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goblue, even though you appear to be a michigan fan and they beat my gators, I will try to provide some info. I would say that the best place to get the best quality of life would be raleigh. wilmington has the beach, however a higher cost of living and lower paying jobs. and you have to realize that when you live here, you don't go to the beach nearly as much as you think you will. as for asheville, it is also a nice city in the mountains but is probably even more expensive than wilmington. I don't think any of the 3 will provide the major laid back atmosphere you might think it will. there are a lot of transplants in all three areas and they can bring some of that big city attitude with them. raleigh is by far the biggest of the 3 but you make the most money, lowest cost of living, major airports, and you are only 2 hours from the beach and 2 hours from the mountains. it's pretty central.
I am finding on these posts such a diversity of opinion, especially opinions on crime, etc. No one mentioned the danger of hurricane season, any comments on that important issue?
thanks!
P.S. I am also from the Boston area looking to relocate, but so many choices and so many opinions, it is difficult to decide where to go.
historically this has been a very active hurricane area. recently we have seen very few storms coming this way. we might be due! the biggest danger of hurricanes around here are the dangers of wind and hail home owners insurance! crime is crime. there are good areas and bad areas around here. however, even if you live in a nice area, you still run the risk of crime.
Honestly, crime finds its way all over the world. There are of course some places with more crime than others. In Wilmington's case most of the bad areas are right outside downtown. This usually results in a "BIG DOWNTOWN REBIRTH" where the original residents are not able to afford downtown anymore. They are sent a couple of block inna certain direction and the problem is supposedly solved. This is happening especially alot in NC cities ( Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh and here) to accomodate the jailbreak (it seems) of new residents. Not blaming anybody just stating facts.
I don't think you can beat any city in NC, generally speaking. While some may want more excitement and seek the night life in areas like Raleigh and Charlotte, others may long for the ocean along the miles of coastline, and still others find respite in the mountains. Keep in mind, there are cities of all sizes in between.
I loved growing up in Wilmington. My husband and I were Wilmington natives who chose to leave for many of the same reasons people move from all areas where they grew up -- it changes, and they don't care for the changes. Others relish being there.
My husband's work brought us to the Triangle, and we settled in Cary. We love it. I think this area is what folks have in mind when they seek 'suburbia' -- easy-living, laid-back, friendly, like-minded folks.
If you have the time, visit a number of places across the State, if only in cyberspace. There is quite a bit to be gleaned from forums like this. Happy searching.
And for what it's worth, I like Raleigh and the outlying areas better than living in Wilmington -- my sincerest apologies to my old hometown.
Thank you so much. We haven't had a real vacation in years, so we're planning on taking a drive to the mountains after getting settled.
I still would love to know if there are any towns closer that have foothills even. It would be great to drive a couple of hours and see some greenery just for the day.
Actually AsheBORO would be the closest foothills. It is located in the UWharrie Mountains (the mountains are so old and eroded they're just GIANT hills now). It is also the location of the NC State Zoo.
goblue, even though you appear to be a michigan fan and they beat my gators, I will try to provide some info. I would say that the best place to get the best quality of life would be raleigh. wilmington has the beach, however a higher cost of living and lower paying jobs. and you have to realize that when you live here, you don't go to the beach nearly as much as you think you will. as for asheville, it is also a nice city in the mountains but is probably even more expensive than wilmington. I don't think any of the 3 will provide the major laid back atmosphere you might think it will. there are a lot of transplants in all three areas and they can bring some of that big city attitude with them. raleigh is by far the biggest of the 3 but you make the most money, lowest cost of living, major airports, and you are only 2 hours from the beach and 2 hours from the mountains. it's pretty central.
And if you were to get a job in Wake County, you could live in Johnston County, or other outlying areas and commute. Johnston County is booming with people who want to be in the "country" but be close to the "big city." Cost of living is just a little lower too--but then there's gas prices to consider in commuting.
In Wake County, elementary school lines are redistricted EVERY year! Kids don't go to the same school two years in a row! So, for your own children, you may want to consider other school systems.
I had to post my opinion about Wilmington as it is the only home I have even known;
I am an 8th-generation Wilmingtonian. This is my home, and I love this area. Unfortunately, low paying jobs and high housing costs have forced me to look elsewhere; I am in the process of moving to West Virginia to try to get my college education completed.
Growing up here, I think it really was the epitome of southern hospitality. I lived off Wrightsville Ave, in an area I wouldn't even walk by myself in anymore. It's terrible that the crime has gotten to be so bad, but it really depends on where you go. Drugs are a huge problem in this area: I have walked down Front St and been propositioned to buy drugs many times; they are very brazen. I currently live in the Monkey Junction area, and I have never had any problems.
There was a post in the earlier part of this thread that mentioned the rudeness of some of our residents; I can attest to that 100%. Being from here, I do have that Southern hospitality mentality; it's how I was raised. I work in a local vet's office, and I can't tell you enough how rude people can be. I don't mean to offend anyone, but it's mostly the "transplants" from NY or NJ who give me the most problems. Not that there aren't locals who are rude either, because there are.
Wilmington is a wonderful area to live in; there is a lot to do, you're in between an ocean and a river, lots of culture and history, but the fact is that Wilmington wasn't meant to be a large city. Nobody planned that when they were designing the infrastructure. So, now we're faced with horrible traffic from poor road design, sewer problems from overuse and an awful crime rate. The police aren't quick to respond to calls, and many people don't trust the police because of a few highly-publicized incidents where unarmed people were shot. If you're thinking that Wilmington will be your paradise, you have to take it with a grain of salt; Wilmington has it's own share of problems but if you are willing to go with it, it is a wonderful place to live.
As far as the jobs and housing market; don't even think about moving here unless you have a career and a job already in place. Many places aren't hiring, and the ones that are are entry-level jobs that pay less than 7/hr. You can't live here making less than 14/hr, honestly. Houses are astronomical, and you can't find a decent apartment in a good location for under 700/month. (That's a one bedroom). There are plenty of houses for sale here though, because land is being developed and no one is buying because they can't afford the prices. Forget about help from the city; there aren't many, if any, medical facilities where you can go if you don't have insurance, and many people here don't have it, because many employers don't offer benefits anymore. Schools here aren't great either. Many teachers are faced with overcrowding and exhaustion, and a lot of students are falling through the cracks. (When I was a senior in high school- 2004- the history textbook I had ended with wondering what the new millenium would be like!) If you can afford it, you can send your kids to Cape Fear Academy, they'll have the best chance at a decent education there. Traffic is awful; don't even think about driving down College, Oleander or Market streets between 5 and 6:30. Luckily there are a lot of side roads that the tourists don't know about. And to close my ramble, I will say that Wilmington drivers are THE WORST I have ever seen (and granted that isn't a lot of places, but most locals will attest to that), it's a mixture of northerners who are used to driving in NYC or other large cities, the natives who like to drive 15 under the speed limit, and the college kids who drag race down College Rd. No one uses turn signals, people cut you off in traffic and I have even seen people reading while driving!
In short, Wilmington is my home, and I love it dearly. I have been willing to overlook the problems for a long time, and I cannot do it anymore. When a city can't take care of it's residents, it's time to move on to better things.
I am finding on these posts such a diversity of opinion, especially opinions on crime, etc. No one mentioned the danger of hurricane season, any comments on that important issue?
thanks!
P.S. I am also from the Boston area looking to relocate, but so many choices and so many opinions, it is difficult to decide where to go.
Having lived on, or close to the coast for most of my life, I really have to laugh when people start asking us about Hurricanes. Yes we have them, but we don't live in Boston, and there you will find horrendous winters. It really is a trade off, and I would much rather be living in a tropical environment than freezing to death in an ice storm. Our weather tracking system has gotten to the point where you only have to listen to what is reported, prepare if necessary and wait it out. Common sense will prevail, and this is not a personal attack, but get a grip, please. Your best option is to get a frigging map, look at areas that don't jut out into the ocean , and you'll be fine. Enough with the hurricanes already. Please stay in Boston, hey, isn't that on the coast?
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Diverse opinions
