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Hello there, my family and I are looking to move to North Carolina. My husband is disabled and I am a LPN. We have a teenage son. Currently we live in Ohio. We don't have much family here & our friends aren't really holding us back. Currently we live rather rural but would like to live much more urban. We have one choc. lab and would need to take him in to considerations when moving. We want to live no farther than 20 minutes from the ocean. I want to make sure my son is in a good high school. I do NOT want to live in the ghettos or a high crime rate area. We are looking to leave the cold! Do you have any suggestions what town/neighborhood we should choose to live in. We were looking at Wilmington, but we don't really know much about anything down there, so any feedback would be highly appreciated
If it HAS to be NC, then Wilmington is pretty much your choice, so plan to come visit. If you just want to be in a reasonable-sized place near the ocean, look at Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA as well. Wilmington is smaller than those places and outside Wilmington is rural pretty fast. But, you should never consider moving somewhere you admittedly "know nothing about", so plan a weekend visit. Wrightsville Beach is a nice vacation spot.
Yeah, when my son gets out of school this summer we plan to go down and scout out where we want to go. And we want to stick to North Carolina because we have a son, who lives in Jacksonville. Also, we want to be able to drive back to Ohio if we can not afford to fly. We will probably rent a house at first, no apartment or anything like that, and will pay a good $1000 a month for a 3 bedroom house. My nursing company has a branch out there in Wilmington, so I am guaranteed a job, plus there is the hospital. Then also my husband is on disability so a job for him is not the concern. I have read that the cost of living is several thousand cheaper compared to where I live in Ohio, and that nurses make on averages 5-10 thousand dollars more a year. I want to live in a safe area, but I would like to have a nice house. I have also read that it was rated the 3rd best town in America 3 years ago. I don't really know how the high schools are down there, but my son is quite smart and should get along anywhere fore he is in advanced classes. He does play some sports too. Also what do kids "teens" do down there for fun?
I seriously doubt that the cost of living in Wilmington is lower than ANYWHERE in Ohio; especially with regards to home prices (the average home price in Wilmington is well over $300k). And a 3 bedroom house with rent for under $1000? That won't get you a 3 bedroom house in the suburbs or decent area of the city of Raleigh (which is a more affordable area of NC than Wilmington).
Ohh. Well I was on craigslist and it seemed there were actually many homes. And it was to rent, right now I don't really want a loan. But here in Ohio, you get a house that was lastly remodeled in the '80s for a good 800 a month. And for somthing nice and updated, it is honestly hard to find in my area. But thanks you for your information. Do you know any better coastal citys?
Well Wilmington is a very nice city, hence the reason it's expensive. It's also really the only decent sized city on the coast. Next runner up would probably be Morehead City further north on the coast near the southern base of the Outer Banks, though it is much smaller than Wilmington and more of a vacation town with Atlantic Beach right there. I agree with Francois that you should really visit the state (As well as other states) before making such a big move and to make sure you have employment AND know what your financial situation will be like (I.E the COL adjustments)
Another area to consider would be Oriental, NC-aka the sailboat capital of NC. A small town, not urban, but a ferry ride away from a busier Morehead City, which is close to Atlantic Beach/Emerald Isle areas.
Washington is another area, waterfront town, near Greenville. Not as close to the ocean, though.
You might want to try Cape Carteret or Cedar Point
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Originally Posted by opee07
Hello there, my family and I are looking to move to North Carolina. My husband is disabled and I am a LPN. We have a teenage son. Currently we live in Ohio. We don't have much family here & our friends aren't really holding us back. Currently we live rather rural but would like to live much more urban. We have one choc. lab and would need to take him in to considerations when moving. We want to live no farther than 20 minutes from the ocean. I want to make sure my son is in a good high school. I do NOT want to live in the ghettos or a high crime rate area. We are looking to leave the cold! Do you have any suggestions what town/neighborhood we should choose to live in. We were looking at Wilmington, but we don't really know much about anything down there, so any feedback would be highly appreciated
If you want good schools and perhaps not a city, you might want to consider Carteret County.
Croatan High School which takes care of the western side of Carteret County recently won its second straight award as one of the top schools in the nation.
Carteret County offers a good balance between services and being a pleasant place to live where people get to know you. The area is more a series of connected and cooperating small towns than one area. You can read the profile of Cape Carteret to get an idea of crime in the area.
We have plenty of services in the area, and Morehead City which is under twenty minutes has everything but a Target. Check this map to get an idea of the area.
There are three area hospitals, one in Morehead City 25 minutes away, another in Jacksonville 30 minutes away, and a regional medical center in New Bern 45 minutes away.
This is a dog friendly area with some great trails at the Croatan National Forest Access point in Cedar Point. Dogs are allowed on the beach on leash.
Most people are five to ten minutes from a beach access point. We live on the White Oak River and can be walking on the beaches in less than ten minutes. It also takes us about ten minutes by boat to the Intracoastal Waterway.
This is a friendly area, with low crime, a moderate climate, and modern services. Single family homes are available from $150K up. In our end of the county you would have to work hard to be more than 15 minutes from the beach.
We also have some museums, a NC Aquarium, National Forest, and National Seashore. Property taxes in Carteret County are the lowest of any county in North Carolina.
There are plenty of people on the forum who live in the county and can answer specific questions. I have a blog which discusses living in the county or moving to it. It is called The Crystal Coast, Saltwater on my feet.
Swansboro is a very nice place to live at. Being disabled,will get you the frist $45,000 of property taxes off your bill. Now South Carolina will give you 100% off your property taxes and alot more for the disabled. You need to look in on the differance in state and counties you would concider in moving to. I`would have you look in the Conway, Myrtle Beach area. Don`t forget the taxes on even your cars. Good luck.
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You might want to try Cape Carteret or Cedar Point
I agree.
