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We have been to Edenton twice - discovered once while driving from Savannah, GA to Williamsburg, VA and then spent a day exploring the town.
I'm wondering if there is anyone on this forum who lives in Edenton or is familiar with it. We think it is one of the most charming small coastal towns we have been to and have considered it as a retirement place.
We have a few concerns with the town, however, and cannot get any of the real estate agents we have spoken with to even discuss our concerns.
Here are our concerns: 1. Edenton seems to have high crime and we are wondering what the police are doing about it (none of the realtors believe there is high crime but all the statistics I've looked up say Edenton has high crime). There is a definite bad and good part of town and I'm wondering where most of the crime is occurring.
2. There is negative population growth. I was having a nice email conversation with a realtor last year, but when I asked why there was negative population growth, I never heard from her again.
3. There are always a lot of homes for sale - disproportionate to the population - again I'm wondering why that is - why are so many people selling their beautiful homes and moving?
Edenton might be pretty yes, quaint little town....but if you werent born here you arent welcome. aslo homes are for sale in the historic distric because in order to work on your home yoou paid close to a half a million dollars for, you need permission and need to pay the town x amount in order to do so. the town is soooo hung up on keeping everything the same as it was in the 1700's that they are loosing residents in order to keep it this way. if i were going to be dying soon i'd move back but not unless i was on my death bed litterally. they dont have any water activities on such a beautiful river. there is nothing for 2 hrs in any direction.
I thought Edenton would be a great place and we went there last APril. We found an historical home there that was once owned by an Edmund Hatch-thats my brothers name! Weird. Yes, the people were unfriendly and I didnt like the flatness of the land. I heard the sound is polluted?
After researching the Edenton area for about six months my wife and I made a side trip their in July. Coming over the Abelmarle Sound was gorgeous! Then we entered town!!! Boarded up buildings, empy stores, collapsing front porches, lots of individuals partaking in delicious beverages in bags!!! They should take photographs of the entire area not just the select 10% of Historic Homes. I worked in Brooklyn, NY for over six years and felt safer their than in Edenton. We drove all the way to Elizabeth City (about 28 miles) as no place looked very comfortable to eat at on a Sunday night. If this was Vietnam it would be the DMZ. Do yourself a favor and steer clear of the "so called" South's Prettiest Town!
As a life long Edentonian, is is pretty upsetting to read such negative reviews. I honestly believe that we - as natives - feel that newcomers are one of our greatest assets. People are retiring here early - with time, energy and resource to give to our community. We have so many volunteer organizations that, with the help of our newer residents - thrive. . .and we are SO appreciative. It's VERY easy to become involved in town. I always tell folks to be careful to let everyone know you're willing to volunteer!
As far as the question as to why there seem to be so many resales? Edenton is known as a retirement destination. People finish careers and are excited about starting a new life in a quaint small town. All is happy and well until a couple grandchildren are born. . . everyone knows about the "call of the grandchildren!" It's OK to move away from your own kids, but the grandkids are irresistable!
Edenton does have a Historic Commission, who's job is to maintain the integrity of the well preserved historic district. It can seem a bit daunting, but the regulations are reasonable. It's not difficult to make changes that are "in keeping" with the feel of the area. There are plenty of residential opportunities in the area with no restrictions if that's what someone is after.
I, too, have seen some numbers on the internet related to population decline. According to the county data, the population has remained fairly steady for the last generation!
The same goes for the crime rate that some find disturbing. Unfortunately, Edenton is not insulated from the horrors of today's world. My best guess for the crime rate is that if ANYTHING happens in a town of 5,500, the rate is going to appear high. When traumatic things happen, stats don't show wheter acts are acts of domestic violence or random acts against strangers. Sadly, we have had 2 incidents of tragic domestic violence in the last couple years.
I was MOST disappointed to hear someone say that our residents were unfriendly. I encourage you to come try again, as we pride ourselves on Southern hospitality!
I feel incredibly blessed every day to live in such a beautiful town with such an incredible group of kind, friendly, interesting, supportive people.
We visited Edenton two years ago for the Garden Conservancy Garden Tour and loved it! The people were very friendly and it's a beautiful town! There's nothing wrong with trying to keep the town the way it is. That's what's so chaming about it! Can't wait for the next opportunity to visit.
after living in edenton for 3 years i can attest to many of the views posted here.
there is nothing here worth seeing unless you are somewhat of a early american history buff..there are a few blocks of historic homes but thats about it.basically this area is a big waste of land.they have a very nice location on the albermarle sound but do not take advantage of it..very few activities at the waterfront,the town closes up at 5pm and becomes a ghost town,the favorite colors here are red and blue t-shirts if you know what i mean.no decent food to eat,2 grocery stores that are always crowded and out of something.the town is operated by a wealthy elite that will have things their way or no way.no fun is allowed.growth and convienence are not things that the town encourages...sure they like to build and invite people to move here but dont have the infrastructure to support them..they are clueless about how much money the city and county lose from folks driving to the next county and city to purchase basic items at a lower price.not much middle class here..either very low income or filthy rich and snobby.i would not invite any one here to live or even visit for that matter especially if you have kids because there is absolutley nothing to keep them occupied.if you like living under the thumb of local yocal city councils telling you how,where,and what,you can and cant do then by all means come on down...but be careful you cant drink the water either.
Edenton is a small town and yes there are some provincial attitudes here.
But Edenton is also much more. It is a community where you know your neighbors.
Lack of an abundance of things to do is not such a bad thing; once here I spent more time developing very close friendships and quality time with my family.
I know or recognize most children and young adults in this town and I also know their parents. This community is a model for "It takes a village".
We have a wonderful downtown movie theatre, an awesome coffee shop, and a few really good restaurants. Our rec department offers "just enough" activities for the kids.
Cheaspeake VA is 1 hour and 5 minutes away with great shopping.
We can be on the beach at Nags Head in exactly 1 hour and 10 minutes.
The quality of life and opportunity to raise my children in an area where family values are more important than constant shopping and over scheduling.....well it is worth overlooking those few Edentonians with provincial attitudes!
know your neighbors?? you should know your neighbors no matter where you live
lack of things to do?? thats why you had to develope friendships because there is nothing else to do
village?? thats acurate....village mentality that caters to the wealthy...high income people dont care its a 60 mile round trip to wal-mart to buy items you need to have...you can buy some of the daily items you need here if you dont mind being raped on the price
downtown?? movie theatre...wonderful is a bit of a stretch..its old and in fair condition at best..the owner had to fight the town for nearly 2 years to let him even open it up
the coffee shop sold out to new owners and is just another cafe with no food. we have 3 places to eat and if you want a piece of processed chicken meat for 24.99 then yea its marvelous place!!
rec dept??? you must be joking...its rarely open and provides nothing but a couple of kayaks to rent...yea thats just enough to keep hundreds of high school kids occupied and off the streets
shopping?? yep chesapeke is an hour and a half away for shopping
3 hour round trip for a pair of levis?? no big deal
and if family values were so important we would not have the crime here that is absurd for a town this size
i could go on and on about the negative aspects of this town and the lack of foresight but it doesnt change the facts
your attemp to blow smoke up everybodys rear about how wonderful edenton is only shows the tactics used by the rich downtown crowd
to dupe people...just read ALL the comments in this forum and im afraid you make a sorry case for " prettiest little town in the south"
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Edenton Yikes!!!!
Edenton
