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Wide Rivers, Grand Homes, a Slower Pace and Three Hundred Years of History Greet Retirees in Charming New Bern, North Carolina

Cost of Living:  Below the National Average

New Bern also has a good selection of newer neighborhoods, many with country club amenities including golf, boating, tennis and swimming pools.  A few of these are Riverbend (waterfront homes from $600,000), Trent Woods (homes from $200,000), Fairfield Harbour (homes from $175,000), Greenbriar (homes form $210,000) and Taberna (homes from $220,000).  More affordable but well tended neighborhoods, many with one story dwellings and small yards, include Sellhorn Heights ($150,000+), Derby Park ($125,000+) and Jimmies Creek ($130,000+).    Apartments are not in great supply, but the median rent is about $700 per month.

New Bern and Craven County taxes total roughly $1.10 per $100 of assessed property value, and real estate is assessed at 100% of fair market value.  For people age 65 or better with less than $25,600 annual income, the greater of $25,000 or 50% of the appraised value of real property is excluded from the taxpayer's assessment.  The state also has a circuit breaker tax deference program in place for residents age 65 or better.  When it comes to retirement taxes, Social Security is exempt, and at least $4,000 in federal, state and local pensions and up to $2,000 in qualified private pensions, including IRAs, is exempt.

 This is an interactive map.  Click on the arrows in the upper left hand corner to move the map to the East, West, North or South, and click on the +/- signs (more than once if necessary) to zoom in and out.

Sailors, power boaters, fishermen (and women) and other water devotees will be in heaven in New Bern.   Nestled along the banks of the two wide, gentle rivers, one with direct access to the Intracoastal Waterway, and surrounded by deep navigable creeks, the city abounds with marinas, docks and piers.   This ideal riverfront location is what prompted Baron Christophe von Graffenreid, New Bern's founder, to settle here in 1710.  By the early 19th century New Bern was a major lumber and ship-building center, and that tradition continues, if to a lesser extent, with Hatteras Yachts, a luxury watercraft company, headquartered here.   New Bern is also the birthplace of the state's first public school, the state's first newspaper and Pepsi Cola, the soft drink giant.

The 56-square-block downtown, where the rivers meet and create a pretty tableau of white trawlers, blue water and historic real estate (some of which is said to be haunted), is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has structures spanning three centuries.    Pedestrian friendly, charming and lively, this section of town boasts trendy shops, upscale restaurants, galleries, some very good restaurants, art shops, antique stores, clothing retailers, banks, public art, cozy gourmet coffee houses, theatres and more.  

When not boating or enjoying a good restaurant, New Bernians have plenty to do (although nightlife, other than leisurely strolls along the waterfront after a tasty meal, is practically non-existent).  The Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens is worth a visit and boasts four beautiful homes furnished with 18th century antiques and art, a variety of exquisite gardens and well-done demonstrations of period crafts, cooking and blacksmithing.  The Croatan National Forest, a battle site during the Civil War, offers venues for camping, picnicking, hiking and fishing.   For performance buffs, the New Bern Civic Theatre presents varied dramas, comedies, musicals, and other entertainment.   The New Bern-Craven County Public Library City is small but has computers with Internet access.  For those with the love of learning, Craven Community College offers lifetime learning opportunities from computer courses to film and lecture series.   Tours by trolley or carriage along with the Firemen’s Museum, the Bank of the Arts, the New Bern Academy Museum, the Attmore-Oliver House and seven golf courses are further ways to stay busy and involved.

The New Bern Parks and Recreation Department has a good menu of activities for all ages and has a number of programs specifically for people age 55 and better, including numerous clubs, Senior Activity Days, Senior Appreciation Day, Seniorcise, Senior Arts and Crafts and a softball team.  It also sponsors the Neuse River Senior Games and Silver Arts Competition, a health-promoting event for adults age 55 years and older.  Craven County Senior Services, located in New Bern, provides services and activities, too, including exercise programs, yoga, self-help and supportive services, health screenings and various enrichment classes in cooperation with Craven Community College. Lunch is provided five days a week, except on designated holidays, and the agency operates the county's Meals on Wheels program.  And the Senior Pharmacy Program assists seniors age 60 and older with costs for prescription medications.

Public transportation is provided by CARTS and is a call-ahead service that caters to older and disabled residents.   Thirty-five vans and mini-buses travel to Walmart, Twin Rivers Mall and CarolinaEast Medical Center, among other stops, and fares are $1 to $6.75, depending on distance.   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. 

Retirement in New Bern has a few drawbacks.    Although it is set back 30 miles from the Atlantic, it has been brushed by hurricanes and will be again.  The river banks are high, but parts of the city, including downtown, have flooded.   The chance of a tornado is 25% greater than the national average.    And the crime rate is higher than the national average, although locals say that crime is primarily restricted to certain sections of town that can be easily avoided.