looking for a small town by the coast* (Wilmington, Jacksonville: low income, section 8)
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Hello! I'm Tara from Ohio,young mom of 3, first time on the forum I've never been to north Carolina but something about the pictures is screaming my name! So I need help finding a beautiful small town preferably by the coast... I need the ocean air, sand between my toes, warm weather all year round! Right now in Ohio we have a nasty cold blizzard with two feet of snow!
Anyways I do have a low income, right around 25,000$ a year so I do need something nice that I can afford, and a place with low crime rate if none at all! I want a safe place to raise my kids!
Anyways I do have a low income, right around 25,000$ a year so I do need something nice that I can afford, and a place with low crime rate if none at all! I want a safe place to raise my kids!
There are plenty of small towns along the coast that are reasonably safe. What job skills do you have to offer?
I'd suggest you do some preliminary research by reading through the forum for similar threads, as there have been dozen of people with similar ideas of moving here. Also read this thread on taxes: What's the tax situation like in NC?
Then I suggest you do some research on the towns where you could find a job, eg Jacksonville, Morehead City, New Bern, etc. Please be aware that there are few industrial businesses here. The office jobs here will have a lot of competition from military spouses. The available jobs are mostly from service and tourism businesses. Many jobs like waitressing will have seasonal peaks in the summer and nothing in the winter.
Then plan on doing a preliminary scouting trip to see if you would really like it. BTW, it is not warm all year. Currently the temp is in the low 30's and it is raining heavily.
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"48 years in MD, 18 in NC"
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Location: Greenville, NC
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Is there some subliminal message in every picture of Eastern Carolina, that tells people that the living is cheap, the air is clear, and there's no crime at all?
If Eastern Carolina was really a Shangri-La, wouldn't there be a whole lot more people here?
Expectations of earning $25k a year with children isn't going to get you anywhere here but into some Section 8 housing, an EBT card, and Medicaid for health insurance.
Is there some subliminal message in every picture of Eastern Carolina, that tells people that the living is cheap, the air is clear, and there's no crime at all?
I blame the Nicholas Sparks novels and movies. Plus the leftover memories of the Andy Griffith Show.
I need the ocean air, sand between my toes, warm weather all year round!
It's North Carolina, not Florida.
It's very cold right now. Not snowing, but certainly not "warm weather all year round". The predicted HIGH for Wilmington today is 38. Low of 20. If you want warm weather year round keep heading south or aim for California.
Is there some subliminal message in every picture of Eastern Carolina, that tells people that the living is cheap, the air is clear, and there's no crime at all?
If Eastern Carolina was really a Shangri-La, wouldn't there be a whole lot more people here?
Expectations of earning $25k a year with children isn't going to get you anywhere here but into some Section 8 housing, an EBT card, and Medicaid for health insurance.
Well....let's keep in mind that ENC was sparsely populated for a long time because of its rural nature. Prior to 1990 there were no interstates east of I-95....most land was either farms, small towns or the coast. The coast never developed much because of 1)geography-the way its situated and 2)the aforementioned roads.
While NC in general has seen a population explosion in the past 25 years, it has really been the last 15 years that it has happened along the coast. Wilmington and Greenville are in the Top 10 largest cities in the state. And Brunswick Co and Pender Co have been some of the fastest growing counties in the country. Dare County has seen massive development in 2nd homes.
While there are some major upgrades still to be made, ENC is really a ripe area for development and progress, because it has natural resources...and undeveloped (or easily redeveloped) land. Its an emerging market.
That being said regarding the OP's question, an emerging market may not be the best place for a single mom with 25K and 3 kids...I agree with that. You may want to move south...but a place like Southport (which fits your description) is just going to be too expensive. I would direct you more to a town like Whiteville, which has a good community to it, is a much more affordable option, is 45 minutes or so from the coast. But if you don't know anyone there you have no support system...that is going to make it hard. You may be best situated to stay in Ohio if that is where your family is...thing is many people don't realize how hard it is to travel back to where they are from for visits....can you even afford that?
OP: There are definitely some pretty, small towns on the coast. But unfortunately, Coastal Living + Cheap isn't something that goes hand in hand. Based on your name (being a Mama of 3) + being low income, this combination unfortunately isn't going to afford you a decent lifestyle on the Coast.
I think there is a misconception that the South is cheap. I had the same misconception before I moved to NC from MO (husband was in the Marine Corps). Sure, it's cheaper than the Northeast or California or the Pacific Northwest, but North Carolina is not overly affordable compared to other states. You'll probably find that Ohio is actually cheaper.
With that said though, even though I'm not NC's biggest fan, I admit the beaches are exceptionally beautiful. However, as others have said, it's not something that is appealing year round. The Winters aren't crazy, but it does get cold, even on the Coast, and it does snow sometimes.
For a warmer, year round climate, I would actually suggest looking even further South.
What kind of job will you be looking for if/when you do relocate?
I just had to add to this in saying that Ohio is DEF not cheaper than NC. I've found some gorgeous houses for rent anywhere between 850-1100. In Ohio in a decent area you will not find a house for that & if you do its a dump. The only cheap housing in Ohio is in the ghetto. The only thing I liked better about Ohio was no tax on food.
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I've never been to north Carolina but something about the pictures is screaming my name! So I need help finding a beautiful small town preferably by the coast... I need the ocean air, sand between my toes, warm weather all year round! Right now in Ohio we have a nasty cold blizzard with two feet of snow!
