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I don't disagree with the issues you mentioned, and I have a complete understanding of how tourist destinations bury their societal problems having lived in resort towns most of my life.
My view of this forum was to give the inquirer a hands-on real time feel of the area in question. Dropping stats and "evening news" impressions of a town are not the same.
Again, ALL towns and cities have crime. White collar corruption in politics is as bad or worse than gang shootings because we all suffer at the imbalance of power whereas the people that INTENTIONALLY go to a bad area of town, where known gang violence is present and get caught up had a choice!
Yesterday morning we drove through town from the college area out to the bridge heading over to Leland to insulate new home construction.
What I saw: the "hood" (lol) part of town was quietly sleeping, it was 7:15am, so no problems there. Crossing the bridge over the Cape Fear River looking back on our little coastal port city with the sun rising behind it, amazing! Leland- cookie cutter suburbs for the average middle income family.
My point is that the OP and the vast majority looking here for locals knowledge have the ability to watch the news and gather stats online. That isn't what this is about? or is it??
Why does the I-140/Hwy. 74 interchange need to be upgraded?
It doesn't. It's not even a sure thing that I-74 will go to Wilmington since it was legislated by Congress to go to South Carolina. Unless Congress changes it, the best case scenario would be an I-74 spur going to Wilmington (ex: I-574).
in the case of I-74--
United States Route 220 to United States Route 74 near Rockingham;
United States Route 74 to United States Route 76 near Whiteville;
United States Route 74/76 to the South Carolina State line in Brunswick County; and
South Carolina State line to the Myrtle Beach Conway region to Georgetown, South Carolina.
It doesn't. It's not even a sure thing that I-74 will go to Wilmington since it was legislated by Congress to go to South Carolina. Unless Congress changes it, the best case scenario would be an I-74 spur going to Wilmington (ex: I-574).
I am laughing at some of the statements in this thread.
I lived in Philadelphia for 13 years. The worst areas of Wilmington are generally in better condition than the best areas of Philadelphia (and Philadelphia has come a LONG way in the past 10 years). Everything in the Northeast is 100+ years older than the infrastructure down here. I have lived here for 3 months, along with many "vacation visits" in the past and I have yet to see a "bad" area in Wilmington.
Any time you cluster people together in a dense setting, crime arises. Wilmington is no different from any other town in that respect. There is crime, and you can be a victim of said crime anywhere you live. However, the "crime" in Wilmington is nothing compared to most real cities in the US.
If you want to see bad, go to anywhere but Center City Philadelphia. Go to the older areas of Boston. Go to practically anywhere in NY and its surrounding areas of New Jersey - Secaucus, Weehawken, Hoboken, Jersey City. Go to Camden, NJ. Go to Gloucester City, NJ. Go to Chester, PA. There isn't a single city in the Southeast like them because the towns in the Southeast are simply not old enough to be destroyed to this condition.
Wilmington is mostly a new city, and you can tell people love the area because there is a total lack of litter and graffiti. It is truly a beautiful city, and even the demographics considered to be "poor" are generally very friendly compared to the wealthier demographics in the Northeast that are just angry all the time. I still can't get over how beautiful, well-maintained and safe the city is. If you're from a small town in the boonies, Wilmington could intimidate you but compared to a real, older "classical" city it is a dream. I do not consider Wilmington to be a city at all. It is just a big town. People are very friendly, everything is so accessible, everything is spotlessly clean and it does not have most "pressures" and "hassles" of city living. I am used to parking 5-10 blocks away from my destination. No matter what time of day, you won't park further than 2-3 blocks away in the tightest spots of downtown Wilmington, and usually you can park on that same block downtown. Anywhere else, parking lots! Lovely.
I wouldn't hesitate to live just about anywhere in the city because it is small and very accessible and easy to navigate. No matter where you live in the city, "anywhere" is only 10-15 minutes away and Ubers are readily available for a few dollars if you don't feel like driving yourself.
If you live in Hampstead be prepared to spend a lot of time in your car commuting to Wilmington. Its not too bad early morning but afternoons are bumper to bumper. Military cutoff extension will help with some of the congestion but that's a couple of years away. Southport is a lovely town but probably geared more toward the retirement crowd. Downtown is probably your best best if you're looking for a younger/urban professional scene. Lots of great restaurants, bars, shopping, etc. and the river walk is great to run on early in the morning. Look at areas coming online around north 4th street. Yes, it can be dangerous late at night but be smart and you'll be fine. Danger lurks everywhere anyway. Midtown along Wrightville Ave (from College Rd to 17th St) has some pretty cool areas to check out. I ride my bike along the city trail through there all the time and feel safe. You can be downtown or to the beach in roughly 15 minutes either way. Traffic is probably one of the biggest complaints people have so I would focus on walkability (sp?) and what amenities are important to you. Ditto the comment the other poster had on Leland, I can feel my soul trying to escape my body everytime we drive through there. Monkey Junction is pretty white bread for the most part, lots of middle class neighborhoods- it's nice but I wouldn't want to be single and living down there. Whatever you decide, please do move down; we need more healthcare workers to care for the retirees moving down here in droves.
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