cost of living - 5/18/2010

cost of living is quite a bit lower than other areas I have lived, such as Maryland and Dallas, TX

[Comment on this Posting]

Fayetteville is dirty. - 5/18/2010

I am from California and I am sure anyone from there can attest to what I'm about to throw down on to the table. Fayetteville is not an ideal place to live. There are to many ignorant people. I swear the drivers are the worst in the world. I swear there is atleast one accident a day on Ramsey st. and when it rains there are atleast two a day. Bragg Blvd gives fayetteville a bad name as well. All of the street hookers, strip clubs, drugs, filthy businesses and worn and torn streets and homes everywhere. Then there is Walmart. Any Walmart you go to your pretty much signing a waiver stating that you could get shot, stabbed, robbed, raped, etc. My first month here I happened to witness a shooting outside of Dicks sporting goods. Even a place that may seem nice in Fayetteville can make you think otherwise. Like going to Mazerick Park and then finding a used needle. Fayetteville does have some good points though, like the Dogwood Festival, Cape Fear river trail, Botanicle Gardens, and now were even starting to see more venues in the Crown Colliseum. But the way I look at Fayetteville is that there are way to many bad points here than good.

[Comment on this Posting]

Great Place to Live! - 2/9/2010

My husband is a youth minister and accepted a position at a church in Fayetteville in August 2007. We packed up our family and moved to a city we knew nothing about. In the time that we have lived here, I have gained a much greater respect for the military families (our church is 50% military). The downtown area of Fayetteville is beautiful! People that move to this area need to keep in mind that Fayetteville is not a major metropolotin area, therefore, there are not numerous interstates (I-95 runs through Fayetteville), nor a large international airport. It is a mid-size southern city. It seems that most complaints that I run across about Fayetteville is the high crime (there is crime everywhere, even in the small town that I'm from) and that there is "nothing to do". If you do your research there are PLENTY of things to do. For young children there are numerous parks and a wonderful children's museum. Fourth Fridays are a wonderful time to visit the downtown area. There are numerous festivals throughout the year and plenty of shopping. For the average person, there is not really a reason to leave the Fayetteville area for shopping needs (unless you are looking for more "high-class" type stores, I myself can't afford those anyway). The schools are not unlike any schools you will find around the south. There are some excellent teachers in the schools, but sometimes not the most supportive parents. Education does not just happen in the schools, but the most important education takes place within the home setting. I love that the beach is a short drive away, and my family and I take great advantage of that during the summer months :) If you are moving to the Fayetteville area, please don't pass judgement based on negative comments that you read. You have to make the best out of where you are. Any city has it's ups and downs...you have to be the one to make it great for you and your family!

[Comment on this Posting]

INFO - 12/22/2009

About to move there.

[Comment on this Posting]

Quality of life in Fayetteville, North Carolina. - 5/5/2009

Extremely Poor

[Comment on this Posting]

You Choose "Quality" - 4/17/2009

As a long time military spouse I have lived in a number of places and the most important thing I have found is that every place has its good, bad and ugly. What makes the difference in your perception of a place is your own attitude. Do you really get involved, seek opportunities, look into all a community has to offer. I hear people speak poorly of Fayetteville, NC and I think, but did they really look into all that the community has to offer. 42 parks, it's own symphony orchestra, tremendous festivals with headliner groups, a community concert series, arena football, the Fire Antz, the Cape Fear River trail and most importantly, warm and caring people. Wherever you are look deeper and if in Fayetteville, NC, enjoy, enjoy.

[Comment on this Posting]

absolutely wretched - 9/26/2008

Fayetteville is definately a horrible disaster of a city. The streets are arranged in a horribly disorganized manner, the majority of the buildings are hideous, and the people are the most trashy and classless group of beings I've had the misfortune to live amongst. Truly, unless one must move to the area by force (i.e. being stationed at Fort Bragg), it would be extremely unwise to move to this city. The only redeeming qualities are the Airborne Museum and the Methodist College. It has a downtown area and a mall, but both are crime-ridden and unasthetically pleasing.

[Comment on this Posting]

Fayettenam - 8/16/2008

Fayetteville is not a bad town it is just not really good. Much has been done to clean up the drugs and prostituion that had been so rampant in the past. It is just not very friendly and there are so many better places to live and work nearby. The best thing it has is Ft. Bragg. Jeff

[Comment on this Posting]

Fayetteville - 6/13/2008

Fayeeteville is a good place to reside, there is a deverse amount of people. This is also a military town, Fort Bragg. Driving can be a challenge at times, some think you can drive faster in wet or icy conditions.

[Comment on this Posting]

Fayetteville: History, Heroes, and that Hometown - 6/13/2008

If you can look past the pockets of crime and the childishly rude drivers, Fayetteville is a great place to live.

[Comment on this Posting]

Things could be a little better... - 6/8/2008

When you hear on the news "highlights" that the town you're living in is literally the third worst place to raise a family, it makes you wonder why you yourself are here. There are many things that can be changed here. Instead of changing the way it "looks", change the way it is.

[Comment on this Posting]

Nice City - 10/12/2007

Fayetteville is nice. The weather is mild compared to the rest of the south and there is plenty of shopping and friendly folks. Schools aren't great in Fayetteville, but if you live in Hope Mills (suburb of Fayetteville) the schools are excellent. There are a lot of taxes in North Carolina and it seems at times they are nicle and diming you to death. Otherwise, I like it here.

[Comment on this Posting]

For those who love the Army mentality - 9/1/2007

Fayetteville is unique to most other normal cities and parallel to most other Army towns. What makes Army towns (not to be confused with Navy, Air Force etc.) unique is that the surrounding area has grown up to support the Army community. This means that low wage, no education jobs are abundant. There are plenty of strip clubs, bars, fast-food restaurants, tattoo parlors, pawn shops, sewing, dry-cleaning, etc. If you have not graduated high school and can't find a job, move to an Army town, there are plenty. Also, think about who comprises the bulk of the manpower of the Army. It's the enlisted ranks E-5 and below. And those ranks are flooded with young men (and very few women) who typically come from lower income households and depressed education levels. Additionally, this city is located in the south which nationally speaking lays claim to the lowest public education and highest number of obese people. I will let you draw your own conclusions as to what a male dominated, low education, low wage structure community feels like.

[Comment on this Posting]

Hot / Cold - 8/9/2007

August is blazing hot. Dec freezing One extreme to the next.

[Comment on this Posting]

Quality of Life - Above Average - 6/17/2007

I have lived in or near Fayetteville for 20+ years. In fact, I just returned to Fayetteville in 2006 after living in Winston-Salem, NC (an absolutely wonderful city!). Fayetteville definitely has good points and some bad ones. Don't listen to the judgements of people who have lived just one year. That's not enough time to learn the entire metropolitan area which covers nearly 3 counties! Fayetteville has made great strides in the past 5 years and it's outlook continues to improve. It has been mentioned in Forbes magazine and other financial magazines as an up and coming city. Unfortunately, most of the economy is tied up with the military. That means when the soldiers are deployed, many businesses are hurt terribly. Living in Fayetteville puts you with 2 hours of the beach and 1.5 hours from Raleigh. You can enjoy lots of recreation nearby if you are willing to drive to it. You can be in Myrtle Beach or Wilmington w/o any problem at all. The mountains are a bit of a drive however. Also there are plenty of bike trails, rivers and lakes within 15 minutes of nearly any home in Cumberland County. You can be golfing at Pinehurst with 45 minutes of Fayetteville also! So if anyone thinks there isn't anything to do maybe he/she needs to do a little research! Also, if you are buying a home, get a good realtor who has lived here for 5+ years. They know the good areas. You don't have to live in a ghetto to have a nice home. There are areas of Fayetteville where homes selling for $140K are within walking distance of homes costing over $500K and the neighbors speak to each other and wave greetings every day! I have lived in nicer areas over the years and have stayed in many that are much worse. People move to Fayetteville every month and stay here until they pass away. You can be happy nearly anywhere in life, it's just a matter of being open-minded. Good points Decent schools and some are excellent! Check the North Carolina school system report cards. Short commutes Multiracial communities (very important!) Improved downtown area Friendly people Affordable housing in good neighborhoods Low unemployment Good restaurants Good mall and shopping Beautiful weather - no snow - little ice - nice and hot! Strong arts and crafts community Excellent local newspaper - Fayetteville Observer - Pick it up and read it every day for your 1st 2 months! Then you'll know what's happening! Many nearby communities still maintain a small-t

[Comment on this Posting]

QUALITY OF LIFE - 11/21/2006

Fragmented social setting. Due to the low cost of housing and property disadvantaged are overwhelmed by the paradox of wealthy people located in pockets throughout the city where property values change dramatically. The selection of entertainment is very poor. No Interstates connect to this community and the airport is small. As a result of the small airport connections to metro airports add a great deal to flight costs. The Army population at Ft. Bragg is larger than the City. This place is isolated and cutoff from the mainstream. The city architects had no planning skills when they laid out the growth of this town. It is very difficult to navigate. Overall the town is old and worn out, and lacks the necessities to breakdown barriers to the fragmented social structure.

[Comment on this Posting]

Lived There for a Year as Army Wife - 9/25/2006

I lived near Fayetteville, NC for one year (2003-2004), in nearby in Spring Lake, which is quiet and beautiful with nice neighbors. Husband was in the military, so the cost of living was pretty low. There are plenty of second-hand stores and flea markets, but pretty ghetto. We lived in an apartment in a ghetto and it was very unpleasant, so we moved to Spring Lake in the countryside. There are a lot of strip joints and military-oriented places, which is not very fun for an army wife. The weather is MAGNIFICANT and the people are very nice. LOVE the southern hospitality. I plan on moving back to North Carolina someday, or somewhere similar in the south because of the hospitible people and the weather, and the cultural diversity. The ice storms are annoying, but they don't last long. Southerners don't know how to drive on ice, though. They flip over on their vechicle roofs just because a little ice is on the road. Schools shut down at the sight of one snowflake! LOL! There's no mud, just sand, which is cool. I am from Ohio and hate snow and cold so that's why I loved the weather. Fayetteville is close to the coast, so beach access is wonderful. My favorite thing to do in Fayetteville is perform at open mics in coffeehouses and join writer's groups. I wouldn't want to live there ever again, but I do have friends there and wouldn't mind visiting. There are a lot of pawn shops there.

[Comment on this Posting]

Not a good place to live. - 7/2/2006

I recently moved to Fayetteville for a job thinking I could deal with living in a military town - I was wrong. And if you are a single male, you probably do not want to move here either. To my surprise there isn't too much to do when compared to Akron, Ohio. You may find a few movie theaters or bars here and there, but nothing special. There are a lot of chain restaurants and a pretty large shopping area for the size of the city. There seems to be a lack of culture and a bit of tension in this town. I always feel the need to travel out of the city to meet the people I want to meet or do the things I do. The next closest cities are Raleigh, which is about 70 miles, and Wilmington which is about 100 miles. The crime rate seems to be pretty high for the size of the city and driving in this town is pretty dangerous and confusing near Fort Bragg. I would never settle down or raise my kids in this town because there are a lot of gangs and druggies. And if you must live here do research and make sure you live in a safe neighborhood because there aren't too many in this town.

[Comment on this Posting]

fayetteville - 5/9/2006

I have lived in Fayetteville since high school, but left to go to college. I would honestly not consider moving back, but it is not such a bad place. It is definitely a military town, and has actually come a long way from what it used to be. Since my family moved there in 1997, the downtown has undergone such a dramatic transformation. Downtown now has a great independent movie theatre, some cute coffee shops and restaurants. I have met some amazing people here as well... of course there are certainly places that are worse off than others just like in any other city. All in all Fayetteville isn't so bad...and Raleigh is only an hour away ;)

[Comment on this Posting]

Can't live here again - 5/4/2006

I was born and raised in Fayetteville. I left for good in 1997. This is a dingy military town who's future hinges on Ft. Bragg. Unless you want to work in food or retail, don't expect a decent job. Good paying jobs are in very short supply. There's nothing here for young people. This is a town for baby boomers and older. It is also a bible belt town, churches are everywhere, along with people trying to get you to join. There is diversity to the population, but like another poster said, it is still unofficially segregated. Nightlife is a disappointment at best. Singles market, not here. The females here either have kids very early, overly religious, or are chasing after the GI Joes. The summers are hot and the humidity is stifling. Crime is high, especially for a place of this size. My favorite thing about Fayetteville is the fact I don't live there anymore!! Anyone thinking of moving here, don't think twice, think 3 times, then chose someplace else.

[Comment on this Posting]