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Would like to retire to the Wilmington, NC area...have a friend that just moved to an area of town they call "Monkey Junction"...anyone familiar...how far to beach, downtown...shopping close by...etc?
Monkey Junction is basically where College Road intersects with Carolina Beach Road. It is an area which has seen a lot of growth over the last 5 or so years. It is only about a 10 minute drive to downtown. It's also only about a 15 minute drive to Carolina Beach. About 20-25 min drive to Wrightsville Beach.
Liz,
I'm looking in that area to relocated. I see you are from Leland? I havea 10 year old and would like a good school district and family nieghborhood. I bleeive one of the zips the agent sent us was 28411. what can you share?
thanks
Barbara
For Wilmington, it really depends on which zip code you use. We have several. When we were house hunting to move here, we discovered we didn't want some areas whereas others were more in line with what we were use to seeing.
The index I use has New Bern at a 112 for zip code 28560 and a 92 for zip code 28562 (National Average is figured at 100).
Wilmington is:
210/28401
225/28403
106/28405
60/28409
111/28411
104/28412
So there is a BIG difference in Wilmington depending on the zip code you live in.
The site I use, I will PM you the url if requested. I discovered it thru a site my husband used for his job.
Actually Sperling's also will break it down by zip code as well and comes up with the same data. Liz
i thought your posting was very helpful. Is the lower numbers preceding the zip code the safer areas? I am thinking moving into the Ashley school system is this a good school system?
Is the lower numbers preceding the zip code the safer areas? I am thinking moving into the Ashley school system is this a good school system?
Yes, in answer to your question about the lower numbers.
As far as school systems, I do NOT have a clue. It was not an issue with my husband and I...we are empty nesters. The only reason it even came up with realtors was in resale value later down the road but that was all and that can change. Who knows how long we will be here and what can happen in 5-10-20 years. Liz
Perhaps I should clarify what made me ask this question.
We live in a city of 17,189, not much smaller than New Bern at 23,178. Our crime stats, according to City Data are 83.7 vs. 325.2 for the US. New Bern's crime stats are 498.3.
498.3 vs 83.7 is a HUGE difference given the small difference in populations. Where I live we do not have "bad" neighborhoods that need to be avoided or people walking around that we have to be careful not to look at. Our crime is pretty much limited to petty theft, a few assualts by kids in bars, drunk driving, etc.
There must be SOME dynamic that causes this great difference in the crime rate. Was just trying to understand what that is. No matter is the prostitutes, drive-by shootings, etc. are not in "my" neighborhood, that is not a town or city that I would be comfortable to live in.
I'm in NO WAY saying where I live is perfect or we wouldn't be looking. Housing is astronomical - we have no "poor" neighborhoods, and the weather is 6 months of cold, snow and ice. However, I won't give that up to live somewhere we don't feel safe.
Regardless, we would still like to visit New Bern - we think Wilmington really is too big for us - and see if we like the area.
Thanks everyone for your comments.
It is hard to figure, but NC just has higher crime rates per capita than northern locales. I used to live in NJ, Somerset county, in a Italian town. The crime there was nothing. In fact, Somerset county is rated as one of the lowest crime areas in the country. Only thing I could figure is that the classes in these hamlets are equalized - not too much in terms of extremes of income (basically a working class town), nosy neighbors keeping an eye on everything (even who you have visiting your house when you're there), and police so thick you are afraid to make a left turn. Of course, the property taxes required to support all that police attention is what drove me out, but. . .
Anyway, I think, and I have see it mentioned elsewhere, that one factor that affects the NC crime rate is the highly transitional state of the state. You see questions on this forum asking why so many people are moving to NC (a good question in my mind), and that question sort of points to one of the problems.
As others have suggested, it also has to do with neighborhoods. I live in Greensboro, which has a fairly high crime rate, but the crime does seem to be centered in certain areas and barely noticeable (other than the fact that people don't seem to know how to drive here - Tailgating, rear-ending, starting left turns from behind the crosswalk!!!). Wilmington and New Bern were pretty much the same. Crime tends to happen in areas where it looks like it might happen, so in the areas that tourists frequent, it is hard to imagine any crime happening, as I said. But drive around, and you'll find likely crime spots. And of course, crime can travel, so you always need to be aware.
I'm sure there's no pat answer to the crime rate, but it sure makes me wonder about the police involvement. Isn't that their job?....to fight crime or lessen it? Is there a police dept. or just a sheriff? To me it would show the need for more active law enforcement to keep that element at bay. If it's a known fact that policing is lacking, it would encourage crime since they feel they can get away with it. Just my simple observation.
I'm sure there's no pat answer to the crime rate, but it sure makes me wonder about the police involvement. Isn't that their job?....to fight crime or lessen it?
Yes. You are correct. It is the police's job to fight crime.
Quote:
Is there a police dept. or just a sheriff?
Both. The county has the sherriff's office, and each municipality (Kure Beach, Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach) has its own police department.
Quote:
To me it would show the need for more active law enforcement to keep that element at bay. If it's a known fact that policing is lacking, it would encourage crime since they feel they can get away with it. Just my simple observation.
I agree, that is a simple observation. Have you ever been to Wilmington?
I visited Wilmington on my way South back in Dec. '07. I walked the boardwalk along the river & just several streets in town. Of course, I have a lot of literature & keep checking this site for opinions since you can't make a decision on 1 visit. The location is great since as a New Englander, I would miss being away from water. I would consider being 1/2 hr. inland though from the storm perspective.
Wilmington has been referred to as the sister-city to Savannah & Charleston as it's shipping history. I feel the need for nice restaurants, some nightlife, active seniors & enjoy parks & bike trails. I am a senior & am considering some of the developments that have a pool, tennis courts & walking trails. However, I do have 3 small dogs, so not sure if that would be acceptable plus I don't have a definitive figure on association fees for these places. Even though I am a senior, I enjoy being active & want a social life of some sort. So my research is ongoing & I appreciate all the info on this site. Thanks
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