Best Places for Retirees? (Cary, Wilmington: real estate, how much, houses)

[donsabi]

Thanks for the replies.
I lived in Montgomery Co PA. There is no way I could buy back into that area. I am thinking central PA. However, the one thing I don't like about PA is snow. Two areas I am also considering is GA and the New Bern NC area. I understand that the New Bern area is getting about 2000 retirees a year. GA seems to be on top of things as far as retirees go but I am still concerned about the locals. College towns are a good suggestion. I noticed that when I was in Boone people are much more progressive and friendly. Traffic is really bad there and they also have lots of snow. Traffic I can handle, but snow I would like to avoid.
Don

[mm34b]

Originally Posted by donsabi

hapaleeretired,
I agree with you about how locals treat yankees or outsiders. I put my house here in NC on the market and ask this question as a last ditch effort to stay in the state. NC is a beautiful state and I would like to stay here but I am fed up with the bible slappers and rednecks.
I worked and retired from another state my pension is issued by that out of state company. I have no children in NC schools. All I do in NC is pay taxes and contribute to the economy. Yet I am still considered a "damm yankee". It seems to me the only industry NC has left is retirees. You would think they might treat us better.
If I cannot find a good retirement community I will go back to my "just as beautiful PA" and take my "damm yankee money" with me.

I too moved to NC from Pennsylvania (Berks County). I'm surprised you've had problems with the locals, especially being a retiree. Did you do anything that they perceived as a threat to their community or local way of life?

[RaleighRob]

One problem that I've read in some articles about this is that in some of these retirement-booming areas, if too many of them move to a town that was pretty small to begin with, the town has troubles catching up to the demand on medical, EMT, health services, etc. Too many elderly people flooding a very small town too quickly can overcome their medical & emergency infrastructure before they can play "catch-up".

(This is sort of the opposite problem that other towns have when too many young families with kids move in and overcrowd the schools before they can build new ones, like you're now seeing in Wake County. Except in this case, there's usually less media coverage of it.)

[donsabi]

mm34b,
This is my history since I have been in NC. I removed the name of the town because I have the house for sale. I apologize for the long post.
I moved to the foothills of NC from the Philadelphia, PA area about a year ago. I did my research and found this town to be exactly what I wanted, small town atmosphere, reasonable home costs, low taxes, and good medical facilities. I saved about $3900 in a year compared to PA costs. I bought a comfortable home that would be worth double the price in PA. I have a boat at a marina 5 miles from my house on Lake xxxx. The one thing I could not research was the people and after one year of residence I have decided to sell this lovely home and move on.
In my first six months of living here in the foothills I was the victim of two instances of road rage. My boat was broken into and all the gear was stolen. My storage shed was opened and tools stolen. One night my house alarm went off and the perpetrators ran off after they attempted to force my garage door. The first medical office I went to assured me they knew how to bill my insurance correctly. They did not and it resulted in my paying the highest amount for out of pocket costs since I have had this insurance. (I have since found a knowledgable doctor).
When I moved in there was one lady who welcomed me to the neighborhood. A short time later I got an invitation to attend a church where she was a member. I did not go and that was that. No other neighbor came over or even bothered to wave. Six months went by and Christmas came. I mailed out two dozen Christmas cards to all my neighbors and I got three cards in return. Even so, I thought that some ice was broken but I was mistaken. A year later most neighbors don’t even bother to wave. Not one neighbor has been in my house and I have not been in one of their homes. I have always tried to support local businesses and here I tried to hire different contractors. As soon as they realized I was not local their estimates were doubled and tripled in some cases. I found I had to hire out of town contractors to get a fair price and good work. As I said, neighbors don’t bother to talk to me, but the last landscape person I hired was Hispanic. Now that I did hear about, but not too kindly.
As I said, I researched the demographics with good results but could learn nothing of the people until I moved here. Here is my opinion, there is a large population here that do not want northerners or outsiders moving in. I have lived in many places and no where I have ever been made to feel more unwelcomed as here in the foothills of NC. I thought that because this is in the Bible belt it would be just the opposite. However, I have been told that most churches have instructed their congregations not to associate with people who do not attend church. I do not attend a church. There is a lot of job loss here which many locals attribute to northerners. (I have no idea why).
I find it hard to reason their resentment. I am retired. I don’t work so I have not taken any job away from them. I have no school age children. I pay taxes on my property. My income comes from a pension from another state. I take nothing from NC but I contributed a lot to the local economy. Yet they call me a “damm yankee.”
Don

[RaleighRob]

Donsabi:
Your story doesn't surprise me....particularly since it involves a small unnamed town in the foothills. (I can guess of dozens that sound like this.)
Those areas still have a very strong redneck mentality. I have tons of relatives around there (none that I'm proud of) and I can tell you one thing: your story is not the worst I've heard.

Please don't let them taint your image of the state as a whole.

[Weis02]

Donsabi's experience is why there are many areas in both char and ral where the majority of people are NOT from NC...those coming from all areas (NY, CA, CT, MA, etc) all have one thing in common, they are transplants...which tend to feel more comfortable with those in common..the same reason many ethnic races are generally in certain areas, human nature we feel a comfort zone when with people who share the same culture..

[Redrover]

As someone approaching retirement as well as approaching a move to North Carolina, I would ask just what you seek for your "retirement environment." I ask this because I can't think of anything worse than spending my retirement in the company of nothing but people exactly my own age. I have always been happiest with a mix of generations because my husband and I like to do a variety of things. We want neither a 55+ community nor a tiny town with no ammenities and that is what is drawing us to Raleigh. (The only concession to my age will be a house without stairs.) Also, both of us would like to work at something, at least part time, and thus a city of some size would afford us the employment opportunities. (BTW, we will be coming from Texas so maybe we won't fall in to the "**** Yankee" category.)

[mhogan10010]

If you don't mind really hot and humid weather, then down east around Wilimigton or New Bern is OK.
However, for beauty somewhere like Grandfathers Mountain or Highlands.
But, the earlier poster is absoutely rignt. I grew up in Detroit, went to College and lived in the South for 17 years, 12 at both ends of NC. He is right. You had better get used to being called a Yankeee and having everything from crime to global warming blamed on those Yankees. Really, I had a great job there, and finally just got sick of hearing it. I move to NYC baby and never looked back.
The strange thing is the number of people from New York and New Jersey moving into NC. Many of them discovered that they hated the awful summers in Fla, and then buy a place in the mountains for the summer. Also, many folks are retiring to Eastern NC because it is only one days drive back un North instead of two.

[Weis02]

I will say people up here do welcome others more then in the south, when someone from another area moves in, and it happens here too, just not as big as down there, everyone is just interested to hear about where they were and how things were different...sometimes it is a learning experience for everyone...I also think being from such a large NYC metro area, we are more used to others coming here (from other areas, races, ethnics groups etc)...you get used to it...I guess the real reason many southerners (because no one can spk of an entire population of people) get upset is because many northerenrs try to make there where they came from instread of adapting..I am not even there yet and with misunderstood posts some got that interpretation from me too...also going back to what I put in (), I assume there are some southerners too who either really don't mind or don't care...

[silverwing]

Originally Posted by donsabi

If I cannot find a good retirement community I will go back to my "just as beautiful PA" and take my "damm yankee money" with me.

Donsabi, it seems you've picked an unfortunate location. Not all areas are like that. In fact, your post reminded me of an article I read in the Salisbury Post newspaper that I went back and bird-dogged It's about an age-restricted community in Salisbury, NC (a town that most people who've visited and posted to this board view favorably). This is from last fall, about "The Gables at Kepley Farm":

On one of the first days that June and Len Benoit moved into their new home at The Gables at Kepley Farm, neighbors brought them dinner and some cake for dessert.

This wouldn't be unusual, except those neighbors, representing three different families, hadn't even moved into The Gables yet. Their houses are still under construction.

For the Benoits, it offered another piece of evidence that this age-restricted subdivision, which has completely sold out its first phase of 58 lots, was going to be a good fit.

The Benoits had met many of their future neighbors at two previous gatherings sponsored by developer-builder Jim Burgess and his wife, Cathy.

Before any of the houses were built, the Benoits easily struck up conversations and friendships, realizing they had a lot in common with the people who would someday be living in the same development.
<snip>
But The Gables aims at providing a community for people who remain active. A walking trail will someday cover the perimeter of the 70-acre tract off Faith Road near the Salisbury city limits.

Streets have sidewalks on both sides, scaled lighting and common areas.

Construction will soon start on a clubhouse, providing residents with social and meeting rooms, a full kitchen, lending library, fitness equipment, covered veranda and swimming pool.
<snip>
Gail Kepley said previous gatherings for the residents have had almost 100 percent participation.

There is another community of that type being developed on the outskirts of town. However, there has been some squabbling. Residents near the 127-acre tract oppose it, saying it will ruin their "country atmosphere". I pass by the parcel everyday and would dispute that designation, it's already surrounded by a frou-frou McMansionville golf subdivision and another development.

Hopefully this new development will match the Gables. Prices there, according to the article, start at $140K. That's a more moderate price range than many of the other communities, where developers seem to think that retirees can afford 'luxurious homes starting in the $250s'. Not everyone is so well-heeled, taking into account that we are also figuring that future health and assisted living costs are going to eat into our retirement funds.