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Hello! I am considering relocating to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in about 3 years. I have vacationed there with my family for the past 5 years and we love the area very much. The cities I am considering are Manteo, Corolla, Kill Devil Hills, Southern Shores or Duck. Could others who live there or have lived there give me some advice as to cost of living, housing market, schools, etc. I know there is the obvious hurricane season but I am just wanting to find out as much as I can about coastal living so that I can decide if this is something I want to pursue. Thanks in advance for any insights!
I don't know too much. We moved 45 mins from there last Summer from Michigan. In the Summer it is very crowed and I heard costly to live there. I went shopping to the area at Christmas time very dead. I love the Ocean it would be great to live that close to it.
If you want to live in a spot visit during non vacation season
Quote:
Originally Posted by RaimeiCorgan
Hello! I am considering relocating to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in about 3 years. I have vacationed there with my family for the past 5 years and we love the area very much. The cities I am considering are Manteo, Corolla, Kill Devil Hills, Southern Shores or Duck. Could others who live there or have lived there give me some advice as to cost of living, housing market, schools, etc. I know there is the obvious hurricane season but I am just wanting to find out as much as I can about coastal living so that I can decide if this is something I want to pursue. Thanks in advance for any insights!
We can all give you some opinions, but there is no substitute for visiting an area in the off season if you are planning on living there. You have probably only been on the Outer Banks during a short time span over those five years.
You might want to try an early March visit or a December visit to find out what your potential home will look like in the off season.
We did that before we moved to the Southern Outer Banks. It ended up making a big difference in where we eventually decided to live.
The reality is that what might be a dream spot in July could be an isolated, lonely spot in early December. The stores and restaurants could be closed. The neighboring homes could all be shuttered.
Some beach areas are like that. Though we are in a different area, you might find some information about coastal living at my blog. An index of most of the posts is at this link.
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Where do you plan to work when you move there?
I also would not take the hurricanes lightly. The OBX has been spared a BIG cane for a couple of decades now. I've seen pics of the big one that tore through the Southern Shores/Nags Head area back in the early 80s. Before pics showed trees, houses and landscaping everywhere. The after pics showed less houses and nothing but sand. It is absolutely not somewhere I'd want to be in a cane and not somewhere I'd invest my money into real estate.
I appreciate everyone's posts! It helps me very much to get all important information. Hurricanes is my biggest concern about relocation to the Banks. I am hoping to plan a visit not only this summer again but next Feb. as well so that I will be able to see the area.
Do you all think a single mom will be able to survive in the outer banks? Im from puerto rico and lve in raleigh and I miss the ocean dearly, but I have a good job with social services plus I work as a cna I also, Im in school in pre-nursing and hope to become a nurse someday hopefully, what are the safest and maybe affortable areas can you all help me? Gracias
Like dsobotta suggested, I would also suggest visiting in the off season. There is nothing more lackluster than an off-season beach community without full-time residents. I'm not as familiar with the communities of the northern OBX, but at least in the Crystal Coast area, many of the communities are full-time oriented. This also means there are more job opportunties (although the job market is not great) - but in the northern areas you have access to VA Beach and jobs up there.
Is this a retirement move? If you are asking about schools I wouldn't think so! So I would also want to make sure my community is a good mix of age groups. Many communities are geared for retirees, but if you have kids I would want to make sure there are a bunch of other young 'uns in the neighborhood for your own kids to hang out with.
I also would prefer to live sound side on the mainland than on an actual barrier island. You are a bit more protected from weather (though storm surge can affect people even 30 miles inland or more during a hurricane). However, living in the area you have to decide if you are willing to take a risk with weather. Chances are you will only suffer minor home damage during a hurricane, if any. But there always is a chance your home could be devastated. If you accept this as a fact of life, it's totally worth it. My biggest concern in a beach area is to make sure your home is built high enough to withstand flooding, or that it is in a no-flood zone. I may be wrong but I believe flooding accounts for far more home damage than wind damage does. I would kind of view it like tornadoes in your area. There's always the risk that you could get hit, but, it's just a part of life. And at least you're on the water and not the landlocked midwest.
The Crystal Coast area is very affordable for a beach area. I looked online and housing in the areas you mentioned (at least Manteo and KDH) also has affordable housing if you are not looking to live on the water or in a McMansion. Anywhere on the water will significantly up your price.
Regardless, all of NC is wonderful and you won't go wrong with your move!
Manteo is a very nice town.If you have kids,I'd recommend Kill Devil Hills,Kitty Hawk,or Southern Shores.They'll be in the First Flight school district,which is one of the best in the state.Let me know if you would like more info.Good luck!
Last edited by obxfisherman; 01-24-2011 at 05:12 PM..
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If you want to live in a spot visit during non vacation season
Good Info!
Manteo, NC
