Fisherman and family looking to locate to the NC Coast (Wilmington: HOA, insurance)

[synthnut]

I have been lurking for quite a while seeing the various threads on NC living on the coast ....I am a white man in my late 50's , and my wife is Jamaican , and my son from a previous marriage lives with us ...He is in his mid 30's and disabled from an auto accident that left him brain injured at the age of 16 yrs old .. He is very mobile and loves life as we all do ....He does have short term memory problems , but has no major medical needs other than to be supervised .... We are a very friendly , loving , family and would like to live on the NC Coast if possible ... I have noticed that the area is typically white , and was wondering if we move to the area if there is going to be any racial issues , or will people accept us for the good people that we are , and not turn us away because my wife happens to be black ? ... My wife had her own business in Jamaica , and still owns a home there that we go to for a few weeks in the Winter months ... I am retired from my own Plumbing business, and I am NOT happy with the taxes and all the various groups of people here in NY that live here simply for the handout that our government officials seem to love to give them in return for a vote !!.... We would come to NC not looking for any handouts , and we are not trying to change NC into NY , and we are basically good, law abiding , people who just want to live near the water and enjoy the rest of our lives .... A house that is in an area that has use of a boat ramp would be ideal ...The Swansboro/Cape Carteret area looks very nice, as does the area up by Stella on the White Oak River ..... I fish all kinds of fishing ....I do fresh water, and also Salt Water .....Would LOVE to do some Tuna fishing down there !!!.... I have a 20 ft center console and also have quite a few kayaks as I LOVE to kayak fish .... We are a quiet family, and for the most part we keep to ourselves as we really do enjoy each others company , but also have good friends here in NY that we enjoy being with ....

If anyone has any information that they would like to share, please do, and please share any concerns that you may have about anything I have mentioned above .... I surely wouldn't want to move my family into an area were we would not be welcomed, as I know we have a lot to offer any community that we move to ....Thanks for listening .....Sincerely, Jim

[synthnut]

Hi CoastalBreeze,
Thanks so much for your reply ....I really appreciate it .....I was beginning to think that I was all alone with this thread .... I was hoping that I would find more open minded people who understand that love has no color .... Then again , in reality , I do know that it is not the norm ... Such is life .... I will now direct some attention to the area that you have advised me to check out .... The fishing you mention sounds GREAT !!!.... $900 in taxes is not hard to take at all .... That is a little more than a one Winter months utility bill here in NY !!!.... You really have given me a wealth of information and I appreciate it ....Again, Thanks so much for understanding my situation and replying ...Sincerely, Jim

[dsobotta]

Originally Posted by synthnut

Hi CoastalBreeze,
Thanks so much for your reply ....I really appreciate it .....I was beginning to think that I was all alone with this thread .... I was hoping that I would find more open minded people who understand that love has no color .... Then again , in reality , I do know that it is not the norm ... Such is life .... I will now direct some attention to the area that you have advised me to check out .... The fishing you mention sounds GREAT !!!.... $900 in taxes is not hard to take at all .... That is a little more than a one Winter months utility bill here in NY !!!.... You really have given me a wealth of information and I appreciate it ....Again, Thanks so much for understanding my situation and replying ...Sincerely, Jim

I do not think you are going to have a problem in the Cape Carteret area. There are a lot of military and ex-military people in the area as well as many people from all over.

We live on the White Oak, the kayak fishing there is very good. I also have a 20 ft center console skiff. I'm located in Bluewater Cove and can make it to the ICW in 10 minutes with another ten getting me out the Inlet into the ocean.

There are a number of communities with good boat ramps. It you live in Cape Carteret, you can use the town boat ramp for $50 a year I believe.

For the record, Carteret County has the lowest property taxes in North Carolina. In any coastal county insurance somewhat offsets the lower taxes, but in general we have found living on the coast is 30-40% cheaper all things factored in than living in Roanoke, Va. our previous home.

There are a wide variety of places on the market, and I believe you can get a good feel for the area in a visit. It is possible to get a place in a community on the river for under $300K.

Most people fall in love with the area pretty quickly. I suggest you visit my blog for a number of posts about the area. Also check out this page for lots of pictures and information.

You might enjoy this story about catching bluefish this fall.

[synthnut]

Hi David,
Thanks for the reply ....You are one person who made the area so interesting from your pictures and your writings ...I have spent a LOT of time reading your blog as well as much other info that you have written so well ... I was looking around via Realtor.com to see if I could find anything on the river for right around $300,000 and most homes were closer to $400,000 ..... Once my home in NY is sold ( hopefully in the Spring ) I will be coming down to buy a house depending on what area I decide to move to by checking out the area .... I posted my situation in my thread and the silence is deafening .... Somehow in the back of my head I had an idea that this is how it would go while hoping for a few more replies .... It is what it is .... I have a lot of interests and hobbies much like yourself ....I too enjoy photography , kayaking, boating , fishing , etc ......I also write music and have played proffesionally back in the day .... The music scene changed drastically , and I went back to a REAL job !!...LOL !!!.... My family and I can live pretty much anywhere , and the NC area just looked so serene and I could see myself there without a doubt ....My wife and son are happy as long as we are all together as a family .... I checked out your area ( VERY NICE !! ) but homes were listed closer to $400,000 than $300,000 ......... $250 - $300,000 on the river would work great for us .....2,000 sq ft , 3 bdrms, 2-2.5 baths, and a spot for the boat of course would work great for us ......Thanks again for your reply ..Sincerely, Jim

[Dusty Rhodes]

Well, N.C. is not Alabama or Mississippi, although I have friends down that way who swear that it is getting better. By in large, people here will treat you the same way you treat them. If you are open, honest and smile and speak, it will be reciprocated. I tend to choose my friends by the things we have in common, there will always be differences, t'ain't a problem.

[dsobotta]

Originally Posted by synthnut

Hi David,
Thanks for the reply ....You are one person who made the area so interesting from your pictures and your writings ...I have spent a LOT of time reading your blog as well as much other info that you have written so well ... I was looking around via Realtor.com to see if I could find anything on the river for right around $300,000 and most homes were closer to $400,000 ..... Once my home in NY is sold ( hopefully in the Spring ) I will be coming down to buy a house depending on what area I decide to move to by checking out the area .... I posted my situation in my thread and the silence is deafening .... Somehow in the back of my head I had an idea that this is how it would go while hoping for a few more replies .... It is what it is .... I have a lot of interests and hobbies much like yourself ....I too enjoy photography , kayaking, boating , fishing , etc ......I also write music and have played proffesionally back in the day .... The music scene changed drastically , and I went back to a REAL job !!...LOL !!!.... My family and I can live pretty much anywhere , and the NC area just looked so serene and I could see myself there without a doubt ....My wife and son are happy as long as we are all together as a family .... I checked out your area ( VERY NICE !! ) but homes were listed closer to $400,000 than $300,000 ......... $250 - $300,000 on the river would work great for us .....2,000 sq ft , 3 bdrms, 2-2.5 baths, and a spot for the boat of course would work great for us ......Thanks again for your reply ..Sincerely, Jim

Jim,

I hope you find some that you like. It is hard if not impossible to find something on the river that is nice and would sell for less than $300K.

However, if you consider a river access community, you probably can do it.

There are four on the eastern side of the White Oak, Silver Creek Plantation, Bluewater Cove, River Oaks Plantation, and White Oak Bluffs.

All have a ramp, some a day dock, and one has boat slips where you can put a lift. River Oaks Plantation definitely has some homes under $300K. Bluewater Cove has some as low as $329K. You can find some with a nice water view, but a water view definitely pushes the price up.

It is not hard at all to find a home close to $300K within a 5-7 minute walk to the water.

There is some advantage to being in a community since even with a boat lift you need a ramp once in a while. A ramp is something usually only found in a community or government supported. We also find the pool nice in summer and the quiet roads a great place to walk.

The ramps are used infrequently in most communities so there is not the pressure to be an expert that there is in some of the very busy state ramps.

Come down for a visit and we'll give you a ride down the river when the weather gets warm again in April or May. I just love the White Oak. I have a friend who fishes it on small bass boat only ten ft long. He mostly fishes some of the inlets, but he does great on red drum.

If the water is what is important to you, make sure you give it a fair test. We were just lucky when we found the White Oak.

One of the smart things to do when checking out a community is to look at the boats parked in the yards. You can tell a lot about the water by what kind of boats are in a community.

You can make some pretty good judgments on the kind of water access by the boats.

You can look a long time and not find a place nicer or friendlier than Carteret County.

Good luck selling your home and staying warm this winter. We were in the Va. mountains for Christmas and got 20 inches of snow. I cannot wait to get back to the coast.

[LLN]

You might want to give New Bern a look. It is a small southern town and Black and White folks live, in many places, in close proximity with no apparent problems. I see mixed couples frequently and while I could not care less, I really do not notice anyone saying or doing anything either. Of course, I am sure someone will eventually say something, but you should not concern yourself with what that person says.

We have a new government in New Bern, and though we have had some tough times lately, with some poor decisions I am very optimistic about our future, here.

We are about 45 minutes from the coast, located at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent rivers. Those are big waters. Trout, Redfish, Stripers, and Flounder are caught, but you have to know what you are doing. I don't yet, so I don't haul a lot in, but others do.

Good luck on your decision.

lln

[synthnut]

Thanks for the replies guys....I really appreciate it .....

Dusty,
Thanks for the encouragement ..... My family and I are very friendly people and I have lived all over the USA and Jamaica , and know in my heart that what you say is true ....Once people get to know you , and see that you are a genuine person , they will forget all about your color and where you came from .... A good person is a good person because of his/her values ...I was brought up right, and my wife is a Saint !!!.... My son loves life and smiles a lot ...His outgoing attitude has won many a heart ...

David,
YES !!...A community with a ramp , without high HOA fee's works very well for me .... I just don't want to live so near the river and have to drag my boat or my kayaks 10 miles to drop them in the water ....I do that now here in NY ...I travel MUCH further to get to some of my fishing spots .... This will hopefully be my last stop before the good lord decides it's time for me to leave .... When I get too old to boat or fish , I can at least see the beauty of it all by takeing a leasurely stroll down the road with my wife ...

LLN,
I have lurked on this forum for quite a while , and have seen a lot of posts both positive and negative about New Bern ..... I have never been there, and far be it from me to pass judgement on ANY town or city .... I think that in just about any area that you visit , you will see more interacial couples in cities more so than in the country ... Perhaps they blend in a little bit easier , maybe because people are more accepting in larger cities ....??????....I see more interacial folks mentioned in the Wilmington area also .... Another issue that I read a lot about is that the New Bern government seems to have issues running the city that have people upset .... One thing I DON'T need to deal with is government in the next area I move to .... I view government in this country today as nothing more than a form of legalized corruption ....More of a do as I say, not as I do mentality .... I live in NY where there are more government programs that we taxpayers fund, that make NO SENSE at all ...We are at the top of the list of states with government programs by far more than twice the amount of the next nearest state with programs .....I am leaving this behind, and don't need to get back into it where I move to .... I have always lived in the country, and so has my wife , and we intend on living that way when we move .... There are far less rediculous government programs in NC, and this plays a big part of my choice to live there .... Sorry for my rant , but I tells it like I see's it !!! ..

Thanks again to all of you for your input ....It's been a great help...Sincerely, Jim

[macjr82]

I'd caution you to not write off (for lack of a better term) "the greater New Bern area". The issues you here about are only ones you'd deal with if you lived inside the city limits. You still have Brice's Creek, River Bend, Thurman, Neuse Harbor, Stately Pines, Carolina Pines, and many other communitites with NB addresses but aren't directly effected by the city government.

As far as Carteret County, I think the best kept secret is the portion on the ICW around Harlowe, Adams Creek, Seagate, and the back end of Beaufort.

As far as interracial relationships, it's no problem in the area as a whole. I'd say they were accepted on the crytal coast area long before many other parts of the state, due to military population. Though I haven't heard much of anything in the past decade, growing up it was well known that people in the real down east were somewhat less tolerant. That area being parts of Beaufort and beyond. Maybe as a rebellion to this attitude, in the 90s alot of young white ladies in Beaufort, Harker's Island on out ended uo with young black men and were subsequently disowned for it. I think the end result, though, as children were produced and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" was played out time after time eventually eased attitudes. Still there are bound to be a few with whom these attitudes still exist. That said, most people have a POV that if it doesn't affect me or my family then I won't pass judgment, so unless you have a parent or in-law from down east, you should be alright.

[synthnut]

macjr82,
Thanks for your input .....I am pretty much open to the entire situation of moving to NC. ..... I will know the area and the house when I see it .... I am generally looking for a quiet area for both me and my family ... We have a summer cabin upstate NY where we live just fine .... Actually we love it there , but clearing out of NY is one of my main goals before I leave this world ... It's still a beautiful area , but the people running the show bow to the lobby groups and leave the tax paying citizens behind !!... We are 13 miles from where you can go to a Home Depot or any fast food or supermarkets ..... We have 10 acres that sit's back in the woods and we live in a log cabin !!.....THAT is more home to us than the house we live in most of the year ... That will be a tough home to leave, but we must do what we must do to survive and live a good life .... I really have to get down there and see the lay of the land so to speak .... What I am calling a city might be more of a town and may be less populated than I realize ... I will certainly go down to NC with an open mind and take in as much as I can and give every area the same consideration ....Thanks again ..... Sincerely, Jim