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Location: I currently exist only in a state of mind. one too complex for geographic location.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robma44541
I'm sorry you feel that way but why are you feeling so negative about Wilmington?
Where did you move from to here and where are you planning on moving to when the recession ends? Compared to other towns and areas you can't beat the price of housing and what the area has to offer its residents, along with the great year round weather which is priceless. The people I have met here have been very kind and friendly, the beaches are awesome, the shopping is great and the down town is a wonderful place to go at night to eat and walk around. I wish you well in your move but some feedback on why it didn't work for you would be appreciated.
it's actually quite easy to beat wilmington for all those things you have mentioned. the weather is not that much different than most places along the east coast, with the exception of the snow. it gets cold, and it gets painfully hot. are you taking jobs into consideration when talking about cost of living? if so, the raleigh area destroys wilmington hands down. wilmington consists of basically two types of people. rich retired people, and the poverty stricken ones that serve them. the beaches are nice, but people who live here avoid the beach during the season. the best time to go is during the fall and spring. the shopping here is on par with an area this size. mayfaire is nothing but a cookie cutter strip mall. as for downtown, it's a town like you have seen before. it's nice, and I like it, but I have seen it before.
with all that said, if you have a good income, and you must be near the beach, then this isn't a bad place to live. smaller than VA beach, and not as far as charleston.
I have to agree with Robma. We moved here 3 yrs ago having never even visited Wilmington and it has been one of our best decisions. I think it has a lot to do with where in the area you live and if you get involved with the community. I can only speak for my family but Wilmington is great! Our kids are happy, we have great friends and neighbors. If I had my choice I would never leave! Landfall and Waterford are two different places all together. I would pick landfall over Waterford. It's very close to the beach, Mayfair, etc. Waterford is nice but it's the bridge traffic. Pecan Grove in Hampstead is a good area to look too!
Location: I currently exist only in a state of mind. one too complex for geographic location.
4,196 posts, read 5,843,743 times
Reputation: 670
Quote:
Originally Posted by wilmingtonmom
I have to agree with Robma. We moved here 3 yrs ago having never even visited Wilmington and it has been one of our best decisions. I think it has a lot to do with where in the area you live and if you get involved with the community. I can only speak for my family but Wilmington is great! Our kids are happy, we have great friends and neighbors. If I had my choice I would never leave! Landfall and Waterford are two different places all together. I would pick landfall over Waterford. It's very close to the beach, Mayfair, etc. Waterford is nice but it's the bridge traffic. Pecan Grove in Hampstead is a good area to look too!
well of course you are going to like it having had no exposure to this area before 3 years ago! 10 years ago, this was a great place to be IMO. not as much any more. you could do much worse, but it's nothing special.
You're quite welcome and yes,I will try to answer your question,but I'll probably forget something. First of all the cost of living is way too high for a town this size and the wages are much too low. If you don't have a job lined up already,I wouldn't move here at all. There's a lot of people here who have bachelors and masters degrees and complain about not being able to find a "real job". There are a lot of college kids here that take up a lot of the jobs for less and there is a high turnover rate. There seems to be a lot of rich people who moved here and took this place over,inflated the economy,and own companies who turn people over. They practically own Wrightsville Beach and all the coastal properties. For some reason,everyone is moving here. I guess they found out it was a cool town here with jobs.......but not anymore. There is way too many people living here to sustain a stable economy and is much too small to support as many people that are living here. Since there are a lot of people here,the traffic is crazy! We are from Orlando,Florida area and are used to traffic,but the traffic here is really bad for such a small town and we have the title of more accidents than any city in the state. Since the town is small,so are the amenities,variety and diversity. We live in a nice,quiet,gated community in a nice house,but there's nothing around it much as far as dining or shopping. We've come a long way though because when we got here,there wasn't even a Mayfaire,Costco,Fresh Market, Panera Bread or a decent theater. However,we still have a long way to go. The town is just a bunch of strip malls and there really aren't that many good places to eat......a lot of chain restaurants. We do a lot of our dining and shopping in Myrtle Beach or Raleigh.
There are a lot of cliques around here too. Actually,we were warned about that prior to moving here,but just found it hard to believe among adults. Unfortunately,they were right.
Another HUGE problem here is the crime. There is way too much crime for a town this size. It's much higher than the national average which is very disturbing.
I'm sorry you feel that way but why are you feeling so negative about Wilmington?
Where did you move from to here and where are you planning on moving to when the recession ends? Compared to other towns and areas you can't beat the price of housing and what the area has to offer its residents, along with the great year round weather which is priceless. The people I have met here have been very kind and friendly, the beaches are awesome, the shopping is great and the down town is a wonderful place to go at night to eat and walk around. I wish you well in your move but some feedback on why it didn't work for you would be appreciated.
We moved here from Orlando,Florida and we're moving to Viera,Florida(about sixty miles from Orlando in Brevard County) when we get the right opportunity. You can read my answer to the OP for my negatives. Yes,we have met some nice people as well and the beaches are fine,but after the beaches there isn't that much to do. The shopping could be a whole lot better and walking around downtown after dark is not safe.
Thanks for your well wishes and I wish you all the best too.
I have to agree with Robma. We moved here 3 yrs ago having never even visited Wilmington and it has been one of our best decisions. I think it has a lot to do with where in the area you live and if you get involved with the community. I can only speak for my family but Wilmington is great! Our kids are happy, we have great friends and neighbors. If I had my choice I would never leave! Landfall and Waterford are two different places all together. I would pick landfall over Waterford. It's very close to the beach, Mayfair, etc. Waterford is nice but it's the bridge traffic. Pecan Grove in Hampstead is a good area to look too!
Wilmington Mom,
How are Landfall and Waterford two different places all together? Please let me know your thoughts....
We live in Marsh Oaks as my earlier post suggested. We love it!
Landfall is in New Hanover and is very close to Wrightsville beach and Mayfaire. It is gated and very "posh"! We couldn't afford a house there but again we got very lucky in Marsh Oaks. Waterford is in Leland, Brunswick County. It is nice but for whatever reason it has a poor reputation. Leland, is looked down on. The Bridge traffic is a problem. I think Hampstead, Topsail is a great place. I also would live down in the Georgetown subdivision. The only reason I would live in Waterford is for lower taxes. I can't comment on the schools in Leland but Eaton and Ogden are both excellent schools.
YearPopulationViolent CrimeMurderRapeRobberyAssaultProperty CrimeBurglaryTheftCar TheftArson200571,6595840171594081,711601577533
We used to live just outside this town, these stats were 4 years ago and have gotten worse. The population is about the same as Wilmington. The whole town is unsafe and has nothing to offer. So compared to that I feel Wilmingtons crime rate is not that bad. It is localized in the areas we all know to stay out of too. And as for it not being safe to walk downtown, you'd have to be afraid of your own shadow if you felt that way. Have you ever been to the Friday night concerts on the Riverfront? They are safe and I see small children there dancing with their parents, there are great restaurants and I have never felt afraid for my life when I'm there, we walked the riverfront and down thru Market and Front St, it was full of people and nobody looked afraid. As for nothing to do, there are theatres with good musicals and plays, just saw RENT, it was great. The stadium has cheap tickets for some great baseball and soccer games, free Shakespeare plays at Greenfield Lake, where you can rent boats and enjoy a ride around the lake, 2 good movie theatres, free music concerts at Mayfaire, Carolina Beach, concerts at Airlie gardens, minature golf on Oleander, lots of parks to walk in, feed the ducks, ride a bike, watch a movie on the North Carolina at night (get there early) festivals, art, street, azalea, and more, and get out and volunteer at loads of places, I do and I meet some great people, from the north and south, it will alway make you feel good helping others.
I guess you have to make the most of where you live and Wilmington has a lot to offer, being aware of your surroundings is just being street smart and thats everywhere. Even master planned communities have their problems too, and can be as boring as places like Landfall and St. James, people there seem to think a gate is going to keep them secure. It all depends what you want from the town you choose to live in, Wilmington is not for you but its good enough for me. Good Luck in Florida.
Another peek at the brighter side.....to the original poster...
So much of life is a matter of perspective! Florida 15 moans about not much to do here and that when they moved here there weren't all these places that there are now (such as Mayfaire, Costco, etc., etc.) Thefinalsay poster bemoans that this place isn't what it was 10 years ago! My personal very humble opinion is that the area has improved from 13 years ago when we first built our house here in Hampstead. We have enjoyed Mayfaire and that whole Military Cut-off area very much. Speaking for our area, I am thrilled that the kids here have the new park and it is wonderful when I take the grandkids there to see soccer and base ball going full swing. We toured the new high school, Topsail High, and it was beautiful. The baseball team went to the state championship game this year, as they did last year.(Didn't win, but hey, number two in the state?! That is wonderful!) The high school has a great program to build electric cars and have won awards for their vehicles. This year the Topsail golf team won the state championship! I love our nice little library and seems like everyone in the community does, too. And I agree with Robma that there is a lot to do here if you look around and take advantage of it. One of my very favorite things we have done is go to the Wilmington Symphony Youth Orchestra concerts. For $5, we have enjoyed some wonderful Sunday afternoon concerts and seeing the young people involved in this wholesome activity is very inspiring.The natural beauty of the beaches and marshes is fun to enjoy here. Love the sea turtle hospital on Topsail Island and enjoy the atmosphere at Wrightsville Beach when we have ventured over there. Crime everywhere in this country is somewhat of a problem if you aren't cautious about where you are and what you are doing...but you don't have to be paranoid... I spent most of the day in different parts of Wilmington running errands and going to appointments and was just careful and no problem...haven't had a problem in the thirteen years here. We have never had a problem in our Hampstead neighborhood either(knock on wood!) There is a lot I cannot address since it is out of my "realm of knowledge," like the job market and Leland area and what life is like there. I did visit someone in Waterford the other day, and I have to say that it was a breeze going down there from Hampstead on the by-pass. I thought Waterford was really pretty, although it seemed very "dense" with homes and seemed "tight", but it did have a nice clubhouse, lovely homes and sidewalks and some nice amenities close by. To the original poster - you have a big decision, and it must be kind of maddening with all these opinions on here....everyone is entitled to theirs for sure. When you use these forums a bit, you learn which posters are the "glass half full" folks and which are the "glass half empty", and I guess you have to know what your own perspective on life is! Certainly hope you can get down here to take a good hard look around at some time before making a decision based on other's opinions. Well, this is probably enough of mine. Have to rest up to go pick blueberries tomorrow!
I quite agree with you, I'd like to think of my glass as being half full!
I really think Thefinalsay is bluffing in order to keep outsiders from moving here! He really likes it here but won't admit it, wants to keep it for himself.
Please let us know where the Wilmington Junior Symphony plays, we would love to go see them. Thanks.
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Another peek at the brighter side.....to the original poster...
) There is a lot I cannot address since it is out of my "realm of knowledge," like the job market and Leland area and what life is like there. I did visit someone in Waterford the other day, and I have to say that it was a breeze going down there from Hampstead on the by-pass. I thought Waterford was really pretty, although it seemed very "dense" with homes and seemed "tight", but it did have a nice clubhouse, lovely homes and sidewalks and some nice amenities close by. To the original poster - you have a big decision, and it must be kind of maddening with all these opinions on here....everyone is entitled to theirs for sure. When you use these forums a bit, you learn which posters are the "glass half full" folks and which are the "glass half empty", and I guess you have to know what your own perspective on life is! Certainly hope you can get down here to take a good hard look around at some time before making a decision based on other's opinions. Well, this is probably enough of mine. Have to rest up to go pick blueberries tomorrow!
