Jacksonville NC area? (Fayetteville, Swansboro: motels, home, school)

[aphorista]

Hello there, I have been reading threads on this board (and other states) for about a month now and really enjoy them. Currently, we live in Fayetteville and hate it for a number of reasons (we are non-military). We may have the opportunity to move to Jacksonville (another military area) and are curious about some of the outer communities esp those near the beach. Can anyone tell me about some communities that they might recommend for a family? I heard that Swansboro has a "New England" feel which for me being from New England sounds very nice. We are looking for the following:
approximately 2000 sq ft home that is not on top of one another, good school system and a strong parks and recreation program. I have already read about the poor drinking water quality but do not care about that as we have a water cooler. Any comments would be most appreciated including those loaded with yankee sarcasm
Thanks in advance.

[scjj]

I only know about the Jacksonville area. We have a friend that owns a furniture store there and we would go there to get our furniture. I never did care for the Jacksonville area. It was always a ugly town with a lot rundown motels, bars and strip joints.

[aphorista]

Thanks for the feedback about Jacksonville. Sounds like Fayetteville in some areas although I have seen some good improvements since I have been here. We are primarily interested in the area surrounding Jacksonville. I am thinking that we would need to travel to Jacksonville for major shopping. Anyone else know about the surrounding area? Thanks!