Wilmington NC for Retirement

[Midpack]

We still have a few years to decide and we've never lived in Wilmington or anywhere in the Carolinas, but we think that's where we'd like to live. We intend to visit a few times in the years ahead before we decide - but I thought why not solicit comments here from folks. So all comments, good or bad, are welcome...thanks.

 

[RunningBum]

Been awhile, so I can't say too much. It's slightly inland, so it's protected from small hurricanes. I-40 is a better evacuation route than most places on the Carolina coast. 2 hours to Raleigh.

UNC-Wilmington seems to be growing and may provide some culture.

I like visiting the USS North Carolina battleship, which is moored there. Sometimes you see gators (crocs?) in the swamp around it. I'm not kidding.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I had a friend move there from Charleston after Hugo, who then got hit by the next 3 hurricanes--don't count them out for getting a few!

Pro: It is a really nice town, with lots to offer visitors and residents. I think it might be the only place I'd be willing to move from Charleston to! Great downtown area with restaurants, galleries, shops. Wonderful Azalea festival. One of my favorite coastal cities!

Con: Lots of movie and tv people, which gets on the natives' nerves. Much more expensive compared to here in housing and cost of living. Natives again blame movie and tv people for jacking up the prices. Flooding can be catastrophic, a friend's house was a total loss on the river just a few years ago, and after the second rebuild, they just gave up.

Fresh water has gators. We don't have crocodiles, but I appreciate the efforts to keep people out of the Carolinas, running bum, kind of like those Texas folks and their rattlesnake stories!

 

[Midpack]

I had a friend move there from Charleston after Hugo, who then got hit by the next 3 hurricanes--don't count them out for getting a few!

Pro: It is a really nice town, with lots to offer visitors and residents. I think it might be the only place I'd be willing to move from Charleston to! Great downtown area with restaurants, galleries, shops. Wonderful Azalea festival. One of my favorite coastal cities!

Con: Lots of movie and tv people, which gets on the natives' nerves. Much more expensive compared to here in housing and cost of living. Natives again blame movie and tv people for jacking up the prices. Flooding can be catastrophic, a friend's house was a total loss on the river just a few years ago, and after the second rebuild, they just gave up.

Fresh water has gators. We don't have crocodiles, but I appreciate the efforts to keep people out of the Carolinas, running bum, kind of like those Texas folks and their rattlesnake stories!

No kidding. We were considering Charleston, but thought it was higher cost of living than Wilmington, guess I better look again. Also heard Charleston downtown traffic is a nightmare, but we probably wouldn't live downtown anyway. Thanks, all input is welcome...

 

[Sarah in SC]

Nah, downtown traffic isn't bad, but you don't want to live in Mount Pleasant, the traffic there is awful, but only at commuter times!
There are a lot of coastal communities between Savannah and Wilmington with a lot to offer, just depends on what you want.
I'd also look at some of the smaller towns, like Georgetown, SC and Shallotte, NC while not right on the ocean, do offer the other benefits of coastal living like kayaking, hiking, birding, etc.

 

[Charlotte]

New Bern, NC might be another another option to look into. I hear it's a nice town.

One of the things I enjoy about North Carolina is that we have 4 very distinct seasons here, so we get some cold, some hot, and lots of 'pretty nice' during the year. Our daffodils are starting to bloom right now and I've seen a couple dogwoods also starting to bloom - it makes me feel cheerful just thinking about spring starting.

 

[dumpster56]

Shallotte NC?? Hummmm. Have you spent much time down around there?

Interviewed for a teaching position at west brunswick HS last summer. The land of pork and tobacco. Was told that their students either get a job for the gubmint or end up in jail!! Yes from an administrator doing the interview!

Not impressed with the backwards thinking of the area. Beaches are nice, water quality south of the cape fear river is more brackish, not very clear from wilmington south down to Calabash, including Holden, Ocean Isle and sunset beaches.

 

[Tiger]

I once worked for a company that was based in Wilmington so I visited there fairly often. Although it was quite a few years back it has to have changed quite a bit since then but one thing hasn't changed and that's the hurricanes and problems caused by them. Wilmington was the first city I considered as a place to retire to but based on what my co workers that lived there told me about the destruction they experienced due to hurricanes I scratched it from the list.