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My wife and I are looking to be part of the growing list of transplants, going from NJ down to Wilmington (or another coastal town if you recommend it based on my post). We are in our early 30's with a 3 y/o and 1 y/o, and currently live 20 min. from the beach in NJ but our town is generic and the main places to go to eat are chains and you have to drive to them. Here's what we're looking for... Thoughts, feedback, etc. is all welcome...
-Up to $500k budget (could stretch to 550-600 for perfect); also willing to buy a very old home with great bones for a super cheap price and then gut/renovate it
-walking distance (10-15 min) to cafes, restaurants, shops, etc.
-within 15 min drive to beach (if there are places within walking distance of beach as well as cages, restaurants and shops that'd be the dream area)
-area suited for families
Since you don't mention jobs, I will assume you can work anywhere. Everywhere on the coast is "family-friendly", but you are more limited by the desire for walkability. Some places like Hampstead have good schools but are not really walkable. How important is walkability, and would you trade it off for better schools?
If you like historic charm in a small town, then look at Southport. A slightly larger place is Morehead City. If you can deal with the winter isolation, look at the Outer Banks, especially Kill Devil Hills and Manteo. Dare County has good schools.
However, if you really want diversity and more urban density, then the Wilmington area is a great choice. With your budget, you could be in one of the beaches: Wrightsville Beach or Carolina Beach. If you walk a more walkable area with shopping and restaurants, look at the Mayfaire area of Wilmington. In Wilmington, generally look at areas south of Market Street and East of College Road. You really can spend a lot less than $500K (like $375K) and be in a nice, newer neighborhood with other young families. If you max out the budget, you are more likely to among empty-nesters. I would not bother with looking at older homes.
Last edited by goldenage1; 02-09-2016 at 05:11 AM..
Good advice form goldenage as usual. Your budget may be a little small for Wrightsville Beach, and the barrier island portion is pretty desolate in the winter. Southport is a charming, walkable town, but is small. If you're ok with that, check it out. Carolina Beach is a good place to look. In Wilmington, south of Oleander and east of Carolina Beach Road is a great place. Nice neighborhoods and some of the best schools in Wilmington. May not meet your walkable desire, however.
Your budget may be a little small for Wrightsville Beach, and the barrier island portion is pretty desolate in the winter.
Agreed, but there are possibilities on the inland portion of Wrightsville Beach. Carolina Beach is generally more affordable.
Also see my comments in the South Carolina forum. Of the areas I have mentioned, I would probably rank Mount Pleasant, SC the highest, Wilmington second, and Southport third. I do not care for Myrtle Beach personally, but it may work for you.
Thank you both so far; from the standpoint of jobs I'm in SW Sales so I work remotely when not traveling so proximity to an airport (preferably within an hour) would also be of importance. My wife is a stay-at-home mom.
Our preference is for the town we live in to have "life" year round, so any desolate areas we'd rule out. The best schools are certainly more important than walkability, but the idea for us was that we'd want an area with very good schools, and then to have the ability to say, let's go out for a walk, 15-20 minutes, and be able to be at a restaurants, or something along those lines. We want there to be that "town" feel when walking, where it's charming-ish, and where it's walkable in a way that many people are walking and out enjoying the weather, etc.
Thank you both so far; from the standpoint of jobs I'm in SW Sales so I work remotely when not traveling so proximity to an airport (preferably within an hour) would also be of importance.....We want there to be that "town" feel when walking, where it's charming-ish, and where it's walkable in a way that many people are walking and out enjoying the weather, etc.
Then, I think you should limit yourself to Mount Pleasant, Wilmington or Southport, although you would probably max out your budget in Mount Pleasant.
JoeD, I live in Morehead City and I really like it here. I came to visit in fall 2004, went back to Rhode Island sold my house and moved to Morehead City in March 2005. Never once my family or I regretted the decision of moving to the Crystal Coast. My daughter always said that we are so lucky to live where people vacation.
You can buy a beautiful home for approx. $350,000 and between $550-$600,000 you can even get waterfront or amazing waterview.
Depends where you live, driving distance to the beach is no more then 10-15 min. If you live on the island anywhere from Atlantic Beach to Emerald Isle then you are less then 5 min. waking distance to the beach.
This area is great for families with children. There is always so much to do for an active, outdoor loving family. You can enjoy the outdoors 12 months of the year.
The nearest airport is in New Bern (40-50 min drive.)
Morehead City is growing and getting better from year to year. Don't take me wrong it's not perfect for everyone. We have a little bit of everything but we don't have any big malls, amusement parks and such. This is a family oriented area with great schools, coastal heritage and lifestyle. The neighboring cities are Newport, Beaufort, Atlantic Beach and all of the communities of Bogue Banks. Morehead City, Atlantic Beach and Beaufort are all within 5 minutes from each other. Morehead City and Beaufort have beautiful waterfronts with charter boats, sail boats, yachts and plenty of boutique shops and restaurants. Bogue Banks offers approx. 25 miles of ocean side Crystal Coast beaches.
Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington areas are nice but the real estate market is much higher with more traffic. It is more densely populated than any other region of coastal North Carolina.
JoeD, I live in Morehead City and I really like it here. I came to visit in fall 2004, went back to Rhode Island sold my house and moved to Morehead City in March 2005. Never once my family or I regretted the decision of moving to the Crystal Coast. My daughter always said that we are so lucky to live where people vacation.
You can buy a beautiful home for approx. $350,000 and between $550-$600,000 you can even get waterfront or amazing waterview.
Depends where you live, driving distance to the beach is no more then 10-15 min. If you live on the island anywhere from Atlantic Beach to Emerald Isle then you are less then 5 min. waking distance to the beach.
This area is great for families with children. There is always so much to do for an active, outdoor loving family. You can enjoy the outdoors 12 months of the year.
The nearest airport is in New Bern (40-50 min drive.)
Morehead City is growing and getting better from year to year. Don't take me wrong it's not perfect for everyone. We have a little bit of everything but we don't have any big malls, amusement parks and such. This is a family oriented area with great schools, coastal heritage and lifestyle. The neighboring cities are Newport, Beaufort, Atlantic Beach and all of the communities of Bogue Banks. Morehead City, Atlantic Beach and Beaufort are all within 5 minutes from each other. Morehead City and Beaufort have beautiful waterfronts with charter boats, sail boats, yachts and plenty of boutique shops and restaurants. Bogue Banks offers approx. 25 miles of ocean side Crystal Coast beaches.
Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington areas are nice but the real estate market is much higher with more traffic. It is more densely populated than any other region of coastal North Carolina.
Gosia thanks so much for the note here. We'll def. look into Morehead City a bit more; there seem to be lots of great areas in both NC and SC, so a lot of it will come down to personal fit for us. Always great to hear an endorsement for a specific area
Morehead City is not a bad area and the down town area is changing, growing.
For charm and walk-ability, I would consider Beaufort. You have a decent budget. You will not get a water front home but there are lots of nice homes, including some historic ones that may need a bit of work, a few blocks from the waterfront in Beaufort. Taylor Creek doesn't have much in the way of a beach but Carrot Island or Shackelford banks are very accessible via paddle board, kayak or other small boat. There are small ferries that will take you over as well for a small price. These islands offer miles of primitive beach for shelling or watching wild horses that live there. Beaufort has many great restaurants that stay open year round. They have a small Mardi Gras , a pirate invasion, wooden boat shows, the best Maritime Museum in NC and many more activities. Morehead City is a 15 minute drive with the King Mackerel Tournament, Bill fish tournaments, a sea food festival and more. Atlantic beach is about a 20 minute drive. There are many small coastal towns to explore, Cape Lookout, Harkers Island, Ocracoke and more.
Beaufort is one of my favorite towns in NC. Next would be Southport. Southport is THE place to be for 4th of July and there are numerous other festivals and celebrations through out the year. Southport is a very friendly town and there is a very active retirement community compared to Beaufort being more of a tourist destination.
Both towns are quieter in the winter but residents find plenty to stay busy.
Morehead City is not a bad area and the down town area is changing, growing.
For charm and walk-ability, I would consider Beaufort. You have a decent budget. You will not get a water front home but there are lots of nice homes, including some historic ones that may need a bit of work, a few blocks from the waterfront in Beaufort. Taylor Creek doesn't have much in the way of a beach but Carrot Island or Shackelford banks are very accessible via paddle board, kayak or other small boat. There are small ferries that will take you over as well for a small price. These islands offer miles of primitive beach for shelling or watching wild horses that live there. Beaufort has many great restaurants that stay open year round. They have a small Mardi Gras , a pirate invasion, wooden boat shows, the best Maritime Museum in NC and many more activities. Morehead City is a 15 minute drive with the King Mackerel Tournament, Bill fish tournaments, a sea food festival and more. Atlantic beach is about a 20 minute drive. There are many small coastal towns to explore, Cape Lookout, Harkers Island, Ocracoke and more.
Beaufort is one of my favorite towns in NC. Next would be Southport. Southport is THE place to be for 4th of July and there are numerous other festivals and celebrations through out the year. Southport is a very friendly town and there is a very active retirement community compared to Beaufort being more of a tourist destination.
Both towns are quieter in the winter but residents find plenty to stay busy.
Good luck
Thanks for the details on these smaller towns
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