Retirement is finally in sight, and my wife and I are eying up NC as a possibility for retirement.  I have suffered too long behind enemy lines in Marylandistan, and am hoping to help do my part to keep NC red. We are hoping to buy an acre or two to have a house built.

So we have decided to look in the greater Wilmington area.  We would like to be relatively close to the coast/beaches.  No more than 45 minutes tops.  We are thinking we would like to be no more than 20-30 minutes to downtown Wilmington.  We are spoiled where we are right now in that we have all shopping and entertainment no more than 15 minutes from the house.  While I don't want to be downtown and more in the suburbs, I am also lazy in that I don't want to drive 20 minutes for groceries, home improvement, or beer. We also like the fact that there is an airport close by as we would like to travel some in our retirement.

As far as Wilmington itself, we are going to be driving down to visit the first week of March.  My wife enjoys her shopping, and a mall is something she would like to have.  I assume there is no shortage of good restaurants in Wilmington. We are also on the lookout for parks for hiking and taking to dog for her walks.  What are the highlights around that we shouldn't miss?

Thanks in advance for any help.

I lived in Wilmington from 2013-2018. It and the area has a lot to offer and will probably check all of your boxes. Since you will be a retiree, the area's job market issues probably won't be a concern. The area is being flooded with folks like yourself (retirees, transplants, blue state refugees) and is growing very rapidly. Traffic, crime, drugs, etc. all have gotten worse and I expect that trend to continue. I would suggest looking outside of Wilmington and New Hanover County. Hampstead and Rocky Point are close enough,  but far enough to be somewhat  insulated from the big city ills in Wilmington. We left for better jobs and a better quality of life (quiet, rural county) but visit Wilmington on occasion. We really liked a lot about Wilmington but after every visit we leave being glad we no longer live there. Don't forget hurricane season. Florence damaged both of our houses in Wilmington and we had to evacuate our elderly parents. It was a huge and expensive pain in the ass.

Hampstead has lots of Yankees..

Traffic is getting like the northeast..

Prices for houses are going thru the roof and houses usually sell day or two when listed on the market.. If they don't sell that fast there is a reason why...

Yes flooding was huge before you buy look at the county for the flood zones.. It was weeks before people were able to get back to there houses when the hurricane hit.

The homeless will be out at night down by front street so beware you might have to deal with that...

There are many places to hike around the area and you want to travel three hours west you have some really nice hiking in the some higher level land. I will not call them mountains..

So how crappy is Wilmington getting?  Is it just localized to certain areas, or is the whole town going to hell?  I wouldn't want to be in Wilmington proper, thing more along the lines of 20 minutes or so North/South/East of it.  I did see some property in Rocky point. I believe Bolivia might be in that radius too.

I see there's a place called River Walk.  The interwebz make it look nice, just hoping it hasn't gone the way of the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. 20 years ago it was a least a pocket of somewhere "decent" to go.  Nowadays I wouldn't go there without an MRAP.

This will sound pretentious, but is there any fabulous Italian restaurants?  I was spoiled and spent a couple of summers with my father's family in southern Italy.  Unfortunately, I compare all Italian food to that of my Nonna and Zia's home cooking.

I don't think Wilmington is any worse than any other medium-large city. The river walk / boardwalk area was not too bad. Downtown was pretty lively and fun. As with anywhere,  bad things happen after midnight so I would not hang around either area late into the wee hours. Unfortunately the most ghetto areas are also close to downtown. But the city seems to understand how valuable downtown is as a destination so it felt like they were able to keep the two areas separated somewhat. Always saw lots of PD downtown.

As was said above, there are Yankees in Hampstead, but in all reality, they are everywhere. Wilmington is a college town and the area is a retirement destination. Everybody in my cul-de-sac was a yankee. My wife and I are from southern states but not a lot of NC natives there anymore. In my time there, I could not tell you how many new apartment complexes and self storage places popped up. I think Wilmington made a top ten list for population growth not too long ago.

As for Italian,  there was one little place that had a good reputation, Mamma Lucia's or something like that, but I never ate there. My son is a bit of a foodie and grew up eating authentic Italian from his mom's side of the family and gave the place his stamp of approval.

Housing prices were crazy when we sold in 2018. Between people moving into the area and people who lost their homes to Florence the demand was high. We sold both of our houses for way over asking price (bidding wars) within days of going on the market.

I live here and its not bad at all. Been here 15 years and yes its grown.

Homeless begging will be in any city. Just ignore them and move on.

I live just across the river in Leland VERY close to all the retires. We used to live deeper in Brunswick county and we wanted to be closer to Wilmington so we looked at a 10mile radius around Wilmington. Ill tell ya im so glad we didn’t pick in Hampstead. The traffic is unreal. Now the traffic to Leland a few years ago sucked but they have since added a bybas and widened the roads. Nothing that i know of to relieve Hampstead in the upcoming years.

Your issue is finding land that close to town to build on. I would look in Leland and towards Rocky point and Castle Hayne. Loots of building going in here. Its a hot market.

Many thanks for all the info so far. Leland was another area we were looking at.  So far, it sounds like Leland and Rocky point are two areas to check out.  Any area more west of the city?  

Also, we are going to be in town for my wife’s birthday. Any suggestions on a can’t miss place for dinner in Wilmington?

I used to work in Leland and it is growing like crazy as well. It seems to be having all the same growing pains as Wilmington. If you think Wilmington is full of transplants, Leland is worse. A lot of folks called it "L.A." for Leland Area, but in a sarcastic way, meaning "L.A." as in Los Angeles or "big city shithole". All the really wealthy retirees are settling in the Leland area. I had to interact with these ultra-entitled retirees from NY, NJ, CT, etc... on a daily basis and they all made it clear the way they did things back home was better. I expect the LA to eventually become just like the Northeast places these folks left...

GOOD LUCK, you gonna need it.

Hampstead is pretty bad for traffic, as stated earlier.   Some of us would joke about Hampstead that Wilmington is headed north and Camp Lejeune is heading south.

Bolivia to Supply area might not be a bad place to look.  Close to Wilmington and Southport as well as being pretty close to the NC/SC line.

Wilmington is nice but I wouldn't live here if I wasn't into what the area provides.  If your not into water then its really silly to live here imo. My kids love fishing and enjoying the water.  

I know that's my opinion but just to move here and wait around to get old seems stupid to me.  Sorry for being harsh.

As for restaurants though nothing is really great especially since Covid hit.  Some decent ones is Coper Penny, Poes, Hops Supply and Indochine are a few good ones.  

Look at Castle Hayne and Rocky Point.
I would avoid anything over the bridge on the west side of the river, since you would like to go to the beach, that area can experience summer and rush hour traffic.

I'll second the vote for Hops Supply and Indochine if you like their type of fare. I can't think of any real "fine dining" in Wilmington, not that I went looking for it though.

You can live West of but not East of Wilmington unless you have a large boat.  .  I'm south of Wilmington in Brunswick county.  Can't really comment as I've only been home less then 3 months in the last 3.5 yrs.  Finally taking another month leave from Astan after 14 mos.  But I would suggest looking at Leland off Hwy 17.



CD

Ahh yes, west, not east.  Forgive my mistake, it’s been years since doing land nav.

Unfortunately, my wife is not very adventurous when it comes to food.  Hops looks like it would be cool though, I would love Indochine, my wife, not so much. I was thinking a little more upscale for her birthday though.

You have Ruth’s Chris at the Hilton on the River but that place is overpriced.  Indochine is fantastic.  Look in Wrightsville Beach and Porters Neck area for better establishments if that’s the need, that’s where the anti-poors hang out

One of our homes was in Porters Neck. Only the usual fast food places there. Although PTs Grille is pretty good. Supposedly some pretty good seafood places on/near WB, but not my favorite food, so no help there.

Traffic is bad regardless of the area around Wilmington. I’ve lived here 40 years. No place to build roads and they keep on building.

I’m not being a snob but the list of restaurants is much better than suggested. Everyone must eat pub food all the time.
Manna downtown is nice and the food is good $$$
Basics downtown would be a nice place for a birthday dinner. $$. If you want fish try the Bridgetinder at Wrightsville Beach.
I would make reservations at any place to make sure of a sitting.  They have limited space due to COVID.

I agree on the statement if you don’t like water then I would look at other places. You have golf but most courses are going private and some have closed. Shopping at the Mall is pretty bad. Shopping in Wilmington in general is lacking. You will find prices higher in the area. This is not new. It seems once you cross the bridges into the area they think you are on an island and everything is importer.

The area does have the Wilson Center for concerts. Very nice and great vies from all the seats. There is a 7000 seat amphitheater under construction. This is suppose to draw the larger entertainment.

Not a bad town but traffic and the rude people are hard to ignore along with the increase in crime.

If you look at real estate make sure you ask the locals about flooding and not just during hurricanes. Flood maps are useless. I know neighborhoods that flood in a downpour and stay soggy wet for weeks in the summer. Do not take a real estate agents word on anything. Do your research.

Many thanks for all the answers and info.  We are still on track to visit in March. You all have definitely given me some jump off points to look at.

I have worked in Wilmington for the past 15 years. Check out the River lights area off of River rd. It’s brand new with a marina going in as well. In the Leland area check out Brunswick Forest and Compass point. One is off of 17 and one is off of 74/76. Be careful with the areas north and west of Wilmington as they are very susceptible to flooding. There are a few rivers and creeks that jump their banks often as everything in that area is influenced by the tides. In Wilmington proper there are some nice areas but you have to be careful of their proximity to the rougher areas. Keep in mind that it is a college town as well so there are quite a few students spread out in the area around UNCW.

I’m originally from Wilmington.

As far as shopping goes, Mayfaire is a pretty good outdoor mall. In terms of hiking you’re gonna be pretty much SOL. The entire area is a flat swamp.

The winters are better than Maryland, but it’s still rainy and miserable for what feels like an eternity. NC is also a purple state with a terrible mask-loving democrat for a governor, which is another knock against it. Gun laws are obviously better than Maryland, but pretty shitty as far as the South goes (buying a handgun/getting a permit is a ridiculous process in NC).

It’s not all bad, as Wrightsville Beach is pretty nice in the summer. The fishing is good, as is the diving and surfing. I wouldn’t choose to move back, though.

Wilmington has come along way since crappy, 30 years ago the downtown area was embarrassing and very dangerous place. Back in the '80s I wouldn't have dared walk the 4th and 5th street areas, but now I run every morning at 5 am with no problems.

My wife and I have even purchased property on Castle Street and plan on building a house in the future.

There's been a revitalization that started in the late '90s that's improved Wilmington Greatly. The downtown area has much to offer, but things are still shaking out with the COVID mess, and a few businesses have closed.

Yes, there a homeless issue downtown, and freeloaders at stoplights, but what city doesn't have this problem?




I happen to have a job where I travel extensively around Wilmington and the surrounding areas. Rocky Point, Burgaw, Hampstead, Leland, Bolivia, Southport are Red/ Conservative Area. Actually, most areas outside of downtown are conservative, the blue crazies have gravitated downtown mostly.

Negatives to me are the traffic on 17 to and from Hampstead, it is congested to the point where it's hard to turn right with the traffic, same with North Market Street. Traffic has always been ridiculous on South College Rd because of UNC-W.

Can't help you with an Italian restaurant, but there's plenty of other great restaurants in the Wilmington Area

Some of my wife's favorite restaurants are Indochine and RX. The Copper Penny has always been consistent and good, as well as The Fork and Cork. Many Restaurants have definitely suffered from the shut and the quality has gone down to the point where I wouldn't recommend them now.

The extremely nice residential neighborhoods are located in Holly Ridge, Hampstead, Leland, Supply, and Bolivia. I'm sure they come with a hefty Home Owner Association Fee too.

There's no shortage of Yankee Carpet Baggers in North Carolina, but all I've met are Conservative just like you. I hope you have much success with your upcoming trip in March.

I grew up in Brunswick county and lived in Wilmington for 8 years. My wife and I moved to KY a few years ago with the intent of moving back to the area to stay close to family ...but after seeing how badly Wilmington has grown I'm not sure we'll do that. It's not the same place we left.

We have a standing joke about Wilmington.

Wilmington is only an hour away from Wilmington.

In other words it’s gonna take you an hour to go anywhere. Sometimes even to across the street.

So really not much of an exaggeration.

Like everyone else has said traffic on US 17 around Hampstead is ridiculously crazy. Heading south in the morning or north in the evening it is just plain bad.

Yep, I lived in Porters Neck and would take me 40 min to get to Monkey Junction consistently.  Market Street is a crapshow for traffic.  I enjoyed living in Wilmington but other than visiting the GF, I stayed in PN and Wrightsville Beach.  On Military Cuttoff headed into WB, lots of good eating restaurants along that route, just have to look

I guess we scared the OP off...

I hear fla is open

I moved here right before the shutdown. Where do y’all go to shoot outdoors? Holly Shelter?

Small range in the backyard however for ranges check out:

Best Shot Gun Range Wilmington
Bullzeye Shooting Sports (indoor) Wilmington
Ye Ole Gun Club off Hwy 211 Southport
Ant Hill Gun Club off Hwy 211 Southport
Low Country Preserve, Tabor City
Outback Shooting Range, Ash

CD

Thanks!

Buccaneer Gun Club in Leland is the best of any range in the area, without question.  Ant Hill is great but its future is in question based on ownership and growth around it

Really?  That sucks.  I used to go down and shoot Steel Challenge and IDPA matches every once in a while.  Haven't been in about 2-2.5 years, though.

member of https://ccleoa.org/

That was going to be my vote, but I may be a little biased.
It's a hike from Wilmington, but worth it if you're making a day of it.

I'm a 'Yankee' and moved to Wilmington about 1.5 years ago for an awesome job offer. We left as quick as we could. We wanted to like Hampstead, but it was crazy up there. So, we moved over to the Brunswick beaches and love it.

Now bear in mind, we are not traditional Yankees. Everyone thinks Yankees are the same, which is definitely not true. We're super laid back, Republican, and come from a very rural/ farm land area. I had more Acres and cows around me than people in our previous life. Wilmington stressed us the heck out. Everyone was in a hurry, crazy traffic, and couldn't even get to the beach and find parking.. Totally nuts man, not what we had pictured lol.

We really like Brunswick county though, and have made a good 20 friends in a year here, even with Covid. Super family friendly/ laid back place. And I got a range in my backyard pretty much with no range officers etc.

If I were to retire though, I'd go further south and find even warmer weather somewhere on the ocean, and a more gun friendly State. NC suprises me because gun laws (especially pistol/handgun permits) are strict as heck. Happy as a clam for now though.

Fixed it

lol, wut?

The extremely nice residential neighborhoods are Wrightsville Beach and Figure Eight, as well as the mainland adjacent to them (Landfall, PN, Summer Rest, Airlie, Middle Sound, etc.)

Lived in ILM for about 10 years (1992-2002). Went to and graduated from UNCW.

It was becoming an overcrowded mess when I left.  We go back on occasion, and I'm never sad to leave.

Kinda feels like the Jersey Shore if you like that kind of thing.

If you're moving to NC because you think it is "more conservative" or a "free state" you clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

Not sure what you mean by "doing my part to keep it a red state". It is NOT a red state despite what you think or have seen on TV.

Coming from Maryland, most of life here will seem just like home.

Sure compared to Texas l This state is more free than any of the northern states but NH.

Correct and people i work with are telling me NH is turning blue like the rest of the north east...

No one that hasn't come/lived in the northeast in the last 10-15 years has no clue what the northeast is like. Russia is free compared to what you can do in the NE.

I found Seascape off of Holden Beach, or Summer House around Holly Ridge to been extremely nice.

You couldn't pay me to live in Landfall or the Wrightville Beach area.