Moving to Wilmington area (Raleigh, Masonboro: crime, school district, college)

[lagradstudent]

Hello,
I might be moving to the Wilmington area from Los Angeles for grad school at UNCW. After four years in the city, my husband and I are looking to move to a small community with good schools for our five-year-old. Based solely on the map, I'm looking at Seagate, Wrightsville Beach, and Masonboro, but I know nothing about the communities, except that they seem close to UNCW.

On a side note, how is the traffic in the Wilmington area? It can't be worse than L.A.

Thanks!
l.a.gradstudent

[sunbiz03]

Hi,
I don't personally live in Wilmington but my daughter does. She graduates from UNCW in May. She loves it there. She actually is getting on a plane right now headed for LA. How weird is that? The traffic is trying at times, worse in the summer, of course. I am not familiar with Seagate or Masonboro. Wrightsville Beach is a beautiful place. Some friends of mine recently moved from Wilmington closer to Monkey Juntion living there 10 yrs said the schools were great. I can only suggest that you visit the area and check out the websites as much as possible. The local Wrightsville beach webcam is www.wrightsville.com/bchcam.htm. I hope this helps you some.
Good luck on your move.

[kristine]

Wilmington is great..Wrightsville is a bit more pricier....Just be cautious about the area of Wilmington you choose..You could probably call the police dept to see where the lower areas of crime are..i don't believe there is much crime there, probably just average....we used to vacation there all the time when we lived in NC....Goodluck!...P.S. I wouldn't say Wilmington is a small community..probably compared to L.A. it is!..lol

[mom2hn]

Hi! I live near Orlando now but grew up in Wilm. (Hoggard High School district) Wilmington is growing quickly and getting busier each year. (nothing compared to Orlando and LA!!) We are considering a move back to NC (raleigh or Wilm)because Orlando is just too crazy. We have 2 children under 4 and would stay in the Hoggard district if we go to Wilm. Parents live in the Masonboro Sound area and it's beautiful. Let me know if you need any more specifics!

[EnglishCream]

Traffic is terrible. Not LA terrible, but bad for a city this size. No freeways, period, except one that runs into town from the North (I-40) and ends before you get into town. There's a loop around the city now too, but it's way out and doesn't ease traffic much into town. It helps if you want to drive from Raleigh to Myrtle Beach and avoid the city, but that's it. The city has grown too fast and there is nowhere else to build roads. College Road is the worst (the main N-S thoroughfare), and Market Street and Oleander (E-W) are nearly as bad.