Denise

My husband and I are considering a move to the Wilmington, NC area from central Virginia. He is a computer network professional and we'd like to find out more about the area. We vacation every year on Topsail Island and love the area. Any comments concerning quality of life, crime, industry, etc. would be extremely appreciated. Also, we're planning a trip down there in a week (Labor Day) and would like some suggestions on restaurants, neighborhoods to visit. Thanks for your help.

Annette

Denise,
Try www.homefair.com or type in city reports and you can get the crime rate, cost of living, population, school reports and a lot more information. I did this for a town and it compared it to where we are living now. There is other info. that you may be able to use.

Randy

Wilmington has seen tremendous growth in the past few years. It used to be a sleepy oceanside town, but the last few years has seen a huge increase in construction.

I have a friend who just attempted to move there---still looking to work in a professional capacity. He was told and came to the conclusion that it's true--the area is not terribly friendly to those who are not looking to retire. He was told that at best as a health care executive, he'd be lucky if he could make $60K a year. This may not be true in your situation, particularly if your husband is willing to travel. My friend was told that he'd do fine salary-wise in the larger cities in NC, but that he'd not find much market for his skills in Wilmington.

On a more positive note, housing is booming. My friend bought a brand new home in a newly developing area--his home is one of 3000 (yes, thousand) that are being built in a single development. Let me know if you get real serious about buying--my friend's brand new home is on the market.

It's a great area, good luck with your decisions.

Lumber

Topsail Beach and SE North Carolina are God's country. You are very lucky to be able to live there. At Topsail Beach, a canal front home can be had for $200,000. I envy you.

Buddy

Wilmington was just rated the 9th fastest growing metropolitan area in the country by the census bureau. Home building has exploded in the area, swallowing up so much of the open space in the outlying areas of town, and creating traffic along the main roads.

Something to consider in addition to the beautifyul beaches and great cost of living.

Lumber

Buddy is correct. Wilmington's growth has exploded since the days when I first began vacationing in the area thirty years ago. For instance, Topsail Island was orignally considered for the rocket and space program in the fourties when it was UNOCCUPIED by people. Wilmington, like many other areas in America, has large-scale suburban sprawl. The beaches are intensively developed; the pineywoods are rapidly being developed, too.

Joy in VA

Just a word of advice from someone who has lived near a hurricane-prone area all my life: When looking for property in the Wilmington area, ask HARD questions about prior hurricanes, flooding, etc. Check out if you can get flood insurance BEFORE buying. Then you will have peace of mind when the season rolls around.

Lumber

My folks have a place at Topsail Beach. Through the last several hurricanes they've lost only a heat pump and a few roof shingles. Many oceanfront houses, due to storm surge, were wiped out so I'd stay away from the ocean.