If you're inbox has been anything like mine for the past couple of months, I have been flooded with all kinds of "special" sales, offers and discounts.
And then the Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and Thank You messages.
Good News here…
I thought this would be a great time to highlight the trips of the past year to the Best Places to retire or relocate in the Carolinas. .
Ya know, take a look at places that You said were the ones you liked best.
Let's see how many you remember…
In January among other places, after the New York Times Travel section, published "A Special Report" naming Durham, North Carolina as one of "The 41 Places To Go In 2011, we traveled to Wow, Wow, Wow – Durham, North Carolina.
After I received an email from a member of Places of Value sharing their insights about Fayetteville, NC in February we headed to A Not So Good Place In The Carolinas?. Which prompted our conversation about how You MUST diligently research the places you are considering to relocate or retire to in the Carolinas, to find the best place for YOU to live.
As spring began to roll in throughout March, we traveled through 3 Affordable Towns with Great Lifestyles! Who can forget the Sandhills with their distinctive white sandy soil and line of sand dunes; remnants of what was once the shoreline of a vast prehistoric ocean but is now known as the geographic dividing line between the Piedmont and North Carolina’s coastal plain regions.
The thought of the shoreline must have spurred interest in the Carolina coastline as in April, I began to get a lot of questions … Are There Really Islands in the Carolinas?!
Nothing like spring along the North Carolina or South Carolina shore.
Okay so just as Memorial Day was upon us, we left the beaches and headed to the South Carolina Heartland.
If you want a small town lifestyle near the services, transportation networks, and amenities of larger cities, then the Heartland of South Carolina may be Your best place to live.
But then what about my personal favorite…????
In June, we traveled to the North Carolina Mountains Best Places. There are so many opportunities and reasons why people are deciding to relocate and retire to the North Carolina mountain region.
So by the middle of 2011 we had we traveled to the Coastal and Piedmont Regions of North Carolina and South Carolina as well as the Mountain Region of North Carolina.
In July as warmer weather approached, do you remember when we traveled to the northwestern part of South Carolina to the southern part of the Blue Ridge Mountains and its foothills as well as several of our best small towns and cities in South Carolina? The Best Small Cities and Towns in South Carolina.
After checking out the best small towns and cities in South Carolina in August we headed north to an hour west of the Blue Ridge Mountains to Hickory, NC. Hickory is often referred to as the “Furniture Capital of the World” and we found out why – All American City..Your Best Place To Live. We also took a closer look at why Hickory, NC is a love it or hate it city.
September found us just southeast of Charlotte, in Monroe, NC another best place to retire or relocate - Best City For Small Town Living.
My favorite place in Monroe is its beautiful, classic downtown with its tree lined streets, quaint shops, historic buildings and genuinely laid back atmosphere.
As autumn was getting into full bloom, we continued to move eastward about an hour southeast of Raleigh, NC where we had a chance to explore one town in a long line of historic railroad towns Is This Your Best Place To Live.
And in November with the cool of the winter air, we traveled south to A City Of Character.
And here we are in December.
Wow…I can only hope you have enjoyed the past year as much as I have.
It's been great sharing with you all the best places in North Carolina and South Carolina. And remember, these are just the ones You have said you liked best. There were others we visited and there are more yet to come.
When all is said and done…I still have to say Thank You!!!
Thank you for your questions, comments and coming along with me on this journey.
And most of all, thank you for your support of Places of Value.com and being a member of our community.
All of us at POV wish you and your family a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Here's to All of us living our dream in our Best Place To Live In The Carolinas!
See You next week,
Bob
About Bob Bencivenga
 |
Bob Bencivenga is a professional site locator and location analyst for major corporations and has been researching the growth of NC and SC to find the Best Places to Retire or Relocate that are still affordable. |
| Visit his blog The Carolina Report and sign up for FREE updates by email,his FREE Affordable Best Places To Live Report and, get FREE Expert Advice on how to find Your Best Place to Retire or Relocate to in North Carolina and South Carolina, additional resources, and a lot more.
Bob does not sell real estate. |
 |
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You would think this would be one of the easiest Carolina Reports to write however…
I began to write a simple "Happy Holidays" to You and your family and I couldn't help but think about what Holiday you may be celebrating.
So I set out on a quest (you know me..research, research) to find out what holidays were being celebrated this month (other than the obvious) and to my surprise…
The number of holidays that are celebrated each December are well into the double digits.
WOW!!!
I couldn't believe it once I started .
Every day there is a holiday and on some days there are 2, 3 and 4 celebrations.
Hello again!
As you know, a couple weeks ago we began our journey through the best places to live, retire or relocate in North Carolina and South Carolina that have populations between 50,000 and 100,000 people.
As we’ve already talked about, this latest category of best places takes us to many of the larger towns and cities in the Carolinas which means the words “small town atmosphere” will probably not appear much from here on out.
Nevertheless, I hope you’ll note that many of these cities are much smaller than where you’re probably sitting right now while offering most of the services and amenities available in larger metropolitan areas.
Today we move away from the North Carolina coastline about two hours north of Jacksonville, NC to one of our fastest growing best places with populations between 50,000 and 100,000 people, the city of Greenville, NC, population 84,554.
- Location: Greenville sits in the northern part of the North Carolina Coastal Plain. Among other things Greenville, NC has beautiful natural surroundings and a mild yet distinct four season climate that makes spending time outdoors pretty easy.
- College Town/Educational Opportunity: Greenville, NC is home to East Carolina University, the third largest public university in North Carolina. College towns rate high for us at POV because they offer you so much.
- Economic Diversity and Opportunity: Greenville may have started out growing tobacco and cotton, and still does, but nowadays its better known for its high tech manufacturing including major chemical and pharmaceutical companies.
- Fun, Fun, Fun: Some of you may wonder where the “BMX Pro Town USA” title for this post came from.
- Affordable Housing: Greenville, NC may be better known for its numerous outdoor recreation opportunities but affordable housing is a close second.
Best of all if you look at a map, you’ll note that Greenville has access to larger cities and the coast. Its only a little over an hour east of the cities of the Research Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) and Piedmont Triad area (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point), and an hour and a half away from the beaches of the Crystal Coast.
Your neighbors are often higher educated people from all over the country, the art and cultural attractions are numerous, a good variety of affordable housing options, and on and on.
College towns also tend to have good public and private school systems and the Pitt County school system is one of the highest ranked school systems in the state.
Throw in the research capabilities and graduates of a major state university and it’s no wonder Greenville, North Carolina recently ranked #2 in Forbes magazine’s Best Small Places for Business and Careers and shows great potential to continue its rapid growth well into the future.
Well Greenville, NC happens to be home to several of the top extreme sport competitors in the country and even has a major facility that several of these athletes train at.
In fact, Greenville has so many different parks and athletic facilities that Sports Illustrated named it North Carolina’s “Sportstown USA.”
Gymnasiums, community centers, athletic fields, parks and greenways, swimming pools, tennis courts, golf courses, you name it Greenville has it and outdoor recreation is definitely a source of community pride and helps pull people together.
Single family resale homes, condominiums, townhomes, multifamily housing, and manufactured housing can all be found at affordable rates in Greenville.
Not everyone is interested in buying a home and roughly 57% of Greenville residents are actually renters. Single family homes are especially popular in the local rental market and you’ll find your average rental cost should start around $385 a month.
I literally could go on and on about Greenville, NC but space and time (I need to get on the road) dictates we wrap it up.
Well happy trails until we meet back here next week for the next stop on our journey to the best places in the Carolinas with populations of 50,000 to 100,000 people.
As always for more information about the best places to relocate or retire in North Carolina or South Carolina, check out NC Best Places and SC Best Places as well as other Places of Value Guides and Special Reports.
Take care and I'll see you next Friday!
About Bob Bencivenga
|
Bob Bencivenga is a professional site locator and location analyst for major corporations and has been researching the growth of NC and SC to find the Best Places to Retire or Relocate that are still affordable. |
| Visit his blog The Carolina Report and sign up for FREE updates by email,his FREE Affordable Best Places To Live Report and, get FREE Expert Advice on how to find Your Best Place to Retire or Relocate to in North Carolina and South Carolina, additional resources, and a lot more.
Bob does not sell real estate. |
|
Can I reprint your article or blog posts?
Hey, how are You this week?
Today we’re going to move about an hour northeast of Wilmington, NC to one of our best places in North Carolina that many of you might not have heard of.
The city of Jacksonville, NC, population 81, 873.
Okay, that’s not entirely true.
If any of you have been following current events especially over the last ten years, you may have heard about Marines being deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan from Camp Lejeune.
One of the largest Marine Corps Base Camps in the country just so happens to be located in… yep, Jacksonville, NC.
Sitting at the head of the New River Inlet in North Carolina’s fertile central coastal plain, Jacksonville was, for much of its history, a small rural farming community.
Known mostly for its tobacco, agricultural products and local fishing industry in 1940 all that changed when the War Department decided to build a new Marine Corp base and training facility just outside of town.
You might say that much of what happens in Jacksonville, NC is tied to Camp Lejeune and the nearby Marine New River Air Station.
Jacksonville, NC always tops the list of the Youngest Cities in the United States with a median age of only 22.4 years old mostly due to its large population of young Marines.
Both military facilities also are the largest employers in the area with roughly 70% of base personnel living in Jacksonville.
I mention this because one of the things that makes Jacksonville a great place to live is the economic stability that government military spending has brought to the local economy, especially over the last ten years.
This stability has helped Jacksonville, North Carolina weather the recent economic downturn fairly well. It helps to support local small businesses and provides revenue to invest in the kinds of things that improve the overall quality of life for Jacksonville citizens.
The improvements can be seen from various parks to schools which are all things you want to keep in mind while trying to find you best place in the Carolinas.
What I really love about Jacksonville is the community and civic pride you find all the more reinforced by the many memorials and tributes to those who’ve answered their country’s call.
Okay, I don’t want you to come away thinking only about military bases because Jacksonville, NC really has a lot more to offer.
First off, it’s in a truly beautiful location. Beaches, beaches, beaches!
Jacksonville is a part of North Carolina’s Crystal Coast so having fun on beautiful white sandy beaches is only a short car ride away and the New River Inlet and nearby Atlantic Ocean are perfect for all types of water sports.
You can enjoy the day from fishing, boating and scuba diving to kayaking and just plain swimming.
Nearby Hammocks Beach State Park offers relaxation and a fascinating look at local endangered Logger-head sea turtles and I can’t say enough about strolling around the Lynwood Park Zoo in town.
For those looking for culture, classes or both, check out the local Council for the Arts as well as offerings from Coastal Carolina Community College.
I will say that Jacksonville is a little ways from the nearest interstate but location wise you are still only a few hours away from several large East Coast hot spots and a small regional airport offering service to Charlotte, NC is only minutes away.
Being close to the beach, about 60% of Jacksonville residents are renters so for those of you not interested in buying a home at this time you’ll find renting is a good option.
Remember if you’re interested in more information about the Best Places in the Carolinas, check out our NC Best Places and SC Best Places.
I'll see you next week as we head off to another of our best places in the Carolinas with populations between 50,000 and 100,000 people.
About Bob Bencivenga
 Bob Bencivenga |
Bob Bencivenga is a professional site locator and location analyst for major corporations and has been researching the growth of NC and SC to find the Best Places to Retire or Relocate that are still affordable. |
| Visit his blog The Carolina Report and sign up for FREE updates by email,his FREE Affordable Best Places To Live Report and, get FREE Expert Advice on how to find Your Best Place to Retire or Relocate to in North Carolina and South Carolina, additional resources, and a lot more.
Bob does not sell real estate. |
 |
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It's hard to believe it's been nearly a year since we began our journey through the Carolinas visiting the best places to relocate or retire. I had no idea that You would keep wanting more and more.
And so, we begin our next journey through both North Carolina and South Carolina visiting the best places to live based upon population.
Ready to get going?
I can tell you’re asking yourselves…
“Where are we going next?”
For those of you who've been along throughout this journey you may have guessed by now!
We’re going to the best places to live in North Carolina and South Carolina, best places to relocate and retire, with populations between 50,000 and 100,000 people!
I know a lot of you have expressed you want to live in an area with less people but WAIT…
You never know, you might just find the best place for You to live among this group.
I know you've already gotten a lot of information but this is a really good group of best places to learn about and a number of them you may not have heard of yet.
Just to refresh…some of the general themes we’ve been hitting on throughout the journey to help you find your best place in the Carolinas is:
- affordability
- quality of life
- education
- economic opportunities
- big city services
- amenities
I think you’ll find these best places to live in both North Carolina and South Carolina with populations between 50,000 and 100,000 hold up well against all the places we’ve already been.
Remember, we’re not talking about small towns anymore- we’re starting to talk about small to medium sized cities and as you’ll see they have a lot to offer.
So let's get going….
Today, we visit one of my favorite cities along the North Carolina coastline… Wilmington, NC, population 99,317.
Located on the Cape Fear River not far from the southeastern corner of North Carolina, Wilmington, NC is the largest city in the eastern part of the state.
Historically Wilmington’s made its mark as the home to many things but what really put the city on the map is its longtime importance as a major East Coast deep water seaport.
In my mind another thing that puts Wilmington, NC on the map is its abundant natural beauty and ideal location.
If you want to live near the ocean and beautiful beaches, wherever you settle in Wilmington the water is not far away.
Also, Wilmington’s particular latitude and longitude give it a mild subtropical climate with summer temperatures rarely getting above 88 degrees and winter temperatures on average in the 50’s and 60’s making it a wonderful place to spend time outdoors.
In general, Wilmington.NC has a reputation for being a laid back place to live and I gotta say its wealth of history, cultural attractions and beautiful white beaches are hard to beat.
Take a stroll through downtown Wilmington and you’ll see a wonderful mix of old and new 
from the beautiful 200 block historical district filled with multi-use buildings, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, offices and residential housing to the quaint specialty shops, clubs and beautiful park and pedestrian way that line its reclaimed waterfront.
In terms of entertainment, Wilmington has a vibrant nightlife, especially at the height of tourist season in the summer.
I particularly love to go hang out at Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts, a restored old Victorian opera house and art center that hosts everything from jazz to modern dance performances.
What are some of the intangibles you need to keep in mind when it comes to Wilmington, NC?
In terms of the local economy, Wilmington, NC has very few large employers but prides itself on its small businesses and entrepreneurial culture which has attracted a lot of younger workers to the area.
Another advantage for local businesses has been the quality of the programs and students of local universities like the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. And I can't forget the unique situation of having the third largest motion picture production studio in the country located in their backyard.
In fact, you may have already visited Wilmington, NC because the city and its surrounding areas have been featured in several hundred films and television programs over the years.
On the education front, Wilmington and New Hanover county schools have a good reputation and consistently score above average in statewide tests and UNC Wilmington is very highly rated and often scores in the top 10 of public university in the southeastern United States.
And for you older “kids” UNCW is also home to an Oster Lifelong Learning institute if you’re on the look out for new things to learn and do!
Wilmington, NC has a housing market with something for everyone. Single family homes, townhomes, condominiums, multi-family housing and manufactured homes can all be found at affordable rates.
Not everyone is interested in buying a home and with just over 50% of Wilmington residents living in rental properties you know renting is a popular option.
Well that’s it for Wilmington, NC but come back next week for a look at another one of our best places in the Carolinas with a population of 50,000 to 100,000 people.
Remember if you want more information about Wilmington, NC check out our video. For other best places to live along coastal North Carolina check out our NC Best Places.
Take care and I'll see you next week.
Bob
About Bob Bencivenga
|
Bob Bencivenga is a professional site locator and location analyst for major corporations and has been researching the growth of NC and SC to find the Best Places to Retire or Relocate that are still affordable. |
| Visit his blog The Carolina Report and sign up for FREE updates by email,his FREE Affordable Best Places To Live Report and, get FREE Expert Advice on how to find Your Best Place to Retire or Relocate to in North Carolina and South Carolina, additional resources, and a lot more.
Bob does not sell real estate. |
|
Can I reprint your article or blog posts?
Get Detailed Information on the Best Cities and Towns in the North Carolina Ultimate Guide!
