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My husband and I who are both 30yrs old with one child would love to move to The Wilmington area. We are looking to be close to a town enviornment, but in a safe area with great schools. Any reccomendations on where to start? We live in Hoboken NJ now....right by Manhattan...so would like a community feel or be close by to a town center.
Some more information that might help...we do have the $$ to spend on a home. anywhere from 200k to 425k. Want to be near the water but dont mind living inland to avoid storm damage. Like to be near town, shopping, restaurants..but dont mind a 15-20 minute drive if it means living in a nicer area that is safe and has good schools. I have family in Indian Trail NC (charlotte area) - so would be nice not to be so far from highways...i am flexible...
A lot of people will suggest Leland.....it's a solid choice.
I personally recommend southern Brunswick County, where you can drive to Wilmington or Myrtle Beach. I have to be honest though, I prefer it because it's more rural. It's convenient to Wilmington and Myrtle Beach, but as far as itself, it's rural- Shallotte is the closest "town" and there's not much there. I like it.....peaceful!
Or you might look into Southport, it's closer to Wilmington. It's a nice town.
Schools....I don't know what to tell you, I don't know what the schools around Southport or Leland are like..I have a preschooler and a baby. They'll go to Shallotte Middle School and West Brunswick High. My husband attended those. He's pretty darn succesful...honestly, we're from the Charlotte area and I'm not sure there are many schools around here that are as good as some of the ones there BUT I also think if a parent is involved, it will make more difference than anything else, including how "good" a school is supposed to be. I feel ok about my daughter going to these schools, I know people who attended them with my husband who are very well put now- they're pharmacists, engineers, etc. I think the difference is in the parents, not the school although a terrific school sure does help. I feel like I traded some of the better elementary schools in Charlotte, for upper grade schools here that are safer and smaller...etc....anywhee you go will probably be ok as long as you like your community. Those were my recs...Good luck
I say avoid brunswick county. you are young and will be needing work I presume. you don't want to deal with that bridge traffic. I would say move somewhere near mayfaire. close to the beach and only about 15 minutes tops to downtown. there is also a town center with dining, shops, and lots of other stuff.
I totally agree with jmarquise......you don't want to deal with that bridge traffic(I know people who do and absolutely hate it) and Mayfaire or anywhere near there is a great place to live with all the amenities you could possibly want and so close beautiful Wrightsville beach.
My husband commutes to Wilmington from South Brunswick over the bridge daily and has no problems with it- he's been doing it for 6 months. Of course, he's coming from having to commute from Concord to Uptown Charlotte. He's used to traffic problems.
I'll be honest with you- if I worked in Wilmington living here in South Brunswick County I would hate the commute. I also commuted to Uptown Charlotte and it often took over an hour, but the 45 minute drive down Highway 17 seems so much longer. I go into Wilmington for doctor's appointments. I'd hate to do it daily. I would choose the rural area where we can have a few acres of land rather than living in a populated neighborhodd, but that's just me. I agree with your assessment though. It's something for someone to consider. (And my husband would definitely prefer not to have the commute over the bridge if he didn't absolutely have to- it's just not been a major headache though)..
Edited to add.....the kicker for me is having kids. If I was younger, and working without kids, I may have preferred differently. I prefer my kids to be in Brunswick County rather than New Hanover. And South vs. North just for quiet's sake.
I also agree with jmarquise. The Mayfaire area, the Ogden area, maybe even Hampstead sound like what you are looking for. I believe the schools in Pender are better than the ones in Bruncwick and New Hanover. I live in the Ogden area and there are many young families around here and it's pretty close to everything.
We just moved to Wilmington from Northern NJ (also lived in Hoboken for several years). And we have a one year old . We live in the Porter's Neck area which is north of Wilmington & about 10 minutes to Mayfaire shopping center, 20 minutes to downtown, and 15 minutes to the beach. So far- we love it and fairly convenient (nothing beats Hoboken convenience). It's very family orientated with decent schools. You will LOVE the cost of living though it is expensive for NC. I think it all depends on where you have to work and from what I hear the job market isn't so hot.
Some more information that might help...we do have the $$ to spend on a home. anywhere from 200k to 425k. Want to be near the water but dont mind living inland to avoid storm damage. Like to be near town, shopping, restaurants..but dont mind a 15-20 minute drive if it means living in a nicer area that is safe and has good schools. I have family in Indian Trail NC (charlotte area) - so would be nice not to be so far from highways...i am flexible...
wow,my family lives in indian trail.(holly park) im stuck here in ny trying to get my postal transfer(very tough in charlotte).but i might be working in wilmington june 08,if all goes well.can you help me out with info.ex:schools,apts.rentals (for now)nice areas,low crime etc.i would really appreciate it .thanks, ken
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