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The overall cost-of-living in
New Bern is lower than the national average.
Food, housing, health care, transportation and
miscellaneous items (entertainment, repairs,
clothing, and similar) are each less than the US
average; however, the cost of utilities
(heating/cooling a typical New Bern home) is
higher than the national average.
And although the median
home cost is less than the national median,
housing is diverse, both in architecture and
price, and home appreciation has increased about
6% in the last year. Newcomers also
generally appreciate the region’s moderate
property taxes. New Bern and Craven County
taxes total $1.08 per $100 assessed property
value (New Bern $.47 and Craven County $.61).
Outside city limits, some communities assess
taxes, homeowner fees, and/or amenity charges in
lieu of city taxes
The New Bern historic
districts consist of elegantly renovated homes
along with houses waiting to be revived to their
original dignified condition. Within these old
districts many buildings are given historic
register status. Such a status often
generates neighborhood revitalization, which has
certainly occurred in New Bern. In the downtown
historic district, listing prices can vary from
about $250,000 for smaller homes to around
$900,000 for stately old houses close to the
river. Other historic districts contain homes,
both charmingly restored and those needing
rehabilitation, which are listed for less than
those in the downtown district.
Nearby neighborhoods that have
country club amenities such as golf and/or
boating, tennis, swimming, and other include
(but are not limited to) Greenbrier, Trent
Woods, River Bend, Brice Creek, Fairfield
Harbour, Taberna, and Carolina Pines.
Housing prices in these neighborhoods can start
from the low $200,000s and will extend much
higher, depending upon the local ambiance,
amenities, conveniences, and home size.
More modest neighborhoods such
as Village Woods, Derby Park, Colony Estates,
and Forest Park feature one-story houses with
attached garages (or no garage) and small yards.
These homes are generally well maintained and
perfect for a retired person or couple.
Listing prices of these homes start in the low
$100,000s. Some attractive mobile home
parks also exist in the New Bern area.
Retirement housing for those
who need extra day-to-day living care is also
widely available, and more well-known
establishments include: The Courtyards at Berne
Village (252.633.1779), Homeplace of New Bern
(252.637.7332), Two Rivers Trent Campus
(252.638.6001) and Two Rivers Neuse Campus
(252.634.2560).
Regardless of whether one
likes indoor or outdoor activities, the New Bern
area has lots of cultural, educational, and
historical attractions. Touring the
restored Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens
will take one on a historical journey. With its
four beautiful homes furnished with priceless 18th
century antiques and art, a variety of exquisite
gardens, and lively and well-done demonstrations
of period crafts, cooking and blacksmithing, a
visit to Tyron is unique. The Croatan National
Forest offers outdoor recreation opportunities
to camp, picnic, hike, hunt, and fish. This
159,00-acre tract was a site of one of the
region’s battles during the Civil War.
Twenty minutes from New Bern (in Havelock, NC )
is the USMC Aviation Exhibit, which features the
history of Marine Corps aviation. One can
spend some time viewing restored aircraft,
scaled models, historic photographs, and Marine
Corps artifacts. For performance buffs,
the New Bern Civic Theatre presents varied
dramas, comedies, musicals, and other
entertainment. City tours by trolley or carriage
along with the Firemen’s Museum, the Bank of
the Arts, the New Bern Academy Museum, and the
Attmore-Oliver House round out local activities
for all folks.
Retail shopping abounds in New
Bern. Shoppers can find malls and
centers with large department stores, grocery
markets, and other retail services. While
browsing historic downtown they will discover
specialty shops and boutiques. Those who enjoy
restaurant dining can find many establishments
suited to their tastes.
Retirement brings the
proverbial leisure time, but retirees still
retain that productive nature. Along these
lines, volunteerism in the New Bern area is
alive and well. Organizations that focus on
senior services, people in need, historic
preservation, literacy, animal and wildlife
protection, and charitable groups always need
retiree help and experience. Churches are also
great for finding volunteer opportunities.
For those with the love of
learning, the New Bern area is home to Craven
Community College, which offers lifetime
learning opportunities from computer courses to
film and lecture series. Mount Olive College in
New Bern is also the perfect opportunity to
start a college career or further one’s
education toward an associate or bachelor’s
degree. In addition, the Parks and
Recreation Department of New Bern also makes
available a wide assortment of classes, clubs
and programs in which to participate. If
one is interested in paid work, opportunities
for job openings exist for the most part in
education, health, and social services.
As always, job availability can vary depending
upon the season and employer needs.
Most importantly, retirees should know that
they, as experienced, tenacious workers, are one
of this nation’s greatest resources.
When it comes to climate,
retirees will appreciate the more than 200 (on
average) sunny days per year and low snowfall of
approximately three inches per year.
However, measurable precipitation falls on over
110 days (on average) per year, and humidity can
be pretty high during the hot months. At those
times, the perceived comfort level can be low.
Nevertheless, there is plenty of time for
outdoor interests. Besides golf and water
sports, gardeners will find a wide variety of
flora flourish in this environment close to the
sea. And those who love walking, biking,
and playing field sports will have no trouble in
finding trails and provisions for their
enjoyment. On inside days, one can
frequent nearly a dozen fitness facilities,
browse and buy in the area specialty and antique
shops, or participate in locally provided hobby
and interest programs. For readers, the Craven-Pamlico-Carteret
Regional Library offers 250,000 books and
several thousand audio and video materials along
with over 500 subscriptions to magazine and
newspapers.
Those who retire to New Bern
can find extended choices in health care
services, and the ratio of physicians per capita
is substantially higher than the national
average. Such services include the
Craven Regional Medical Center, the Craven
Diagnostic Center and the Craven Outpatient
Surgery Center. Certain facility
departments are devoted to emergency care,
cancer care, heart health, rehabilitation, adult
mental health, and home care. The 313-bed
medical center supports more than 200 physicians
and staff, who represent many medical
specialties. The medical, diagnostic, and
outpatient surgery centers all offer a wide
range of services and use state-of-the-art
medical technology and equipment. Urgent care,
dental, alternative healthcare, private
practice, and nursing care facilities also
prevail in the New Bern region.
Other useful services and
organizations for retirees are the Area Agency
on Aging (252.638.31850,the Craven County
Department of Social Services (52.636.4900), the
Craven County Senior Services (252.638.1790),
the Craven County Veterans Service Office
(252.636.6611) and the Senior Pharmacy Program
(252.638.3657).
Various means of
transportation exist in and around New Bern to
take visitors and residents to and from regions
outside the city. However, New
Bern is considered a walking/biking town, and
there is no public transportation within the
city. This could be a drawback to those unable
to travel by foot. The Craven Regional
Airport provides passenger air service with
flights daily to Charlotte, North Carolina, and
Amtrak passenger railway service is available
from Wilson, North Carolina, which is about 1.5
hours from New Bern.
Crime in the New Bern area was
substantially higher than the national average,
and this may be considered a drawback to
retirement here. On the good side, crime has
dropped about 20% in the last couple of years.
This is a fairly conservative
spot, with 67% of registered voters calling
themselves Republican verses 37% calling
themselves Democrats.
Retirees seeking to move to
New Bern, North Carolina have lots of homework
to do before a migration, but in this bustling
town, where Pepsi Cola was created in 1898 and
novelist Nicholas Sparks currently lives,
choices in real estate, shopping, medical care,
and other important aspects of contemporary
American life are plentiful and easy to find.
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