Any nice coastal town in north carolina that are ok for living?

Question

My wife and i live in the north west, shes a biologist looking to continue studying and i work construction.(no kids) Curious if there are any decent size towns in north carolina relatively close to the coast that can offer jobs and not to expensive?

thanks

Answer 1

My parents just relocated in ORIENTAL, NC which is of the coast.. Near NEW BERN NC.  It's rural but, expanding FAST!  They just built a  NEW house this year and have their old one for sale... It's completely re-done... I'm NOT too sure about jobs.. My mother works for the local realestate company and my step-dad is retired.  They are close to the outerbanks and other area attractions... They LOVE it, I went there to visit and it's not my cup of tea but, if you already live in NC then you know the "lifestyle".  That area could be a contender!  

Answer 2

Wilmington would be the obvious place to start looking.  It's the only substantially-sized city on the NC coast.