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Hi,
I've just purchased a (new construction) home in Brunswick Forest. My home search started last year, mainly in the Wilmington/Leland area. I'm now a permanent NC resident, living in Wilmington until my house is finished in BF. I had visited almost every subdivision and community in the area. I had actual showings in approx 50 homes for those communities, and there were about a dozen that I actually considered buying – but for me, it all came down to the neighborhood. I'm not saying I didn't like all the other neighborhoods I saw, there are definitely some beautiful locations, it's just something about BF that kept me going back there. BF had been one of the first communities I visited, so I always had it in the back of my head when I visited the other locations. I kept comparing the other neighborhoods to what I had seen in BF. I love Wilmington, and living here temporarily, for the last 3 months has been great. Shopping, downtown, the beaches, it's wonderful. I moved from the NY tri-state area, so it's a very different way of life for me. Before I came down, I had read about, too much traffic and high crime rate, etc – that may all be true, but after living and working in NY city my whole life, I didn't notice any of that – but that's just me, I'm not saying it's not true – it's just that I consider “traffic” to be not moving for two hours on 95 on any Thursday afternoon, not just waiting for a draw bridge, or having to wait for a traffic light to cycle a couple of times – anyway...
Why I finally decided to buy in Brunswick Forest:
Beautiful location
Beautiful homes
Endless areas to walk/bike - Trails, parks, woods
Grocery store, drug store, bank, etc, right there – I can leave the car at home. I can't stand having to take the car out for everything.
Dentist, eye doctor, medical building right there.
Close enough to all the things in Wilmington I like
Nice people – everyone I've meet in BF has been really great.
If you're interested - Tons of activities to get involved with.
It's not just a retirement community. I'm not retired. Yes, there's a large group of retired folks, but there are also young families and single people. It's a nice mix.
The building process has been great – the builder, as well as the BF staff are excellent. I had a million questions and they always take the time to answer me directly.
I think I've made a good decision to build there, I'm happy.
If there's anything you'd like to ask me about my experience so far, please feel free to contact me.
John
I lived in Wilmington from 1978 to 1984 and went to elementary school and junior high school there. I have very fond and distinct memories of the town, its culture, and its people from that time.
When I was in Wilmington, the people were mostly very down-to-earth and refreshingly not too terribly sophisticated and intimidating; while not necessarily a town of brain surgeons, it seemed as if they at least made up for it by being good-hearted folks. The occasional person there could be unpleasant and hostile, but it was rarely anything that really scarred you for life. While there, I thought I had made close friends who I would have for life, because of their apparent sincerity.
I'm not sure if it's the presence of the film studios having set up shop there that changed the culture, or if the culture changed because most of American culture became permanently meaner, colder, and more petty after having the Reagan-Bush administration control and reshape it for so long, or what it is, but I find that the people of Wilmington have become so incredibly shallow, callous, and downright cruel over the years that the only thing appealing about the town anymore are the memories I have of how it used to be such a better place. And memories alone don't get you very far in this life.
Wilmington is a charming place and the people there are very interesting and engaging, but just don't get too attached to them or expect too much in the way of lasting loyalty, because they tend to be pretty fickle and even soul-crushingly two-faced. My experience with the people is that if you don't actually grow up there and never leave, they can pretty much leave you for dead when something new and shiny gets dangled in their immediate vicinity and now warrants their exclusive attention and allegiance.
Last edited by TheFlyingDutchman; 02-07-2013 at 10:20 AM..
TFD...I think you may be lumping the older crowd locals with the young families and I dont think there could be more of a difference.
The older crowd locals are more resistant to change, they liked Wilmington the way it was...ironically when they moved there. Most of them are from ENC and have no feel for larger cities, traffic, the need for additional amenities, etc... These are the folks that are not ever interested in minor league baseball, the convention center, and couldn't care less about the Riverwalk, cross-city trail, etc...
The irony of their stance is that they moved to Wilmington from some other place at some point and don't seem to correlate the fact that people are still moving to Wilmington. The big changes of course are I-40, which made Wilmington more accessible, and inflation in the Northeast.
The younger generation (Gen X if you will), lives in Wilmington because of its active lifestyle. They look at Wilmington as a viable alternative to cities like Charlotte and Raleigh and push for all the amenities of those larger cities except with the waterfront environment. One of the running jokes is that at the restaurants in Raleigh, there are pictures of boats and water and in Wilmington there are real boats and water.
Then you have the next generation (the college age crowd) that really isn't appreciating Wilmington, but uses it as an entertainment/education resource...which is fine.
Most of the transplants need to fall in with the Gen X crowd, once they attain political control (they are already on staff), things will move forward in a more progressive manner...it will take another 10 years or so for that to happen.
I'm actually talking about the people I grew up with. They would now be in their very early 40's and late 30's, and then also older than that.
What I'm talking about are the kids I grew up with, who grew up and turned soulless and corporate. It's heartbreaking how the whole town has changed into this.
I'm actually talking about the people I grew up with. They would now be in their very early 40's and late 30's, and then also older than that.
What I'm talking about are the kids I grew up with, who grew up and turned soulless and corporate. It's heartbreaking how the whole town has changed into this.
Those folks are more the children that grew up in Wilmington. I wouldn't say that is the whole town, just a segment that is spoiled because of the property value increase in town that has made them what they are today. I know some of whom you speak of...many of them are descendants of prominent Wilmington families like the Trasks, Camerons, Rivenbarks, etc...
While new churches like PC3 draw in the younger crowd and transplants, these folks cling to their old church ways and dismiss what is going on around them. Then they wonder why their churches are dying out.
I'm just saying that those folks are losing what control they had, which is not a bad thing, they are becoming marginalized.
Those folks are more the children that grew up in Wilmington. I wouldn't say that is the whole town, just a segment that is spoiled because of the property value increase in town that has made them what they are today. I know some of whom you speak of...many of them are descendants of prominent Wilmington families like the Trasks, Camerons, Rivenbarks, etc...
While new churches like PC3 draw in the younger crowd and transplants, these folks cling to their old church ways and dismiss what is going on around them. Then they wonder why their churches are dying out.
I'm just saying that those folks are losing what control they had, which is not a bad thing, they are becoming marginalized.
Well, while I agree with what you say, I also think it's more pervasive than that. The problem, I think, is that everybody in Wilmington now is a wanna-be, trying to keep up with the status race going on there, and so they've been more than willing to be shallow jerks to do it.
Those folks are more the children that grew up in Wilmington. I wouldn't say that is the whole town, just a segment that is spoiled because of the property value increase in town that has made them what they are today. I know some of whom you speak of...many of them are descendants of prominent Wilmington families like the Trasks, Camerons, Rivenbarks, etc...
TFD...I think you may be lumping the older crowd locals with the young families and I dont think there could be more of a difference.
The older crowd locals are more resistant to change, they liked Wilmington the way it was...ironically when they moved there. Most of them are from ENC and have no feel for larger cities, traffic, the need for additional amenities, etc... These are the folks that are not ever interested in minor league baseball, the convention center, and couldn't care less about the Riverwalk, cross-city trail, etc...
The irony of their stance is that they moved to Wilmington from some other place at some point and don't seem to correlate the fact that people are still moving to Wilmington. The big changes of course are I-40, which made Wilmington more accessible, and inflation in the Northeast.
The younger generation (Gen X if you will), lives in Wilmington because of its active lifestyle. They look at Wilmington as a viable alternative to cities like Charlotte and Raleigh and push for all the amenities of those larger cities except with the waterfront environment. One of the running jokes is that at the restaurants in Raleigh, there are pictures of boats and water and in Wilmington there are real boats and water.
Then you have the next generation (the college age crowd) that really isn't appreciating Wilmington, but uses it as an entertainment/education resource...which is fine.
Most of the transplants need to fall in with the Gen X crowd, once they attain political control (they are already on staff), things will move forward in a more progressive manner...it will take another 10 years or so for that to happen.
ok I've read all everyone here has to say, and i'm actually worried about moving here now I live in Orlando, FL for the past 5 years and from Ohio before that. I'm 29 and been a bartender since i was 20. I'm moving to Wilmington for CFCC for a special program the college offers thats hard to find.
the question i have is the job market really that bad for me to find work in my field (bars/restaurants)!!
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Fickle Wilmington
