Morehead or new bern (Wilmington, Jacksonville: for rent, condo, home)

[UpstateNYR62]

my wife and i are late 40's now in an empty nest looking to move close to the ocean in nc. I'm leaving a chevy dealership with many years of service in search of our new life, tired of 300" inches of lake effect snow off the east end of lake ontario. the question is, is the population in the morehead area supportive enough for my line of work to make a living and my wife is in administration by the way? Also i would love to rent the first year on the island Atlanic beach or so, is this to much of a dream. looking to rent for $600-$1000 a month?

[Brown Dog]

I'm a little further south in Wilmington, but as for selling cars, people always want newer and better. Especially if you want to live close to the water, Wilmington in particular, is a bargain. Housing is quite cheap compared to the rest of the eastern seaboard. Check out some places in Carolina and Kure Beach...GREAT prices now.
Also, there are several big name companies here that are always hiring(with respect to your wife).

I know you mentioned NB and Morehead, but....my 2 cents.

PS-Moved here from the 'CUSE......I feel your pain!

[UpstateNYR62]

Thanks brown dog. go orange.Wilmington is the wifes choice of preference and you have made my quest harder (haha) as she really likes your post.

[Brown Dog]

Sorry...but it's true. There was a HUGE amount of speculation building at Kure and Carolina Beaches. Lots of empty, new construction that has been sitting for the better part of two years!

[XNYgirl]

As a former WNY'er I do not miss the snow at all!

Morehead City is closer to the ocean than New Bern.

[dsobotta]

Originally Posted by UpstateNYR62

my wife and i are late 40's now in an empty nest looking to move close to the ocean in nc. I'm leaving a chevy dealership with many years of service in search of our new life, tired of 300" inches of lake effect snow off the east end of lake ontario. the question is, is the population in the morehead area supportive enough for my line of work to make a living and my wife is in administration by the way? Also i would love to rent the first year on the island Atlanic beach or so, is this to much of a dream. looking to rent for $600-$1000 a month?

I think you will find the Morehead City area a great place to relocate. It is really growing and adding lots more services and stores.

I live on the western side of the county near Cape Carteret and most of the people in our area prefer shopping in Morehead City to shopping in Jacksonville.

There is a Ford and a Chevy dealership in Swansboro close to us, but I know some people go to Morehead City for their autos because of the added choices and other dealers. Cape Carteret is only eighteen minutes from the shopping mall in Morehead City.

I often see jobs at the Morehead City dealerships in the paper.

Renting on the beach your first year is a good idea since it will quickly let you figure out whether you want to trade the closeness to the water for additional space and probably a newer home when you finally decide to buy.

Morehead City is pretty central to everything. A Panera Bread just opened there so we're excited about that.

I am a big Bogue Sound fan so that would certainly push me towards Morehead City instead of New Bern.

There are a number of Bogue Sound pictures in this slide show.

There are a number of properties available for rent. I did a quick search for the Atlantic Beach area and saw one condo for $850 a month and a duplex for $1250 per month. I suspect you can find something around $1,000.

I always have a lot of fun sending notes back to my Canadian friends and letting them know what they are missing.

I hope your first winter is like 2007, January only brought us 19 hours below freezing for the whole month.

You can also read my Carteret post to help you decide between New Bern and Morehead City.

Here is a beach picture to get you down Morehead City way.

Good luck and I hope you find something that works for you.

[UpstateNYR62]

seems like new bern has more issues than i thought, i've been told there is no middle class there, just very rich and very poor so i've been told. thanks for the responce. the coast is where we're going the wife now has brought up wilmington, we just want to be on the coast and find some jobs.

Originally Posted by dsobotta

I think you will find the Morehead City area a great place to relocate. It is really growing and adding lots more services and stores.

I live on the western side of the county near Cape Carteret and most of the people in our area prefer shopping in Morehead City to shopping in Jacksonville.

There is a Ford and a Chevy dealership in Swansboro close to us, but I know some people go to Morehead City for their autos because of the added choices and other dealers. Cape Carteret is only eighteen minutes from the shopping mall in Morehead City.

I often see jobs at the Morehead City dealerships in the paper.

Renting on the beach your first year is a good idea since it will quickly let you figure out whether you want to trade the closeness to the water for additional space and probably a newer home when you finally decide to buy.

Morehead City is pretty central to everything. A Panera Bread just opened there so we're excited about that.

I am a big Bogue Sound fan so that would certainly push me towards Morehead City instead of New Bern.

There are a number of Bogue Sound pictures in this slide show.

There are a number of properties available for rent. I did a quick search for the Atlantic Beach area and saw one condo for $850 a month and a duplex for $1250 per month. I suspect you can find something around $1,000.

I always have a lot of fun sending notes back to my Canadian friends and letting them know what they are missing.

I hope your first winter is like 2007, January only brought us 19 hours below freezing for the whole month.

You can also read my Carteret post to help you decide between New Bern and Morehead City.

Here is a beach picture to get you down Morehead City way.

Good luck and I hope you find something that works for you.

[Martha Garbarino]

I wouldn't rule out New Bern too fast. Believe me, there are plenty of middle class living here. I love the beach too and it is only a 30 minute drive. When the summer season is over, Atlantic Beach closes up for the most part. My sister has a business in Morehead City and things change dramatically.
One of the most respected car dealers is in New Bern and sells Chevys. Joe Alcoke's would be a great place to work. In addition, Hwy 70E between New Bern and Havelock has successful dealerships.
Good luck with your search!