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I've read a bunch of threads of people considering moving to wilmington for a variety of reasons. Now that your'e here what do you think? Would you have done anything different? Are you planning on staying a while or leaving ASAP
I moved here about 6 months ago from raleigh for a job opportunity. I am quite used to the fact that I am one of the few NC natives(seems like it anyway). Doesnt bother me at all. Some people are nice and some people are'nt but thats gonna be the case anywhere you go. I Can honestly say the good outweighs the bad so far and I plan on staying a little while. LOL
I am planning on leaving ASAP! have lived here for two years. also went to college here 10 years ago. one of the major contributing factors is the high cost of living mixed with the low paying jobs. there are benefits to being here but so far the bad are outweighing the good. perhaps if there was more stability in the job market I would feel more comfortable. now I just gotta worry about selling my house!
I have never met some many people " looking for work" in my life. I would definitely not move ANYWHERE without a job lined up but thats just me. I plan on staying at least 2 years then figure out is it worth staying or not.
I have never met some many people " looking for work" in my life. I would definitely not move ANYWHERE without a job lined up but thats just me. I plan on staying at least 2 years then figure out is it worth staying or not.
If you have a good paying job in Wilmington, you have to hang onto it regardless of how nasty your coworkers are, or how bad the management is because unlike RDU and CLT, you don't have many other job options and there is a lot of competition for the few good paying jobs there are.
There was another post somewhere on here that stated after you live here for a while, you won't go to the beach nearly as much as you think you will before you move here. That is so very true, especially if you work 40+ hours a week, have kids and hate sitting in traffic on a Saturday.
Been here since '94 and my own personal quality of life has worsened considerably in just the last 2 years. Due to the cost of living here, unless you have a good paying job and not many bills to pay, it can be hard to save money to leave, especially if you have a house to sell. It's sort of like that Eagles song "Hotel California" (you can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave). I plan to move by the end of the year, but not sure where yet. I'm in my early 40s, but I feel too young to stay someplace where I now feel "stuck". Wilmington has been a fun ride for the last 14 years, but it's time to move on to bigger and better things. For me, Wilmington is played out.
I had a job in the land development industry but there were massive layoffs and no one is hiring because of the economy. trust me, I had a job lined up. I wouldn't have moved here without one. when I move to my new city, I plan on having a job lined up as well! wilmington is played out for me as well. it does have the good points but it is getting worse by the day, at least for the working person. retirement???? college student???? now that's a different story altogether.
So ur calling it an college/retirement town :-). That's an interesting mix to say the least. Well, i'll try to make the best of it and when i cant take any more, I'll nest up somewhere else. LOL
So ur calling it an college/retirement town :-). That's an interesting mix to say the least. Well, i'll try to make the best of it and when i cant take any more, I'll nest up somewhere else. LOL
That is exactly what Wilmington is: a combination retirement and college town. You would have to live here for a while to understand how that combination works. Among the 16 N.C. public universities, UNCW is known as the "beach school". Jobs here pay less because of what us locals refer to as the hidden "beach tax". Many people move here initially without a job and just grab a "survival" job until something better comes along. But even the service jobs are not that plentiful because there are a lot of college students here who are willing to work part-time while in school, so you are competing against them as well, not to mention the senior citizens willing to work part-time for any rate of pay, just to get out of the house. Many seniors "retire" here, only to find that they get bored and end up taking a part-time job somewhere.
I got laid off a year ago and have been "temping" full-time ever since, with no hope of permanent placement in my current temp position. I am lucky--my temp job pays well, so I will be able to save up enough $$ to (hopefully) move by this time next year.
I thought it was just my own quality of life that had gone downhill, but most of my long-time friends here have moved away in just the last couple years for the same reasons stated earlier in this post. So I know it's not just me...
That is exactly what Wilmington is: a combination retirement and college town. You would have to live here for a while to understand how that combination works. Among the 16 N.C. public universities, UNCW is known as the "beach school". Jobs here pay less because of what us locals refer to as the hidden "beach tax". Many people move here initially without a job and just grab a "survival" job until something better comes along. But even the service jobs are not that plentiful because there are a lot of college students here who are willing to work part-time while in school, so you are competing against them as well, not to mention the senior citizens willing to work part-time for any rate of pay, just to get out of the house. Many seniors "retire" here, only to find that they get bored and end up taking a part-time job somewhere.
I got laid off a year ago and have been "temping" full-time ever since, with no hope of permanent placement in my current temp position. I am lucky--my temp job pays well, so I will be able to save up enough $$ to (hopefully) move by this time next year.
I thought it was just my own quality of life that had gone downhill, but most of my long-time friends here have moved away in just the last couple years for the same reasons stated earlier in this post. So I know it's not just me...
Well put. I put in 5 years in Wilmington (97-02) and left before I would have lost my job at a software company. Moved to Asheville, worked for another software company for 5 years, before I left for the same reasons. Although Asheville isn't really a college town, it is a retirement haven where people who do need to work will work for less just to live in the mountains. Still in Asheville, but am moving soon to Greenville/Spartanburg, where there are decent jobs and a decent job market. I know many of my coworkers in Wilmington left for the same reasons you described above. Nice place to live, but difficult to make a decent living, and if you lose your job, you're in trouble.
Well put. I put in 5 years in Wilmington (97-02) and left before I would have lost my job at a software company. Moved to Asheville, worked for another software company for 5 years, before I left for the same reasons. Although Asheville isn't really a college town, it is a retirement haven where people who do need to work will work for less just to live in the mountains. Still in Asheville, but am moving soon to Greenville/Spartanburg, where there are decent jobs and a decent job market. I know many of my coworkers in Wilmington left for the same reasons you described above. Nice place to live, but difficult to make a decent living, and if you lose your job, you're in trouble.
Very true. You always have to have a "Plan B" when you live in Wilm or any other tourist-driven community. Plan B means always having enough money set aside for living and/or moving expenses if you lose your job. You always need to have an idean in the back of your mind of where you might want to live next, as it could certainly come down to that.
I think you will like the Greenvl/Spartanbg area. Plus, you are really not that far from Columbia or CLT if you need to go there for work as well. I too am a software developer and, as a test for myself, I did the Raleigh/RTP thing for a year back in '04 and found it quite homogenous and boring. So boring in fact, I came back to Wilm until I could figure out what to do next.
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. Doesnt bother me at all. Some people are nice and some people are'nt but thats gonna be the case anywhere you go. I Can honestly say the good outweighs the bad so far and I plan on staying a little while. LOL
