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I am new to this site, i came across it while searching "best cities to raise a family in wilmington N.C"and saw ALOT of feedback on someones thread so i thought i would give it a shot and get some valuable info from the locals. So with that being said i am looking to relocate my wife and 2yr old little boy to N.C where? im not sure. ive been reccomended many cities and from what i hear if i want to be close to the beach (with in 30 min drive) i am to try near wilmington. we are not rich to just buy a new home so we plan to rent, havent started job hunting yet either. i figured find the top 5 cities vacation there and check them out first hand then come home and try to land a job. once job is landed move down by myself in a hotel then find us a home. So i am looking for a grest city that has fun family activities as we are used to pro basketball baseball games not to mention the endless events at are arenas, close to the beach, a good school system and a rent area of 600-700 monthly. duplex or townhomes will do. i appreciate the time youve taken to read and reply and really hope this works. Thanks!
Your desired rent is very low for desirable area near the coast, unfortunately, but you find find something in a somewhat less desirable area, or perhaps a mobile home. What kind of work do you do?
See I'm used to that cost being a normal and it being a nice area to live. I have a trade in plumbing but don't use it and currently drive truck for a supply warehouse. But Im open to trying new things anywhere we go. Do you think living say an hour away from the beach would be cheaper? Or are you saying all of N.C is costly
See I'm used to that cost being a normal and it being a nice area to live. I have a trade in plumbing but don't use it and currently drive truck for a supply warehouse. But Im open to trying new things anywhere we go. Do you think living say an hour away from the beach would be cheaper? Or are you saying all of N.C is costly
In any location thats nice and has decent schools it will be hard to find somewhere nice to rent at price. You'll probably make $10 to $12 an hour. Somewhere like Jacksonville or New Bern will have cheaper housing than Wilmington.
Wilmington and Coastal NC is tough in a couple of ways. It's an employer's market (lots of people moving into the area wanting jobs and willing to work for depressed wages; lots more people wanting jobs than jobs available, and it has a relatively high cost of housing (it's a seller's/landlord's market for the same supply/demand reason) for an area with pretty low wages. Most areas an hour away from the beach in the Wilmington area are economically depressed areas, simply because that's the region of the state where that's the case.
I hate sound so negative because you sound very eager, but I have to give you realistic information. That's not to say it's impossible to end up where you'd like to be if you can establish a lucrative living, but you do need to know the challenges early on.
Not all of NC is costly. One clue is that if you see an area that's getting a lot of attention on this forum, an area that's a vacation/tourism area, an area that makes lots of national "best places to live" lists, etc., it's likely a more expensive area. The less expensive areas in the state usually don't have this kind of coverage.
Yeah I was looking for towns near Wilmington I already heard Wilmington is a bigger city more touristy to try and find a suburb outside but near Wilmington. Are Jacksonville and New Bern your top pick?
No I need the negative stuff that I can't research this is exactly what I am looking for the truth! But the cities your mentioning aren't as broadcasted on the internet to research and learn about from states away. If you werebin my situation would you move to Nc with what you know? If not where would you go. Jowel
No I need the negative stuff that I can't research this is exactly what I am looking for the truth! But the cities your mentioning aren't as broadcasted on the internet to research and learn about from states away. If you werebin my situation would you move to Nc with what you know? If not where would you go. Jowel
Wow, that's a bit of a tough one.
In NC, if we're just talking about which areas have affordable housing, these areas are typically the rural areas and small towns many folks across the opposite part of NC likely haven't even heard of, so it's easier to list some expensive areas where this wouldn't be (i.e. Wilmington, areas along the immediate coast and fairly close to it), the Triangle (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Cary/Apex and that whole general area), Asheville, Boone, much of the NC Mountains, Charlotte).
In terms of where a housing budget would go the furthest, and you're still in a good area (although $600-700 would still be a modest, small home), possibly parts of the Triad (Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point, especially some of the rural outlying areas) could work, but then you're 3-4 hours away from the beach, so it sounds as if that's outside of the area of the state you're interested in.
The areas an hour inland from the beach, as I mentioned, are generally economically depressed, with all of the issues that go with that (it's typically reflected in the schools, public safety, the general appearance of the area, selection of stores/restaurants, etc.), but there are still some good people in those areas, and I've had some personally good experiences in those places (places like Elizabethtown between Wilmington and Fayetteville have poverty and related issues, but I've personally experienced some super warm, helpful people there, as one example).
It's much, much better to have a crystal clear plan for a job/income stream before you make a commitment, as people who have moved to NC without that have gotten themselves into dire hardship.
Also, you may find it helpful to go to a website such as zillow.com, in the search bar enter "North Carolina", at the top go to "listing type", choose "rental", and then scroll around the map to give you an idea of how much places rent for in various parts of the state. That may help narrow it down to be within your budget, which to be perfectly honest, is going to be a bit of a challenge, unless you get into the areas that are going to have the least opportunities for jobs and the entertainment you mention.
I also think the other posts that I've read so far have also given you good suggestions. New Bern is a smaller, but more isolated town (with quite a few retirees) that's on the water (the Neuse River) and within an hour of the ocean. Jacksonville is much closer than that to the ocean and also within an hour of Wilmington. It's home to Camp Lejeune (Marines), and a typical Southeastern military town.
Disclaimer: I'm not in Wilmington, so maybe someone from there can give you more specific advice. I do have a good general understanding of the state, though.
Yeah I was looking for towns near Wilmington I already heard Wilmington is a bigger city more touristy to try and find a suburb outside but near Wilmington. Are Jacksonville and New Bern your top pick?
I'd suggest Wallace, Burgaw or Maple Hill. But rent of 600-700 per month for housing a family is severely limited. You would get a mobile home or a small ranch.
However, towns like those will not offer much in the way of the recreation you are used to in Cleveland. It would be outdoor sports, church socials, scouts, etc. The schools are not that great either.
I'm not sure how many trucking jobs are available. If you plumbing work was current and you could work with PEX, there may be more jobs in new construction.
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