Rocky Mount - 20 mile radius - Single Dad (Wilson, Roanoke Rapids: crime, houses)

[cassy1]

Clodhopper has said just what I would have told you, except we are empty nesters so the school area is not an issue. Rentals here will not be a problem, they are all over, although, if I were you I would not rent in any downtown area - just my opinion.

I have never had any racial problem here, most of our neighbors are just everyday people. You have heard of "southern hospitality", well it is alive and well here, all of the people I have encountered here are informative and friendly.

[momto3girls]

I recent;y moved from Rocky Mount after living there for 4 yrs. We lived within the city limits above the mall off Goldrock road on Foxhall Dr. Close to Northgreen. I had three girls and never had a problem with safety. We liked the Childrens Museum. Look at the YMCA for a good childcare and activities for you child. My friends 6yr old goes to after school care there and they are an upper class family, orignally from England. they have a wonderful indoor pool and other activities. Red Oak is nice, not sure about finding a rental. Nashville may give you more of that small town feeling and it is nice as well. There are several areas of Rocky Mount that are nice. There is not much between Rocky Mount and Greenville. We went to Greenville to the Peditrican and traveled those roads a lot. Wilson is nice as well. About 30 min to Greenville and 25 to RCMT. Most of Rocky Mount in Nash county is nice. As far as night life Iwould think Raleigh would have more for you. Greenville is more of a college type atmosphere. Rocky Mount has a good number of people from other areas. Most of my friends were not orignally from the area.
Good luck.

[Richard Martin]

Originally Posted by momto3girls

Greenville is more of a college type atmosphere.

I live just outside of Greenville and my wife works there (Bells Fork). I keep seeing a lot of references to Greenville being a college town and it's almost like that's a bad thing. Yes Greenville does have the third largest college in NC but it's not like the students go on drunken rampages throughout the city. I fail to see how the students have time for that nonsense while they're working on one of the many master's degrees that ECU offers. To my knowledge there has never been a riot because the Pirates did or didn't win a championship or anything like that. There is a portion of downtown that caters to the students and it's pretty easy to recognize.

ECU is the best thing that ever happened to Greenville and it is almost wholely responsible for the success of the community and more importantly the 731 bed Pitt Memorial Hospital and the supporting facilities.

Of all of the comments I keep seeing about Greenville being a party town for ECU I would like to hear from one single person who has ever been affected by it. Greenville has grown into a thriving city and is very happy to have ECU.

[clodhopper]

I am affected by it every time I go out in G-Vegas and see all the pretty young flirty girls. Sucks to be me sometimes, they just can't help themselves.

[Steve Schmidt]

One of the charms of a really small town is the familiarity, the relative quiet, and how quick it is to get out of town and into the countryside, be it mountain, desert, forest, obscure county roads, etc. When I lived in Arizona and California, there was either plenty of public land just outside of town or, as was the case in Austin, Texas, an outstanding urban trail system where one could hop on a mountain bike and get lost for a few hours, alone or with others.

Is there anything like this in the Rocky Mount, Wilson, Greenville or areas west? I imagine, with I-95 only a few miles to the west, that things will be pretty developed and not so biker friendly.

Also, what might there be to do on weekend evenings besides rent movies? Are there any large chain bookstores, micro-breweries, places to sit and have coffee, Thai food, shoot pool, etc, anywhere layed-back where one can hang out and meet people (wink-wink, nudge-nudge)?

Or do the sidewalks pretty much roll up at 9:00?

Again, I'm not knocking quiet little towns at all, but I will be moving cross country again, this time myself and my cat. And, while part of the adventure in doing this is exploring and seeing new sights, trying on the local culture and finding local opportunities to do some things I already enjoy are also important.

Any suggestions?

-ss

[cassy1]

We live about 3 minutes from Rocky Mount's mall, and when we go 2 minutes to the north we are in country. These towns only have a population of around 68,000 (RM) and 50,000 (Wilson), so country is within a 15 minute trip of anyplace. Note I believe when they take the next census that the population count will be higher in both towns.

Night life in RM, I can't tell you what that is like, I understand there are a few night spots here and in Wilson, but for the real night life I would amagine you would have to travel to Raleigh or Greenville. Maybe some of the younger crowd can pitch in here for Steve.

Bookstores, here in RM they have Books A Million, that is the only one I have found, but again Raleigh and Greenville will have a better selection. Once you have been here for awhile you find that you really don't mind traveling for some things. Being as the growth is just beginning to trickle into this area I don't forsee this to be true in 20 years.

I really think you will enjoy some of the historical places down in these towns, remember that eastern NC has not experienced the growth that western NC has, and I believe that the older natives would like to see it kept that way, and maybe a few of the transplants (after all what are we relocating here for?).

Have you looked at some of these cities/towns web sites? Most of the down town areas look much the same as they did in the 1950's, in particular I am speaking of Nashville, old stores, homes, court house is beautiful! Lots of charm.

[Richard Martin]

Originally Posted by Steve Schmidt

Is there anything like this in the Rocky Mount, Wilson, Greenville or areas west? I imagine, with I-95 only a few miles to the west, that things will be pretty developed and not so biker friendly.

Also, what might there be to do on weekend evenings besides rent movies? Are there any large chain bookstores, micro-breweries, places to sit and have coffee, Thai food, shoot pool, etc, anywhere layed-back where one can hang out and meet people (wink-wink, nudge-nudge)?

Or do the sidewalks pretty much roll up at 9:00?

Any suggestions?

Suprisingly enough it's not like that right along 95. Once you get outside of the town/city you are almost instantly in the country. It's not one long rolling metropolis like California and from Washington, D.C. to New York. I have tried to figure out why cities like Wilson, Rocky Mount and Lumberton have never taken off but I have found no answers other than there is just so much money in the world and the big urban areas are sucking it all up.

It is true that Wilson is seeing some life but it is a far cry from what most people who move here are used to.

Yes you can bike for hours on end and I do see people doing it even down here in Greenville. There also seems to be a few bike clubs since I do see groups of people biking along different roads here all decked out in their racing outfits. They are brave souls though as far as I am concerned. Once you get outside the cities the speed limits raise to 55 mph on all roads.

Since I am more of a fan of Nascar than Barnes and Nobles I checked in the phone book for Thai restaurants and bookstores in Greenville. Strangely enough there were no chain bookstores in the area but they do have at least 1 Thai eatery. We do have a couple of microbreweries in town.

Greenville has a pretty decent nightlife outside of the college area downtown. One notable local hangout is the City Hotel and Bistro with nightly live entertainment. There are many other after dark places ranging from raunchy to sophisticated and some of them are non smoking.

The thing I've noticed about Greenville isn't how early they roll up the sidewalks (which is pretty late) but how late in the morning they unroll them for the new day. Saturdays don't get rolling here until after 10 and Sundays are around noon.

[Steve Schmidt]

Cassy, Richard, Hopper, thanks so much to you all. Great stuff.

I'm hoping to make visit and scout for that perfect apartment or cottage, after my telephone interview (if they'll have me, that is) and you've given me a lot to go on. Rather than rely on generalized and somewhat subjective accounts (from other threads) about least favorite towns, crime and what neighborhoods to avoid, I spent some time marking the addresses for various crimes (drug raids, shootings, robberies, etc.) as reported on the websites of several local newspapers. The areas most affected seem pretty clear. Overall, I am optimistic about the prospect of being able to live close to where I (hope to) work and really embracing the community I hope to serve. Am looking forward very much to scouting around!

Best, Steve

[Richard Martin]

Originally Posted by Steve Schmidt

Rather than rely on generalized and somewhat subjective accounts (from other threads) about least favorite towns, crime and what neighborhoods to avoid, I spent some time marking the addresses for various crimes (drug raids, shootings, robberies, etc.) as reported on the websites of several local newspapers. The areas most affected seem pretty clear.

Like minds think alike.

I did the same thing before we moved to the Greenville area. It quickly became apparent which parts we didn't want to look at.

[Steve Schmidt]

I've allready received materials from Wilson. Tarboro looks like a really nice, historic preservation-type village as well, despite comments on other threads, which make no mention of the restored downtown. I grew up on the North Shore of Lonag Island, where there are "bad neighborhoods" as well as neighborhoods with porches, charming downtowns, and Revolutionary War-era buildings all over the place.

I would love for you all to keep telling me about your respective villages and what makes each of them unique though. Am looking to rent and take care of someplace with "character."

-ss