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.
I have a job offer in Surf City...planning to live closer to Hampstead. I'm single, 50, empty nest. A few questions:
How am I going to meet people to socialize with outside of work? Yes, I know, Meetup of course, but is the community open enough to welcome newcomers and include them in their activities? Would i need to join the country club? I don't golf. I mean, I can golf, but the thought of 18 holes in the blazing sun is not very appealing. Even 9 holes would be a big commitment for me. I'm par 3 material at best!
I need to swim for my joint health. There seem to be no public pools in all of Pender County. There may or may not be a YMCA on the north side of Wilmington just behind Poplar Grove. Where on earth do the good children of Pender County learn how to swim?
There does not seem to be any kind of community theater program in Hampstead. This is something I could start and build, beginning with summer theater programs for children. Does that seem like something that would fly there? If there is enough of a population to require a new elementary school in the area, it seems like there would be demand for summer programming for locals and could possibly include summer people.
I'll have to go to church in Wilmington so I figure I can do my shopping/movie outing/etc on weekends. I'm a workaholic, so I don't go out much in the evenings anyway because I'm collapsed on my sofa prepping for the next day of work.
Anything else I haven't thought of?
I'm not even going to ask about dating life. I assume there will be none........
After some digging, I discovered the Coastal Fitness Center in Hampstead which has yoga, pilates, and other fitness classes and a pool with aqua fitness classes and membership is $35 per month. They pretty much offer everything a YMCA does but for much, much less money.
And the Belvedere Country Club doesn't have membership, anyone can golf there. Twilight golf is only $15.
Lived in Hampstead for 30 years. Bring a big dose of patience with you to deal with the traffic. Horrible mess they have made by allowing uncontrolled growth with no supporting infrastructure.
Looking for a pool I would look at Coastal fitness on 17, they have an indoor pool. Good luck and enjoy the beach, Wilmington has a lot to offer as far as culture and entertainment goes. Sure you will meet people.
Lived in Hampstead for 30 years. Bring a big dose of patience with you to deal with the traffic. Horrible mess they have made by allowing uncontrolled growth with no supporting infrastructure.
Looking for a pool I would look at Coastal fitness on 17, they have an indoor pool. Good luck and enjoy the beach, Wilmington has a lot to offer as far as culture and entertainment goes. Sure you will meet people.
I lived in Northern Virginia for several years and know a few things about avoiding traffic! With the hours I will be working I think I will be too early for the worst of it or maybe going against the worst of it most of the time. At least I hope!
It seems to me that not being Incorporated was a bad idea...that may have helped the area control development. Just my amateur observation.
We moved from the DC area to Topsail Beach about 5 years ago, and moved to Asheville about a year ago. So we were also used to traffic. But with the summer comes tourists, and with tourists come traffic. Especially near the island. Pretty much plan on not driving on the weekends.
I live in Surf City. I agree not incorporating was a bad idea. Sneads Ferry and Hampstead have repeatedly voted down efforts to incorporate. They say they don't want their taxes raised, but complain about their lack of services. I think Surf City does a very good job and i gladly pay them my taxes. Sneads Ferry does have a very active community Theater, by the way. I've gotten involved with the Turtle Rescue folks on the island and a book club in Hampstead. My mom is also active in her church and activities at the senior center. We did used to have a membership at Coastal Fitness Center, but didn't get down to use it enough to keep it up. We have a pool in our community and we use gym facilities and the dog park at the Surf City Rec center. The area is welcoming to newcomers and attracts a lot of retirees from the Northeast and mid-west.
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.
I answered one of my own questions...
