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Hello everyone! We are moving to the Newport, NC area this summer. My husband already has a job. From what I have read online and on city-data, Newport/Carteret County seem like a great place for families. We may rent or buy depending on what we find in the area. We would greatly appreciate any tips from anyone in the area to guide us in the right direction. We have visited the area, but we would appreciate any help that you may have with us transitioning.
*Where would you suggest to look to rent/buy in close proximity to Newport? Morehead City? Newport off Highway 24? Beaufort looks beautiful but not sure about bridge/commuting when tourism is high? Looks like Cape Carteret would be too far?
*I guess I should pretty much count on paying flood insurance?
*Safety is one of my top concerns as I have young children. Is there any specific town that you would recommend to live as far as safety? Newport seems to have low crime data, but I would appreciate input. A friend was traveling to Emerald Isle and got lost. They had a bad experience while looking for a gas station. I know that this can happen in any area, but it makes me nervous as I won't know my surroundings. Any areas in Carteret to avoid?
*I have googled YMCA and recreation depts. in the area. The closest Y that I found was New Bern. Am I missing something? My kids love soccer, t-ball, etc...
*Any great family doc. practices/pediatricians? Any hospitals you would recommend?
*I will be looking for quality half or full time daycare depending on my job. Any daycares/preschools that you would recommend?
*All Carteret County Schools look good! The areas we are looking...Croatan High (and feeder schools) look outstanding and West Carteret area seems to have competitive sports and good academics as well. So that is a huge comfort to me.
Thank you for any input that you may have. It is so appreciated! We are very excited about our move to the coast . Sorry so long... I am excited and nervous!
There is a back road that can get you to Newport from NC 101 in Mill Creek/Harlowe area, so don't right Beaufort off. Especially the portion along the intracoastal waterway along 101. I think the offical name of the road is Winberry off 101, which quickly becomes Mill Creek rd, which becomes Orange st as you come into Newport. I grew up just caling the whole thing Mill Creek rd, though.
This is just an assumption from based on a lifetime of experience in NC, but your friend who got lost was probably coming from somewhere outside of ENC, probably from the Raleigh area, took US70 to NC58. Missed the turn split Maysville and continued down US17, realized the roads signs no longer mentioned NC58, turned around and asked for directions at the gas station in Maysville in Jones County and that's where they had their bad experience. The safety, or lack there-of, in Jones County has nothing to do with demographics. You'll be safe anywhere in Cartertet County you choose to live. On a side note I had a friend, not originally from the area that was traveling from Jacksonville to the area outside of Havelock one evening. He heard that catfish lake rd was a short cut to get home. Catfish lake is a mostly dirt road connecting 58 and 70. He stopped at probably that same gas station to ask directions and followed them to a "T" and it led him to a dead end. As he turns around to find his way back, he passes a car coming down the dead end road driven by the guys who gave him the directions. Last time he used Catfish Lake road.
Recreational sports aren't done through the Y, but through other rec leagues. Newport, NC - Recreation
The only areas that you may not feel as welcome in are ones east of Beaufort, going towards what we call Down East, but even their safety wouldn't be an issue. What little serious crime their is in the area is typically criminal-on-criminal and involves drugs. Not to say "bored teenager" crimes don't happen like bikes stolen, things stolen out of cars. My father in-law lives in MHC, where Calico Creek meets the Newport River and my kids run the neighborhood with abandon when they visit him without concern.
*Where would you suggest to look to rent/buy in close proximity to Newport? Morehead City? Newport off Highway 24? Beaufort looks beautiful but not sure about bridge/commuting when tourism is high? Looks like Cape Carteret would be too far? All are actually in close proximity. True about the bridge to Beaufort it can be a pain in the summer but honestly only during Seafood Fest and Big Rock is it really unbearable. Beaufort is a great small town. MHC is also a fine place, Newport, I remember it used to be the sticks and country and now it is sort of a transplant suburb. Cape Carteret is actually not to far. HWY 24 is a straight shot take about 20 mins.
*I guess I should pretty much count on paying flood insurance? If you buy pretty much yes. Homewoners is expensive due to being in a hurrican zone. Flooding is needed in some parts not in others just really depends on location.
*Safety is one of my top concerns as I have young children. Is there any specific town that you would recommend to live as far as safety? Newport seems to have low crime data, but I would appreciate input. A friend was traveling to Emerald Isle and got lost. They had a bad experience while looking for a gas station. I know that this can happen in any area, but it makes me nervous as I won't know my surroundings. Any areas in Carteret to avoid? All of cafrteret county for the most part is safe , emerald isle as well. I would wonder where they were as I can picture a few small communities on the mainland on the way to EI that it might be the case. Anyway you get the usual tourist crime, car break in here or there but not much else.
*I have googled YMCA and recreation depts. in the area. The closest Y that I found was New Bern. Am I missing something? My kids love soccer, t-ball, etc... Carteret county has a good rec dept and soccer is very very big in the area. Several youth and adult soccer associations in Carteret and surrounding areas. Once you get there folks in the community should point you in the right direction. Same with T ball. Here is a link to county parks and rec. Carteret County Parks & Recreation
*Any great family doc. practices/pediatricians? Any hospitals you would recommend? Carteret General right in Morehead is a pretty good hospital with a decent rep. For major issue Greenville has the ECU medical school and largest regional hospital in the area but should have no problems with medical needs in the Morehead area. Cannot speak on pediatricians etc, sorry.
*I will be looking for quality half or full time daycare depending on my job. Any daycares/preschools that you would recommend? cant help here sorry
*All Carteret County Schools look good! The areas we are looking...Croatan High (and feeder schools) look outstanding and West Carteret area seems to have competitive sports and good academics as well. So that is a huge comfort to me. Both West Carteret and Croatan are very good schools. Crotan is a new high school out towards Cape Carteret, West is in Morehead and East Carteret is a bit more rural school out past Beaufiort. All good schools with good reputations. West even has a surf team which is very cool.
It is a good area for outdoor recreation, beaches fishing surfing. It does get crowded and touristy in the summer but not unbearable. More head has had a bit of a business boom lately. Good stores (Wal MArt, Best Buy usual stuff) and plenty of restaurants. Getting more expensive, especially the closer to the water you get but still a good area. Good luck
Thank you for any input that you may have. It is so appreciated! We are very excited about our move to the coast . Sorry so long... I am excited and nervous![/quote]
A huge thank you to macjr82 and bgpeacock! It is wonderful to hear your knowledge/experiences. I feel so much better about the safety with my kids. It looked very safe in all areas that we visited and the data looked good too. However, first-hand knowledge is the best knowledge!
Macjr82- Unfortunately, my friend had a similar experience to yours at the gas station. It was at night, asking for directions to find a gas station as he was running low. A lot of directions that didn't sound quite right, so he goes outside & finds someone trying to break into his car. Thankfully, he started yelling and the man went away, and my friend was unharmed. But he remembered it very clearly and passed along the warning to me when he heard we were moving. He was going through Raleigh down towards Emerald Isle.
Thanks again for all the links and info. on places to poss. live, healthcare, and recreation. It is great to know that there are so many recreation options for the kids! We are not sure if we are going to rent or buy so this is all very helpful. Thanks for taking time out of your day to help! I feel much better - change is good but also stressful .
as for the hospital you asked about, i love carteret general. i lived in newport for one year. we moved because me and my husband's mothers were getting ill. i had a baby while we were down there and loved all the nurses there. my favorite part was that all the babies had a metal anklet where they could not pass through the doors if you were not the mother or father. i have never seen that before. also i cut my finger really bad and had to go to the ER. they were very fast. from the time i walked in and walked out was 2 hours (including being stitched up and x-rayed). i was very pleased being about 5 pm on a week day. we don't live there anymore but miss it so much that my husband is looking for work down there so we can move back. i hope this helped out with your question.
Cape Carteret has a fine police force. You will see them cruising often at night, or hanging at the gas station on break. It really is GREAT that they are at the gas station because it is the center of town, and they can be anywhere in seconds, PLUS it helps the staff at the gas station feel safe. 99% of the time our little town has no problems, and I would rather have my on duty policeman after he has done his rounds, be at the gas station and keep an eye on things, he can see most of the commercial businesses from that one spot.
Does that mean that Onslow and Jones counties are a little sketchy or only after dark?
Nothing like that was implied by the discussion. Newport is in Carteret County.
Jones County is largely rural, and largely safe. The only thing negative mentioned was the gas station in Maysville. Whatever the "bad experience" was, it is probably a limited incident.
Similarly Onslow County (including Jacksonville) is largely safe. Inevitablly, both areas have a few drug dealers, and a few places people drinak and get into fights. If you avoid them, you will be fine.
Last edited by goldenage1; 11-24-2012 at 03:25 PM..
I teach with a lot of people that live in Newport. They all love it. There are all kinds of youth leagues down there. It is closer to MHC than Havelock, but no tourist mess like MHC. Good luck.
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. Sorry so long... I am excited and nervous!
