Tucson, AZ to Wilmington, NC- thoughts?? (Wrightsville Beach: apartment complexes, rent, crime)
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I am thinking of moving to Wilmington, NC from Tucson, AZ. A little about me, I'm mid 20's, college graduate, and as of next May have graduated with a Master's degree. If I do decide to move to Wilmington, I wouldn't be until summer 2010, so I know I have awhile but I wanted get a jump on researching. Right now, I am just itching to get out of Arizona, I have grown up here and basically I want to completely start over and do something new.
I have done some research on the area, and from what I have read it seems as though ALMOST everyone really loves it there, so that's a good sign. I guess one thing I want to know about Wilmington would be, what kind of scene is it for someone like me, who is in their 20's? I have read a lot about the older crowd retiring there, but on the other hand I know that UNCW is located there too, so I'm just curious about that....basically I don't want to end up there and not have anyone my own age to socialize with. I am also currently single, so going out and making friends and meeting people would be high on the priority list.
Another thing that I'm wondering about is the hurricanes....are there specific parts of the city that I should avoid when I'm looking for housing? I would be renting an apartment/house, not buying, but I still don't want to end up in an area that gets terrible flooding.
Also, I'm wondering which parts of Wilmington are considered more upscale, and which are the more "undesirable" parts of the area. I can't afford an extremely high rent and I don't necessarily have to be next to the beach, however I would like to be within short driving or possibly walking (if I can afford it) distance from the beach.
I'm sorry this post is so long, but any info you can provide me would be awesome in helping me figure out if Wilmington would be a good place for me! Thanks
Even with a good economy, Wilmington is not a great place for a great job. And if you can get a job, the wages are low. Cruise Craigslist to get an idea.. there's not much- so that may be a big factor on if you decide to come. It's a great place to live- definitely tons of 20 somethings here- no need to worry. Downtown is always packed with the 20 somethings on week nights and weekend nights of course. Definitely visit first. Downtown is desireable to live in (historic district) near the river, and then the bad part of downtown is crappy. Near Wrightsville Beach is of course the other area that's desireable to live in ..and rent will definitely be higher there. It depends what part of town you'd want to live in (After you visit yo'ud have a better idea) and it depends what you want to spend on rent. You most likely won't be able to live in walking distance from the beach and be able to afford it, so you will have to drive.. but most everything in Wilmington doesn't take long to get to because it's not a big city.
Google crime statistics for that area when you are looking for apartments.Send for maps from the visitor's bureau and when you look for apartments you can see where they are located. I know when I was trying to find my daughter an apartment in another town I checked online for apartment ratings. I would definitely look for an apartment on the second floor in some areas of the city. Check the local paper(star news) for reports of flooding areas. Some of them flood often. Hurricanes should not be a concern unless you are beachfront. Every zip code has some undesirable areas. When you look at some areas let me know if you have more specific questions. Have lived here 30 years and have 3 daughters in their 20's(I'm not trying to match make here-they would kill me!!!!:-)
just so you know I would have access to info that might be good to know about apartment complexes and such. But do know ,the job situation is pretty awful here right now.
I am thinking of moving to Wilmington, NC from Tucson, AZ. A little about me, I'm mid 20's, college graduate, and as of next May have graduated with a Master's degree. If I do decide to move to Wilmington, I wouldn't be until summer 2010, so I know I have awhile but I wanted get a jump on researching. Right now, I am just itching to get out of Arizona, I have grown up here and basically I want to completely start over and do something new.
I have done some research on the area, and from what I have read it seems as though ALMOST everyone really loves it there, so that's a good sign. I guess one thing I want to know about Wilmington would be, what kind of scene is it for someone like me, who is in their 20's? I have read a lot about the older crowd retiring there, but on the other hand I know that UNCW is located there too, so I'm just curious about that....basically I don't want to end up there and not have anyone my own age to socialize with. I am also currently single, so going out and making friends and meeting people would be high on the priority list.
Another thing that I'm wondering about is the hurricanes....are there specific parts of the city that I should avoid when I'm looking for housing? I would be renting an apartment/house, not buying, but I still don't want to end up in an area that gets terrible flooding.
Also, I'm wondering which parts of Wilmington are considered more upscale, and which are the more "undesirable" parts of the area. I can't afford an extremely high rent and I don't necessarily have to be next to the beach, however I would like to be within short driving or possibly walking (if I can afford it) distance from the beach.
I'm sorry this post is so long, but any info you can provide me would be awesome in helping me figure out if Wilmington would be a good place for me! Thanks
There are few retirees in Wilmington. There are lots of retiress in communities surrounding Wilmington. This city has a heavy college population and a heavy 20's-30's professional population. Considering your age and education, you'll do fine here with a little effort.
Hey, fellow Wildcat! My husband, 2 kids and I currently live in Tucson and are relocating to the Wilmington area. We are planning on being there by June. Sooner, if the house sells.
I would strongly recommend that you visit the area to get a feel for it. If possible, during different seasons. (The humidity will definately be a change for us desert dwellers. Think of monsoon time with your swamp cooler running!) We have been there twice and are going back next month to look around again.
From what I can tell, the wages are lower than Tucson and the unemployment is higher. You may want to first make sure you have a job.
As a single person, this is a great time in your life to make a change. But I recommend doing some hands on research before taking the plunge.
Good Luck!
Hey, fellow Wildcat! My husband, 2 kids and I currently live in Tucson and are relocating to the Wilmington area. We are planning on being there by June. Sooner, if the house sells.
I would strongly recommend that you visit the area to get a feel for it. If possible, during different seasons. (The humidity will definately be a change for us desert dwellers. Think of monsoon time with your swamp cooler running!) We have been there twice and are going back next month to look around again.
From what I can tell, the wages are lower than Tucson and the unemployment is higher. You may want to first make sure you have a job.
As a single person, this is a great time in your life to make a change. But I recommend doing some hands on research before taking the plunge.
Good Luck!
A young man I know/knew came to eastern NC from Phoenix (Scottsdale, maybe) He was handily employed in AZ, but has struggled for two years here to find an above minimum wage job. He feels that this area is very very job poor and that there is no comparison to the AZ area. He loves the ocean and the season, but is pretty much totally impoverished at this point and is probably heading back to AZ.
He has no real support system here and has really struggled.
Thanks everyone for the advice. One thing that I am worried about is the job market, I have heard before that the job market in Wilmington wasn't great but from reading your posts it sounds like it is terrible compared to AZ....this is definately something that I will consider heavily before deciding whether or not to move. I am in the education field (school counseling) so I would be looking for work in the school system, don't know if this would help or hurt me but if anyone has any further info about that I would like to hear your input. Like I said, I wouldn't be moving until next summer at the earliest so who knows, maybe the job situation might change some (hopefully)!
We just lost one of our two counselors due to budget cuts. We now have one for 590 kids.
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