Wilmington, NC - The last in-person visit before making my final decision!
Hello everyone!
This is it, the last episode! This post will include details of my time in Wilmington, NC, and the final decision.
Quick recap of recent episodes:
Richmond, Raleigh, and Wilmington were all chosen as finalists deserving an in-person visit.
Visits to Richmond and Raleigh were detailed in episodes 4 and 5, with Richmond being taken off the list and the Raleigh area confirmed as a winner contender.
Here is a breakdown of what I considered/explored while in Wilmington, in no specific order. One item of note is that I originally expected to only be in Wilmington for two weeks, similar to the other two finalists. But an opportunity to go back to Asheville for a couple of weeks before my trip north for the solar eclipse made it advantageous to stay in Wilmington for five weeks total to explore the area.
Gym/Run Club
I made sure to continue using my Orange Theory Fitness classes, the South Wilmington studio was great! The staff gave me fantastic restaurant recommendations (more on those below) and I enjoyed going there multiple times a week. In addition to the gym classes, I again took the opportunity to join a run club as a free tour of the city. I found a run club that started at Hi-Wire Brewing (good to see an Asheville brewery opening up new locations across the state) and ran the length of the downtown river walk. Even though I got lost, I really enjoyed the run and the location.
Apartments
Immediately I determined that the apartments were better than Richmond - by the time I was done with the tours in Wilmington, I had completed 30+ apartment tours in two months! They were on par with the high quality of apartments in Raleigh, although my favorite Wilmington apartments that were walking distance from the gym, movie theater, and multiple restaurants raised their prices during my time in Wilmington to the top of my price range.
Church
I really enjoyed Lifepoint church in Wilmington. They definitely felt more like a megachurch than the others I've visited, but very enjoyable worship services. While I was looking at their community groups in the fall, I was extremely impressed with the selection and variety of group types they had, but their spring season groups were not as enticing. Not that it is difficult for me to make new friends anywhere, but since I'm too old for their young adult groups (specified as ages 18-25) and not qualified to be in their "Two Forever" or "Single Parenting" groups, my options would be limited compared to other churches I've looked at.
Note: While writing this, I double checked their website and as of 4/13/24 they have a "young professionals, ages 26-39" group.
Downtown
I mentioned before that I joined the run club to explore historic downtown Wilmington, which was certainly a highlight of my time in the area. Over the five weeks I ran along the river many times, tried out many restaurants, and when my dad and my brother visited, we spent most of our time downtown. Wilmington is worth visiting for their downtown alone. It's so nice to see a city that invests resources into the city itself (other side of the spectrum: Asheville, NC) which convinced me that I would be happy living in Wilmington.
Restaurants
In addition to the great restaurants downtown, Wilmington is filled with fantastic restaurants all over the area. I can confidently say that Wilmington is one of the best food cities I've been to, with an extreme focus on local restaurants giving many options for people looking to avoid the mediocre chains. If I had to recommend just one, I'd recommend Indochine, which is an immersive experience as much as it is a fantastic restaurant.
Beach
It actually took me about a week to get to the beach in Wilmington! But after I felt content exploring the downtown area, I had a local friend show me Wrightsville Beach as the weather was warming up (note: I arrived in Wilmington in late February and it was already getting warm - exactly what I'm looking for in regards to weather). I went to the beach at least once a week while I was there, most commonly for a run after finishing work for the day and to enjoy the sun setting on the beach in the evening.
Spikeball
Although I saw some people playing casually on the beach, unfortunately the competitive Spikeball scene is pretty stagnant in Wilmington. Top Google results would pull up the UNC Wilmington Instagram, but they haven't posted in a few years so it looks like consistent Spikeball has died down a bit.
Small Town Feel
Immediately when I arrived in Wilmington, I noticed how it felt like a small town. Outside of hotspots like downtown, UNCW, and the beaches, while I drove around I noticed how rural/country it was. I'm sure it picked up a bit after I left mid-March and the spring break tourists started to arrive.
Slower Pace of Life
Wilmington felt very slow and relaxed compared to other places I've been. Wrightsville Beach was incredibly laid-back with a lot of retirees occupying the area, and weeknight evenings felt chill with countless people slowly meandering along the beach or along the river downtown. Very much alive (unlike downtown Asheville after dark), but chill. If I had to make a metaphor that suits the city of Wilmington, I'd say it has similar energy to people who like to spend their time fishing: enjoying a relaxing and quiet time outdoors.
If you've read this entire blog series, you are very aware that I like to gather a lot of information, to collect as much data as possible to analyze, and to make spreadsheets.
Although I think it is extremely important to gather data, I also highly encourage the feeling/emotional aspect when making these types of decisions. To me, the purpose of gathering information is to spend time in the space where I can feel which way is the right way to go. That is why the opportunity to do these in-person visits to each of the finalists was such a gift, because it allowed me to listen to how I feel in each location. I find it harder to write about the "feel" part of the decision, so here is a list of thoughts while I was visiting each location that coincide with the information I gathered:
"The James River is really cool, but every apartment here in Richmond smells like smoke."
"I'd come back to visit, but I really hope I'll like Raleigh/Wilmington better as a permanent location."
"This is the best burger I've ever had, thankfully Richmond is on the way back to family from either Raleigh or Wilmington so I can stop by for lunch."
"The drive from Asheville to Raleigh was so easy, if I were in Raleigh I could probably still get back to dog sit occasionally and have little Asheville vacations to see my friends."
"These Raleigh apartments are so much better! I'd love to live in this area with almost everything I'd want in walkable distance."
"It's convenient to have a friend from every major stage of my life (Childhood-NY-Asheville) in the area."
"I really enjoy this church, both services I attended were great, I'm content so far with what I know about their HR policies, and the young adult Super Bowl viewing party put into perspective that I'll definitely be around a lot of people in my stage of life in the Raleigh area."
"This is the perfect environment for competitive Spikeball, I'll definitely be able to play regularly around here."
"I'm really impressed by the amount of greenway trails around Cary, and that park downtown is incredible! I know I'd be able to spend plenty of time outside despite not having a major water source like the river in Richmond or the beach in Wilmington."
"Do I have to look at Wilmington? I know I'd be pretty happy here."
"Wow, that drive from Raleigh to Wilmington after work was super easy. I could get down to the beach from Raleigh pretty often if I want to."
"Wilmington really feels like a small town. I know the population is greater than Asheville but it doesn't really feel like it."
"This downtown is incredible, this is the reason to live in Wilmington."
"These restaurants are incredible, they are the reason to live in Wilmington."
"This beach is incredible, this is the reason to live in Wilmington."
"I really like Wilmington, it is definitely the right place for a chill and relaxing getaway. I feel like I'm on vacation, but I don't think it feels like home."
"Someone wants me to dog sit for them in Raleigh in April? That perfectly coincides with when I need to move..."
Everything about Raleigh just seemed to make sense. My favorite apartment complex of the 30+ I toured was in Cary, a suburb of Raleigh, and I signed a lease for an apartment there this week. If I had to pick any main reason that swayed me, it is because the Raleigh area is a hub for young professionals like me, and I definitely felt drawn to that compared to the slower pace of life in Wilmington. Maybe when I retire, I'll continue east on Highway 40 and settle in a Wilmington beach home, who knows? I know I'll be making my way down there a few times a year for the beach and downtown, that's for sure.
And that's everything! Thank you for reading and following along with my decision making process. I'm excited to get settled and enjoy my new home. Let me know if you come through the Raleigh area!
Jeremy