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Old 05-13-2015, 06:49 AM
 
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I would appreciate any advice on towns to live in outside Wilmington, I have 3 children 5,10,12, so schools are very importAnt, safety of town very important, community activities are important, my wife is a RN, so hospitals or rehab / retirement centers within 30 min drive very important, I myself have 20 years in restaurants as bartender/ management and 10 years as regional sales manager for beer Distributor. We love the laid back beach life, we will be renting a house the first year, we like to be near a short drive from beach, with a big enough yard for dogs to run and to have a small fire pit. I spent a time at Camp Lejuene 20 some years ago and lived in myrtle beach for 10 years in the 90's, my wife lived in Elizabeth City for years , so we understand the lifestyle and people, and after living in 17 states I enjoy the atmosphere and attitude of North Carolinians. So any advice will be much appreciated, thank you
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Old 05-13-2015, 07:04 AM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
13,344 posts, read 26,840,868 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Heybeerman15 View Post
we will be renting a house the first year....
Where is the job? I frequently recommend the Hampstead/Topsail beach area because the schools are excellent. However, if the job is in Leland, the commute will be unnecessarily long.
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Old 05-13-2015, 07:14 AM
 
Location: Southport
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Why not Wilmington itself? Other places to look are Southport, Leland and Hampstead.
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Old 05-13-2015, 07:37 AM
 
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No jobs yet, and we are fine with Wilmington as long as it's away from city
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Old 05-13-2015, 10:44 AM
 
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It's really hard to answer your question(s) without knowing how much you can afford, and you can't know that yourself if you and your wife don't have jobs.
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Old 05-13-2015, 11:12 AM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
13,344 posts, read 26,840,868 times
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Originally Posted by Heybeerman15 View Post
No jobs yet, and we are fine with Wilmington as long as it's away from city
Just a note, but how are you going to be able to rent a house without jobs? Most landlords will want to know you are a secure prospect. Do you have a large cash deposit?

FWIW, most of Wilmington is very suburban, and it is not dangerous.
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Old 05-13-2015, 11:27 AM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
13,344 posts, read 26,840,868 times
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Originally Posted by Heybeerman15 View Post
I spent a time at Camp Lejuene 20 some years ago
You will be surprised at how much the area has grown. Developments are popping up all along Highway 17. As I mentioned, the best rated schools are in the Topsail Beach district which includes Hampstead. The Onslow County schools are adequate. Most of my neighbors' kids attend the Dixon schools.

If you are looking for a rental, you might try the Militarybyowner website. Put in North Carolina and Camp Lejeune to find current listings. A four bedroom house runs around $1700-2100/month. Military owners tend to be tolerant of dogs.
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Old 05-13-2015, 11:31 AM
 
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Ok, price range for home rental would be no more then 1500.00, a month, and as for jobs both myself and my wife have leads and offers for employment, and other then that we are financially secure, so let's just say jobs are of no concern, what I need to know is where in Wilmington would you say has a strong community, with good schools, recreational programs for kids, enough of a yard to have a fire pit and small garden, and a bit outside of the traffic........Hempstead seems ideal
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Old 05-13-2015, 12:24 PM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
13,344 posts, read 26,840,868 times
Reputation: 6930
Quote:
Originally Posted by Heybeerman15 View Post
...where in Wilmington would you say has a strong community, with good schools, recreational programs for kids, enough of a yard to have a fire pit and small garden, and a bit outside of the traffic........Hempstead seems ideal
Within the part of New Hanover County which has a Wilmington address, look at the Ogden area. It is served by the E A Laney High School and the M C S Noble Middle School. Those schools are decent and there are nice suburban neighborhoods in Ogden.
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Old 05-15-2015, 04:20 AM
 
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Within New Hanover County....

Ogden is a cheaper option than Porters Neck and Elementary Schools are great. Noble Middle and Laney High are fine...although some go to Holly Shelter Middle, which is likely fine as well, but because its newer there is less info out there. Easy access to Wrightsville Beach and Mayfaire.

Monkey Junction area is not bad, but I kind of like the Veterans Park area better, because of its community type feel and the access to the Park and school complex. It has really easy access to Carolina Beach, which has grown into a real entertaining area. Schools are fine, but not the overall best.

One thing of note...both of the areas I mentioned above are filled with a lot of northern transplants, which is fine, but may not be what some are looking for in terms of "southern hospitality".

Personally I think the Midtown area can't be beat. Parsley, Holly Tree and Pine Valley are all good Elementary schools and Roland Grise Middle and Hoggard High are as good as you will get. Its hard to find a rental in Hoggard's district, let's put it that way. Pine Valley is an affordable option, but $1500 may not get you there if you want 4 bedrooms. There is a lot of infill construction going on in the Midtown area, particularly off Independence Blvd. And the midtown area seems to be the more established southern folks that have lived there awhile. Its about 15 minutes to both Carolina Beach and Wrightsville.

Besides that Hampstead is fine as GA has said...its a bit of a strip community, but the housing is affordable and schools are good. IMO, its not doable if you are working at the Hospital in Wilmington though...its just an unnecessary commute. You'll just waste a bunch of money on gas and waste time in your car.
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