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Poverty rates are a good quality-of-life indicator of an geographic area. While "Veganwriter" is a retiree like myself, he should consider their impact on the county's finances.
While our priorities are much different than younger folks, taxes and healthcare are very important to those on fixed incomes. Economically depressed counties tend to have higher than average property tax rates to compensate for their shrinking tax base. In addition, the availability of quality healthcare becomes more of an issue for retirees. Poorer counties cannot afford to support high quality hospitals or attract a wide variety of healthcare specialists who treat aging-related conditions and diseases.
Once again, you have added nothing about Bertie County, but just provided generalizations based on poverty rates.
As for hospital systems, the county doesnt support Bertie County's...they are part of the Vidant Health system, have a brand new hospital in Windsor, two other hospitals in Edenton and Ahoskie and are supported by the main Vidant Health Center in Greenville, which is also supported by ECU's health science campus...ECU is a leader in rural health and Vidant is a product of it. All of the healthcare specialists you would pretty much ever want are located in Greenville and are available through the Vidant network of 10 hospitals in ENC.
I do know the tax rate in the town of Windsor is like 12 cents for every 100 dollars, one of the lowest municipalities in NC. The housing is also very affordable, $125,000 will get you a nicely renovated brick ranch home in a nice neighborhood.
So I covered the taxes and healthcare and you have stated that Bertie County is a poor county....aren't most agricultural based counties poor counties? Aren't they losing jobs and losing population? Does that mean they are a bad place to retire? Wasn't the OP looking for an agricultural based place to live and stated he wanted to get away from folks...didn't mind a high minority populated county since he was a minority himself?
So if you have nothing to add to the question of what is Bertie County like, please refrain from posting your ideological generalizations...if you don't mind.
Bertie County also has some great retirement options...check out Scotch Hall Preserve, which overlooks the Albemarle Sound and is a Arnold Palmer signature golf course community.
There are also other options for retirees right along the water...Batchelor Bay, Black Rock & Bal Gra are some of the other waterfront communities.
It seems some folks are investing in Bertie County even though it has a higher poverty rate than the state average...these folks are probably looking for a quieter place to retire, a simpler life....that is what Bertie County is like.
There are also other options for retirees right along the water...Batchelor Bay, Black Rock & Bal Gra are some of the other waterfront communities.
Thanks for those references. There is some absolutely beautiful waterfront in these developments. They are also marketing Scotch Hall as a second-home location.
The area is rich in history for those who want to explore it. The Hope Plantation in Windsor is a beautiful site, and there are others. The Lost Colony also might have wanted to build a fort at the Scotch Hall site, and I keep looking to see if their will be an archeological exploration. So there is a lot more to offer in Bertie county than just the chicken farms.
One disadvantage is that you might have to go to Vidant's larger hospital in Greenville for more specialized care.
Once again, you have added nothing about Bertie County, but just provided generalizations based on poverty rates.
As for hospital systems, the county doesnt support Bertie County's...they are part of the Vidant Health system, have a brand new hospital in Windsor, two other hospitals in Edenton and Ahoskie and are supported by the main Vidant Health Center in Greenville, which is also supported by ECU's health science campus...ECU is a leader in rural health and Vidant is a product of it. All of the healthcare specialists you would pretty much ever want are located in Greenville and are available through the Vidant network of 10 hospitals in ENC.
I do know the tax rate in the town of Windsor is like 12 cents for every 100 dollars, one of the lowest municipalities in NC. The housing is also very affordable, $125,000 will get you a nicely renovated brick ranch home in a nice neighborhood.
So I covered the taxes and healthcare and you have stated that Bertie County is a poor county....aren't most agricultural based counties poor counties? Aren't they losing jobs and losing population? Does that mean they are a bad place to retire? Wasn't the OP looking for an agricultural based place to live and stated he wanted to get away from folks...didn't mind a high minority populated county since he was a minority himself?
So if you have nothing to add to the question of what is Bertie County like, please refrain from posting your ideological generalizations...if you don't mind.
I have always appreciated the stats shared by mm34b. If you don't appreciate them then just don't read them!
I have always appreciated the stats shared by mm34b. If you don't appreciate them then just don't read them!
I like the idea of sharing the whole state sheet rather than cherry picking one stat....then it allows the reader to form their own opinion...the forum is a great place for links to be posted and for opinions to be posted from folks that have knowledge of the topics...
That is where I took exception, if you have no knowledge of the topic, it makes sense to refrain from posting.
HP91 you're another "Gold Mind Member" on this forum. Many, many thanks... and not just for the information, but your outlook, and the hints you're subtly leaving.
My only question now concerns those Natural Disasters you guys mentioned. Is Bertie County in a flood zone?
mm34b You too. Thanks for the input. I really like the way you two talk.
goldenage1 I've always enjoyed the insights and suggestions you bring to the forum.
I'm a 100% Disabled Veteran so most counties give us a break on Taxes.
I believe there's Veteran's Hospitals in both Durham and Fayetteville, so I'm also factoring distance between them and a perspective home.
Apparently innovative chicken coop design is a hot topic in Bertie County because I saw a page about a community college competition... not the one at the Bertie Early College Agriculture School. People may scoff, but I admire teachers and community leaders in any area (esp. one hard hit economically) who challenge the minds of young and old in productive ways. This may be another "intangible" reason to look deeper at the area.
You guys seem to be a reliable source of information… but I think I'm going to have to try some of those peanuts out for myself!
((chuckle))
My only question now concerns those Natural Disasters you guys mentioned. Is Bertie County in a flood zone?
Bertie has the Chowan River on one border, and the Roanoke River on parts of another. So, there will be flood zones near the rivers.
There just seems to have been a spell of back luck with weather, which makes for good television drama. Check the main profile, and you will see hurricane and tornado impact in 2011, flooding in 2010, and emergencies or hurricanes in 2010, 2005, 2003, 1999, 1998, and 1996. //www.city-data.com/county/Bertie_County-NC.html
I think it is just typical of many areas near the coast. If you live away from the river, and away from big trees, you should be OK.
Bertie County's flooding is kind of interesting...its almost a mystery to even the Corps of Engineers. First off there is only very localized flooding from the Chowan River/Albemarle Sound area...most of the land are bluffs overlooking the water....there are a number of nice communities/subdivisions being built along that area. The Roanoke River side of Bertie is ALL marshes and essentially unbuildable, so no one really gets flooded. Its one of the largest natural habitats in the State.
The flooding in Bertie County then is essentially limited to the Cashie River in and near Windsor. 90% of Windsor is out of the floodplain, but the flooding kind of meanders through Windsor...hitting a few blocks of downtown, areas across the river from the Historic District, a few blocks from the Hospital and north of Windsor on both sides of a bridge on Highway 13. Windsor is in the middle of its second small buyout project because a few years ago it had ANOTHER 500 year flood according to the Army Corps of Engineers. Twice in 11 years. The State Emergency Management office just can't believe it but will not question the Army Corps on their "model" they use for Windsor. What essentially happened is both time Windsor got 20 inches of rain in about a two day span. Since Windsor is only 6 feet from sea level, the water has no place to go when the swamps fill up. The Army Corps says 20 inches of rain in a short period shouldn't happen....common sense says that Windsor is located near the coast where lots of tropical systems come and is in a small river basin with fairly good size hills all around it and is only 6 feet from sea level. Apparently no one from the Army Corps has ever even been to Windsor to see the geography and they just use computer models to figure everything out. The Cashie is a low priority river because it is really not part of the larger river basins...Roanoke, Chowan, Tar, Neuse, and Cape Fear.
Windsor has done an admirable job getting folks out of harm's way with little help from the State of NC & Army Corps...the rest of Bertie County is pretty much fine (I think there is a small creek in Aulander that flooded during Floyd) when it comes to natural disasters...it sustains most damage from wind in Hurricane or Tornado, but that can happen most anywhere including downtown Raleigh or even Charlotte.
The flooding in Bertie County then is essentially limited to the Cashie River in and near Windsor. 90% of Windsor is out of the floodplain, but the flooding kind of meanders through Windsor...hitting a few blocks of downtown, areas across the river from the Historic District, a few blocks from the Hospital and north of Windsor on both sides of a bridge on Highway 13.
Thanks for the details. Of course what the TV news shows are the flooded spots making it look like the whole town is under water.
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