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Old 10-09-2017, 09:38 AM
 
6 posts, read 9,166 times
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Hi Everyone,

I have been going through the Coastal NC Board extensively and am trying to prevent this post from being repetitive. I am a single female in my late twenties with no children moving from RI. I intend on renting for at least one year. I would really prefer to stay under $1,000/month. If utilities are included, would bump up to $1,200/month max. I am a nurse interested in Pediatrics and would be commuting to work every day. I do not have a job yet and am aware of the competition in the Wilmington area so I would not move until I secured a position somewhere.

My question is what is the best part of Wilmington (or nearby) to live in for someone my age? I have read many posts on where families and retirees should settle, but I'm unsure of where the "young professional crowd" is residing. I don't have to be directly on the beach or only 15 minutes away from it, that is not important to me. I want to ensure I am in a safe area (and yes I read all the crime threads and will stay out of the projects ). I realize where I live will depend a great deal on where I work, but just looking for a basic idea on the better fitting neighborhoods for me. As far as what I have gathered from the posts I've already read on this forum, this is what I took away from them:

-Southport/Hampstead/Oak Island: Family oriented, not too many amenities nearby, have to go to Wilmington for more than the every day necessities
-Monkey Junction might be a good place for someone my age?
-I can't get a good read on Leland and if this would be a good match or not
-Is south of oleander/east of s. college road/north of piner rd. the general neighborhood recc for everything?

Also, are people told to stay away from UNCW because of college kids partying or is it a bad area in general?

Feel free to add your input and tell me if I'm somewhat on point or not. Thank you!
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Old 10-09-2017, 10:06 AM
 
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I'm also from RI and also a nurse (NP), just much much older! As a nurse, I worked at The Miriam Hospital for many years and at RIH as an NP. Grew up in Warwick, husband is from Newport.


We've lived in NC for almost 10 years and like it a lot. We'll be moving from the Raleigh area to Southport in about 18 months when we "semi retire". We've already bought a house and will be going down on weekends/holidays for now.


Wish I could be of help to you but I'm still learning about coastal NC myself. I hope you like Wilmington. I've found that many of native RI'ers end up packing it in and going back home after a couple of years. There is something about RI that keeps drawing us back (the Italian food, the East Side, the beaches). We almost did that too but have really grown to love the weather here and could not bear the thought of a tough winter. I have a close friend in Wilmington who is also from RI and also a nurse. She used to work in the Tomorrow Fund Clinic at Hasbro and now works at New Hanover.
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Old 10-09-2017, 10:51 AM
 
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Since you are not in the college range, I would stay away from the College Rd (north of Oleander/south of Market) area.

I prefer the Historic District downtown myself, lots of big historic homes that are subdivided and walking distance to the River. Within 5th Ave to the River. Or you could look into the City Block Apts or new Sawmill Pt. South Front is also known as a good young professional area.

Or closer to Wrightsville Beach, there is a scene down there...just be prepared for the crowd that lives the boating life, talks about what car they drive, what boat they are getting...usually Daddy's money. There is a surf/SUP scene as well.

You will find Monkey Junction/Myrtle Grove, whatever you want to call it...unremarkable. As is Ogden. Carolina Beach is a bit of a commute, but is more and more a part of the Wilmington scene.

Finally, check the Cross City Trail and neighborhoods near there. One Midtown is a new one that looks nice.
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Old 10-11-2017, 06:58 AM
 
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I agree with HP91 that you should definitely consider downtown, just be careful as it goes from nice to rough very quickly in some areas.

Southport is small town, but not as small as it may appear. The population of the town itself is only 2-3,000, but once you add in Oak Island, St. James, Boiling Spring Lakes, etc., it really has a population much larger than that. Downtown is charming, with lots of restaurants and bars. You should check it out and see what you think. There is a small hospital there as well, plus Novant has a hospital 20 minutes away. The biggest drawback is relatively few people your age. There are some, but not a lot.

Leland is very suburban and retiree-oriented. You'd be much better off in Wilmington itself. The midtown area has several nice neighborhoods with younger people, its between the not so nice areas east of downtown and Wrightsville Beach, mostly along Wrightsville Avenue.

Also look in south Wilmington at several new developments. One is River Lights, along River Road, and the other is the Barclay area development centered around 17th Street and Independence Blvd. Carolina Beach might be an option too, its less pretentious than Wrightsville Beach and has more of a year around population.
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Old 10-15-2017, 11:07 PM
 
6 posts, read 9,166 times
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Thank you all so much for your help! I did spend a few days in downtown Wilmington in August and really enjoyed it, I just wasn't sure if there was much for rent vs. buying a house in the area. Will do some more exploring when I come back to visit again in the next month or so. Thanks!
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Old 10-16-2017, 05:14 AM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
13,340 posts, read 26,831,791 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eastcoastlover11 View Post
Also, are people told to stay away from UNCW because of college kids partying or is it a bad area in general?...
Around the college it is not a bad area. But college age partying is not a desirable scene.
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Old 11-03-2017, 11:27 AM
 
3 posts, read 5,043 times
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There is more crime in the little town of Wilmington than I've ever seen, having lived in Boston. You do not want to be downtown after 11 PM and no matter where you park, keep anything of value out of sight and always lock your car even in your own driveway.
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Old 11-11-2017, 12:50 PM
 
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Isn't Whitey Bulger and the Irish mafia from Boston? Aren't the streets of the Southy neighborhoods some of the toughest streets around?

Wilmington is a playground compared to Boston.
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Old 11-20-2017, 07:30 AM
 
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Back in the seventies Boston was indeed a rough town but that was over forty years ago. Boston today is a clean, vibrant city. Does it have crime? Of course, however, Wilmington on a per capita basis has a much higher crime rate. Wilmington has had a gang and drug problem for over ten years that the local politicians and media work hard to keep hidden. A few years ago the local paper did a study on crime and found that over ninety percent of the violent crimes happen within a one mile radius of three of the major projects within the city. The cries of racism arose and the Star News immediately backtracked.
Years of poor zoning laws enabled high priced housing being built next to trailer parks which you can still see dotted here and there within and around the city. The city is moving to correct many of these flaws as within the past year many of the trailer parks have started to be cleared out so new housing can be built. At the same time, apartment complexes are being erected on every square foot of available land without any suitable improvements to the roadways, resulting in traffic that will seem very familiar to people from the Northeast.
Wilmington presents itself as a charming Southern city, suitable for tourists and retirees alike and there areas of the city which fit that description but you still need to be careful of your surroundings and keep your valuables secured.
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Old 11-20-2017, 07:35 AM
 
6,799 posts, read 7,311,590 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vgr33 View Post
Back in the seventies Boston was indeed a rough town but that was over forty years ago. Boston today is a clean, vibrant city. Does it have crime? Of course, however, Wilmington on a per capita basis has a much higher crime rate. Wilmington has had a gang and drug problem for over ten years that the local politicians and media work hard to keep hidden. A few years ago the local paper did a study on crime and found that over ninety percent of the violent crimes happen within a one mile radius of three of the major projects within the city. The cries of racism arose and the Star News immediately backtracked.
Horsehockey. The issue is in the media and discussed by politicians all the time. And actual steps are being taken to do something about it, like this:

Court: Members of Wilmington gang cannot associate - News - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC

"A judge in Wilmington on Thursday granted a preliminary injunction against two dozen members of a notorious Port City street gang allegedly tied to homicides, shootings and drug sales.

The civil complaint, filed Nov. 6 on behalf of New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David, the Wilmington Police Department, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and the Wilmington City Attorney’s Office, alleges 24 members of the Folk Nation 720 Gangster Disciples terrorize the neighborhoods of Creekwood, Long Leaf Park, Market North Apartments, Greentree Apartments and the Sunn Aire area, making residents fearful and putting lives in danger with reckless gun battles.

This is the second time such a civil injunction has been used in North Carolina as a tool to combat criminal street gangs. The first was used by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police in 2013, shortly after a 2012 law went into effect allowing gangs to be declared a public nuisance and making it illegal for gang members to associate with each other. If any of the named defendants violate the order, they can be arrested -- even if no other crime is being committed."
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