Wilmington, NC or Charleston, SC??? (Raleigh, Jacksonville: apartment complexes, how much, home)

[loralou05]

I'm from Northeast Ohio and I plan to move down south within the next few months. I would like to hear the positive and negatives of both cites (and please don't talk about the bugs haha). I am a Substance Abuse Counselor and I also have a Masters degree in Criminal Justice. Are there many alcohol and drug agencies in either city? I hear good things about Charleston's city/night life. What about Wilmington?

I'm 24...I don't have kids...just a boyfriend and two dogs! Schools don't matter, just safe neighborhood.

Thanks for all your help

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by loralou05

I am a Substance Abuse Counselor and I also have a Masters degree in Criminal Justice. Are there many alcohol and drug agencies in either city?

Since Charleston itself is slightly larger than Wilmington, and is part of a large Metro area, I would the prospects are better in Charleston.

BTW, you will get a lot of info if you search the forum on each term, like "Charleston night-life", etc. There was also a long thread called Charleston Vs. Wilmington abt 6 months back.

[allisonmh]

We were also in the process of planning a move to either Wilmington, NC or Charleston, SC...we took a short trip to Wilmington 2 weeks ago and were a bit surprised at how small the city was. We drove the entire area in half a day.There was a nice river-walk area but it was small and only had about 10-20 restaurants/bars, probably about 5-10 blocks before it starts getting really shady. Beaches were beautiful (Wrightsville Beach) but not much too do there in the sense of a pedestrian zone or bars/ restaurants. There are nicer housing developments and apartment complexes around the Mayfair Towne center which is about 5 miles to the beach with decent restaurants and shopping. There didn't seem to be a downtown central-area other than the River Walk, but it was quaint (that's where One Tree Hill was filmed apparently). Airport was super small, more of a commuter airport.
I've been to Charleston, SC and it is a much bigger city. Larger airport, downtown area and easier access to beaches. We've determined that Wilmington, NC was out and are focusing more on SC because it seems more lively and offers more to do/see
. Hope this helps a little.

[coffeebean330]

I've been to Charleston twice. I don't get the appeal. Yes, it's full of history. That's what draws me in. But I think it's a bit smelly and just not as charming as I expected. I love Wilmington. I have felt at home since the second I moved here. Yes, it's smaller than Charleston, but smaller can be better. There's plenty to do, and if you want to head to a bigger city, Raleigh is only two hours away. I would encourage you to visit both, I recommend summer when it's hot so you get a good feel for it, and apply for jobs.

[sundaze]

Other than both being near the coast, Charleston and Wilmington are not that much alike. I would recommend that you visit both. Perhaps there would be one you wouldn't enjoy and you could rule it out. The advice to come in the summer is good, that is when the weather is most unpleasant. The main thing I would suggest is finding jobs first. If you aren't set on the coast, maybe check out Raleigh? It is big, probably more opportunities.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by loralou05

I am a Substance Abuse Counselor and I also have a Masters degree in Criminal Justice. Are there many alcohol and drug agencies in either city?

I don't know much about your field, but I ran across these links: Counseling and Psychotherapy, Wilmington NC - Bridge Builders Counseling
http://www.coastalhorizons.org/
http://www.wilmingtontreatment.com/


I also know of Brynn Marr Hospital in Jacksonville.

With state budget limits, I don't know how much funding is available. Certainly their are plenty of abusers of both drugs and alcohol around. We just had a major round-up of drug dealers in Onslow County. There was a methamphetamine lab in "peaceful" little Sneads Ferry.

[Serenity2019]

Both places are cool coastal cities. There are substance abuse jobs with Charleston County Government
The county has a treatment center here, and I see job listings there often. Wilmington is smaller, and has a really cool beach Wrightsville. Charleston has big focus on history, and less on the beach. Good luck.

[NCtransplant37]

Charleston is full of yuppie hookers if I could live anywhere it would be Savannah more history and beauty than wilmington but less yuppies than Charleston...