Wilmington info needed from the locals! (Wrightsville Beach, Forest Hills: homes, established neighborhood, gated community)

[itsagreatlife]

My husband & I have decided to leave the heat of Phoenix behind. We are looking for a nice beach community where we can meet nice people. We do not have children. We are in our mid-late 30's and just want to be near water and find a new place to call home. Wilmington is on our top 10 list.
I am hoping you can help with the following questions:
What areas are considered more "upscale"?
What areas are not safe & should be avoided?
What kind of downtown/urban scene is there?
We would like to find a spacious home (at least 3k square feet) not too far from the beach or a body of water- what areas do you recommend?
-We would be looking for a more mature, established neighborhood (not cookie cutter) where the homes are all different and have more character-
Our budget ranges from $750k to 900k for a home.

Any information and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[jmarquise]

I have some suggestions. the neighborhood, especially if you are in that price range, would be landfall. as far as it being older and established, it's not, but it also isn't cookie cutter. it's an upscale gated community where the elite in wilmington live. also, the homes all look different. many will tell you to avoid downtown, but I enjoy downtown, as do thousands of others here. you also might check into the forest hills area of wilmington for a home. an older, much more established neighborhood, closer to downtown. it's my favorite in town. there isn't too much of an urban or downtown scene here. there are places to eat, and bars for people to drink at in the evenings, but it's not a real city. it's more of a medium sized town. there is plenty to do, but do not expect to find something undiscovered every night. I will say that the city is quaint, and has some nice historic features. it also is nice to walk along the riverwalk.

Originally Posted by itsagreatlife

My husband & I have decided to leave the heat of Phoenix behind. We are looking for a nice beach community where we can meet nice people. We do not have children. We are in our mid-late 30's and just want to be near water and find a new place to call home. Wilmington is on our top 10 list.
I am hoping you can help with the following questions:
What areas are considered more "upscale"?
What areas are not safe & should be avoided?
What kind of downtown/urban scene is there?
We would like to find a spacious home (at least 3k square feet) not too far from the beach or a body of water- what areas do you recommend?
-We would be looking for a more mature, established neighborhood (not cookie cutter) where the homes are all different and have more character-
Our budget ranges from $750k to 900k for a home.

Any information and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Oyster07]

I would agree with Landfall with probably being the most upscale. I would also say Wrightsville Beach homes are pretty upscale. If you are looking for older, more established, I would suggest the Forest Hills area of Wilmington. You won't have a problem finding a home in your price range in Wilmington. The downtown scene is pretty cool. Lots of people always out and about. Lots of cool restaurants and bars.

[itsagreatlife]

Thank you so much for the info! I researched the Landfall community and it looks great! We plan on being out there in the next couple of weeks and we are very excited.
Thanks again.

[Florida15]

I firmly agree with Landfall. You also might want to check out Mayfaire and some of the upscaled neighborhoods in the Porters Neck area.