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Hey Frozen - I've never lived there so can't provide too many details, but IMO it's hard to compare the two - apples & oranges...
MB is a tourist town that has morphed into a tourist town/retirement mecca. It is and probably always will be touristy to the extreme. Wilmington is a legitimate city, with many other commercial interests, and not totally focused on tourism. It's also located about 10-15 miles from the coast, whereas MB is on the ocean, which makes a big difference. Wrightsville Beach is the resort/tourist beach town closest to Wilmington. It's been quite awhile, but I remember it as a beach town, pure and simple, smaller and more laidback than MB, with more emphasis on beach life and less on entertainment theatres, shopping complexes, etc.
Wilmington is about the same distance from where I live as is Myrtle beach
I know its hard to get a feel of what someone sees and feels for an area, or city
but there was a greater sense of a homeless drifting on my last visit to MB last summer
It seemed to stand out to me more, not sure if it was always there and I was overlooking it
or if its goten worst in these last few years
That's hard to say since there are no good numbers available, or when they are, they're slanted in one direction or another, depending upon what point the author wants to make. I don't spend a lot of time in downtown MB, but my perspective is that homelessness has increased in the area. Don't know whether the increase is worse than other places or not. MB probably has an attraction, due to the weather and the extremely high percentage of visitors, which makes it hard for authorities to "know" the populace.
That's a tough situation when the success of your only significant industry depends heavily upon the perception of your customers. When tourists come to town and get a bad first or last impression, there's a real risk to the area's economic welfare. MB is struggling with how to deal with homelessness, but they seem to be trying to take a humane approach. Sadly, it's a problem with very few good answers.
When I lived out there Wilmington was my "getaway" from MB. MB always felt like a tourist trap/overgrown strip mall. When I wanted to go to a real city this was it. I know there is Charleston but drinking beers on Frontstreet just always felt more like home to me. I would say its a lot less touristy than MB. I dont know how old you are but I my wife and I felt really young for MB (24 and 31) there seem to be a great deal more "young" people in Wilmington.
We moved to Wilmington almost ten years ago from Orlando,Florida and are planning on relocating for a lifestyle change to Myrtle Beach in 12-14 months. We have visited there often as our get away from Wilmington and have found a place we would like to retire to which suits our needs and lifestyle much better. It all comes down to what your needs and desires are and how you want to live. Myrtle Beach and the surrounding areas have a whole lot more to offer than Wilmington and you have Mt. Pleasant/Charleston for an optional get away.
You have to remember that the Myrtle Beach area is made up of a bunch of towns and smaller "towns within a town" that have their own distinctive "flavor". On the far north end is Little River which is a fishing village and pretty quiet compared to Myrtle Beach, yet it is only 5 minutes from the beach. North Myrtle Beach has 4 distinct areas within its borders: Cherry Grove (known for its' great fishing from the newly revamped inlet boat dock, pier and picnic area, as well as the channel homes people love to rent) Ocean Drive is more the business center as well as shag and festival central with Main St and all the city facilities, and the beaches are very nice. Crescent Beach is well...known for its crescent shaped beach and ocean front condos. Windy Hill is very much like Crescent Beach, with both having nice wide beaches and plenty of accommodations for tourists. Hwy 17 is where all the businesses and restaurants are and runs the entire length of the Grand Strand. I know Surfside Beach is known for its' family friendly atmosphere, Garden City is Horry County's most southern beach town, and everyone raves about the beach there. Murrel's Inlet like Cherry Grove is known for it's Inlet crabbing and fishing and great seafood restaurants. Now as far as the homeless issue goes, I would say that you see so many more in Myrtle Beach, because that is where they can get assistance. The smaller towns don't have the homeless soup kitchens and help for them that Myrtle Beach does.
Please don't get me wrong when I was 17 my father passed away at the ripe old age of 41
and I found my self homeless for about a year or two ( long story )
Not sure if homeless is what I would best describe as the view of our last visit to MB, but as we walked along ocean blv we noticed to many 8 to 10 people living in one room sitting outside the door smoking kinda view.
I have been planing on buying a second home in MB, but my last visit had me a little concerned.
Please don't get me wrong when I was 17 my father passed away at the ripe old age of 41
and I found my self homeless for about a year or two ( long story )
Not sure if homeless is what I would best describe as the view of our last visit to MB, but as we walked along ocean blv we noticed to many 8 to 10 people living in one room sitting outside the door smoking kinda view.
I have been planing on buying a second home in MB, but my last visit had me a little concerned.
No matter where you go in the country,you can always find all kinds of people and all kinds of views.....especially right on the beach. I have seen that here at Wrightsville Beach and in Wilmington as well. You can find million dollar homes and then your small shacks. You NEVER see anything like that where we are planning on moving in Myrtle Beach.
Last edited by Lover of Animals; 04-09-2013 at 05:09 AM..
Reason: added additional information.
My in laws are up in the Wilmington area. They moved there because there never is that huge tourist influx or even a big spring break group. There is still plenty to do, although not as much as Myrtle, but more for the older crowd. I love it there.
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