Thinking of moving from South Florida to Wilmington NC. (Raleigh: to rent, insurance)

[jcs3079]

I have a job offer to move to Wilmington NC, I wanted to know more about the area, schools and areas. I have 3 kids and 2 of them are going to school my concern is that schools are good and safe. I also wanted to see if anyone can advice me on family oriented area to rent. I also wanted to know about traffic in the area.

Thank you to anyone that can give some information.

[Oyster07]

I'm not saying there aren't a bunch of bad drivers here but I think the traffic in Raleigh is much worse. It can easily take you 4 light cycles to get through some traffic lights. I would rate traffic here a B-....summertime, a C.

As far as schools, I would check out this website, greatschools.net. I don't think our area is known for the schools unfortunately.

Family friendly areas...Monkey Junction area, Ogden area come to mind.

[jmarquise]

I would rank the traffic much lower than that since wilmington is such a small city. finally after 3 years, they fixed military cuttoff! had my first experience of that last night! if they could get the crap together, they could make more improvements. MLK helped a lot too. the major roads during the busy times are still terrible. less so if you know the area and shortcuts. I would go c and a d for summertime. I hear that pender county schools are the best around. look in hampstead.

[VeloKev]

I moved to the area last summer, also from South FL, near Pembroke Pines. I'm in Hampstead (about 10 miles north of Wilmington, still near the water), and I can tell you the Traffic is nothing like South FL/I-595, Turnpike etc traffic. That said, The College Rd, Oleander, Market St vicinity can get a bit crowded. It's really not too bad. We liked Hampstead because it's a touch more rural, although Wilmington has spread into it a bit. They have a bypass from Hampstead to West Wilmington that helps a bit, but still have some more work to do on it once you get much south of I-40.

The salaries seem to have a way to go before they catch up the cost of living. Home prices started shooting up like everywhere else several years ago, and the pay didn't change very much. I'm an RN, and I work out of town because of that very issue. When you compare what I was making in South FL to what was offered me at New Hanover Regional, well, it was definitely a shock.

Good luck on the hunt from a fellow South Floridian!

[jag2086]

I am also thinking of relocating from Miami (the Miami Lakes area) to Wilmington. But I can't seem to find anything about home insurance. Are the rates up there as high as they are down here in Miami? Also, for those of you who have already moved...are there any regrets and/or things that you really miss about South Florida? I am especially worried about the longer winters!

Thanks
Jackie

[Dogluvr]

Originally Posted by jag2086

I am also thinking of relocating from Miami (the Miami Lakes area) to Wilmington. But I can't seem to find anything about home insurance. Are the rates up there as high as they are down here in Miami? Also, for those of you who have already moved...are there any regrets and/or things that you really miss about South Florida? I am especially worried about the longer winters!

Thanks
Jackie

Hi Jackie, we just moved up here from South Beach. So far we love it, no regrets. The beach is great, plenty of good restaurants, and the weather is beautiful. From what I hear, the winters up here are mild and there is no snow. It gets cold, but not like Chicago or NYC. The only thing I miss about Miami is Lincoln Road.

You will hear the traffic is bad up here, but believe me, it is nothing compared to US1 or I-95. You can basically get anywhere in the city in about 15-20 minutes, it's not very big. The downtown is small but cute, good shops, restaurants and coffee.

The cost of living is about 20% cheaper. Moderator cut: link to a competitors site removed
Good luck.