Rocky Mount is a nice city!!!!!! (Charlotte, Raleigh: low income, section 8, renting)

[uncletupelo]

Ann- your bitterness towards Rocky Mount is unhealthy. Have you not let it out enough yet? You posts indicate a real hatred of NC and Southerner's in general. Why don't you just quit your complaining and leave. I am sick of your bitter, negative posts. I emphasize the word BITTER.

[Beffrey2]

Originally Posted by uncletupelo

Ann- your bitterness towards Rocky Mount is unhealthy. Have you not let it out enough yet? You posts indicate a real hatred of NC and Southerner's in general. Why don't you just quit your complaining and leave. I am sick of your bitter, negative posts. I emphasize the word BITTER.

I don't see anything wrong with what ann is saying about Rocky-Mount.

That town is like kinston...nothing but gangs, thugs..etc. down right dangerous! When you get away from Rocky-Mount, in areas like Nasheville, it is really nice.

All you have to is check the crime stats from Rocky Mount, it all speaks for itself.

I live in wilson, wilson is like heaven compared to that place. I have lived in Raleigh, Wilmington, New Bern, Greenville, and now wilson. So I am from the south. I just find nothing pleasant about Rocky Mount. I will not even go shopping there. It is just to bad that Rocky Mount is where most of my family lives on my mothers side....so I have to go there sometimes....

But I don't have a problem with someone likeing Rocky Mount. Everyone has their own opinion. But I rank Rocky Mount and Kinston up there as the worst towns in this state.

[Ann in Oriental]

Uncle, I DID leave Rocky Mount, and Oriental is MUCH better! No, I'm not real fond of NC in general but that's because I don't like heat and humidity for 5 months straight. (hardly any spring or fall) and because I'm a "new-age" liberal which is not a good fit in most of NC. Obviously you are just the opposite which is probably why my posts bother you. Why don't I leave? I still have children in high school here and as husband likes it I feel an obligation to not leave him while the kids are still in school. After that maybe I will, but still have a few years left. Do I dislike it here enough to get divorced? It's really a close call. BUT I do have every right to dislike it. If you pay attention you will see though that many times I HAVE said positive things!

[Wire120]

Originally Posted by Wire120STFU

No you are delusional Wire120. You obviously are hellbent on fulfilling your vendetta of making Rocky Mount look like North Carolina's version of the Bronx.

I can't believe how much you have regurgitated the nonsense you've heard others state around these forums who heard so and so about Rocky Mount. I had to make an account just to correct your trolling a$$ and set the record straight for those who want the facts not your opinion.

I currently live in Rocky Mount and have resided here since the mid '80s. I have moved from all corners of the city and worked in surrounding cities as well. So I know first hand how negative Rocky Mount aka "South Rock" or "Roc City" can be and how upscale its nicer neighborhoods are.

The negative - As stated before RM has two counties Nash and Edgecombe, the later side is on the southern side of the railroad tracks. The area cries ghetto and doesn't take a genius to figure out 10 police cars in half a mile of driving and 100 poverty class people walking in the streets at all hours of the day. This area geographically takes up 15% of RM. The negative area of RM stays in this area! Its not like wire120 who goes around spreading negativity every chance he gets.

Yes RM doesn't have French Cuisines or cater to celebraties. Its a highway town. 64 and 95 intersect in this area and so all Rocky Mount has is a bunch of gas stations, banks, hotels, churches, fast food joints and retail stores. The cost of living is low as is the median pay so the average joe here isn't complaining that the mall isn't two stories and full of Dolce and Gabbana or Nordstroms style outlets. Raleigh is 45 mins east of here if you absolutely need to drive to one of these places to eat or shop.

Also there is nothing to do here locally. There is a paintball complex around here somewhere and lots of bingo warehouses or places have surfaced in the past couple years. There are several clubs actually but are generally hip hop oriented per se.

Neutral - Since you want to bring race into the subject mr. my sh*t don't stink, then yes 60% of RM is African American. Hispanics reside here as well but not the same % that Raleigh has. I can attest that Race is not an issue outside of south RM and the school systems that they seemed to do some sort of test on. During the 90's the district decided to send half of Rocky Mount's children to the schools on the northside and the other half to the southside. Being that the southern side was near Edgecombe, this is where all the poverty kids were enrolled. They also zoned it in a way that they pulled a few neighborhoods from opposite sides to distribute race a little more and even things out. Northern Nash High / Nash Central/ Red Oak Middle were the chain of schools to go to if you wanted the better of the two sides. Rocky Mount HS, Parker Middle, Williford or something were the schools on the southside. Private schools are the best way to go of course.


Positive - Cost of living is one of the lowest in the country. Traffic is very smooth flowing. Being a native of the area and visiting other towns/cities bigger or smaller, make me feel lucky. IF you are looking to buy a used car I would say get it from here. Vehicles from Raleigh or Wilmington etc the traffic will do a number on your drivetrain. This is not a college or military town either. There are some factories and medical style plants. RBC Centura building...nothing major.

Between the mountains and the beach. 3 hours west - mountains, 1.5 hours east and you're at the beach. Hwy 95 is right here so NY or FL straight up or down.

There are 55k residents so its not a one stoplight town in the middle of nowhere and its not buldging with people.

Several neighborhoods have popped up over the past decade, moreso on the side of western side of RM. There are golf courses, parks to walk or bike and city lake which I drove by a few days ago and all were busy with people. Okay this isn't Beverly Hills or Mayberry like Andy Griffith its just plain Rocky Mount. I'm not saying buy a house and settle here unless you got a decent job somewhere and enjoy a highway town. You can move into the country areas of Rocky Mount where everything is quiet ei off of Hwy 97 or down Sunset Ave where there are several $500k houses and bigger on large lots of land.

Rocky Mount does have lots of farm land so there is RM and then fields everywhere outside city limits.

It's what you make of it and I feel sorry for the people who posted in here talking about white flight (race % has not changed in decades, most people have been raised in the area), gang violence (if there is a gang of anytype here that is news to me.. the low class people here couldn't organize that) or anything else they have been ranting and raving. The creator of this post who gave their outside view was actually very accurate to this resident who has been here for decades.


The ghettoish side of RM has not spread out much. Law enforcement here has been doing a decent job they don't bully or let things run wild. Tarboro's law enforcement are tight asses for example. Then again Tarboro is in a majority of Edgecombe County and their school system and goverment areas are of question to me.


Anyway I urge you to get a second opinion about Rocky Mount and to ask someone who actually lives here locally. Also visit the area yourself because its forums like these that can make an okay place seem like a dump. One troll here has probably stopped a few decent transplants from joining the family.

Oh my god, this has to be a joke post or somebody from the Rocky Mount chamber of commerce doing damage control on here. Its completely laughable.

First, Id say over 60 percent of Rocky Mount is certaintly "ghettoish". Especially considering the black population makes up 60 to possibly 70 percent of its population these days. The "nice" areas you are talking about are actually outside the city limits. Its like your brain is automatically stuck in "1970s Rocky Mount" and not 2009 Rocky Mount.

Why dont you pull your head out of your ass and admit Rocky Mount is a hell hole now. It has the worst crime and the worst unemployment in the whole state. Look at the numbers.

There is a 99 percent chance your post is a joke. No way you actually believe what you just typed. No way. I cant beleive you would type up such a parody post for the hel of it though.

[Wire120]

And also LOL at defending Rocky Mount by calling it a "highway" town. That in itself tells you that your "60,000" city is crap hole. If you called Wilson that they would be offended. Wilson actually gets nice restaraunts instead of some piece of crap olive garden.

Also I will mention race in to this because it is a BIG REASON why Rocky Mount is god awful now. If Rocky Mount was 90 percent black it would be even worse. Guess what race commits the most crime in Rocky Mount and the whole country? Gee, I think its BLACK PEOPLE. If you cant handle that little statistic I think you shouldnt be engaging in these types of discussions. Detroit is 90 percent black and its the worst city in the entire country.

And yes, you are a total liar talking the supposed crime in Rocky Mount. A lot of the crime HAS spilled over in to the very western side of the city. I mentioned I had friends who lived off Winstead Ave. who had their home broken into by thugs twice in one week no less. No place is safe in Rocky Mount now, except for maybe Fords Colony because its gated. And lets not mention West Haven as a nice place. That former nice neighborhood has turned into a total joke because of its home invasions. The one really nice neighborhood that has been built in Rocky Mount is actually SORROUNDED by the ghetto across from battle park. You would have to be a total moron to build a house there. About 99 percent of the new real estate has been outside of Rocky Mount. But hell, why even build outside the city when you still have to commute to a crime ridden area anyway. Might as well move to Wilson or Raleigh.

[Wire120]

What made me laugh the most about that joker's post was that Rocky Mount has a "lot of farmland." Yeah, back in the 1960s when you went past tarrytown mall, LOL.

And I sure as hell wouldnt feel safe walking or running in most of the city's parks.

[Wire120]

Originally Posted by Ann in Oriental

Hey Muay Khorat... My kids went to Northern Nash too, we lived in Red Oak. The trouble started when they started busing kids in from the Cokey Road area. My daughter is a senior too, if you went to Red Oak Middle you might know her. I won't let her go back to visit anyone as friends tell me how much worse it's gotten in 6 years.

Yeah, and I havnt even mentioned the schools that much. The public schools there have been a total joke for a long, long time. Im not sure about the private schools. Rocky Mount Academy would have to be at least "decent".

[Muay Khorat]

Originally Posted by Ann in Oriental

Hey Muay Khorat... My kids went to Northern Nash too, we lived in Red Oak. The trouble started when they started busing kids in from the Cokey Road area. My daughter is a senior too, if you went to Red Oak Middle you might know her. I won't let her go back to visit anyone as friends tell me how much worse it's gotten in 6 years.

lol, yeah I went to ROM!

Northern Nash is actually better than it used to be. It almost got shut down in 2004, and it was an all-out fight club when I first got there (in 2005-2006). There used to be three to four fights on the average day, but now you get arrested for fighting at school so it has slowed down a lot.

Unfortunately, people settle their disputes at Walmart or the mall. Best Buy stays flooded with security personnel, lol.

[Muay Khorat]

Originally Posted by Wire120

What made me laugh the most about that joker's post was that Rocky Mount has a "lot of farmland." Yeah, back in the 1960s when you went past tarrytown mall, LOL.

And I sure as hell wouldnt feel safe walking or running in most of the city's parks.

Oh man, that side of town is CREEPY! Full of disturbed outpatients.

The library, the park, and the lake are utopias for weirdos. If you go to Chico's you better get takeout, or you might get some weird hooker or crackhead sitting next to you ordering like 20-something margaritas with no intention of paying for them.

[Wire120]

Its truly amazing at how much Rocky Mount has gone downhill just in the last 10 years no less. There is no other place in NC that has fallen to such depths of despair.