best places to live close the beach in north carolina?

will be living in charlotte, wanted to know where I should look for a vacation property at? only want to spend about 300K. I was thinking about hilton head, sc. please don't send mytle beach, b/c I think it's a dump. is the water off NC cold? if warm how long is it warm? coming from the west coast where it is chilly. I think a 4 hour drive will be the limit. thanks.

Public Comments

1. jacksonville, n.c. i lived there for several years. loved the beaches.
2. Water off of NC is Warm compared to California's 54-60 degrees. it sometimes gets up to 74. Try Willmington its nice. Or Newburn..
3. I am also in Charlotte. I have a second home on North Topsail Beach. It's a house and it's a quaint, quiet, down to earth but still very nice area. You could probably find something in your price range too. You mentioned beaches in South Carolina. There are some very nice ones there too. It all depends on what you are looking for and to do.
4. Think about the NC Outer Banks. The towns of Duck or Corolla are nice. And the Emerald Isle area near Morehead City NC has nice relaxing homes. Or if you prefer further south, consider Isle of Palms just outside of Charleston SC. All are nice areas without the glitter and cheesy junk that Myrtle Beach has. MB is called the "redneck riviera" by most locals. cheers
5. About 3.5 to 4 hours from Charlotte, straight out to the coast, you've got Wilmington, surrounded by Carolina Beach, Sea Gate, Surf City and a ton of other beach community/vacation home/condo rentals. I don't know the price ranges because I don't do the beach often enough to look into it, but when we've stayed out there we have really enjoyed it - not at all the Myrtle Beach scene, in my opinion. I would suggest you take a season or 2, to explore and try a few different areas before you decide to buy. You might even meet people, when you move to Charlotte, who will be able to tell you their own experiences and make their own suggestions. Welcome to North Carolina! Have a great time!
6. Ocracoke beach is really nice the sand dosnt have rock the waves (last summer)were not too hard and there wuznt that many people and they have beach houses just google it
7. I stayed at Holden Beach the first week of June and it was amazing!