I am wondering if coastal NC is where I should be looking to put down long term roots sometime in the near future (1-2 years). My biggest concern is the weather. I am not a fan of snow but out of all the regions I've lived in, worked in, and traveled to, my favorite is the northeast, followed by the mid-Atlantic. I have been all around NC and enjoyed my time in Raleigh. It was a bit too southern for me at times but I have heard and read that coastal NC (specifically near the Wilmington area) isn't really like that due to being transplant heavy. Could anyone verify this or correct if wrong?
As far as the weather goes, I was raised in MA and as a result I learned to hate the long winters. Cold, dreary, miserable, and wet. I am a business owner and travel a lot. I plan out my entire calendar year specifically to avoid snow and haven't seen snow in 3 years. It has truly been great.
Anyway, does coastal NC get a lot of snow? Is the cold during the winter time a cold that makes your bones hurt like it does in the northeast?
I'm assuming there are other transplants from the northeast that are in this forum. Does anyone have any tips for a guy like me?
Thanks!
What does "too Southern" mean? It's the South. It's Southern.
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