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Where to live in North Carolina

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The_Goat

Registered User
Assuming I'm stationed at New River what do you guys think?
Buy or rent? I'd like to keep it around BAH
A few places I've heard of in the area.
Wilmington- looks really nice but quite a drive
Hampstead- close to Wilmington but less of a drive
Jacksonville- I only hear bad things but it's close
Sneads Ferry- Don't know much about it
Williams Plantation- A better part of Jacksonville?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
 
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phrogpilot73

Well-Known Member
I'd buy. You're going to be there long enough to build up some equity, and Eastern NC hasn't been hit as hard by the real-estate issues (mainly because real estate there was undervalued to begin with).

I lived in Jacksonville in a neighborhood called Mallard Creek. It wasn't bad - and Jacksonville doesn't suck as bad as it did in '92 when I was there the first time. I personally wouldn't want to live any further south than Hampstead because of the drive. Sneads Ferry has some very nice communities and is well worth looking at. Also, you can check out Topsail/Surf City. There's not many places in this country that you can afford waterfront (probably intercoastal waterfront) but it's doable at either place. I've got a buddy that bought in Surf City and is keeping his house as a vacation home. He bought intercoastal waterfront with a dock as a 1stLt.
 
vtpix03

vtpix03

Cobra Wife
I agree with phrogpilot73, buying is the way to go. Where to buy really depends on your lifestyle and your family. Many of the single guys prefer to live in Wilmington because of the night life. Some of the married folks live in Wilmington or Hampstead because the non-military spouse has more employment opportunities in Wilmington. Williams Plantation is basically a nice neighborhood in Jacksonville.

Since I had just as much employment opportunity in Jacksonville as I would in Wilmington, my husband and I decided to live in Jacksonville. It took me quite awhile to get used to the area, but it isn’t all that bad. Like phrog, we bought in Mallard Creek. It is just a 5 minute drive to the air station gate, 10-15 minutes to the busy part of Jacksonville, and 40 minutes to Wilmington. The mortgage for our 3 bedroom house is just below BAH.
 
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The_Goat

Registered User
I appreciate the replies. I guess I should have mentioned I'm married and have an 18 month old. Also I have a house here in Pace I'm hoping to rent out. Any real estate agents that you could recommend?
Thanks again
 
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phrogpilot73

Well-Known Member
And on the plus side, if you decide to live in Mallard Creek - vtpix03 can tell you when my favorite house in that neighborhood is for sale!
 
gaijin6423

gaijin6423

Ask me about ninjas!
I don't think that you're going to get the same value for your money the further you go towards Wilmington. There seems to be quite a bit available right now (I've been driving back and forth from Cherry Point every day for the last week), both new construction and used. You will be competing with upwards of 12k new personnel in the Jacksonville area, though.

I would also keep in mind that if you're flying Shitters or Skids, that there's now 1 squadron each at Cherry Point. There's a few folks I know who were expecting to go to New River, only to find themselves with a set of Group Special Orders in hand for here.

If you want housing info for Cherry Point or New Bern, let me know.
 
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The_Goat

Registered User
When did they find out they were going to cherry point instead? Do you get follow on orders when you select?
 
gaijin6423

gaijin6423

Ask me about ninjas!
Actually, the guys I know who wound up here at Cherry Point found out after de-chopping from the MEU late last year. The squadrons technically belong to MAG-29 (I think), but are up here for a while. How long? I couldn't tell you, but I think it has to do with a lack of hangar/flight line space at New River. I don't think that, since it's internal to the MAG, that they're technically follow-on orders, but I can only speak to how we do it in the MACG. Perhaps there's someone who can speak better to how this business is being conducted, but I wouldn't worry about it too much.

And I meant the roughly 12k people that are supposed to be split between Lejeune/New River and Cherry Point. I'm not sure about the exact number, but I think that's correct.
 
Fetter

Fetter

Registered User
How does the Cherry Point area compare to Jacksonville? Is one marginally better than the other?
 
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USMCMidd

Registered User
What kind of employment opportunities are there in Wilmington for spouses? My fiance works finance in New York City, and hopefully would be able to get a decent gig there. Is that too much of a drive to Cherry Point? Any nice halfway points anyone can think of to live between the two? Surf City possibly?
 
C

Crowbar

New Member
None
Cherry Point to Wilmington daily probably isn't feasible. I used to do New River to Wilmington every day and it took 40-50 minutes one way. That was from the northern end of Wilmington (Gordon Road) to the southern end of Jacksonville. Expect Wilmington to New Bern or Morehead City/Beaufort/Atlantic Beach to be more or less double that.

If you're willing to live somewhere in the middle and split the commute, it's possible, but make sure to do your homework. Jacksonville has grown up since I lived there and isn't the complete shitbox it used to be, but that doesn't mean I would want to live there again.
 
phrogdriver

phrogdriver

More humble than you would understand
pilot
Super Moderator
Sneads Ferry is small, but has some good value for the $$$. Still minutes from the beach without the insurance, prices, etc. I've rented 2x there and bought a house this tour. PM me for more. Exactly 25 min door to squadron, and also right out Lejuene's back gate.

Williamsburg Plantation is like O-housing north. It's a good neighborhood, but the location in town is nothing special. Overpriced for what you get, IMO. Jacksonville is what it is, but it still has several good subdivisions--Evansbrook, Red Oak, Hinson Farm come to mind.

If single or DINK, by all means do Wilmington/Scotts Hill/Porters Neck. Much more to do.

I'm not a fan of Hampstead/Holly Ridge. IMO now you have semi-long drives to both work and entertainment while still being in the sticks.
 
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