Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
mrmaxie, we both don't like to shop so we could care a less about the lack of high end shopping. We really don't fit one lifestyle. We love to eat at good local family restaurants (not crazy about chains), we get our veggies and fruit from whole foods, and other food at big box grocery stores. We love going to movies, bars and live music (although finding a babysitter will be much more difficult with the relocation), love parks and hiking and just being outdoors.
I'm a sports junky so I love pickup basketball and softball. I hope to find some leagues if and when we move down. Now that we have a child we enjoy the zoo, museums or anything else that makes our little guy laugh and smile. We love the water but coming from the midwest we've never had the opportunity to really be water people (boats, water skiing, etc.). I think we could easily build the water and beach into our daily routine though. We love to be outside and active.
I've lived in both places and decided to move back to Durham to buy. I'm happy with the decision, but as it's summer weather now, I MISS THE OCEAN SO MUCH I COULD DROP DEAD. Really having a hard time with it. It's still close enough to drive, but having a dog complicates it, and there's nothing like being able to get to Wrightsville Beach in 20 minutes after work.
Still, I'm glad I bought in Durham. I like that the Triangle has so much in the way of ethnic food choices, tons of galleries, museums, is closer to the mountains. Wilmington has some of that, but on a much smaller scale.
I didn't like that when I wanted good Chinese food people told me to go to a Thai place. Two different countries. Call me a food snob but that is indicative of a certain lack of culture to me. Yes, I'm ducking from the incoming flames.
Wilmington at large is decidedly more conservative than I am, though the downtown area and neighborhoods around it aren't.
I've lived in both places and decided to move back to Durham to buy. I'm happy with the decision, but as it's summer weather now, I MISS THE OCEAN SO MUCH I COULD DROP DEAD. Really having a hard time with it. It's still close enough to drive, but having a dog complicates it, and there's nothing like being able to get to Wrightsville Beach in 20 minutes after work.
Still, I'm glad I bought in Durham. I like that the Triangle has so much in the way of ethnic food choices, tons of galleries, museums, is closer to the mountains. Wilmington has some of that, but on a much smaller scale.
I didn't like that when I wanted good Chinese food people told me to go to a Thai place. Two different countries. Call me a food snob but that is indicative of a certain lack of culture to me. Yes, I'm ducking from the incoming flames.
Wilmington at large is decidedly more conservative than I am, though the downtown area and neighborhoods around it aren't.
yeah the coast is really beautiful , escp. this spring , outstanding weather.
No flames coming from me, ILM is much smaller than Durham, however
perhaps people told you about thai as a second option to chinese?
I for one have not wanted chinese food since thai came on the horizon many years
ago.
ILM does have a few thai places but none of them totally outstanding , the best
being IDA Thai in Carolina Beach, imo.
and ah, to be closer to the mountains would be nice!
I don't have they facts either, but I don't believe Wilmington is a transient place. It is too nice to leave if you have a stable job. The fact that it is growing rapidly and people want to retire here argues that it is not just a transient city.
I visited in December. We were only considering the RTP area, but after having some free time to head to the beach Wilmington was put front and center for a potential new home.
I was at the counter at the Verizon store, and the people working there were very friendly. We were talking about relocation, and that both of them were from elsewhere. They were excited to tell us all about the place. One of them summed it up best by saying "no one really sets out to move to Wilmington. We all just sort of ended up here, and it's far too good to leave."
In reality, Raleigh is just a staging area to get to Wilmington (shhh....they won't admit it).
If you can get a good job in Wilmington, go for it, you may never move again. Those that can't find a job in Wilmington move to Raleigh.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
