Best city to Retire (Charlotte, Raleigh: best cities, real estate, condo)

[postit55]

I would like to know what everyone thinks about the best cities to retire in North Carolina are. Here is what I am looking for.

I love to golf and my wife likes to shop at malls and odd shops. We will be on a pension so as far as housing goes we would be looking to keep our house in the 175-210K range.

I plan to work between 24-30 hours a week at a golf course so I would be looking for an area where there are numerous golf courses. If anyone knows of golf courses that are hiring (Oh, I am not looking for a big salary $8.00 to $15.00 an hours plus playing rights).

My wife does not want to live in a town with less then 50K people and also does not want to be more the 10-15 minutes from a large mall and other stores like TJMAXX, Kohls, Wal-mart, etc.

Please let me know what you all think.

Thank you.

[cooperwx]

I think Myrtle Beach meets your criteria. Unbelievable number of courses and large enough for your taste. Somebody may be able to answer better on the large mall criteria.

[mdp_az]

Housing costs in the coastal communities will likely be out of the OP's range, especially in Myrtle. I'd guess it could be slightly cheaper in the inland communities of Brunswick County, NC, however, but then you're in a smaller town with longer drives to either Myrtle or Wilmington for shopping. As housing costs go in cities of 50k+, you should probably look at Hickory, Triad (G'boro, W-S, High Point), Charlotte, Triangle (Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill) in that order.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by postit55

I would like to know what everyone thinks about the best cities to retire in North Carolina are. Here is what I am looking for.

I love to golf and my wife likes to shop at malls and odd shops. We will be on a pension so as far as housing goes we would be looking to keep our house in the 175-210K range.

I plan to work between 24-30 hours a week at a golf course so I would be looking for an area where there are numerous golf courses. If anyone knows of golf courses that are hiring (Oh, I am not looking for a big salary $8.00 to $15.00 an hours plus playing rights).

My wife does not want to live in a town with less then 50K people and also does not want to be more the 10-15 minutes from a large mall and other stores like TJMAXX, Kohls, Wal-mart, etc.

Please let me know what you all think.

Thank you.

Well, what a shame, your wife's requirements knock Pinehurst out of the running. That is one of THE places retirees move to when they want a great golfing retirement. It is such a beautiful area, maybe you could visit and get her interested?

Pinehurst, North Carolina (NC) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders

Seems to me that if she insists on living near a city with at least 50,000 population you won't get much of a sense of peace in your retirement, as this puts you looking at the larger metro areas like Charlotte and Raleigh, perhaps Asheville or Wilmington. Come to think of it, Wilmington would put you closest to the most golf courses I believe for your job opportunities, but living at the beach can be expensive - so best of luck!

[Oyster07]

Wilmington is a great place to retire. We have many retirees here so you would be in good company. Good golf courses too (from what I've been told).

[Dire Wolf]

Originally Posted by mdp_az

Housing costs in the coastal communities will likely be out of the OP's range, especially in Myrtle. I'd guess it could be slightly cheaper in the inland communities of Brunswick County, NC, however, but then you're in a smaller town with longer drives to either Myrtle or Wilmington for shopping.

I just went to realtor.com and put in 175K-225K and it shows me nearly 1500 homes. A lot of these are going to be condo and townhomes, but for a retired couple, that may be desirable. IMO, this area has exactly what the OP is looking for.