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Any thoughts on living in Southport versus an eastern suburb of Wilmington? For a Minnesotan tired of six months of winter each year, who has taken early retirement from teaching to take up independent filmmaking and screenwriting (i actually have a number of screenplays ready to produce)? I am curious if anybody reading this may have moved from Southport to Wilmington or vice versa, and if so, why and what did you discover you liked or did not like about the move?
I want to be within an hour of Wilmington because of the filmmaking resources, but I also appreciate quiet and solitude for home living, writing. Southport looks nice (kind of sad to see there is a WalMart there, sigh, more Generica invading even small towns), but I worry it will have too little culture? My goal is to get a nice 3BR+ home (buy or build), write, produce independent films one every two years; I like to sit in coffee shops a bit most mornings to write, I like bicycling/hiking/walking for fitness; I learned sailing long ago but have not done any since the 80s however I could see myself getting into sailing again. I appreciate a safe and quiet neighborhood (looked on google street view and eastern Wilmington in areas such as Stonybrook Road and wow that looks VERY nice; but I also like the look of the historical homes of Southport, they have character).
Any thoughts greatly appreciated on one city or the other for what I might prefer, or feedback on your experience living in one or the other city.
I have never lived in a town smaller than 50,000, been in a town (Duluth MN) of 100,000 (interesting about the size of Wilmington) for 30 years. So yes I have a concern over Southport being too small (2000 population). I mean, hey, if i screwed up and somehow became persona non-grata at the coffee shop in a small town, I would be in deep hooey/trouble, nowhere else to go, lol.
I guess a big allure of Southport to me is low crime. I see the crime rates in Wilmington are TEN times my city of Duluth MN, and that concerns me given the two cities are roughly the same population; but perhaps if I lived in an eastern area of Wilmington? (I can afford up to $300,000 for a home).
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Originally Posted by goldenage1
Would you prefer to live in a small town of 3000 with (maybe) one coffee shop, or a city of 105,000 with many coffee shops? I can't answer that question for you.
but perhaps if I lived in an eastern area of Wilmington? (I can afford up to $300,000 for a home).
The area between Ogden and Hampstead is nice (and safe). I like the Port City Java coffee shop in Hampstead. I try to stop there on my research trips into Wilmington. I do a lot of genealogy and need to access libraries in Wilmington. For me the biggest disadvantage of a small town is the lack of good libraries and bookstores.
The area between Ogden and Hampstead is nice (and safe).
nice info, thank you; yes just a quick perusal of Wilmington on google street view made it look like eastern and northeastern wilmington was looking pretty nice, and safe as judged by neighborhoods and homes.
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I like the Port City Java coffee shop in Hampstead. I try to stop there on my research trips into Wilmington.
coffee, i crave that expensive scalding hot bean juice mornings. I hope that shop has wifi, I suspect so, most do these days. Worst case no wifi distractions and i actually get some writing done!
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...bookstores.
I would miss that in a small town; we have a Barnes and Noble here (like a Borders i assume), bookstore as large as a library and with a coffee shop, wifi.
Good luck and check out both places! I live in the mountains in an 1886 farmhouse....I LOVE historic homes and I have friends that love Southport for that reason It sounds lovely.As far as life in a small town, it's FABULOUS.Very friendly, kind people, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Southport is awesome! But you are 45-ish minutes from Wilmington, using a 2-lane road. Those commute times dramatically change during the summer.
I've been to Wilmington a countless number of times, and never experienced any violence. You just have to know where to live and where to go, like any other city. Plus, because this is a beach town, out-of-towners tend to.....let loose more here.
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It sounds lovely.As far as life in a small town, it's FABULOUS.Very friendly, kind people, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
