Moving to Havelock area. Please help! (Jacksonville, Greenville: crime, homes, neighborhoods)

[NewMommyInTown]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading so man bad things about New Bern, that now I'm scared. My husbund and I are having a our first baby in April and moving to VC in June. He's a Marine and will be at Cherry Point. We really don't want to live on base... so what would be a good are for a new family like ours that is also close to Cherry Point?

Thanks.

[sobxlocaler]

havelock is much worse than new bern. havelock is commonly referred to as 'havenot' by many locals just because of all the poor/downtrodden areas. of course tons of marines (which is a society in itself) but the town sucks, its really dirty, tons of pawn shops/tattoo parlors etc. i'd try and stay outside of havelock as much as possible. carolina pines is nice.

[Steven McCurdy]

Carteret County is the place to be...My kids attend the schools in western Carteret and Croatan High is the best HS east of I-95...Tons of good neighborhoods, shopping, and everything else you may want.....

[eadams2]

New Bern isn't bad. I grew up living outside of New Bern and I turned out ok Newport is a good area also.

[NOEM1226]

My husband (now ex) was in the Marines we were stationed at Cherry Point (from2001-2004) Yes, Havelock has some seediness to it with all the tatoo parlors and such, but I have nothing but postive memories of the place. We were pleased with base housing there even at the time- and now they have updated much of it. Havelock is pretty much a strictly military town- would not want to live there as a civilian.To be honest, I was kind of shocked to hear that New Bern is bad. Unless crime has skyrocketed there in the last 4 years, I would have to disagree.It had a very small town, tradition rich feel to me. Never crossed my mind as a "bad" place.My personal favorite towns there are Morehead City, Atlantic Beach, and Beaufort. Georgeous and near Cherry Point. I would not worry about any of these areas being a bad place to raise a child. And besides if you do hate the area- hey it's the military- ITS ONLY TEMPORARY.Best Wishes

[SunshineMom]

My husband and I are relocating to New Bern and we are very excited about the move. I have visited the area a few times, talked to many of the locals and have done my own research on-line. I felt very safe and "warm" there. Please tell me if I am completely wrong! I have three little kids and don't want to make a huge mistake! Thanks!

[NewMommyInTown]

Oh! Thak you for your post! You put me at ease...
That's just what I needed: to hear from a (ex) Militay Wife. It gives me better prospective.

I think I'll apply for Base housing, and buy myself some time to find the town I want to live in, off base.
Thanks a lot!

[NewMommyInTown]

Hi!
Well I know less that you do. I've never been to the area...
When are you moving there? And from where? See, I'm on the same ship. Relocating from Camp Pendleton, California, in June.

Let me know what you find out...

Good luck!

[trlhiker]

I live in New Bern but used to live in Havelock. There are a few bad places in Havelock but most of it is quit and not a real bad place to live. There are numerous new housing ares that are going up and have gone up between Havelock and New Bern. do not buy a home in town in either New Bern or Havelock because you will be double taxed. City and county tax for your home. I moved out of Havelock because I got tired of paying twice and the water and sewer rates are very high in havelock. I live in New Bern but outside of city limits about 13 miles from the back gate of Cherry Point. You will have no problem finding a home between the 2 cities.
Newport is also a nice place to live but do not buy a home in the White Sands section, most of those homes are slowly sinking. other areas are very nice though. Crime in all three areas are low compared to bigger cities like Greenville and Jacksonville.
If you have any questions, ask away.
Cherry Point now has new housing for elisted men. I have heard that they are very nice.

[silty1]

We moved to New Bern last summer and like it very much. My husband is retired from the Air Force so we drive to Cherry Point a lot. I also work for the Health Department and spend a lot of time out in Craven County. Havelock, in my opinion, is just like any other military town, and I don't mean that in a negative way. Route 70 is Main Street, and it does have a lot of pawn shops, etc. But there are some nice neighborhoods in Havelock and surrounding areas. THe area is very laid-back and the folks here are very friendly. It will be a little bit of culture shock coming from Camp Pendleton, but Cherry Point is a nice base, a lot of the housing is new, too.