What is the best place to live in NC near a beach without hurricane destruction? (Wilmington: 2009, insurance)

[wrobbins05]

Hello,
I'm currently in the Army stationed in Germany but in Iraq...again...After this I have 1 year left and then my German wife and I are moving back to America. I'm originally from Maryland but want a change and have visited Greenville, NC a few times. I like the state a lot and surroundings. I've been looking a lot into Wilmington and it looks wonderful but I also researched the hurricane data and its doesn't look good.

I'm just trying to find a place that I can be 5-15min from the beach where I could even jog or ride a bike there and not feel the wrath of a hurricane. Is Elizabeth city a decent place for this? I also am looking for year around warm weather (warmer then MD) and I know going farther North won't help me there. As far as jobs, I definetely need one after this...looking into a job such as UPS, Fedex, or postal service. I'm sure any NC city would have this, just depends on availability and unemployment rate. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking to raise a family in this place. Also, any advice on affordable homes would be great...my price range is $170000. Thanks,

Wayne

[Ellwood]

http://www.city-data.com/forum/coast...elizabeth.html

Thank you for your service.

[macjr82]

The Area around Carteret, Craven, and Onslow counties are probably right up your alley. They are pretty close to military bases, the beach, and there is a UPS hub in Havelock. Alot of civ DOD jobs in that area as well, and defense contractors.

Don't right wilmington off as well. Elizabeth city is close to the Norfolk area bases. Hurricanes sound scary if you've never been through them but in reality, I've seen thunderstorms and down bursts worse than hurricanes. Hurricanes just cover a larger area and have high wind speeds. Being right on the coast (coast, not the beach) is actually safer b/c typically all the water from further inland empties out in to the ocean and the sounds. Further inland, along the rivers experience more flooding.

Here are some links of some recent thunderstorm damage from around the state, far from the coast. just b/c you move away from the coast or to a "safer" part won't make you "safe":
Your weather photos :: WRAL.com
Goldsboro News-Argus | News: Storm blasts through area
Severe Weather Storm Damage
News 14 | 24 Hour Local News | TOP STORIES | Residents clean up after tornadoes touch down
News 14 | 24 Hour Local News | TOP STORIES | Drains blocked with debris hamper storm cleanup efforts
News 14 | 24 Hour Local News | TOP STORIES | Residents flash back to Hugo as Monroe cleans up
News 14 | 24 Hour Local News | TOP STORIES | Storm damage leaves thousands without power

[wrobbins05]

Thanks for your help. I'm going to google these counties and read up on them. We still have a year to decide but I want to get started early and visit these places. Again thanks a lot for the advice and info.

[Richard Martin]

A little word of warning about hurricanes. There hasn't been a major hurricane (cat 4 or higher) in NC since the 50's. Most people alive today have no idea of what a direct strike from a major hurricane can do. You are correct in taking precautions and wanting to ensure the safety of your family.

There is a reason that home insurance premiums go up as you get closer to the coast. I'm in the Greenville area and my premiums are about 20% higher here than they were on a house that cost twice as much money in MD. It's because hurrincanes, whether through direct hits or flooding, destroy property.

The best advice I can give you is regardless of where you decide to live, if the National Weather Service tells you to get out then you get out! Don't play around and try to be a hero. Too many people will tell you that weather like this is no big deal. It can easily turn into a big deal in a hurry. Weather forecasting isn't an exact science and too many hurrincanes have intensified right before landfall causing way too many needless deaths.

[Bill Hitchcock]

What is the best place to live in NC near a beach without hurricane destruction?
I'm an almost 30 year resident of the NC Coast and I will answer that question in one word: Nowhere.
No place in North Carolina (Yep-The entire state) is safe from the destructive forces of a hurricane.
You might want to do a CD search on hurricanes and flooding.

[socrates]

First of all, a major hurricane is cat 3 or higher (not cat 4 or higher) and there have been quite a few in NC.

Theres a lot of misinformation in the 3rd post of this thread (macjr32). Severe weather can happen anywhere and the coast is not safer than further inland during a hurricane.

As for the answer to the question, the extreme northern coast up near virginia would be the best place for avoiding hurricanes. You would still see lots of activity but no direct hits due to the orientation of the coast. Most storms are turning to the NE by the time they make landfall so most would be pulling out just as they approached you. Isabell was pretty rough up there though.

[Richard Martin]

Originally Posted by socrates

First of all, a major hurricane is cat 3 or higher (not cat 4 or higher) and there have been quite a few in NC.

Yeah, I'm well aware of how the NWS rates hurricanes. The fact is the really, really bad stuff doesn't start happening until you hit 4 & 5.

13 MAJOR (as defined by NWS) hurricanes since 1879 isn't quite a few. Since the 50's there have only been 5 MAJOR hurricanes.

My point was that hardly anybody that is alive today, and has always lived in NC, has been through a bad hurricane. Taking the advice from someone that has never been through one over the advice of the NWS is a bad idea.

[LRoyal10900]

Originally Posted by Richard Martin

My point was that hardly anybody that is alive today, and has always lived in NC, has been through a bad hurricane. Taking the advice from someone that has never been through one over the advice of the NWS is a bad idea.

My mom was a senior in HS when Hazel went through in 1954. She and my father remember it QUITE well. There are still thousands of people in NC who remember Hazel vividly. They're not all dead yet.

[bjive]

Originally Posted by Richard Martin

Yeah, I'm well aware of how the NWS rates hurricanes. The fact is the really, really bad stuff doesn't start happening until you hit 4 & 5.

13 MAJOR (as defined by NWS) hurricanes since 1879 isn't quite a few. Since the 50's there have only been 5 MAJOR hurricanes.

My point was that hardly anybody that is alive today, and has always lived in NC, has been through a bad hurricane. Taking the advice from someone that has never been through one over the advice of the NWS is a bad idea.

I hope your kidding.Living near Wilmington and going through Fran in 96 was one of the worst things I and a lot of other people have gone through.We had 3 trees on the house all coming from different angles as the wind would change directions.My neighbor had 64 pine trees down in his yard and about a 2 miles a way an elderly man died when a tree came through his living room.All through the night we would move from one end of the house to the other to get away from the switching wind as the eye came closer.I will never ever forget the sound of that wind from that night.Can it be worse,sure,but it was still bad.
Jim Cantore,the hurricane chaser on the weather channel who has yet to go through an eye, but many eyewalls has gone on record as of last year that Fran was by far the worst one he has expeirenced.He was camped out at WB.