Thinking of moving to NC from Cape Cod (Raleigh, Wilmington: high crime, how much)

[rebshain]

I too am thinking of moving to North Carolina, I love the weather and I am from Cape Cod so I would like to move to an area near the water. I am considering Wilmington and the surrounding areas. Does anyone have any advice? I have read mixed reviews that people in the south don't like Northerners but I am not sure how much I belive that. I would like to believe people are nice. My husband and I are looking for a slower pace, people on Cape Cod and MA in general are very stressed and always in a hurry. Also, I don't think I could survive another brutal winter and the fact that the Cape goes from Tourist central where you can't get around to a ghost town depresses me. I own a baking business and am wondering if there is a market for this? Wedding cakes etc... And what is the job market like? I know I have a lot of questions I Just don't know where to begin to find out tax rates, the cost of living (has to be better than Cape Cod) etc... What areas do you suggest as a waterfront town with a small town cozy feel? Wilmington really looks great.

Thanks

[aphorista]

I am currently on the Cape and enjoying it immensely. I live in the triangle area. I don't think Wilmington is what you are looking. There is a lot of traffic and crime. I have never been to Swansboro but heard that it is very nice. I have also heard good things about Southport which may have more transplanted northerners. Hope this helps.

[dsobotta]

Originally Posted by rebshain

I too am thinking of moving to North Carolina, I love the weather and I am from Cape Cod so I would like to move to an area near the water. I am considering Wilmington and the surrounding areas. Does anyone have any advice? I have read mixed reviews that people in the south don't like Northerners but I am not sure how much I belive that. I would like to believe people are nice. My husband and I are looking for a slower pace, people on Cape Cod and MA in general are very stressed and always in a hurry. Also, I don't think I could survive another brutal winter and the fact that the Cape goes from Tourist central where you can't get around to a ghost town depresses me. I own a baking business and am wondering if there is a market for this? Wedding cakes etc... And what is the job market like? I know I have a lot of questions I Just don't know where to begin to find out tax rates, the cost of living (has to be better than Cape Cod) etc... What areas do you suggest as a waterfront town with a small town cozy feel? Wilmington really looks great.

Thanks

Wilmington really isn't a small town, it is really NC's only coastal city.

You might want to check the Hampstead area if you are set on being near Wilmington. However, it you really want an area with a small town feel, I think you will pleasantly surprised with Swansboro-Cedar Point-Cape Carteret-Emerald Isle area. None of the towns are very large, but you end up with just the right mix of services and year round residents.

We moved here two years ago, and there are plenty of northerners in the area. The area welcomes newcomers. We can be on the beaches in ten minutes and traffic never gets really bad.

This map zoomed down will give you some perspective on the area and its services, just zoom it down to street level.

I can assure you our winters don't qualify as winters in most places. You can find lots of information at the City-Data profiles. This is the one for Cape Carteret. It's very similar to the other small towns that I have mentioned.

Taxes are very reasonable in Carteret County. A $600K house will have taxes of around $1750 yearly.

Homes are priced based on where they are in relation to the water. The closer to the water the more expensive the home. We also have more types of water than can be imagined.

Homes can be found from around $160K to whatever you are willing to pay.

You can find my list of reasons why Carteret County was our choice at this link.

Here are some beach pictures from around the fourth of July, earlier in the year, and from the other day when we went fishing on one of the many private beaches that show up in the inlets.

Here are some Swansboro shots from December. Fall on the beach can be spectacular.

As for job opportunities, people in the area are still complaining about the loss of Mimi's Bakery on Emerald Isle. The family just decided to retire a few years ago, and no one has stepped up to the plate. People still talk about their cheese cake. There are a number of weddings done on the beach in the area, but I don't know where the cakes are bought.

Any food operation in the area that has good food and decent parking does really well.

To find more details about the area you can read my Emerald Isle travel guide (http://coastalnc.org/emeraldislenctravelguidecd - broken link) or my Swansboro one.


I try to answer any area questions that get thrown at me, but sometimes I get busy and miss a day or two on the forum so they will get answered.

This is a dairy of our first year in the area.

If you are wondering about the climate we have six to eight weeks of very hot weather, mostly July and August. The rest of the year is mostly a dream come true to an ex-Canadian like myself. I walk the beaches twelve months of the year. Biking is the same, and I only miss a couple of months kayaking.

I'll leave you with two statistics, strawberries get ripe between the third week in March and the second week in April. I got my first ripe tomato June 1 this year. I picked the last ripe one December 19 last year. This year I hope to pick a ripe tomato in January.

[West_ny]

If you lived anyplace in the northeast and are use the traffic in those areas, traffic in Wilmington is nothing. I wouldn't be scared off for that reason. I think most of the ppeople who complain about traffic are people who lived here a long time whe nit was much better. As far as crime goes, there are bad sections in the city, but if you go out someplace in the suburbs, there are minimul problems. Wilmington has a very vibrant downtown for a city it's size. I've visited Raleigh and am much more impressed with the downtown in Wilmington. Lots of places to go eat, bars, small shops, etc. for a place it's size. During summer can be hot and crowded, but off season is nice.

As far as southerners not liking northerners, that may be true, but there are so many northerners around, it's hard to tell. On my street, (out of half dozen) there is one legit native North Carolina person, rest are mostly from the north.

As far as jobs go, well there Wilmington isn't very good. Though I will say, that baking is the type of thing that may work out down here. Most jobs revolve around tourism, store cleaks, waiters, etc with a few exceptions.

I'm from NY, so tax rates down here are a joke. On a $250k house, taxes are likely to be about $1200 per year, unless in the city, then maybe $2000. That same house for me in NY, taxes would have been about $10,000. Housing likely will cost you $250k and up for a 2000 squ foot home some place out of city. Depending exactly where you go, you could spend $250, or you could spend $1mil, depends what you want and can afford.

Cost of living, for me taxes much less, housing more as I was from a low cost area of NY, gas is cheaper, but milk is more expensive. But like I tell people, I use more gas than milk each week.

Good luck

[memoriesbre]

It's a fact: People from the south are friendly only to whom they choose to be friendly with. If you are from the North you may want to rethink your move. Alot of the southern folk do not like people from the North. They are always blaming the northerners for something. They look at us like we have three heads..

[jmarquise]

I don't see that. people are people. if you relocate from somewhere and talk about how things should be, then yes, it tends to annoy people. I find that a lot of people who relocate here really aren't looking to get away from where they left, they are looking to take it with them, and change the city.

Originally Posted by memoriesbre

It's a fact: People from the south are friendly only to whom they choose to be friendly with. If you are from the North you may want to rethink your move. Alot of the southern folk do not like people from the North. They are always blaming the northerners for something. They look at us like we have three heads..

[Ann in Oriental]

We

[Ann in Oriental]

We moved to NC from Sandwich in 1986 and we wentto a horrible place called Rocky Mount. I hated it every day for 16 years. 5 years ago my husband retired and bought a sail boat, so we moved to Oriental and I couldn't be happier. Oriental might be too tiny for you though, only about 900 people. Wilmington is pretty high crime, lots of racial tension and loads of drugs, but I guess everywhere has the drugs now.I suggest you look along the coast between Beaufort and a bit north of Wilmington. I'm pretty familiar with New Bern, Morehead City and Beaufort. I think Beaufort would be the best fit. What are your ages? Any kids?

[Ellwood]

Originally Posted by memoriesbre

It's a fact: People from the south are friendly only to whom they choose to be friendly with. If you are from the North you may want to rethink your move. Alot of the southern folk do not like people from the North. They are always blaming the northerners for something. They look at us like we have three heads..

They are still blaming us for "the War of Aggression," as they call the Civil War, as the southerners say, "there wasn't anything civil about it!"

[jmarquise]

actually, the only time I have ever heard that phrase, it was from someone from the north describing how people think in the south. I have never heard a single person from the south refer to the civil war that way. since you raise the question, is there anything civil about killing 600,000 people? I don't see one.

Originally Posted by Ellwood

They are still blaming us for "the War of Aggression," as they call the Civil War, as the southerners say, "there wasn't anything civil about it!"