What cities have the best schools, job opportunities and close to the beach? (Raleigh: real estate)

[kpohal]

My family and I are considering moving to NC from NY. I grew up on Long Island by the beach so I would like to be near the ocean. I am also involved with real estate so I would like to be near a area which is growing. I have 3 children and education is very important to us. What cities in NC can provide a great education, real estate opportunities, affordable housing and close proximity to the ocean. Thanks.

[mm34b]

How close to the coast?

[dsobotta]

Originally Posted by kpohal

My family and I are considering moving to NC from NY. I grew up on Long Island by the beach so I would like to be near the ocean. I am also involved with real estate so I would like to be near a area which is growing. I have 3 children and education is very important to us. What cities in NC can provide a great education, real estate opportunities, affordable housing and close proximity to the ocean. Thanks.

There is a tremendous amount of opportunity all along the NC coast. In real estate you should be prepared to live through the tough market we are seeing right now.

It just depends on the kind of environment that you want. Wilmington is more of an urban environment. South of Wilmington, you find small towns, and east of Wilmington the area is developing very fast.

We live on the Crystal Coast (Southern Outer Banks) which is roughly Swansboro area to Beaufort with an extension to Down East. We're farther up the coast than the Wilmington area.

The Southern Outer Banks where we live has seen some very good times recently, but it is a small town environment. We love it, but that is what we wanted. Job opportunities with few exceptions are better closer to Wilmington.

There are only 65,000 permanent residents in Carteret County where we live, but the schools are rated highly.

The northern Outer Banks are completely different, very nice but you would have to find someone living out there to give you details on how it is to live there year round.

We've have been on the coast for about a year. You can read about my experiences at this site or my main Southern Outer Banks site.

We are about six miles from the beach and can be walking on the Emerald Isle beaches in ten minutes. Most people moving into the area can find something that meets their budget. We have lots of services in the area that are available year round.

We are 1.5 hours from Wilmington, 2.5 hours Raleigh-Durham, and about six hours from Northern Virginia.

There are always jobs in real estate in the paper.

I would be glad to talk in detail if you want to get in touch.

You can also check out my new Emerald Isle Travel Guide for more local information and my Carteret County Blog for some pictures.

-David Sobotta