NC city ranks among nation’s most desirable places to live. Why it’s special
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- MoveBuddha studied search data to determine places people want to move.
- Wilmington, NC ranked No. 9 on a list of most desirable U.S. cities to live.
- The city has been praised for its job opportunities, riverfront and proximity to beaches.
There are plenty of great destinations in North Carolina — but there’s one city people really want to call home.
Wilmington ranks No. 9 on a list of the nation’s most desirable places to live, according to a report published Wednesday, April 8.
To create the list, the online moving resource moveBuddha said it gathered data from Jan. 1 to March 27. It focused on 78,000 searches people made on its website for 201 cities to determine interest in leaving them versus moving to them.
“After a brief fall, mortgage rates are right back up and affordability concerns are locking many in place, despite the current ‘buyers market,’” moveBuddha wrote in its report. “Yet, there are still those who are pulling the relocation trigger, or hoping to. They’re aiming for buyer-friendly states (with jobs) and suburban enclaves where a mortgage won’t break the bank.”
Why people want to live in Wilmington
Wilmington ranked high after moveBudda said its ratio of inbound moves versus outbound moves was 2.14 to 1.
The results may not come as a surprise, given U.S. News & World Report recently named nearby Brunswick County the nation’s No. 1 destination people have considered calling home. And 2024 data from the moving company United Van Lines showed new residents were flocking to the Wilmington area.
So, what makes Wilmington special? Recent rankings have touted the city for its riverfront, food scene, proximity to popular beaches and other attractions, The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
“The city isn’t just attracting retirees and remote workers,” Kristen Klepac, a moveBuddha spokesperson, told The N&O in a Thursday, April 16 email. “In fact the city’s job growth is +2.9% year over year with growth across professional services, education, health care, transportation, and other industries.”
Where else do people want to live?
Though Wilmington ranked high, another North Carolina city landed in the bottom 10 on moveBuddha’s list. Fayetteville — a gateway to the U.S. Army base Fort Bragg — was found to have a ratio of 0.6 inbound moves per 1 outbound move.
“Fayetteville’s outflow may be tied to military churn, federal job cuts, and concerns about crime,” Klepac wrote.
Still, North Carolina fared well as a whole. It ranked No. 5 on moveBuddha’s list of most attractive U.S. states for people wanting to move.
Across the country, the most popular city in online searches was Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Here are the other destinations rounding out the top five:
- St. Augustine, Florida, at No. 2
- Bellingham, Washington, at No. 3
- Portland, Maine, at No. 4
- Ocala, Florida, at No. 5
