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I am taking a sales job that will relocate me from Atlanta to a territory in Eastern N.C. I am a 24 year old single male. I'm very active, looking for a neighborhood similar to Virginia Highlands in Atlanta. Somewhere that I could walk to restaurants, bars, grocery stores, etc. I've been considering Wilmington because I'm interested in living near the beach (kite boarding, surfing), but most people that I have talked to have told me that I would prefer Charlotte.
Factors that will effect my decision:
-Location, able to walk to shops, bars, restaurants. Close to highways (I will be traveling a lot)
-Young and fun population.
-Outdoor activities. Mtn biking, running, surfing, kite boarding, kayaking, intramural sports, crossfit
-Nightlife. Bars, pubs, clubs, college bars.
-Price. Would like to find a 1 bedroom studio apartment or small house for around $700 a month. not really interested in big apartment complexes.
I will be going to visit both cities and then start looking for an apartment. So if anyone has any advice on which city may be better or any ideas on neighborhoods that I could start looking into I would really appreciate it.
Thanks so much!
In Charlotte look at the NODA area, Southend, 7th street, Central Ave, and Uptown. You can find a variety of eclectic places in Charlotte. On the other hand there is nothing like the beach. Good Luck
I've lived in Charlotte and also have a house in Southport (20 miles south of Wilmington right by the beach)
Downtown Wilmington is pub central but it's pretty small and pretty slow IMO. The beach is nice but unless you go everyday all summer long it gets a little old IMO.
I love living in Charlotte and anytime I want the beach it's only 4 hours away.
I would suggest Charlotte and just make trips to the beach.
Apples and oranges, IMO. Charlotte is more like Atlanta than Wilmington is.
Wilmington has a lot going for it. Very cool downtown and beaches, and a pretty nice funky vibe with a good number of restaurants and bars for a town its size. Not really a college town, it has one college of size, UNC Wilmington, which has about 12,000 students, but more of a college town than Charlotte is. Very walkable downtown, but not sure about housing in the immediate area.
Downsides? It is a lot smaller than Charlotte, but has a surprisingly bad traffic situation due to quick growth over the last few years. It's also kind of isolated and"out there" - not very close to any other large cities (Raleigh closest, about 2 hours away) and when you have to travel the airport is not very well served. You'll wind up driving through hours of Eastern NC to get pretty much anywhere (and I am not a big fan of Eastern NC, but that is another story).
Honestly, RDU might be more along the lines of what you describe than either Charlotte or Wilmington.
Last edited by Comfort Food; 09-26-2011 at 11:24 AM..
I've lived in both locations and, as much as I love Wilmington (and hope to get back there to live one day!), I would recommend Charlotte for a single male as young as you are. Much more for you to do on a daily basis in Charlotte and, as previously noted, the beach is only a few hours away for a weekend getaway.
I've always lived in Charlotte but spend 4-5 weeks at Wrightsville Beach every year. If I was 24 years old again and single, I'd want to live in Wilmington. I like the historic feel of it, the downtown area/pubs, the food, the beach, etc. I hope to retire there someday. I'd move in a heartbeat, but its really hard to find a job in Wilmington (at least in my profession).
You are also fairly close to Raleigh as well (1.5 hours?).
The advantage of Charlotte would be that you are much closer to the mountains. Its bigger (think Panthers, Bobcats, concerts, etc). Those things don't outweigh the lure of the beach (and UNCW women).
From Charlotte but lived in WLM. FWIW,The downtown scene has a few blocks with bars, restaurants but not that many. The beach bar scene is limited to a handfull of bars...like 6 maybe. Not that you want find any talent there but is it microscopic and everybody knows your business there. Also, unless you are rich, you can't afford Wrightsville Beach for living, unless you live there in the winter and move out for three summer months(bummer). The beach is super crowded and parking there is a nightmare. UNCW is surrounded by strip mall hell, not bars and clubs.
Haha, looking at a map now and it doesn't look very Eastern. I was told by the company that it would be a city within my territory though.
Thanks for all the replies so far! All have been very helpful.
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