New Bern or Havelock???? HELP (Oriental: living, versus, nightlife)

[miamicunarder]

Don't let the advertising fool you. New Bern is a 297 year old town that never went anywhere due to its terrible location. The town lacks a good nightlife. Restaurant options are limited. Its "downtown" area is composed of a couple of blocks of mostly 19th century brick buildings with a drop of its earlier 18th century buildings. This I should point out, is the town's only interesting lure along with the rather plain looking replica of the British colonial governor's (and 1st government building) home which is regarded as a palace and named after the 2nd to last colonial governor, William Tryon. The miniscule "downtown" area is basically the city's facade. This small area has been reborn as a tourist catch with antique shops, boutiques and small private eateries, all of which appear to be privately owned and have odd hours of operation (i.e. closed on Sundays etc.)
The rest of the town surrounding the tiny "downtown" area is composed of old rotting neighborhoods w' a considerable low class black population which you'll always see walking around the streets like a scene out of a 3rd world country. (Warning: not a place to venture around at night)
And as for the waterways, coming from S Fl, what a contrast: dark, murky and shallow tea colored waters (no chance of swimming here). The summers are hotter than S Fl (past 100 F), stale with no breeze. Expect a coating of yellow pollen on everything during the outbreak of spring. During this time, it doesn't pay to wash your vehicle since it'll receive a nice fresh coating of the yellow stuff as soon as you've finished ringing the towel. For those with allergies, you have been warned.
Winters aren't so bad. However, the worst aspect of living here, again if you like this sort of thing, is the feeling of isolation from the outside world as nothing really ever happens here. Its ideal for those retirees and others that seek such a lifestyle but beware, I was one of those seeking such a rift from the big city but after more than a year of living here, I'm counting the days until I leave this Godforsaken place. As one neighbor said to me before she moved away a few weeks ago after having spent 9 months here, "this place was sucking the life out of me".

[jrsgirl]

Hi! We are considering moving to the New Bern area also. We have 2 sons, 14 & 12 and homeschool. My husband is retired military, so the proximity of the Marine Corps Air Station is appealing. Also love boating, fishing, beaches and trees. I am concerned about the train and plane noise, however. Is that a problem? Also, what about shopping?

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by miamicunarder

Don't let the advertising fool you. New Bern is a 297 year old town that never went anywhere due to its terrible location. The town lacks a good nightlife. Restaurant options are limited. Its "downtown" area is composed of a couple of blocks of mostly 19th century brick buildings with a drop of its earlier 18th century buildings. This I should point out, is the town's only interesting lure along with the rather plain looking replica of the British colonial governor's (and 1st government building) home which is regarded as a palace and named after the 2nd to last colonial governor, William Tryon. The miniscule "downtown" area is basically the city's facade. This small area has been reborn as a tourist catch with antique shops, boutiques and small private eateries, all of which appear to be privately owned and have odd hours of operation (i.e. closed on Sundays etc.)
The rest of the town surrounding the tiny "downtown" area is composed of old rotting neighborhoods w' a considerable low class black population which you'll always see walking around the streets like a scene out of a 3rd world country. (Warning: not a place to venture around at night)
And as for the waterways, coming from S Fl, what a contrast: dark, murky and shallow tea colored waters (no chance of swimming here). The summers are hotter than S Fl (past 100 F), stale with no breeze. Expect a coating of yellow pollen on everything during the outbreak of spring. During this time, it doesn't pay to wash your vehicle since it'll receive a nice fresh coating of the yellow stuff as soon as you've finished ringing the towel. For those with allergies, you have been warned.
Winters aren't so bad. However, the worst aspect of living here, again if you like this sort of thing, is the feeling of isolation from the outside world as nothing really ever happens here. Its ideal for those retirees and others that seek such a lifestyle but beware, I was one of those seeking such a rift from the big city but after more than a year of living here, I'm counting the days until I leave this Godforsaken place. As one neighbor said to me before she moved away a few weeks ago after having spent 9 months here, "this place was sucking the life out of me".

WOW,that puts a new spin on all I have heard about this area.Thanks for posting,I appreciate the honesty,even though it may have burst a bubble or two

[silty1]

Havelock is very military because of Cherry Point. New Bern is more civilian, but also has a lot of military folks. You mentioned Oriental - what a cute, quirky town, but I wouldn't count on the schools. We have spent a lot of time in Oriental because of all the "festivals" they have, but generally Pamilico Co is a lot poorer than Craven. We are moving to NB this month, will be living in Carolina Colours close to both New Bern and Havelock.

[janpanc]

I taught in Craven County for 18 years. Look towards the James City/Madame Moore's Lane area.

[florijon]

I don't know much about New Bern Schools. I live in Morehead City, Carteret County, right on the coast and can tell you that the best schools are considered to be on Hwy 24 (Cape Carteret, Cedar Point, Newport) which is a very nice place to live with abundance of choices. Definitely nicer and better place than Havelock. Please ask any specific questions, I have two kids of my own and understand your concern.

[pizzalover]

I visited Havelock in Aug 2206 for a holiday....I liked it,nice homes and friendly people.We have been to a nice restaurant La rosa italian restaurant,we had a very nice time there.
We loved it so much that we are planning to move there in the near future.I loved the marines base...my friend's husband is in the marines and he showed us around the base.
What a wonderful experience.

[trlhiker]

I live in James City which is just outside of New Bern. Moved out of Havelock back in 2004 because of the increasing taxes and inceasing water fees. I now pay half of what I was paying in Havelock.To the original poster, there are few waterfront homes in the city of New Bern but lots just outside of it. Check out the Brices Creek area or Trent Woods or even River Bend.Those I know who live in the Brices Creek area absolutely love it. Hosing there runs about $250K and up.
Contrary to what miami says, there is alot to do here as long as you open yourself up to different activities other than night life. There's abundant boating, kayaking, fishing, some hiking, lots of parks, a nice dog park for our four legged friends, a frisbee golf course, lots of regular golf courses, beaches are less than 45 minutes away. and a very quiant downtown area that is completely safe to walk down at night. done it many times. There is alos a very good kayaking club and outdoor club in New Bern. It is much nicer than Havelock or Morehead which is too touristy and crowded especially during the summer for my taste. By the way, I have lived in the area since 1996 and I also work at FRC East like clodhopper.

[Homer Ray]

I think you would be happier in the New Bern area. More to do, small town but larger than Havelock, real estate market has more to choose from and wider spread on price points. As with all things I think you can make up your mind with a visit to both places very quickly.
Lot's of people like Havelock, lot's of people like New Bern. Both have pluses and minuses just like everywhere else.
Check out Craven County Schools for more school info for Craven County
Another site you might want to check is K-12 Public Schools Directory And Information Resource
Hope this helps you out....

[UpTheCreek]

Originally Posted by nanannie

WOW,that puts a new spin on all I have heard about this area.Thanks for posting,I appreciate the honesty,even though it may have burst a bubble or two

Uh, this may have put a new spin about this area that even I haven't heard of. The guy is full of beans pretty much on ALL points.

I live ON Brice's Creek and it's a fantastic place to be. We have 3 kids ages 14, 10 and 3 and moved here 5 years ago. We love it, the area has so much to offer. I am not going to bother going point by point with the previous poster's points, he is obviously a clown with an axe to grind.

Please don't let his post discourage you!


Howard