Jacksonville, NC? (Wilmington, New Bern, Piney Green: military, jobs, housing)

[Blessed1]

I've searched and haven't come up with anything from jacksonville, nc. Anyone live or been to the area ?
I have the opportunity with my company to provide IT support at camp lejune. Housing seems afordable but is the area nice?
My wife would like to go back to school full time, so we also need to look at colleges.

[Bill Hitchcock]

Jacksonville is a very affordable housing market. The economy was built around the Marine Corp base-Camp LeJune.
Coastal Carolina Community College is in Jacksonville: http://www.coastal.cc.nc.us/
UNC Wilmington is approx. 30-40 miles south.
Bill

[jmusmc85]

This place is a **** hole. The only college here is Coastal Carolina Community College and even thats not saying much. This entire town is literally one big strip mall with a huge military base at the end. Most of the jobs here are retail and service related. I would say most ppl here are in some way connected to the military and don't hang around for long. Its a small town but it no way is it charming, if you want that try the Wilmington area or even New Bern but each is about an hour away.The only good thing I can say is that housing is very affordable...but other than that tis town is lacking anything worth moving for.

[pminct]

Wow, jmusmc85, I was just in Jacksonville for Christmas with my family, and I had a great time. I live in CT, so I guess the slower pace of Jacksonville was good for me---as CT and us northerners are always on the go!!!

Yes, my brother is a retired marine, since 1997, but he is in Jacksonville for the long haul---he is retired from the services, but working in the area, making a living just like the rest of us.

Yes, Jacksonville is a military town, but there are plenty of stores and side streets with stores and restaurants unrelated to the military.

But I do agree, there probably aren't many jobs here, unless you work on base or work in the service industry.

But overall, I thought Jacksonville was great!!! A whole lot more peaceful than Stamford/Norwalk/Bridgeport CT can be!!!

Patty in CT

[Dusty Rhodes]

Well, there probably is not a rule from your employer stating that you have to live within 2 miles of the base. UNC-Wilmington is a comprehensive part of the University of North Carolina system. You could live between the two, and each of you would have about a 15 min. drive, also I suspect you could also shop whereever you chose, I presume you would not have one foot nailed to the floor, Work in J'ville, School in Wilmington. I'm somewhat biased, I was stationed in J'ville in the 60's. What can you say, it is a base town. I have a soft spot for jarheads but I'm not about to move back into barracks. There is undoubtably a compromise here in living situations.

[ncfbagnt]

I am born and raised here, It is what you want it to me, It is a military town and they are very much a major part of Jville and all are welcome here. Cambell University and ECU and UNC Wilmington have classes at Camp Lejeune where you can recieve a degree. The comments I have read I have seen before, but lets face it, military towns are a melting pots, its not everyones hometown, but it is mine. I would just ask for a little respect as we respect all who move here no matter where your from

[marc515]

I guess most folks forget that people do live there and call it HOME.

That said, I was stationed at Lejeune back in the 70's and have been back to JV a few times looking for an area to retire to.

Yes JV has a strip mall type area, but JV also has some nice shopping areas, and some really-really housing areas.

However, while we liked it in general, we preferred the New Bern area which appears to be a little more layed back.

I would recommend that anyone considering the area, or any area in general, contact a realtor, and have them give you a tour of the area, and show you some homes in differenet areas. We spent about 4 hours with a JV realtor last year, and she showed how nice JV is overall. You just can't get that type of insight riding around by yourself.

Regards,......marc

[Crazy_Daisy]

Originally Posted by jmusmc85

This place is a **** hole. The only college here is Coastal Carolina Community College and even thats not saying much. This entire town is literally one big strip mall with a huge military base at the end. Most of the jobs here are retail and service related. I would say most ppl here are in some way connected to the military and don't hang around for long. Its a small town but it no way is it charming, if you want that try the Wilmington area or even New Bern but each is about an hour away.The only good thing I can say is that housing is very affordable...but other than that tis town is lacking anything worth moving for.

I agree with you about Jacksonville! If you want a place to live for your family, please try Wilmington. You are right too that there aren't any jobs there either. Jacksonville is my second home away from Wilmington. There are plenty of strip bars there that the Marines like to go if you want to be brutally honest.

[Crazy_Daisy]

Originally Posted by ncfbagnt

I am born and raised here, It is what you want it to me, It is a military town and they are very much a major part of Jville and all are welcome here. Cambell University and ECU and UNC Wilmington have classes at Camp Lejeune where you can recieve a degree. The comments I have read I have seen before, but lets face it, military towns are a melting pots, its not everyones hometown, but it is mine. I would just ask for a little respect as we respect all who move here no matter where your from

Okay sorry. Jacksonville is a great place to go to if you want to party. I met my future husband at Club 108 off of Piney Green Road. I guess I can't know Jacksonville too bad, because I met my dear husband of 12 years there.

[drvldarling]

My daughter has decided to move there to be with her boyfriend. What is like for a 19 yr old to be moving there with her boyfriend who is a marine; I am concerned because we are from the northeast and she has never been away from home and is somewhat naive about the way the world works;