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I will be moving my family to the Wilmington area in the later part of September. As of right now, we are debating whether to rent for a year in the Monkey junction area or the Ogden / Porters Neck area. We have a 14y/o, an 11 y/o and a 5 y/o. So schools and neighborhoods have been the main concern. Since I work from home, location for me is not an issue.
What do locals think of these two areas? We know for sure that we don't want to live in Hampstead, downtown or Northern Wilm. So we are curious as to the perception of these two areas. We realize that they both have pros and cons, but we are really curious as to which area you would trust your kids to play outside and make friends in the neighborhood.
We currently live in Bentonville, AR (home of good ol' Walmart.) So being landlocked is no longer an option. We have no issues with driving for 10-15 minutes to get to the beach, shopping, etc. The main focus are the kids.
I thank each of you, in advance, for your feedback and advice.
I would have a couple of concerns about both areas. 1. The lack of sidewalks on major roads. College Road through the Monkey junction area looks very dangerous for pedestrians. I would warn your kids about walking in areas without sidewalks. 2. The creeks can be tempting for teenagers to explore. However, they risk getting trapped in mud, and there are alligators in shallow water. I would certainly warn your kids not to go near any creeks.
Otherwise, i don't know of major differences if the kids are just on the local streets of the neighborhoods.
This is a good question. Both are emerging areas outside of Wilmington (so they lack some of the sidewalk type infrastructure in the city limits)...normally folks would choose one over the other based on where their job was located.
I live in the City (17th an College area) and I wouldn't move out into these areas because they are really just a collection of subdivisions with no rhyme or reason to them.
Didn't see anything about price range...there can be a big disparity between west of Market and east of Market in the Ogden/Porters Neck area. And down south it is more expensive along the water.
Personally, I believe I would choose the Monkey Junction area between the two. I like the Veterans Park school complex, the proximity to Carolina Beach/Fort Fisher area...Myrtle Grove Middle School is highly regarded (although Noble isn't bad/Holly Shelter is really far away/Trask is meh).
But there are two reasons I would go south...the weather is actually better, you get a better breeze and less thunderstorms down there....and it is less crowded. The Porters Neck/Ogden area just always seems so crowded and the infrastructure can't handle it. Once the Military Cutoff extension gets built it will help, but that's going to be 5 years at least.
I also like the neighborhoods at The Cape (Masonboro) and Beau Rivage as well as a few of the newer neighborhoods (Motts Landing, etc..)in the Monkey Junction area. The road can handle the capacity...River Rd and Masonboro Loop Rd is always an alternative. And the River Lights development will add more upscale features to the Monkey Junction area in the future, IMO.
Thanks for the input. We actually decided to rent an off season beach house in Carolina Beach for 6 months. This will allow us to get to know the area before jumping into a long term commitment. Thanks again!
I will be moving my family to the Wilmington area in the later part of September. As of right now, we are debating whether to rent for a year in the Monkey junction area or the Ogden / Porters Neck area. We have a 14y/o, an 11 y/o and a 5 y/o. So schools and neighborhoods have been the main concern. Since I work from home, location for me is not an issue.
What do locals think of these two areas? We know for sure that we don't want to live in Hampstead, downtown or Northern Wilm. So we are curious as to the perception of these two areas. We realize that they both have pros and cons, but we are really curious as to which area you would trust your kids to play outside and make friends in the neighborhood.
We currently live in Bentonville, AR (home of good ol' Walmart.) So being landlocked is no longer an option. We have no issues with driving for 10-15 minutes to get to the beach, shopping, etc. The main focus are the kids.
I thank each of you, in advance, for your feedback and advice.
i'm sort of confused about where you mean, exactly, when you say "Northern Wilmington" and "Monkey Junction area."
these could be interpreted as several different areas.. but i agree with what HP91 says.
hi, im thinking of moving to wilmington nc. I am an artist and have heard many good things about the city. however, i recently did a search and found wilmington to have an alarming crime rate. can you advise on this? thanks
Great question. I lived in MJ when I first moved to Wilmington and then bought a house in Ogden (northside), so I experienced both sides. College Rd is congested but so is Market St. Both offer easy access to downtown. MJ is closer to Carolina Beach & Kure Beach. Ogden is closer to Wrightsville Beach. Each beach is totally different vibe. CB is more laid back and less frills. WB is more upitty with less parking and no boardwalk. We actually choose Ogden for the great elementary school here, although I'm sure MJ area has comparable ones. Ogden is closer to Mayfaire too which seems to be the more upscale shops such as Barnes n Noble, Pottery Barn, William Sonoma, and Regal Cinema. In MJ, you can be closer to Independence Mall (our only mall) which has Belk, Dillards, Sears, and JCP. Crime is on the uptick here but mostly in contained to certain areas. Downtown, while very quaint on the Cape Fear River, is home to the community college, many bars/nightclubs/restaurants. It is also close to government housing so crime is higher and some gang related. All in all, the city is in need of road revision as traffic is steady becoming an issue with expansion and vacationers. Both sides have nice areas to live. Parks are great on both sides also. In the 6 months you are renting, I'm sure you will get a better feel for which beach you prefer to live closer to, if that's important to you. Either way, best of luck!
however, i recently did a search and found wilmington to have an alarming crime rate. can you advise on this? thanks
The crime rate is not really alarming for a city of over 110,000. It is 423 on the City-Data index compare to a national average of 301, and it has been going down for the past 10 years.
There are many factors that contribute, among them the number of tourists and students who are arrested for alcohol and party-related offenses.
The is also a low-income population involved with the drugs, home-invasions and shootings. However, it is easy to avoid living in the areas where these crimes are occurring. A middle-class area like Ogden or Myrtle Grove with have mostly low-crime blocks. Do some reading in the many past threads on the crime topic. Examples here:
i am finding this research to be tedious. Frankly I am shocked at the crime rate, etc...............but I guess i shouldnt be as drugs and therefore crime is everywhere it seems.
The crime rate is not really alarming for a city of over 110,000. It is 423 on the City-Data index compare to a national average of 301, and it has been going down for the past 10 years.
There are many factors that contribute, among them the number of tourists and students who are arrested for alcohol and party-related offenses.
The is also a low-income population involved with the drugs, home-invasions and shootings. However, it is easy to avoid living in the areas where these crimes are occurring. A middle-class area like Ogden or Myrtle Grove with have mostly low-crime blocks. Do some reading in the many past threads on the crime topic. Examples here:
I live in ogden. There was a home invasion where the criminals shot 2 dogs and 2 people just a few weeks ago, less than a quarter mile from my place. There have been 2 or 3 meth labs discovered here in the last year, possibly more. Cars have been broken into for loose change. I've also noticed a lot more trashy "meth looking" people hitching on roads in the neighborhood over the last few weeks.
Shotspotter downtown is alerted almost daily.
Wilmington and surrounding areas have a very serious crime problem.
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thanks
