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Home My WebLink AboutNew Hanover Survey Report 2025New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey Report of Results April 2025 Prepared for: New Hanover County Planning & Land Use Department Clarion Associates Created by: Molly Lumsden, MA, Project Manager Mary Moore, PhD, Project Director Destiny Brown, Wilder Graduate Fellow Cydney Lowenstein, PhD, Research Support Specialist Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Center for Public Policy L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Virginia Commonwealth University New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 2 Table of Contents I. Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. 4 Total Sample .................................................................................................................................... 4 General Demographics…………………...……………………………..……………………….4 Housing…………………………………………………………………………………………….4 Commercial Development……………………………………………………...………………..5 Areas of Importance vs. Satisfaction……………………………………………………………5 Unincorporated Community ............................................................................................................. 6 General Demographics..………………………….……………………..……………………….6 Housing……………….…………………..………………………………………………………..6 Commercial Development………………………...……………………………………………..6 Areas of Importance vs. Satisfaction……………………………………………………………6 Comparison of Means ..................................................................................................................... 7 II. Project Overview ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Background ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Survey Development ........................................................................................................................ 9 III. Survey Methods ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Pilot Testing ................................................................................................................................... 11 Final Testing .................................................................................................................................. 11 Design and Data Collection Procedures ........................................................................................ 11 Sample Design…………………………………………………………………………………..11 Contact and Data Collection Procedures……………………………………………………..12 Weighting and Analysis .................................................................................................................. 12 The Purpose of Weighting…….………………………………………………………………..12 Difference Between Professional Survey and Community Engagement Poll…………….13 Unincorporated/Incorporated Sample ............................................................................................ 13 Presentation of Results .................................................................................................................. 14 IV. Demographics ....................................................................................................................................... 15 Characteristics of Respondents ..................................................................................................... 15 New Hanover County, North Carolina Residency ......................................................................... 21 Homeownership ............................................................................................................................. 24 V. Results – Total Sample .......................................................................................................................... 25 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 3 Satisfaction with current services .................................................................................................. 25 Importance of devoting resources to County services ................................................................... 31 Factors when choosing homes ...................................................................................................... 36 Land Use ........................................................................................................................................ 39 Commercial development .............................................................................................................. 41 Priority Matrix ................................................................................................................................. 43 VI. Demographics – Unincorporated Community ....................................................................................... 46 Characteristics of Respondents ..................................................................................................... 46 New Hanover County, North Carolina Residency ......................................................................... 52 Homeownership ............................................................................................................................. 55 VII. Results – Unincorporated Community .................................................................................................. 56 Satisfaction with current services .................................................................................................. 56 Importance of devoting resources to County services ................................................................... 62 Factors when choosing homes ...................................................................................................... 67 Land Use ........................................................................................................................................ 70 Commercial development .............................................................................................................. 72 Priority Matrix ................................................................................................................................. 73 VIII. Comparison of Means…...………………………………......……………………………………………….76 Satisfaction with current services………..………………………………………………..…………….76 Importance of devoting resources to County services….…………….……………..………………..77 Land use………….…………………….………….………………………………………..……………..79 IX. Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………………………………80 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 4 I. Executive Summary In February 2025, the New Hanover County Residential Survey officially launched to people who live in New Hanover County. The survey was conducted by phone. Participants were asked a range of questions to gather information on environmental services, housing initiatives and development, infrastructure, and general quality of life. Responses to the survey provide a glimpse into residential life in New Hanover County. The New Hanover County phone survey fielded 607 responses, 300 from unincorporated areas and 307 from incorporated areas. All respondents were adults 18 year or older and lived in New Hanover County. Using a technique known as weighting, the survey data were adjusted prior to analysis to reflect the demographic statistics known about adults residing in the county. This report offers a detailed overview of the New Hanover County Residential Survey project, as well as associated survey methods and results. Below are highlights and takeaways from the survey. Though results are presented here in the Executive Summary, it is important to note that these conclusions reflect an overview of the respondent’s answers. Detailed methods and results are presented in the full dedicated corresponding sections of the report. Total Sample i. General Demographics The largest proportion of respondents (44.3%) was 65 years or older. The average age of respondents was 50 years old. Just over half of respondents (52.2%) identified as female, while 46.9% identified as male. The majority of respondents (75.0%) reported having no children under the age of 18 living in their home. Approximately 22% of respondents were from the 28412 ZIP code, and nearly 99% reported living in New Hanover County full-time. A majority—81.7%—moved to New Hanover County from elsewhere. About 8.8% reside within the City of Wilmington, with other notable areas including Monkey Junction (4.9%) and Carolina Beach (3.8%). Nearly 70% of respondents own their current home. Additionally, 83% use public water, and 86% are connected to public sewer services. ii. Housing Respondents were asked to identify the most important factors in choosing their current home. The majority cited price (85.6%) and safety (79.6%) as top priorities. Other notable considerations included general location (12.7%) and proximity or access to the beach (10.7%). When asked about future home-buying priorities, the leading factors were housing type (62.4%) and having ample space to park personal vehicles (61.2%). Additional considerations included price or cost of living (15.6%), as well as safety and crime rates (10.6%). New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 5 iii. Commercial Development New Hanover County residents were also asked what types of commercial development they would like to see more of. The top two responses were recreation (17.6%) and retail (16.2%). Other commonly mentioned preferences included limiting or stopping further development, as well as expanding public parks, trails, and amenities. iv. Areas of Importance vs. Satisfaction Respondents were asked to rate both their satisfaction with various County services and the importance of dedicating resources to those same services. These included environmental, housing, land use, commercial development, and infrastructure services. Responses were averaged and analyzed to determine overall priority, highlighting which services are current strengths for the County and which may require additional attention (see Table 1). Table 1. Areas of strengths and areas for attention, Total Sample (N = 607) Areas of strengths Areas for attention Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas Protecting and supporting native plants and trees Supporting improvements to aging developments Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water Managing where different types of new development occur Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle- income residents and workers New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 6 Unincorporated Community i. General Demographics The survey results were broken down further in order to note the opinions of the unincorporated community as well as the total sample. The average survey respondent from unincorporated areas was female, in the 65 year and older age group, White, with no Hispanic or Spanish origin, similar to the total sample. About half of respondents were married, employed full-time, and most worked in New Hanover County. About 30% have a Bachelor’s degree and 21% earn more than $150,000 or more a year. Approximately 34% of respondents were from the 28411 ZIP code, and 99% reported living in New Hanover County full-time. A majority—78.5%—moved to the county from elsewhere. Among residents in unincorporated areas, 9.6% live in Monkey Junction, followed by Castle Hayne (7.6%) and Ogden (6.0%) as other prominent locations. About 75% of respondents own their current home. Additionally, 72% use public water, and 77% are connected to public sewer services. ii. Housing Respondents from unincorporated areas were asked what were the most importance factors when choosing their current home. The majority of residents said that price (86.2%) and safety (79.4%) were the most important factors. Other factors include general location, beach proximity/access, and nature/open space (all 10.4%). Residents were also asked what were the most important factors when buying a home in the future. The top two factors are housing type (66.7%) and plenty of space to park personal vehicles (71.2%). Other factors include price/cost of living (13.1%), community amenities (7.1%), and safety/crime (7.1%). v. Commercial Development New Hanover County residents who lived in unincorporated areas were also asked what type of commercial development they would like to see more of. The top two choices of those given were restaurants (23.0%) and recreation (19.4%). Other answers were less/no more development and public parks/trails/amenities. iii. Areas of Importance vs. Satisfaction The respondents were asked their satisfaction with County services and how important it is to devote resources to these same services. These services include environmental, housing, land use, commercial, development and infrastructure services. These responses were averaged and then calculate based on priority. This showed which services were areas of strength for the County and which areas needed attention (see Table 2). New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 7 Table 2. Areas of strengths and areas for attention, Total Sample (N = 300) Areas of strengths Areas for attention Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas Protecting and supporting native plants and trees Supporting improvements to aging developments Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle- income residents and workers Comparison of Means In general, the means for satisfaction and importance of different housing, environmental, development, and infrastructure from the incorporated community and unincorporated community were similar with only very slight differences. The satisfaction means for current housing and environmental services from the incorporated communities ranged from 2.75 to 3.43, with 1 being “Not at all satisfied” and 5 being “Very satisfied”. For unincorporated communities, these average satisfaction scores ranged from 2.44 to 3.23 on the same scale. When asked about their satisfaction with different development and infrastructure services, the mean answers from incorporated communities varied from 2.77 to 3.66 on the same previously used scale. In unincorporated communities, these means varied from 2.61 to 3.47. When asked about the importance of devoting resources to housing and environmental services, for incorporated communities the means varied from 3.20 to 4.83 and for unincorporated communities the means varied from 3.12 to 4.86 on a scale from 1, meaning “Not at all important”, to 5, meaning “Very important”. For the importance of devoting resources to development and infrastructure services, the average means from the incorporated community ranged from 4.07 to 4.80. For the unincorporated community, the means ranged from 4.10 to 4.86, on the same scale previously mentioned. The means of satisfaction with the amount of housing and commercial land use also varied slightly. The satisfaction means from the incorporated community ranged from 3.35 to 3.68, and the unincorporated community means ranged from 3.06 to 3.64, on a scale from 1, meaning “Not at all satisfied”, to 5, meaning “Very satisfied”. New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 8 Means were compared through statistical testing using the independent t-test with a confidence interval of 95% to identify if belonging to an unincorporated or incorporated community significantly affected average rating scores. However, there were only a few services with statistically significant differences between the means – the satisfaction with “supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas”, the importance of devoting resources to “supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths”, and the importance of devoting resources to “providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas”. While there was a statistically significant difference between the means for these services, the effect size between the means was statistically negligible. For the satisfaction with the amount of certain housing and commercial land uses, there were two land uses that had a statistically significant difference between the means – “larger apartment or condominium units” and “factories or industrial facilities”. While “factories or industrial facilities had a negligible effect size, “larger apartment or condominium units” had a small effect size between the two means. New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 9 II. Project Overview Background This report examines the results from the 2025 New Hanover County Residential Survey. This survey was conducted as part of the county’s update of its Comprehensive Plan. The 2025 New Hanover County Residential Survey was conducted by the Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory (SERL), which is part of the Center of Public Policy (CPP) in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), under contract to Clarion Associates & New Hanover County. Clarion Associates of Chapel Hill, North Carolina (CA) contracted with SERL to execute and summarize a sample survey conducted by phone of the residents of New Hanover County, North Carolina regarding their opinions about environmental quality, land use, housing availability, housing issues, development, infrastructure, planning issues, county services, and overall quality of life. The questionnaire was constructed as a collaboration among staff at CA, SERL and New Hanover County government. The survey was funded by New Hanover County through an agreement with CA. SERL used a third-party vendor, Responsive Management (RM), to implement the survey. Survey Development SERL offered different options to conduct the survey including web-based crowd survey, paper surveys that would be mailed out, and a phone survey. It was agreed that a phone survey would work best for the type of communities New Hanover County wants to reach, worked within the proposed timeline, and fit budget expectations. The New Hanover County Residential Survey was created by SERL with collaboration from CA and New Hanover County. SERL created a basic survey compiled from previous comprehensive plan surveys and necessary demographic information for data analysis. After meeting with New Hanover Planning and Land Use Department and CA, SERL was able to use their input and guidelines to create a survey draft that covered all required areas. The survey went through multiple rounds of editing up to the final testing phase to ensure that the length was appropriate for a phone survey while upholding the quality of all significant questions. A key consideration in the survey sampling process was ensuring that 50% of respondents came from an unincorporated area within the county, as defined below: Incorporated Areas: cities or towns with independent city or town governments Unincorporated Areas: communities or geographic areas that are not part of an incorporated city or town and are governed by local county elected officials The county has planning and zoning authority in these areas and wanted to ensure the inputs they are basing their decisions on are from all residents in their jurisdiction. To achieve this, New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 10 respondents were asked several location-based questions, including their street address or nearest street/intersection and ZIP code. Several questions were required in order to accurately weight the data. Weighting the data ensures that the results are a representative sample of the larger population. These questions asked respondents about different demographics and included age, race/ethnicity, gender, education, and ZIP code. New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 11 III. Survey Methods Pilot Testing The pilot testing phase began on February 11, 2025. There were seven (7) pilot respondents in total. All respondents were adults, ages 18 or older, who lived in New Hanover County. These responses were recorded and sent to the team at SERL on February 13, 2025. There were a few takeaways from the pilot testing phase. The survey ran longer than expected, 20 minutes total, and there seemed to be some confusion on a few questions. RM gave a list of different actions that could help shorten the survey including changing some questions to yes/no and reducing redundancy. The team at SERL listened to the recorded responses and made their own notes on what questions to clarify and options to condense the survey while still keeping the survey’s integrity. On February 14, 2025 the team at SERL sent the recordings and notes to CA and New Hanover County for their own impressions. All teams worked together to streamline the survey into a more accessible length while preserving the questions of significance. After a final round of edits, the survey ran 16-17 minutes long. It was agreed by all that this would be the final version of the survey as it included all necessary questions while still being short enough to engage participants. Final Testing The New Hanover County Residential Survey obtained telephone interviews with a representative sample of 607 adults, ages 18 or older, living in New Hanover County, North Carolina, with 300 completed surveys from residents of unincorporated areas and 307 completed surveys from residents of incorporated areas. The survey was conducted by Responsive Management. Statistical results were weighted to reflect known demographic proportions within the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county, as discussed further below. The margin of sampling error for the complete set of weighted data is ±3.97%. Details on the design, execution, and analysis of the survey are discussed below. Design and Data Collection Procedures i. Sample Design A combination sample consisted of New Hanover County residents who lived in incorporated and unincorporated parts of the county. Both samples were provided by Marketing Systems Group (MSG), a leader in providing research-based statistical samples. Under the guidance of and in combination with maps provided by the New Hanover Planning and Land Use Department, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were used to identify incorporated and unincorporated areas within New Hanover County by census blocks. The combination sample consisted of a listed landline sample and a cellular random digit dial (RDD) sample to represent all New Hanover County, NC adults who have access to a listed New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 12 landline or cellular telephone. Both samples were provided in their proper proportions according to state telephone type usage by MSG. The cellular RDD sample was prescreened for disconnected numbers. The listed landline database was built directly from public and proprietary sources obtained by MSG. The cellular RDD sample consisted of randomly generated U.S. cellular telephone numbers within all thousand-series blocks (the first seven digits of a telephone number) dedicated to cellular service. Non-productive numbers were identified via CELL-WINS, a non-intrusive real-time screening process that identifies active and inactive numbers, and were removed from the potential sample. The cell phone sample comprised 80% of the sample, and the landline 20%. This plan was applied to both the pilot and the actual data collection. ii. Contact and Data Collection Procedures Interviews were conducted from February 25, 2025, to March 7, 2025. As many as seven attempts were made to contact every incorporated and unincorporated telephone number. Calls were made at different times of day and different days of the week to maximize the chance of contacting potential respondents. Each telephone number received at least one daytime call when necessary. Weighting and Analysis The analysis of data was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics as well as proprietary software developed by Responsive Management. The final data were weighted by several demographic characteristics because they were obtained in the survey: gender, age, ethnicity, Hispanic origin, and region of residence (incorporated or unincorporated areas). The survey’s margin of error is the largest 95% confidence interval for any estimated proportion based on the total sample—the proportion is around 50%. The margin of error for the entire sample is ±3.97 percentage points. This means that in 95 out of every 100 samples drawn using the same methodology, estimated proportions based on the entire sample will be no more than 3.97 percentage points away from their true values in the population. i. The Purpose of Weighting Surveys are designed to be representative of a larger population, from which a sample is drawn to be invited to do the survey. The results from the completed surveys are used as estimates of what the whole population would have said if they all had participated in the survey. Statistical weighting is used to remove bias in survey responses. In the example of New Hanover County’s survey, and in fact most surveys conducted around the globe, the survey respondents did not perfectly align with the actual representation of county residents across the following variables: gender, age, ethnicity, Hispanic origin, and region of residence. To ensure that the findings of the survey were statistically representative of the New Hanover County population, SERL used the “raking” method of weighting to ensure that no particular group included in these variables were underrepresented or overrepresented. See Appendix 3: Data Tables to learn more about the details of the weighting methodology. New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 13 ii. Difference Between Professional Survey and Community Engagement Poll A professional survey that is statistically significant is different from a self-selected public poll. In professional surveys, participants are randomly selected from the population to ensure that each individual has a known and non-zero chance of being chosen to participate. This process allows the survey results to serve as a reliable representation of an entire population. The statistical rigor used in identifying the weighted responses in the New Hanover County surveys is needed to ensure that bias is not occurring in the survey results due to overrepresentation or underrepresentation of different population groups. The purpose of the professional survey is to have a report of results that can be generalized statistically to the full county population. In comparison, a survey such as a community engagement poll is self-selected and available to the entire County community. While sociodemographic information can be captured from polling participants, the purpose of the engagement is to allow all residents interested in the future of the county to provide their input. Statistical significance cannot be calculated for the results of the engagement polls because the chances of selection are not known. In addition, self-selected respondents may not be representative of the overall population along magisterial district, race/ethnicity, or age factors. Unincorporated/Incorporated Sample The purpose of the survey was to reach out into the community to gain relevant information for the upcoming Comprehensive Plan. A critical part of the methodology was making sure that 50% of the respondents were from unincorporated areas. In order to categorize respondents as living in an unincorporated/incorporated area, a few questions were asked about location. When asked directly if they lived in an unincorporated area, 31.3% (N = 190) said yes, 49.1% (N = 298) said they did not, while 19.6% (N = 119) said they didn’t know (see Figure 1). Figure 1. Do you live in an unincorporated area?, Total Sample 31.3% 49.1% 19.6% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Yes No Dont know / Prefer not to say Do you live in an unincorporated area? N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 14 Since a larger percentage were not aware of whether they live in an unincorporated community and seemed confused by the question, another data point was used to ensure the 50% mark was met. At the end of the survey, respondents were asked for their addresses. Unfortunately, 30% of the respondents did not wish to answer the question while others gave vague descriptions of the area where they lived. This made it difficult to get an exact location, and therefore wasn’t a viable option to determine if their location was in an unincorporated area. Finally, it was decided to use the sample that was provided for contacting respondents in order to get as close to the 50% goal as possible. This included the most current phone information that was assigned at the census block level for maximum accuracy. This was the variable used for weighting and analysis of all the data. After weighing, this data shows that 56.1% (N = 341) of respondents live in an incorporated area, while 43.9% (N = 266) live in an unincorporated area. The unweighted counts concluded that 307 respondents lived in an incorporated area, while 300 lived in an unincorporated area (see Table 3). Table 3. Incorporated Sample vs. Unincorporated Sample, Weighted and Unweighted Incorporated Count Incorporated Percentage Unincorporated Count Unincorporated Percentage Weighted 341 56.1% Weighted 244 43.9% Unweighted 307 50.6% Unweighted 300 49.4% Presentation of Results The overall survey results are represented below by a variety of graphs and tables organized similarly to how the survey was presented and are based on the unweighted counts and weighted percentages for each question. The unweighted counts and weighted percentages for incorporated communities, unincorporated communities, and the total sample for each question are given in Appendix 3. A deeper analysis of the results is noted with each graph and table. In addition to the overall survey results, this report includes several tables and matrices that display the rated importance and satisfaction of County services and land uses. These include the weighted means of the data. All explanations of calculations are in each relevant section or in the corresponding appendix. The report is split into two sections. The first part shows the results for the total sample (incorporated and unincorporated). The second half shows the results for only the unincorporated community. In conclusion, there is a comparison of means for the unincorporated community and incorporated community. The comparison of means was done through an independent samples t-test at a 95% confidence interval. The significance (p-value) of the means was tested, and then if the difference comparison was significant (p < 0.05), the effect size was compared. Calculating p-values to identify statistical significance is highly influenced by sample size, meaning that with larger sample sizes the likelihood of seeing a statistically significant difference is very high even if the actual effect is tiny. That's where effect size comes in to identify the magnitude of the difference in means between different groups. New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 15 IV. Demographics The following charts and graphs display the demographics of the survey respondents. All of the data presented is weighted to ensure optimal accuracy in the analysis and results, as discussed in the Weighting and Analysis section above. Characteristics of Respondents The largest proportion of respondents (44.3%) was 65 years or older. (see Figure 2). The average age of respondents was 50 years old. Just over half of respondents (52.2%) identified as female, while 46.9% identified as male (see Figure 3). The majority of respondents (75.0%) reported having no children under the age of 18 living in their home (see Figure 4). Figure 2. What is your age?, Total Sample Figure 3. What is your gender?, Total Sample Figure 4. How many individuals under the age of 18 are currently living in your home?, Total Sample 1.5%7.7%14.2%16.0%16.3% 44.3% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Age Groups What is your age? N = 607 52.2%46.9% 0.1%0.9% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Female Male Other Refused to answer What is your gender? N = 607 75.0% 8.6%11.4% 3.1%0.7%1.3% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Zero One Two Three or more Don't know Refused to answer How many individuals under the age of 18 are currently living in your home? N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 16 The majority of respondents identified as White (83.5%) and were not of Hispanic or Spanish origin (92.1%) (see Figures 5 and 6, respectively). Only 7.9% of respondents reported being of Hispanic or Spanish descent (see Figure 6). Figure 5. Are you black, Asian, or of some Figure 6. Are you of Hispanic or Spanish other racial background?, Total Sample origin?, Total Sample When given the option, 4.6% of respondents chose “other” as their ethnicity/race. When broken down, 29.6% of respondents who chose this option identified as Indigenous American and 22.8% identified as White, but from European or United Kingdom descent (see Table 4). Table 4. Are you black, Asian, or of some other racial background?, Other, Total Sample Factors Count (N = 27) Percentage Indigenous American 8 29.6% White (UK/European) 6 22.2% South/Southeast Asian 4 14.8% Hispanic 3 11.1% Other 3 11.1% Mixed Race 2 7.4% Pacific Islander 1 3.7% 4.4% 1.2% 1.2% 4.6% 5.4% 85.3% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Refused Don’t know Asian Other or mixed race Black, African-American White Are you black, Asian, or of some other racial background? N = 620 7.9% 92.1% Are you of Hispanic or Spanish origin? N = 607 Yes No New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 17 More than half of respondents (54.7%) reported being married. Meanwhile, 20.7% indicated they have never been married (Figure 7). Residents also indicated that they had a relationship status other than described in the answer choices (11.3%). Most of the respondents who answered “other” said they were either single (66.0%) or in a committed long-term relationship/partnered (22.6%) (see Table 5). Figure 7. How would you describe your current relationship status?, Total Sample Table 5. How would you describe your current relationship status?, Other, Total Sample Factors Count (N = 53) Percentage Single 35 66.0% Committed (long term relationship/partnered) 12 22.6% Engaged 3 5.7% Other/Don't know 3 5.7% Respondents were then asked about their employment status. The majority of respondents (64.9%) reported being employed (see Figure 8). Of those employed, 61.8% of respondents reported being employed full-time and 9.8% reported being employed part-time (see Figure 9). In response to whether they work in New Hanover County, 80.1% of respondents said “yes” (see Figure 10). 11.3% 1.6% 1.0% 4.8% 5.9% 20.7% 54.7% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Other Prefer not to answer Separated Widowed Divorced Never married Married How would you describe your current relationship status? N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 18 Figure 8: What is your current employment status?, Total Sample Figure 9: Are you employed full time or Figure 10. Do you work in New Hanover County?, Total part time?, Total Sample Sample 0.5% 4.1% 0.0% 0.2% 1.2% 3.9% 25.2% 64.9% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Prefer not to answer Other Employed (part-time) Full-time student Stay-at-home parent or homemaker Unemployed or looking for work Retired Employed What is your current employment status? N = 607 61.8% 9.8% 18.8% 9.6% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Employed full time Employed part time Dont know Prefer not to answer Are you employed full time or part time? N = 577 80.1% 17.8% 2.1% Do you work in New Hanover County? N = 321 Yes No Prefer not to answer New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 19 A small percentage (4.1%) of respondents said they had another type of employment. Of these respondents, 58.1% identified that they were self-employed and 19.4% identified as disabled. (see Table 6). Table 6. What is your current employment status?, Other, Total Sample Factors Count (N = 31) Percentage Self-employed 18 58.1% Disabled 6 19.4% Unemployed 2 6.5% Business Owner 1 3.2% Caregiver 1 3.2% Don't know 1 3.2% Part Time 1 3.2% Student 1 3.2% When asked about their total family income from all sources before taxes in 2024, 19.3% of respondents reported earning $150,000 or more, while 18.0% reported an income between $100,000 and $149,999 (see Figure 11). Figure 11. Last year – that is in 2024 – what was your total family income from all sources, before taxes?, Total Sample 14.9% 9.5% 3.6% 4.7% 4.8% 10.4% 14.9% 18.0% 19.3% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Refused Don’t know Less than $20,000 20 to under $35,000 35 to under $50,000 50 to under $70,000 70 to under $100,000 100 to under $150,000 $150,000 or more Last year –that is in 2024 –what was your total family income from all sources, before taxes? N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 20 Educational attainment among respondents varied, with 37.7% reporting a bachelor’s degree as their highest level of education. A smaller percentage of residents of residents reported that a high school degree was their highest level of education (8.2%), while 19.0% reported they had a postgraduate or professional degree (see Figure 12). Figure 12. What is the highest level of school you have completed or the highest degree you have received?, Total Sample 1.1% 1.2% 0.0% 0.7% 8.2% 17.2% 13.6% 37.7% 1.4% 19.0% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Refused Don’t know Less than high school (Grades 1-8 or no formal schooling) High school incomplete (Grades 9-11 or Grade 12 with NO diploma) High school graduate (Grade 12 with diploma or GED certificate) Some college, no degree (includes some community college) Associate degree from a college or university Bachelor’s degree (e g , BS, BA, AB) Some postgraduate or professional schooling, no postgraduate degree Postgraduate or professional degree, including master’s, doctorate, medical or law degree (e g , MA, MS, PhD, MD, … What is the highest level of school you have completed or the highest degree you have received? N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 21 New Hanover County, North Carolina Residency Residents were asked to provide their ZIP codes, residing in the following areas: 28412 (21.9%), 28411 (17.9%), 28409 (16.3%), and 28403 (10.4%) (See Table 7). A full list of all ZIP codes can be found in Appendix 4. Figure 13 shows where the most frequent survey respondents are located based on zip codes. It is important to note that this was an open-ended question in the survey. Some of the ZIP codes given are not within New Hanover County boundaries, though the respondents stated that they were residents of New Hanover County. When this occurred, the survey responses were kept in. This information was not used to determine if the respondent was from an unincorporated/incorporated community because of these discrepancies. Table 7: What is your ZIP code?, Total Sample ZIP code Percentage (N = 607) 28412 21.9% 28411 17.9% 28409 16.3% 28403 10.4% 28401 8.5% 28405 8.1% 28429 6.1% 28428 3.8% 28449 1.7% Don't know/Refuse 3.2% Figure 13. Density heat map based on ZIP codes, Total Sample New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 22 Most respondents (98.7%) reported living in New Hanover County full-time, defined as more than half of the year. (see Figure 14) and 81.7% of residents reported moving to New Hanover County from another location. (see Figure 15). Figure 14. Do you live in New Hanover County full-time, that is, more than half of the year?, Total Sample Figure 15. Are you a New Hanover County native or did you move here?, Total Sample 98.7% 0.3%1.0% Do you live in New Hanover County full-time, that is, more than half of the year? N = 607 Yes No Prefer not to answer 17.6% 81.7% 0.7% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% New Hanover County native Moved here from somewhere else Prefer not to say Are you a New Hanover County native or did you move here? N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 23 Residents were asked what community, neighborhood or area they lived in. 8.8% said they lived in the City of Wilmington while 5.7% preferred not to say (see Figure 16). There were multiple neighborhoods where 1% or less of respondents said they lived. A full list of neighborhoods and their counts and percentages can be found in Appendix 3. Figure 16. What do you call the community, neighborhood, or area where you live?, Total Sample Almost half (48%) of respondents said they lived in an area not indicated as an answer choice in the figure above. Out of these respondents, 3.3% said they didn’t know what the area they lived was called. The next most recorded response at 2.7% were residents who said they lived Downtown. A full list of all neighborhoods that respondents answered with can be found in Appendix 4 (see Table 8). Table 8. What do you call the community, neighborhood, or area where you live?, Other, Total Sample Community/Neighborhood Count (N = 142) Percentage Downtown 9 2.7% Landfall 8 2.4% Forrest Hill 8 2.4% Midtown 7 2.1% Wilmington 7 2.1% Don’t know 8 2.4% Other 11 3.3% 48.0% 5.7% 1.2% 1.3% 1.6% 1.6% 1.7% 2.0% 2.1% 2.2% 2.7% 2.8% 3.3% 3.8% 4.9% 8.8% 0.0%20.0%40.0%60.0%80.0%100.0% Other Prefer not to say Bayshore Myrtle Grove Murrayville Sunset Park Masonboro Pine Valley Porters Neck UNCW (University of North Carolina Wilmington) Ogden Mayfaire Castle Hayne Carolina Beach Monkey Junction City of Wilmington What do you call the community, neighborhood, or area where you live? N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 24 Homeownership Homeownership is more common among respondents, with 69.4% indicating they own their current home. (see Figure 17). The majority of respondents (82.8%) reported using public water in their homes (see Figure 18). Public sewer systems are the most common among respondents, with 85.6% indicating they use one (see Figure 19). Figure 17. Do you own or rent your current Figure 18. What type of water system does home?, Total Sample your home use?, Total Sample Figure 19. What type of sewer system does your home use?, Total Sample 85.6% 10.1% 4.3% What type of sewer system does your home use? N = 607 Public sewer Private sewer system Not sure 69.4% 24.6% 6.1% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Own Rent Prefer not to answer Do you own or rent your current home? N = 607 82.8% 3.4% 9.7%4.1% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Public water Private water Well water Not sure What type of water system does your home use? N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 25 V. Results – Total Sample Satisfaction with current services At the start of the survey, New Hanover County sought to gauge residents’ satisfaction with current environmental, housing, development, and infrastructure services and initiatives. Respondents rated their satisfaction on a scale of one (1) to five (5), where one indicated “not at all satisfied” and five indicated “very satisfied". Numbers two (2) through four (4) were left unlabeled. Respondents were asked how satisfied they were with three different environmental services: • preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including marshes and wetlands; • protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water; and • supporting native plants and trees. The mean rating for “preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environment areas” as well as for “protecting environmental quality” was 3.00. When asked about “protecting and supporting native plants and trees,” the average rating was slightly higher at 3.34 (see Figure 20). Figure 20. How satisfied are you with the following County services…?, Means, Environmental, Total Sample Almost 40% of residents rated their satisfaction with County services that “preserve and protect open space and sensitive environmental areas” at 1, not at all satisfied, (19.6) and 2 (19.9%). Just under 30% of respondents rated their satisfaction with services which “protect environmental quality in the County” at 3 (29.6%), with the largest portion of respondents (38.4%) rating their 3.34 3.00 3.00 0 1 2 3 4 5 Protecting and supporting native plants and trees Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes Mean How satisfied are you with the following County services… N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 26 satisfaction at 1, not at all satisfied, (17.4%) and 2 (21%). Most respondents rated their satisfaction with services which “protect and support native plants and trees” at 3 (28.5%) and 4 (20.3%). Only about 10-11% of respondents were very satisfied with each of these services (see Table 9). Table 9. How satisfied are you with the following County services…?, Percentages, Environmental, Total Sample (N = 607) How satisfied are you with the following County services…? 1 Not at all satisfied 2 3 4 5 Very satisfied Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 19.6% 19.9% 26.9% 15.4% 11.3% 6.9% 3.00 Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water 17.4% 21.0% 29.6% 14.5% 11.4% 6.1% 3.00 Protecting and supporting native plants and trees 11.4% 18.1% 28.5% 20.3% 10.5% 11.2% 3.34 New Hanover County also sought feedback on residents’ perceptions of current housing initiatives. Participants were asked to rate their satisfaction with housing availability and development, as well as their satisfaction with two specific County housing initiatives: • supporting development of a variety of housing types near their current residence; and • supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle- income residents and workers. New Hanover Country residents gave an average satisfaction rating of 2.86 for “services supporting development of a variety of housing types near their current residence”. They gave an average rating of 2.64 for “services supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers” (see Figure 21). New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 27 Figure 21. How satisfied are you with the following County services…?, Means, Housing, Total Sample Only about 7% of respondents rated that they were very satisfied with these housing services. Over half of respondents rated their satisfaction with services that “support the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers” as 1, not very satisfied (24.2%) and 2 (31.0%). A quarter of respondents rated their satisfaction with “supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence” at a 3 (25%), while 22.4% rated their satisfaction a 1, not at all satisfied (see Table 10). Table 10. How satisfied are you with the following County services…?, Housing, Percentages, Total Sample (N = 607) How satisfied are you with the following County services…? 1 Not at all satisfied 2 3 4 5 Very satisfied Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence 22.4% 19.6% 28.0% 16.1% 7.5% 6.4% 2.86 Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers 24.2% 31.0% 22.3% 8.7% 7.2% 6.6% 2.64 Residents were asked how satisfied they were with housing availability and development on a scale from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very satisfied). The mean satisfaction with housing availability was 2.98 and the mean satisfaction with housing development was 2.62 (Figure 22). 2.64 2.86 0 1 2 3 4 5 Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle- income residents and workers Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence Mean How satisfied are you with the following County services… N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 28 Figure 22. How satisfied are you with housing availability and development?, Means, Total Sample (N = 607) Just under 20% responded that they were not at all satisfied with housing availability (19.6%), while over half rated their satisfaction at a 2 (22.6%) and 3 (25.8%). Just over a quarter of residents said they were not at all satisfied with housing development (26.9%), while only 5.9% responded that they were very satisfied (see Table 11). Table 11. How satisfied are you with housing availability and development?, Percentages, Total Sample (N = 607) How satisfied are you with housing availability and development? 1 Not at all satisfied 2 3 4 5 Very satisfied Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Housing availability 19.6% 22.6% 25.8% 12.4% 11.2% 8.4% 2.98 Housing development 26.9% 20.3% 31.7% 10.4% 5.9% 4.8% 2.62 Residents were asked two specific questions about housing attainability in the New Hanover County area. While considering factors such as housing availability, affordability, social connections, and physical location or features, respondents were asked whether they felt there is sufficient attainable housing for all local residents. Almost 75% of respondents said no, they do not feel there is sufficient attainable housing (72.2%). They were then asked whether they felt that there was enough housing attainable to local low- and middle-income residents and workers. Almost 80% said no, they do not feel that there is enough housing that is attainable for low- to middle-income residents and workers (79.5%) (see Table 12). 2.62 2.98 0 1 2 3 4 5 Housing development Housing availability How satisfied are you with housing availability and development? N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 29 Table 12. Housing attainability, Percentages, Total Sample (N = 555) Housing attainability Yes No Don’t know/ Prefer not to say There is enough housing that is attainable to all local residents? 25.7% 72.2% 2.1% There is enough housing that is attainable to local low and middle-income residents and workers? 15.6% 79.5% 5.0% The next set of questions asked about resident’s satisfaction with the County’s development and infrastructure services on a scale from 1 (not at all satisfied) to 5 (very satisfied). The service with the highest rated satisfaction average was “supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas” at 3.58, while the lowest average satisfaction rated service was “managing where different types of new development occur” at 2.70 (Figure 23). Figure 23. How satisfied are you with the County services…?, Means, Development and Infrastructure, Total Sample (N = 607) Almost half of residents rated their satisfaction with services which “managed where different types of new development occur” as 1, not at all satisfied, (23.6%) and 2 (22.3%). Five percent said they were very satisfied with this service. Just under 40% of respondents rated their satisfaction with “supporting improvements to aging developments” at a 3 (38.2%). Around 40% of respondents rated their satisfaction with services “providing or drinking water connections to residential areas” at a 4 (20.0%) and 5, very satisfied (20.6%). About 35% of respondents rated their satisfaction with “supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas” at a 4 2.96 3.58 3.47 3.24 2.70 0 1 2 3 4 5 Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas Supporting improvements to aging developments Managing where different types of new development occur How satisfied are you with the County services…? N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 30 (35.2%) and 22.5% rated this service at a 4. About half of respondents rated their satisfaction with services which “supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths” at a 3 (24.8%) and a 4 (23.0%) (see Table 13). Table 13. How satisfied are you with the County services…?, Percentages, Development and Infrastructure, Total Sample (N = 607) How satisfied are you with the County services…? 1 Not at all satisfied 2 3 4 5 Very satisfied Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Managing where different types of new development occur 23.6% 22.3% 28.6% 15.9% 5.2% 4.4% 2.70 Supporting improvements to aging developments 11.5% 14.8% 38.2% 17.9% 8.3% 9.2% 3.34 Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas 11.8% 10.2% 30.9% 20.0% 20.6% 6.5% 3.47 Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas 6.9% 10.2% 35.2% 22.5% 15.7% 9.4% 3.58 Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths 19.2% 18.8% 24.8% 23.0% 12.6% 1.6% 2.96 The satisfaction of all of the previous mentioned services were rated by respondents, and then the mean rating for each service was averaged. Table 14 provides a list of these services in order of their satisfaction, high to low. The list was divided into three categories—high, medium, and low—by looking for natural breaks in the mean ratings. The service rated highest in satisfaction was “supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas” at 3.58, while the lowest rated service in satisfaction was housing development at 2.63. Table 14. Satisfaction with current County services, Mean, All, Total Sample (N = 607) High Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas 3.58 Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas 3.47 Protecting and supporting native plants and trees 3.34 Supporting improvements to aging developments 3.24 Medium Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 3.00 Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water 3.00 Housing availability 2.98 Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths 2.96 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 31 Low Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence 2.86 Managing where different types of new development occur 2.70 Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers 2.64 Housing development 2.62 Importance of devoting resources to County services New Hanover County officials were interested in gathering information about how its residents felt about different environmental initiatives, housing attainability and affordability, and infrastructure services in the County. The survey respondents were asked how important it is to devote resources to these different areas. For all of these questions, respondents were asked to rate how important they felt a specific service was on a scale of one (1) to five (5), where one meant “not at all important” and five meant “very important”. Numbers two (2) through four (4) were not labeled. As with rating their satisfaction, survey respondents were asked how important they felt it was to devote resources to three different environmental services: • preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including marshes and wetlands • protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water; and • protecting and supporting native plants and trees On average, residents rated their level of importance for the County to devote resources to “preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas” at 4.66. The average rating of importance to devote resources to “protect environmental quality in the County” was 4.84 and to “protect and support native plants and trees” was 4.43 (see Figure 24). New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 32 Figure 24. How important is it for the County to devote resources to…?, Means, Environmental, Total Sample Over 50% of survey respondents rated all three environmental services as “very important” for the County to devote resources to. Less than 0.5% rated these services as 1, “not important at all”. 88.4% of residents rated “protecting environmental quality” at 5, very important, while 75.6% rated “preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas” at 5, “very important”. About 85% of respondents rated “protecting and supporting native plants and trees” at 5, “very important”, and 4 (85.7%) (see Table 15). Table 15. How important is it for the County to devote resources to…?, Percentages, Environmental, Total Sample (N = 607) How important is it for the County to devote resources to…? 1 Not at all important 2 3 4 5 Very important Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 0.2% 2.9% 4.4% 16.5% 75.6% 0.4% 4.66 Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water 0.2% 0.2% 3.6% 7.2% 88.4% 0.3% 4.84 Protecting and supporting native plants and trees 0.4% 1.9% 11.5% 26.9% 58.8% 0.5% 4.43 4.43 4.84 4.66 0 1 2 3 4 5 Protecting and supporting native plants and trees Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes Mean How important is it for the County to devote resources to… N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 33 New Hanover County was also interested in their resident’s thoughts of current housing initiatives. Survey respondents were asked how important it is to devote resources to housing attainability and development, as well as how important it is it is for the County to devote resources to the two different housing initiatives: • supporting development of a variety of housing types near their current residence; and • supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low- to middle- income residents and workers. The average rating of how important it is to devote resources to “supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence” was 3.17, while the average for “supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low- to middle-income residents and workers” was 4.09 (see Figure 25). Figure 25. Means - How important is it for the County to devote resources to…?, Means, Housing, Total Sample Breaking down the percentages by rating level, it was almost even across the board for the importance of devoting resources to “supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence”. In total, 23.7% of people rated this service at 1, “not important at all”, while 23.6% rated it at 5, “very important”. More than half of respondents rated that devoting resources to “supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low- to middle-income residents and workers” at 5, “very important” (53.6%), while 6.1% rated this service at 1, “not very important” (see Table 16). 4.09 3.17 0 1 2 3 4 5 Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle- income residents and workers Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence Mean How important is it for the County to devote resources to... N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 34 Table 16. How important is it for the County to devote resources to…?, Housing, Percentages, Total Sample (N = 607) How important is it for the County to devote resources to…? 1 Not at all important 2 3 4 5 Very important Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence 23.7% 9.8% 21.2% 19.3% 23.6% 2.4% 3.17 Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers 6.1% 6.2% 14.6% 19.0% 53.6% 0.5% 4.09 Next, residents were asked how important it was to devote resources to different development and infrastructure services on the same scale. The highest average service of importance was “providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas” at 4.82, while the service with the lowest average rating of importance was “supporting improvements to aging development” at 4.08 (Figure 26). Figure 26. How important is for the County to devote resources to…?, Development and Infrastructure, Means, Total Sample (N = 607) 4.25 4.67 4.82 4.08 4.18 0 1 2 3 4 5 Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas Supporting improvements to aging developments Managing where different types of new development occur How important is for the County to devote resources to…? N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 35 Most residents rated all of these services as very important. Over half (54.3%) of residents rated devoting resources to “managing where different types of new development occur” at 5, “very important”. Just under half of residents rated “supporting improvements to aging developments” at 5, “very important” (47.2%). A majority, 89.3%, of respondents rated devoting resources to “providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas at 5, “very important”. Additionally, 74.7% rated “supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas” at 5, “very important”. Just over half of respondents (55.5%) rated “supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths” at 5, “very important” (see Table 17). Table 17. How important is for the County to devote resources to…?, Development and Infrastructure, Percentages, Total Sample (N = 607) How important is for the County to devote resources to…? 1 Not at all important 2 3 4 5 Very important Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Managing where different types of new development occur 5.5% 4.4% 13.1% 21.7% 54.3% 1.0% 4.18 Supporting improvements to aging developments 3.3% 5.9% 19.5% 23.2% 47.2% 1.0% 4.08 Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas 1.6% 0.1% 2.9% 5.6% 89.3% 0.5% 4.82 Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas 1.4% 0.5% 4.5% 17.9% 74.7% 1.0% 4.67 Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths 3.8% 2.6% 14.3% 23.7% 55.5% 0.1% 4.25 The importance of devoting resources to all of the previous mentioned services were rated by respondents, and then the mean rating for each service was averaged. Table 18 provides a list of these services in order of their rated importance, high to low. The list was divided into three categories—high, medium, and low—by looking for natural breaks in the mean ratings. The service rated highest in importance was “protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water” at 4.85, while the lowest rated service in importance was “supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence” at 3.17. Table 18. Importance to devoting resources, Mean, All, Total Sample High Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water 4.85 Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas 4.82 Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas 4.67 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 36 Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 4.66 Protecting and supporting native plants and trees 4.43 Medium Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths 4.25 Managing where different types of new development occur 4.18 Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers 4.09 Supporting improvements to aging developments 4.08 Low Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence 3.17 Factors when choosing homes New Hanover County was interested in the most important factors for residents when they bought their current homes and what considerations will be the most important when purchasing a home in the future. The respondents were given a number of factors and responded whether these were important or not. then they were given a chance to describe any other factors that may not have been listed. The response categories for the most important factors when choosing their current home were: price, safety, proximity to parks, greenways, or other open spaces, home style or architecture, proximity to work, neighborhood amenities (playground), ability to walk/bike to good and services, school district, and proximity to interstates or primary arterial roads. “Other” was also an option, and respondents were given a choice to elaborate on other reasons why they wanted to purchase their current home. Respondents were allowed to choose more than one option. The most frequently selected factors that were important when residents were choosing their current homes were price (85.8%) and safety (79.6%). The lowest factor in frequency was the ability to walk or bike to goods and services (28.3%) (Figure 27). New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 37 Figure 27. What were the most important factors for you when choosing your current home?, Total Sample Survey respondents were given the option to voice other factors that were important when choosing their current home. Out of the 20.6% of respondents that answered “other”, the highest frequency factors were the general location of the home (12.7%) and proximity and access to the beach (10.7%). In the following table, “Other” (8.7%) includes answers such as housing type, living in a rural area, and moving to a spouse’s home. There were multiple answers with a count of 1 (0.7%) and 2 (1.3%), including parking, access to boat ramps, population density, and traffic (see Table 19). A full list of all answers is available in Appendix 4. Table 19. What were the most important factors for you when choosing your current home?, Other, Total Sample Factors Count (N = 150) Percentage Location 19 12.7% Beach proximity/access 16 10.7% Other 13 8.7% Lot size (large) 11 7.3% Near family 9 6.0% Proximity to services (medical) 8 5.3% No HOA/Landscape flexibility 7 4.7% Availability 4 2.7% Avoiding flood zones 4 2.7% Diverse community 4 2.7% Neighborhood 3 2.0% Public transportation accessibility 3 2.0% 1.9% 20.6% 28.3% 40.6% 44.4% 45.9% 47.0% 53.2% 55.3% 79.6% 85.8% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Don't know Other Ability to walk or bike to goods and services Proximity to interstates or primary arterial roads Proximity to work Neighborhood amenities (playground) School district Proximity to parks, greenways, or other open spaces Home style or architecture Safety Price *Respondents could choose more than one option What were the most important factors for you when choosing your current home?* N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 38 Residents were also asked what factors would be the most important when choosing a home in the future. The response options for this question were housing type, plenty of space to park personal vehicles, neighborhood architecture or style, street connectivity, landscaping, close proximity to retail, office, or other space, and ability to travel without a car. “Other” was also an option, and the respondents were encouraged to give open-ended answers. Respondents were again allowed to choose more than one answer. The two most frequently chosen answers were housing type (62.4%) and “plenty of space to park personal vehicles” (61.2%). While the rest of the options were similar in frequency, the lowest chosen factor was “ability to travel without a car” (36.4%) (see Figure 28). Figure 28. In the future, what would be most important to you when buying a home for yourself?, Total Sample About a third of respondents had other factors they thought were important (32.3%). When given the option to list other factors that would be most important when buying a home in the future, the most frequent response was “price/cost of living” (15.6%), followed by “safety/crime”. There were multiple answers with 1-3 counts (0.6% - 1.7%), including proximity to services such as EMS/police/fire, diversity, noise pollution, accessibility, and age/style of buildings (see Table 20). A list of all answers can be found in Appendix 4. 3.0% 32.3% 36.4% 43.3% 45.5% 48.2% 49.4% 61.2% 62.4% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Don't know Other Ability to travel without a car Close proximity to retail, office, or other commercial spaces Landscaping Street connectivity to amenities such as open space, pools, or playgrounds Neighborhood architecture or style Plenty of space to park personal vehicles Housing type *Respondents could choose more than one option In the future, what would be most important to you when buying a home for yourself?* N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 39 Table 20. In the future, what would be most important to you when buying a home for yourself?, Other, Total Sample Factors Count (N = 180) Percentage Price/cost of living 28 15.6% Safety/crime 19 10.6% Proximity to school 9 5.0% Community amenities 8 4.4% Location 7 3.9% Public transportation access 6 3.3% More space/land 6 3.3% Affordability 5 2.8% Greenery/nature 4 2.2% Better roads/less traffic 4 2.2% Water quality/access 4 2.2% Access to healthcare/hospitals 4 2.2% Access/proximity to waterways/beach 4 2.2% Proximity to family 4 2.2% Population density (crowding) 4 2.2% Neighborhood 4 2.2% No HOA 4 2.2% Land Use Respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with the variety of housing and other commercial land uses. Additionally, they were asked how satisfied they are with the County’s infrastructure services. For all of these questions, respondents were asked to rate how important they felt a specific service was on a scale of one (1) to five (5), where one meant “not at all important” and five meant “very important”. Numbers two (2) through four (4) were not labeled. For the purpose of this report, low-rise buildings are defined as two-story garden-style or other smaller apartments or condominiums. Accessory dwelling units (also known as mother-in-law suites) are small, independent housing units located on the same lot as a primary dwelling or a single-family detached home. There was no overwhelming majority in any of the housing land use satisfaction ratings. The highest average land use satisfaction rating was for accessory dwelling units at 3.55 out of 5, while the lowest satisfaction was with larger apartment or condominium units at 3.25 (Figure 29). New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 40 Figure 29. Land use satisfaction, Housing, Means, Total Sample (N = 607) About 44% of respondents rated their satisfaction with the number of single-family homes at 2 (21.7%) and 3 (22.3%) out of 5. Respondents rated their satisfaction at 3 for low rises (29.1%), large apartment or condominium units (26.9%), townhomes (29.8%), and duplexes (27.9%). When asked about their satisfaction with the amount of accessory dwelling units, 21.5% of respondents responded with “don’t know/prefer not to say”, while 23.6% responded with a rating of 3 (see Table 21). Table 21. Land use satisfaction, Housing, Percentages, Total Sample (N = 607) How satisfied are you with the amount of… 1 Not at all satisfied 2 3 4 5 Very satisfied Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Single-family homes 12.2% 21.7% 22.3% 16.3% 22.5% 5.1% 3.31 Low rises 9.4% 18.5% 29.1% 18.0% 18.6% 6.5% 3.37 Larger apartment or condominium units 17.9% 13.2% 26.9% 15.7% 20.8% 5.5% 3.25 Townhomes 8.1% 21.1% 29.8% 15.7% 17.1% 8.2% 3.37 Duplexes 11.2% 21.7% 27.9% 15.8% 13.5% 9.9% 3.28 Accessory Dwelling Units 15.8% 14.5% 23.6% 12.9% 11.7% 21.5% 3.55 . Residents were also asked about their satisfaction with the amount of commercial land usage. The commercial land uses with the highest average satisfactions were both office buildings and shopping areas at 3.63, while the average satisfaction with factories of industrial facilities was 3.53 out of 5 (Figure 30). 3.55 3.28 3.37 3.25 3.37 3.31 0 1 2 3 4 5 Accessory Dwelling Units Duplexes Townhomes Larger apartment or condominium units Low rises Single-family homes Land use satisfaction, Housing N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 41 Figure 30. Land use satisfaction, Commercial, Means, Total Sample (N = 607) Just over half of respondents rated their satisfaction with the amount of office buildings at 4 (23.0%) and 5, very satisfied, (23.7%) (56.7%, together). Around 24% of respondents said they were “very satisfied” with the number of factories or industrial facilities (23.9%), while 12.6% responded that they were “not at all satisfied”. About 60% of respondents rated their satisfaction with the amount of shopping areas at 4 (22.3%) and 5, “very satisfied” (36.1%) (see Table 22). Table 22. Land use satisfaction, Commercial, Percentages, Total Sample (N = 607) How satisfied are you with the amount of… 1 Not at all satisfied 2 3 4 5 Very satisfied Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Office buildings 9.4% 14.2% 21.1% 23.0% 23.7% 8.6% 3.63 Factories or industrial facilities 12.6% 16.5% 19.0% 18.7% 23.9% 9.3% 3.53 Shopping areas 8.9% 16.4% 15.4% 22.3% 36.1% 1.0% 3.63 Commercial development New Hanover County residents were next asked an open-ended question about what types of commercial development they would like to see more of. They were given the options of recreation, retail, restaurants, mixed-use areas, office space, or warehousing. Mixed-use buildings are defined as areas where multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, and retail, would be combined into a single building. Respondents were also given the opportunity to choose “other”, and were encouraged to describe what other commercial development they would like to see more of. Respondents were also allowed to choose more than one option. 3.63 3.53 3.63 0 1 2 3 4 5 Shopping areas Factories or industrial facilities Office buildings Land use satisfaction, Commercial N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 42 The most frequent answers, besides other, were recreation (17.6%), retail (16.2%), and restaurants (15.1%). The lowest frequency answers were office space (4.1%) and warehousing (2.3%) (see Figure 31). Figure 31. What types of commercial development would you like to see more of?, Total Sample When asked what type of commercial development they would like to see, 58.6% of respondents chose options not presented in the original question. About 35% of these respondents said they had no comment on whether or not they would like to see more development (35.2%). Only 12.2% of these respondents said they would like to see less development. Other top answers include public parks/trails/amenities (4.7%) and entertainment (4.4%). Multiple answers were given by 0.3%-0.8% of residents (1-3 count). These answers include free services/activities, public safety, public transportation, senior housing, office space, and public schools (see Table 23). A full list of answers can be found in Appendix 4. Table 23. What types of commercial development would you like to see more of?, Other, Total Sample Factors Count (N = 384) Percentage No comment/None 135 35.2% Less/No development 47 12.2% Public parks/trails/amenities 18 4.7% Entertainment 17 4.4% Grocery stores 14 3.6% Affordable housing 13 3.4% Job opportunities 13 3.4% 0.7% 2.3% 4.1% 10.0% 11.1% 15.1% 16.2% 17.6% 58.6% 0%20%40%60%80%100% None of these Warehousing Office space Mixed-use areas Don't know Restaurants Retail Recreation Other *Respondents could choose more than one answer What types of commercial development would you like to see more of?* N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 43 Small businesses 11 2.9% Industrial 11 2.9% Less construction 10 2.6% Manufacturing facilities 9 2.3% Family friendly/youth centers 9 2.3% Factories 6 1.6% Clean energy/environmentally safe infrastructure 4 1.0% Technology business 4 1.0% Housing (single family homes) 4 1.0% Hospitals/healthcare 4 1.0% Priority Matrix There were notable differences between how important respondents perceived each service to be and how satisfied they were with the current level of service. For all environmental services, residents consistently rated the importance higher than their satisfaction. For example, residents rated the importance of “protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water” very high (4.85), while satisfaction with this service was significantly lower at 3.00 out of 5. Similarly, the importance of “preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes” was rated 4.66, with satisfaction also at 3.00. The smallest gap was seen in “protecting and supporting native plants and trees,” where residents rated its importance at 4.43, while satisfaction was slightly higher at 3.34. Similarly, there was a noticeable gap between how residents rated the importance of devoting resources to housing initiatives and their satisfaction with current housing services. On average, respondents rated the importance of supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low- to middle-income residents and workers at 4.09 out of 5, while their satisfaction with this service fell below the median at 2.64. When asked about the importance of supporting the development of a variety of housing types near their current residence, residents rated it 3.17 out of 5. In comparison, their satisfaction with this service was slightly higher at 2.86 out of 5. A priority matrix was constructed by combining the categories into which each item was placed for satisfaction and importance (measured by ratings for how important it is for the county to devote resources to the service). The matrix helps to identify services that are perceived strengths, and those that may be the most critical to focus on to raise satisfaction ratings for them. Items that rank high in satisfaction and either high or medium in importance can be interpreted as areas of strength. Items that rank high in importance but low in satisfaction are the first area that should benefit from attention so that satisfaction ratings can be raised. Items that rank medium in satisfaction and high in importance are the second area for attention. Items New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 44 that rank low in satisfaction and medium in importance are the third area for attention. Items in the white areas of the matrix are neither areas of strength nor areas for attention (see Table 24). Table 24. Priority Matrix schematics Sa t i s f a c t i o n Importance High Medium Low High Areas of strength Neither areas of strength nor areas for attention Medium Second priority Low First priority Third priority The priority matrix for the County services can be found below (see Table 25). Please note that while residents were asked their satisfaction with housing availability and development, they were not asked how important it is to devote resources to these services. Therefore, they are not included in the matrix. There are three services high in importance and high in satisfaction and therefore are areas of strength—supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas, providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas, and protecting and supporting native plants and trees. Supporting improvements to aging developments is ranked high in satisfaction and medium in importance, making it another area of strength. The services that are high in importance yet medium in satisfaction and therefore the second priority are preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes and protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water. The services that are medium in importance and low in satisfaction, and therefore third in priority are managing where different types of new development occur and supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers. There are no services with high importance and low satisfaction, therefore being of first priority importance (see Table 25). New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 45 Table 25. Priority Matrix – County services, Total Sample (N = 607) Sa t i s f a c t i o n Importance High Medium Low High Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas Protecting and supporting native plants and trees Supporting improvements to aging developments Medium Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths Low Managing where different types of new development occur Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers Supporting development of a variety of housing near your current residence New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 46 72.3% 9.3%12.7% 3.3%0.7%1.7% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Zero One Two Three or more Don't know Refuse to answer How many individuals under the age of 18 are currently living in your home? Unincorporated, N = 300 VI. Demographics – Unincorporated Community The following charts and graphs display the demographics of the survey respondents who live in unincorporated areas. All of the data presented is weighted to ensure optimal accuracy in the analysis and results, as discussed in the Weighted and Analysis section of the report. Characteristics of Respondents The largest age group of respondents from the unincorporated community was 65 years and older at 37.6%. The average age of respondents was 49 (see Figure 32). Just over half of respondents identified as female (52.9% ) while 46.7% identified as male (see Figure 33). Almost 75% reported zero children under the age of 18 living in their household (72.3%) (see Figure 34). Figure 32. What is your age, Unincorporated Figure 33. What is your gender?, Unincorporated Figure 34. How many individuals under the age of 18 are currently living in your home?, Unincorporated 1.3%6.0% 14.8%18.8%18.1% 37.6% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Age Groups What is your age? Unincorporated, N = 300 52.9%46.7% 0.5% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Female Male Refused What is your gender? Unincorporated, N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 47 The majority of respondents identified as White (81.8%) and that they were not of Hispanic or Spanish origin (87.2%) (see Figures 35 and 36, respectively). In contrast, 7.9% of respondents reported being of Hispanic or Spanish descent (see Figure 36). Figure 35. Are you white, black, Asian or of some other Figure 36. Are you of Hispanic or Spanish racial background?, Unincorporated origin?, Unincorporated About 6.% of respondents chose “other or mixed race” as their ethnicity/race (6.1%). When broken down, 23.1% of these respondents identified as Indigenous American and Mixed Race (see Table 26). Table 26. Are you black, Asian, or of some other racial background?, Other, Unincorporated Factors Count (N = 13) Percentage Indigenous American 3 23.1% Mixed Race 3 23.1% White (UK/European) 2 15.4% South/Southeast Asian 2 15.4% Hispanic 1 7.7% Pacific Islander 1 7.7% Other 1 7.7% 2.9% 0.4% 0.3% 6.1% 15.5% 81.8% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Refused Don’t know Asian Other or mixed race Black, African-American White Are you black, Asian, or of some other racial background? Unincorporated, N = 300 12.8% 87.2% Are you of Hispanic or Spanish origin? Unincorporated, N = 300 Yes No New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 48 More than half of respondents in unincorporated areas (51.7%) reported being married (see Figure 37). 15.8% responded that they had a relationship status other than the given answer choices. Over half of these respondents replied that they were single (57.7%) while 30.8% responded they were in a committed relationship or had a long-term partner (see Table 27). Figure 37. How would you describe your current relationship status?, Unincorporated Table 27. How would you describe your current relationship status?, Other, Unincorporated Factors Count (N = 26) Percentage Single 15 57.7% Committed (long-term relationship/partnered) 8 30.8% Engaged 1 3.8% Other/Don't know 2 7.7% Among respondents in unincorporated areas, 63.3% reported being employed (see Figure 38). Of those employed, 64.9% of respondents reported being employed full time and 5.6% replied being employed part time (see Figure 39). In response to whether they work in New Hanover County, 77.5% of respondents said yes (see Figure 40). 1.5% 1.8% 4.0% 7.3% 15.8% 17.8% 51.7% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Separated Prefer not to answer Widowed Divorced Other Never married Married How would you describe your current relationship status? Unincorporated, N=300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 49 Figure 38. What is your current employment status?, Unincorporated Figure 39. Are you employed full time or part time?, Figure 40. Do you work in New Hanover County?, Unincorporated Unincorporated 0.7% 4.6% 0.0% 0.0% 1.0% 5.8% 24.6% 63.3% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Prefer not to answer Other Employed (part-time) Full-time student Stay-at-home parent or homemaker Unemployed or looking for work Retired Employed What is your current employment status? Unincorporated, N = 300 64.9% 5.6% 18.1% 11.4% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Employed full time Employed part time Dont know Prefer not to answer Are you employed full time or part time? Unincorporated, N = 282 77.5% 22.5% Do you work in New Hanover County? Unincorporated, N = 167 Yes No New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 50 Just under 5% of respondents from unincorporated communities said they had another type of employment (4.6%). Of these respondents, 29.4% identified that they were self-employed and 17.6% identified as disabled (see Table 28). Table 28. What is your current employment status?, Other, Unincorporated Factors Count (N = 17) Percentage Self-employed 5 29.4% Disabled 3 17.6% Unemployed 2 11.8% Caregiver 1 5.9% Don't know 1 5.9% Part Time 1 5.9% Student 1 5.9% Business Owner 0 0.0% Among respondents in unincorporated areas, 20.7% reported a total family income of $150,000 or more, while 18.3% indicated an income between $100,000 and $149,999 (see Figure 41). Figure 41. Last year – that is in 2024 – what was your total family income from all sources, before taxes?, Unincorporated 19.3% 9.0% 2.3% 4.3% 4.3% 8.0% 13.7% 18.3% 20.7% 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% Refused Don’t know Less than $20,000 20 to under $35,000 35 to under $50,000 50 to under $70,000 70 to under $100,000 100 to under $150,000 $150,000 or more Last year –that is in 2024 –what was your total family income from all sources, before taxes? Unincorporated, N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 51 Educational attainment among respondents varied. For respondents in unincorporated areas, 32.3% reported earning a bachelor’s degree, while 19.3% had attended some college with no degree. Around 22% reported having a postgraduate or professional degree (21.7%) (Figure 42). Figure 42. What is the highest level of school you have completed or the highest degree you have received?, Unincorporated 1.1% 1.4% 0.0% 1.1% 7.8% 25.9% 14.1% 28.8% 1.0% 18.7% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Refused Don’t know Less than high school (Grades 1-8 or no formal schooling) High school incomplete (Grades 9-11 or Grade 12 with NO diploma) High school graduate (Grade 12 with diploma or GED certificate) Some college, no degree (includes some community college) Associate degree from a college or university Bachelor’s degree (e g , BS, BA, AB) Some postgraduate or professional schooling, no postgraduate degree Postgraduate or professional degree, including master’s, doctorate, medical or law degree (e g , MA, MS, PhD, MD, JD) What is the highest level of school you have completed or the highest degree you have received? Unincorporated, N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 52 New Hanover County, North Carolina Residency Residents in unincorporated areas were asked to provide their ZIP codes, residing in the following areas: 28411 (34.3%), 28412 (25.0%), 28409 (12.3%), and 28429 (12.3%) (see Table 29). It is important to note that this was an open-ended question in the survey. Some of the ZIP codes given are not within New Hanover County boundaries, though the respondents stated that they were residents of New Hanover County. When this occurred, the survey responses were kept in. This information was not used to determine if the respondent was from an unincorporated/incorporated community because of these discrepancies. Table 29. What is your ZIP code?, Unincorporated ZIP code Percentage (N = 300) 28411 34.3% 28412 25.0% 28409 12.3% 28429 12.3% 28405 5.7% 28401 3.3% 28403 0.7% Don't know/Refuse 4.0% Figure 43. Density heat map based on ZIP codes, Unincorporated New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 53 Almost all of residents from unincorporated areas live in New Hanover County full-time (99.2%) (see Figure 44). The majority of respondents in unincorporated areas reported that they moved to New Hanover County from somewhere else (78.5%) (see Figure 45). Figure 44. Do you live in New Hanover County full-time, that is, more than half of the year?, Unincorporated Figure 45. Are you a New Hanover County native or did you move here?, Unincorporated 99.2% 0.3%0.5% Do you live in New Hanover County full-time, that is, more than half of the year? Unincorporated, N = 300 Yes No Prefer not to answer 78.5% 20.3% 1.2% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Moved here from somewhere else New Hanover County native Prefer not to say Are you a New Hanover County native or did you move here? Unincorporated, N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 54 Residents were asked what community, neighborhood, or area they lived in. 9.6% said they lived in the Monkey Junction. Around 7% preferred not to say (6.9%) (see Figure 46). There were multiple neighborhoods that were 1% and less of respondents said they lived. A full list of neighborhoods and their counts and percentages can be found in Appendix 3. Figure 46. What do you call the community, neighborhood, or area where you live?, Unincorporated Around 43% of respondents said they lived in an area not indicated as an answer choice in the figure above (43.1%). Out of these respondents, 3.6% said they didn’t know what the area they lived was called. The next most frequent response at 6.3% were residents who said they lived at The Village at Mott’s Landing. A full list of all neighborhoods that respondents answered with can be found in Appendix 4 (see Table 30). Table 30. What do you call the community, neighborhood, or area where you live?, Other, Unincorporated Community/Neighborhood Count (N = 112) Percentage Village at Mott's Landing 7 6.3% River Bluff 5 4.5% King's Grant 4 3.6% The Cape 4 3.6% Quail Woods 3 2.7% River Oaks 3 2.7% Wilmington County 3 2.7% Don't know 4 3.6% Other 3 2.7% 43.1% 1.1% 1.5% 1.9% 2.1% 2.1% 2.6% 2.8% 3.0% 4.4% 6.0% 6.9% 7.6% 9.6% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Other Seabreeze Northchase Scotts Hill Middle Sound City of Wilmington Murrayville Bayshore Myrtle Grove Porters Neck Ogden Prefer not to say Castle Hayne Monkey Junction What do you call the community, neighborhood, or area where you live? Unincorporated, N = 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 55 Homeownership Homeownership is prevalent among respondents in unincorporated areas, with 75.1% reporting that they own their home (see Figure 47). Among respondents in unincorporated areas, 71.7% reported using public water, with service provided by the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (see Figure 48). In unincorporated areas, 76.9% of respondents use a public sewer system (billed by Cape Fear Public Utility Authority) (see Figure 49). Figure 47. Do you own or rent your current home?, Figure 48. What type of water system does your Unincorporated home use?, Unincorporated Figure 49. What type of sewer system does your home use?, Unincorporated 76.9% 21.5% 1.6% What type of sewer system does your home use? Unincorporated, N = 300 Public sewer Private sewer system Not sure 75.1% 13.9%11.0% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Own Rent Prefer not to answer Do you own or rent your current home? Unincorporated, N = 300 71.7% 7.5% 18.9% 1.9% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Public water Private water Well water Not sure What type of water system does your home use? Unincorporated, N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 56 VII. Results – Unincorporated Community A key component of this survey was to ensure that 50% of the respondents came from unincorporated areas within New Hanover County. The results below are for responses from residents in unincorporated communities only, and follows the same format as the results from the total sample of respondents. Satisfaction with current services As with the total sample, the start of the survey asked unincorporate communities about their satisfaction with various environmental, housing, development, and infrastructure services and initiatives. Respondents rated their satisfaction on a scale of one (1) to five (5), where one indicated “not at all satisfied” and five indicated “very satisfied”. Numbers two (2) through four (4) were left unlabeled. The following chart shows responses from residents of unincorporated areas regarding their satisfaction with three different environmental services: • preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including marshes and wetlands • protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water; and • protecting and supporting native plants and trees In unincorporated communities, the average rating of satisfaction for “preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas” was 2.87 and for “protecting environmental quality” was 2.96. On average, unincorporated area residents rated their satisfaction with “protecting and supporting native plants and trees” as 3.23. (see Figure 50). Figure 50. How satisfied are you with the following County services…?, Means, Environmental, Unincorporated 3.23 2.96 2.87 0 1 2 3 4 5 Protecting and supporting native plants and trees Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes How satisfied are you with the following County services… N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 57 About 48% of residents in unincorporated areas rated their satisfaction with Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes” at 2 (23.9%) and 4 (24.0%). Most respondents rated their satisfaction with services which “protect environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water” at 3 (24.9%) and 2 (22.1%). When it comes to services which “protect and support native plants and trees”, respondents rated their satisfaction at a 3 (32.8%), with 8% responding that they “don’t know” (see Table 31). Table 31. How satisfied are you with the following County services…?, Percentages, Environmental, Unincorporated (N = 300) How satisfied are you with the following County services…? 1 Not at all satisfied 2 3 4 5 Very satisfied Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 21.4% 23.9% 24.0% 11.1% 15.8% 3.8% 2.87 Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water 19.3% 22.1% 24.9% 13.5% 17.0% 3.2% 2.96 Protecting and supporting native plants and trees 12.6% 19.6% 32.8% 10.2% 16.7% 8.0% 3.23 The chart and tables below show the responses from residents in unincorporated areas regarding their satisfaction with the following two County housing initiatives: • supporting development of a variety of housing types near their current residence; and • supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low- to middle- income residents and workers. On average, residents in unincorporated communities rated their satisfaction with “supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence” at 2.73, while they rated their satisfaction with “supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low- and middle-income residents and workers” at 2.49. (see Figure 51). New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 58 Figure 51. How satisfied are you with the following County services…?, Means, Housing, Unincorporated When asked their satisfaction with “supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence”, 28.2% of residents in unincorporated areas responded that they were “not at all satisfied”. About a quarter of 24.7% rated their satisfaction at a 3 (24.7%). Almost 28% of respondents also said they were “not at all satisfied” with “supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers” (27.9%), while 31.7% rated their satisfaction at a 2 (see Table 32). Table 32. How satisfied are you with the following County services…?, Housing, Percentages, Unincorporated (N = 300) How satisfied are you with the following County services…? 1 Not at all satisfied 2 3 4 5 Very satisfied Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence 28.2% 17.1% 24.7% 17.8% 7.3% 4.8% 2.73 Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers 27.9% 31.7% 21.0% 6.8% 8.6% 4.0% 2.49 2.49 2.73 0 1 2 3 4 5 Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle- income residents and workers Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence How satisfied are you with the following County services… N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 59 Unincorporated area residents’ satisfaction with housing availability and development skewed toward the low end of the chart. The average satisfaction with housing availability was 2.87 and the average satisfaction with housing development was 2.44 (Figure 52). Figure 52. How satisfied are you with housing availability and development?, Percentages, Unincorporated (N = 300) Just under half rated their satisfaction with housing availability at a 1, “not at all satisfied”, (20.8%) and 2 (24.9%). About 31% rated their satisfaction with housing development at a 3 (30.7%), while 30.1% said they were “not at all satisfied” (see Table 33). Table 33. How satisfied are you with housing availability and development?, Percentages, Unincorporated (N = 300) How satisfied are you with the County services…? 1 Not at all satisfied 2 3 4 5 Very satisfied Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Housing availability 20.8% 24.9% 24.1% 13.9% 9.2% 7.1% 2.87 Housing development 30.1% 22.3% 30.7% 9.7% 4.5% 2.7% 2.44 Next, residents from unincorporated communities were asked specific questions about housing attainability. While considering factors such as housing availability, affordability, social connections, and physical location or features, respondents were asked whether they felt there is sufficient attainable housing for all local residents. Exactly 71.0% of respondents said no, they do not feel there is sufficient attainable housing. They were then asked whether they felt that there was enough housing attainable to local low- and middle-income residents and workers. Exactly 79.0% said no, they do not feel that there is enough housing that is attainable for low- to middle-income residents and workers (see Table 34). 2.44 2.87 0 1 2 3 4 5 Housing development Housing availability How satisfied are you with housing availability and development? N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 60 Table 34. Housing attainability, Percentages, Unincorporated (N = 275) Housing attainability Yes No Don’t know Is there enough housing that is attainable to all local residents? 25.9% 71.0% 3.1% There is enough housing that is attainable to local low and middle-income residents and workers? 16.3% 79.0% 4.7% The next set of questions asked about unincorporated area resident’s satisfaction with the County’s development and infrastructure services. The service with the highest average satisfaction was “supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas” at 3.57 out of 5, while the service with the lowest average satisfaction was “managing where different types of new development occur at 2.61 (Figure 53). Figure 53. How satisfied are you with the County services…?, Development and Infrastructure, Means, Unincorporated (N = 300) A quarter of residents rated their satisfaction with “managing where different types of new development occur” at a 3 (25.0%), while 26.3% said they were “not at all satisfied”. About 35% of residents rated their satisfaction with “supporting improvements of aging developments” at a 3 (35.3%), while 7.3% said they “didn’t know”. For their satisfaction with services “providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas”, 25.2% said they were “very satisfied”, while 28.5% rated their satisfaction at a 3. About 62% of respondents rated their satisfaction with “supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas” at a 3 (36.3%) and a 4 (25.6%). 25.7% rated their satisfaction with services “supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, 2.96 3.47 3.40 3.25 2.61 0 1 2 3 4 5 Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas Supporting improvements to aging developments Managing where different types of new development occur How satisfied are you with the County services…? N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 61 such as sidewalks and bike paths” at a 4, and 22.9% rated their satisfaction with these services at a 3 (see Table 35). Table 35. How satisfied are you with the County services…?, Development and Infrastructure, Percentages, Unincorporated (N = 300) How satisfied are you with the County services…? 1 Not at all satisfied 2 3 4 5 Very satisfied Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Managing where different types of new development occur 26.3% 21.7% 25.0% 19.9% 5.5% 1.6% 2.61 Supporting improvements to aging developments 11.3% 14.7% 35.2% 23.4% 8.2% 7.3% 3.25 Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas 12.2% 13.3% 28.5% 17.7% 25.2% 3.2% 3.40 Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas 6.5% 11.8% 36.3% 25.6% 12.7% 7.1% 3.47 Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths 19.0% 19.4% 22.9% 25.7% 11.4% 1.6% 2.96 The satisfaction of all of the previous mentioned services were rated by respondents from unincorporated areas, and then the mean rating for each service was averaged. Table 36 provides a list of these services in order of their satisfaction, high to low. The list was divided into three categories—high, medium, and low—by looking for natural breaks in the mean ratings. The service rated highest in satisfaction was “supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas” at 3.47, while the lowest rated service in satisfaction was housing development at 2.44. Table 36. Satisfaction with current County services, Mean, Unincorporated (N = 300) High Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas 3.47 Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas 3.40 Supporting improvements to aging developments 3.25 Protecting and supporting native plants and trees 3.23 Medium Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water 2.96 Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths 2.96 Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 2.87 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 62 Housing availability 2.87 Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence 2.73 Managing where different types of new development occur 2.61 Low Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers 2.49 Housing development 2.44 Importance of devoting resources to County services New Hanover County officials were interested in gathering information about how its residents in unincorporated areas felt about different environmental initiatives, housing attainability and affordability, and infrastructure services in the County. The survey respondents were asked how important it is to devote resources to these different areas. For all of these questions, respondents were asked to rate their level of satisfaction on a scale of one (1) to five (5), where one meant “not at all satisfied” and five meant “very satisfied”. Numbers two (2) through four (4) were not labeled. Survey respondents were asked how important they felt it was to devote resources to three different environmental services: • preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including marshes and wetlands; • protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water; and • protecting and supporting native plants and trees. Unincorporated community residents overall on average rated their importance of these environmental services similarly. “Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes” was rated at an average of 4.68 out of 5. Residents rated “protecting environmental quality in the county, such as the quality of air and water the highest average at 4.86 out of 5. Unincorporated community residents rated “protecting and supporting native plants and trees” the lowest, but still highly at 4.45 out of 5 (see Figure 54). New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 63 Figure 54. How important is it for the County to devote resources to…?, Means, Environmental, Unincorporated Most of respondents (75.6%) rated the importance of services that “preserve and protect open space and sensitive environmental area” at 5, “very important”. Again, most respondents (89.4%) also rated “protecting environmental quality in the County” at 5, “very important”. No one rated these two services as “not important at all”. 59.9% of respondents rated their satisfaction with “protecting and supporting native plants and trees” at 5, “very important”, and 27.0% rated their satisfaction at a 4 (see Table 37). Table 37. How important is it for the County to devote resources to…?, Percentages, Environmental, Unincorporated (N = 300) How important is it for the County to devote resources to…? 1 Not at all important 2 3 4 5 Very important Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 0.0% 1.3% 5.7% 16.9% 75.6% 0.5% 4.68 Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water 0.0% 0.4% 2.7% 7.4% 89.4% 0.2% 4.86 Protecting and supporting native plants and trees 0.5% 2.5% 9.4% 27.0% 59.9% 0.6% 4.45 4.45 4.86 4.68 0 1 2 3 4 5 Protecting and supporting native plants and trees Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes How important is it for the County to devote resources to... N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 64 Survey respondents were asked how important it is to devote resources to housing attainability and development, as well as how important it is it is for the County to devote resources to the two different housing initiatives: • supporting development of a variety of housing types near their current residence; and • supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle- income residents and workers. For residents from unincorporated areas, the average rating for “supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence” was 3.12 out of 5. For “supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers, the average rating from unincorporated residents” was 4.00 (see Figure 55). Figure 55. Means - How important is it for the County to devote resources to…?, Means, Housing, Unincorporated When asked about the importance of devoting resources to “supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence”, the ratings were somewhat consistent across all the ratings. About 24% rated that their satisfaction at 5, “very important”, (23.4%) while 22.8% rated the importance for devoting resources to this initiative at 1, “not at all important”, and 24.6% rated their satisfaction at 3. Almost half rated their importance to devote resources to “supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers” at 5, “very important”, (49.0%) while 21.2% rated the importance at 4 (see Table 38). 4.00 3.12 0 1 2 3 4 5 Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence How important is it for the County to devote resources to... N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 65 Table 38. How important is it for the County to devote resources to…?, Housing, Percentages, Unincorporated (N = 300) How important is it for the County to devote resources to…? 1 Not at all important 2 3 4 5 Very important Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence 22.8% 10.4% 24.6% 17.6% 23.4% 1.2% 3.12 Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle- income residents and workers 6.7% 6.6% 16.1% 21.2% 49.0% 0.3% 4.00 Residents from unincorporated communities were then asked to rate how important it was to devote resources to a variety of development and infrastructure services. The service with the highest average of importance was “providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas” at 4.86, while the lowest was “supporting improvements to aging developments” at 4.10 (Figure 56). Figure 56. How important is for the County to devote resources to…?, Development and Infrastructure, Means, Unincorporated (N = 300) Just over half of respondents (55.2%) rated devoting resources to “managing where different types of new development occur” at 5, “very important”. Just under half (48.6%) rated devoting resources to “supporting improvements to aging developments” at 5, “very important”. Almost all (90.3%) of residents from unincorporated communities rated “providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas” at 5, “very important”. Just over 75% of respondents rated “supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas” at 5, “very important” (76.4%). 4.18 4.65 4.86 4.10 4.24 0 1 2 3 4 5 Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas Supporting improvements to aging developments Managing where different types of new development occur How important is for the County to devote resources to…? N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 66 55.7% of respondents from unincorporated communities rated “supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths” at 5, “very important” (see Table 39). Table 39. How important is for the County to devote resources to…?, Development and Infrastructure, Percentages, Unincorporated (N = 300) How important is for the County to devote resources to…? 1 Not at all important 2 3 4 5 Very important Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Managing where different types of new development occur 4.1% 5.3% 10.4% 24.0% 55.2% 1.0% 4.24 Supporting improvements to aging developments 4.6% 3.2% 20.8% 21.8% 48.6% 1.0% 4.10 Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas 1.1% 0.2% 1.9% 6.0% 90.3% 0.5% 4.86 Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas 2.3% 1.0% 3.6% 16.1% 76.4% 0.5% 4.65 Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths 4.1% 2.9% 19.7% 17.3% 55.7% 0.3% 4.18 The importance of devoting resources to all of the previously mentioned services were rated by respondents from unincorporated areas, and then the mean rating for each service was calculated. Table 38 provides a list of these services in order of their rated importance, high to low. The list was divided into three categories—high, medium, and low— by looking for natural breaks in the mean ratings. The service rated highest in importance was “protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water” at 4.86, while the lowest rated service in importance was “supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence” at 3.12 (see Table 40 below). Table 40. Importance to devoting resources, Mean, Unincorporated (N = 300) High Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water 4.86 Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas 4.86 Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 4.68 Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas 4.65 Protecting and supporting native plants and trees 4.45 Medium Managing where different types of new development occur 4.24 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 67 Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths 4.18 Supporting improvements to aging developments 4.10 Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers 4.00 Low Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence 3.12 Factors when choosing homes New Hanover County was interested in the most important factors for residents when they bought their current homes and what considerations will be the most important when purchasing a home in the future. The respondents were given a number of factors and responded whether these were important or not, then they were given a chance to describe any other factors that may not have been listed. The response categories for the most important factors when choosing their current home were: price, safety, proximity to parks, greenways, or other open spaces, home style or architecture, proximity to work, neighborhood amenities (playground), ability to walk/bike to good and services, school district, and proximity to interstates or primary arterial roads. “Other” was also an option, and respondents were given a choice to elaborate on other reasons why they wanted to purchase their current home. Respondents were allowed to choose more than one option. The top two most important factors when choosing their current home for residents from the unincorporated community were price (86.2%) and safety (79.4%). The lowest frequency option chosen was “ability to walk or bike to good and services” (28.3%) (see Figure 49). These are similar answers to that of the total sample (see Figure 57). New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 68 Figure 57. What were the most important factors for you when choosing your current home?, Unincorporated Survey respondents were given the option to choose “other” when listing the most important factors when choosing their current home. When this option was chosen (20.6%), respondents were encouraged to say what other factors they considered. The most frequent answers for other important factors when choosing a home include beach proximity/access, the general location of the home, and the amount of nature/open space (all at 10.4%). Other answers had 1 to 2 counts (1.3% to 2.6%). These answers include cost/price, neighborhood, climate, no HOA, parking, and public transportation (see Table 41). A full list of all open-ended answers is available in Appendix 4. Table 41. What were the most important factors for you when choosing your current home?, Other, Unincorporated Factors Count (N = 77) Percentage Beach Proximity/Access 8 10.4% Location 8 10.4% Nature/Open Space 8 10.4% Other 8 10.4% Lot Size 6 7.8% Near family 6 7.8% Availability 3 3.9% Avoiding flood zones 3 3.9% Proximity to services (medical) 3 3.9% . 1.9% 20.6% 28.3% 40.3% 45.6% 45.9% 47.0% 53.6% 55.3% 79.4% 86.2% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Don't know Other Ability to walk or bike to goods and services Proximity to interstates or primary arterial roads Proximity to work Neighborhood amenities (playground) School district Proximity to parks, greenways, or other open spaces Home style or architecture Safety Price *Respondents could choose more than one option What were the most important factors for you when choosing your current home?* N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 69 Residents in unincorporated areas were also asked in the future, which factors would be the most important for buying a home. The response options for this question were housing type, plenty of space to park personal vehicles, neighborhood architecture or style, street connectivity, landscaping, close proximity to retail, office, or other space, and ability to travel without a car. “Other” was also an option, and the respondents were encouraged to give open-ended answers. Respondents were also allowed to choose more than one option. The two most frequently chose options for this question were “plenty of space to park personal vehicles” (71.2%) and “housing type” (66.7%). (see Figure 58). Figure 58. In the future, what would be most important to you when buying a home for yourself?, Unincorporated Exactly 26.0% of respondents chose “other” factors as the most important when buying a home for themselves. When given the option to list other factors that would be most important when buying a home in the future, the most frequent response was “price/cost of living” (13.1%), followed by “safety/crime” and “community amenities” (both at 7.1%). Other factors had 1-2 counts (1.2%-2.4%), including affordability, EMS/fire/police services, greenery/nature, and lot size (see Table 42). A full list of all open-ended answers is available in Appendix 4. Table 42. In the future, what would be most important to you when buying a home for yourself?, Other, Unincorporated Factors Count (N = 84) Percentage Price/Cost of living 11 13.1% Safety/crime 6 7.1% Community amenities 6 7.1% 1.7% 26.0% 36.35 44.2% 44.8% 45.9% 50.3% 66.7% 71.2% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Don't know Other Ability to travel without a car Landscaping Street connectivity to amenities such as open space,… Close proximity to retail, office, or other commercial… Neighborhood architecture or style Housing type Plenty of space to park personal vehicles *Respondents could choose more than one option In the future, what would be most important to you when buying a home for yourself?* N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 70 Proximity to school 5 6.0% More space/land 4 4.8% Public transportation access 3 3.6% Water quality/access 3 3.6% Land Use Respondents from unincorporated areas were asked to rate their satisfaction with the variety of housing and other commercial land uses. Additionally, they were asked how satisfied they are with the County’s infrastructure services. For all of these questions, respondents were asked to rate how important they felt a specific service was on a scale of one (1) to five (5), where one meant “not at all important” and five meant “very important”. Numbers two (2) through four (4) were not labeled. For the purpose of this report, low-rise buildings are defined as two-story garden-style or other smaller apartments or condominiums. Accessory dwelling units (also known as mother-in-law suites) are small, independent housing units located on the same lot as a primary dwelling or a single-family detached home. The land use with the highest mean satisfaction for unincorporated communities is accessory dwelling units at 3.50, while the lowest is larger apartment or condominium units at 3.06 (see Figure 59). Figure 59. Land use satisfaction, Housing, Means, Environmental (N = 300) As with the total sample, there was no large majority of satisfaction ratings for any housing land use. Just over a quarter of respondents said rated their satisfaction with the number of single- family homes at a 2 (25.8%), while 23.3% rated their satisfaction a 5, “very satisfied”. Just over half of respondents rated their satisfaction with the number of low rises at 2 (21.7%) and 3 (31.8%). About a third of respondents rated their satisfaction with larger apartment or condominium units at 3 (33.2%), while 22.5% rated their satisfaction at 5, “very satisfied”. Just 3.50 3.20 3.30 3.06 3.26 3.23 0 1 2 3 4 5 Accessory Dwelling Units Duplexes Townhomes Larger apartment or condominium units Low rises Single-family homes Land use satisfaction, Housing N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 71 over half of respondents rated their satisfaction with the number of townhomes at 3 (31.0%) and 2 (22.0%) (53.0%). Similarly, 51.2% of respondents rated their satisfaction with duplexes at 3 (30.8%) and 2 (20.4%). While 23.3% of residents in unincorporated areas rated their satisfaction with accessory dwelling units at 3, 19.7% responded that they “didn’t know” (See Table 43). Table 43. Land use satisfaction, Housing, Percentages, Environmental (N = 300) How satisfied are you with the amount of…? 1 Not at all satisfied 2 3 4 5 Very satisfied Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Single-family homes 11.8% 25.8% 17.7% 19.2% 23.3% 2.2% 3.23 Low rises 9.3% 21.7% 31.8% 12.8% 19.7% 4.6% 3.26 Larger apartment or condominium units 19.8% 14.7% 33.2% 7.3% 22.5% 2.5% 3.06 Townhomes 8.6% 22.0% 31.0% 14.6% 17.0% 6.8% 3.30 Duplexes 13.4% 20.4% 30.8% 12.3% 15.1% 8.1% 3.20 Accessory Dwelling Units 14.6% 17.4% 23.3% 12.2% 12.9% 19.7% 3.50 Respondents were also asked about their satisfaction with the amount of different commercial land uses. The commercial land use with the highest average satisfaction was shopping areas at 3.64, while the lowest was factories or industrial facilities at 3.42 (see Figure 60). Figure 60. Land use satisfaction, Commercial, Means, Environmental (N = 300) Over half of respondents rated their satisfaction with the amount of office buildings at 4 (26.6%) and 5, “very satisfied” (26.9%) (53.3%, together). About 46% of respondents rated their satisfaction with the number of factories and industrial facilities at 4 (23.9%) and 5, “very satisfied” (21.7%). Almost 38% responded that they were “very satisfied” with the amount of shopping areas (37.8%) and 20.8% rated their satisfaction at 4 (see Table 44). 3.64 3.42 3.57 0 1 2 3 4 5 Shopping areas Factories or industrial facilities Office buildings Land use satisfaction, Commercial N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 72 Table 44. Land use satisfaction, Commercial, Percentages, Environmental (N = 300) How satisfied are you with the amount of…? 1 Not at all satisfied 2 3 4 5 Very satisfied Don’t know/ Prefer not to say Mean Office buildings 11.2% 13.4% 17.8% 26.6% 26.9% 4.1% 3.57 Factories or industrial facilities 11.4% 19.3% 18.1% 23.9% 21.7% 5.6% 3.42 Shopping areas 10.4% 14.3% 15.8% 20.8% 37.8% 0.9% 3.64 Commercial development New Hanover County unincorporated community residents were next asked what types of commercial development they would like to see more of. They were given the options of restaurants, recreation, retail, mixed-use area, office spaces, and warehousing. Mixed-use buildings are defined as areas where multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, and retail, would be combined into a single building. Respondents were also given the option to choose “other”, then given the opportunity to give an open-end response. Respondents were allowed to choose more than one option. The top three answers chosen for commercial development that residents from unincorporated areas would like to see more of are restaurants (23.0%), recreation (19.4%), and retail (17.0%). The lowest chosen option was warehousing (1.4%) (see Figure 61). Figure 61. What types of commercial development would you like to see more of?, Unincorporated 1.4% 1.7% 5.8% 8.9% 8.9% 17.0% 19.4% 23.0% 52.6% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Warehousing None of these Office space Mixed-use areas Don't know Retail Recreation Restaurants Other *Respondents could choose more than one option What types of commercial development would you like to see more of?* N = 300 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 73 The majority of respondents (52.6%) chose to give an open-ended response. The highest frequency response was that unincorporated area residents had no comment on types of development they would like to see (33.3%), followed by less or no development (14.0%). There were multiple responses given with 1-2 counts (0.5% - 1.1%), including more accessible hospitals and healthcare, senior/assisted living facilities, and public safety developments such as emergency shelter for storms and flooding (see Table 45). All open-ended answers are listed in Appendix 4. Table 45. What types of commercial development would you like to see more of?, Other, Unincorporated Factors Count (N = 186) Percentage No comment/none 62 33.3% Less/no development 33 17.7% Public parks/trails/amenities 8 4.3% Affordable housing 6 3.2% Small businesses 6 3.2% Industrial 6 3.2% Entertainment 5 2.7% Grocery stores 5 2.7% Job opportunities 4 2.2% Family friendly/youth centers 5 2.7% Manufacturing facilities 4 2.2% Factories 3 1.6% Clean energy/environmentally safe infrastructure 3 1.6% Schools/education 3 1.6% Priority Matrix There were notable differences between how important respondents from unincorporated communities perceived each service to be and how satisfied they were with the current level of service. For all environmental services, residents consistently rated the importance higher than their satisfaction. Similar to the total sample results, residents in unincorporated communities rated the importance of “protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water” very high (4.86), while satisfaction with this service was significantly lower at 2.97 out of 5. The importance of “preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes” was rated 4.68, with satisfaction only at 2.87. The smallest gap was seen in “protecting and supporting native plants and trees, where residents rated its importance at 4.45, while satisfaction was slightly higher at 3.23. New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 74 There was also a noticeable gap between how residents in unincorporated communities rated the importance of devoting resources to housing initiatives and their satisfaction with current housing services. On average, respondents rated the importance of supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low- to middle-income residents and workers at 4.00 out of 5, while their satisfaction with this service fell below the median at 2.49. When asked about the importance of supporting the development of a variety of housing types near their current residence, residents rated it 3.12 out of 5. In comparison, their satisfaction with this service was slightly higher at 2.73 out of 5. A priority matrix was constructed by combining the categories into which each item was placed for satisfaction and importance (measured by ratings for how important it is for the county to devote resources to the service). The matrix helps to identify services that are perceived strengths, and those that may be the most critical to focus on to raise satisfaction ratings for them. Items that rank high in satisfaction and either high or medium in importance can be interpreted as areas of strength. Items that rank high in importance but low in satisfaction are the first area that should benefit from attention so that satisfaction ratings can be raised. Items that rank medium in satisfaction and high in importance are the second area for attention. Items that rank low in satisfaction and medium in importance are the third area for attention. Items in the white areas of the matrix are neither areas of strength nor areas for attention (see Table 46). Table 46. Priority Matrix schematics Sa t i s f a c t i o n Importance High Medium Low High Areas of strength Neither areas of strength nor areas for attention Medium Second priority Low First priority Third priority The priority matrix for the County services can be found below (see Table 45). Please note that while residents were asked their satisfaction with housing availability and development, they were not asked how important it is to devote resources to these services. Therefore, they are not included in the matrix. New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 75 There are three services high in importance and high in satisfaction and therefore are areas of strength—supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas, providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas, and protecting and supporting native plants and trees. The services that are high in importance yet medium in satisfaction and therefore the second priority are preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes and protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water. The service that is medium in importance and low in satisfaction, and therefore third in priority is supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low- to middle-income residents and workers. There are no services with high importance and low satisfaction, therefore being of first priority importance (see Table 47). Table 47. Priority Matrix – County services, Unincorporated (N = 300) Sa t i s f a c t i o n Importance High Medium Low High Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas Protecting and supporting native plants and trees Supporting improvements to aging developments Medium Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths Managing where different types of new development occur Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence Low Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 76 VIII. Comparison of Means The section compares the means of satisfaction with services and amount of land use and importance of devoting resources to current factors for unincorporated and incorporated communities. The statistical significance was tested using the independent sample t-test at a 95% confidence interval. The effect size used Cohen’s d variable with equal variances assumed. As stated in the Survey Methods section, the significance (p-value) of the means was tested, and then if the difference comparison was significant (p < 0.05), the effect size was compared. Calculating p-values is highly influenced by sample size which means that a larger sample size has a likelihood of being statistically significant, even if the actual effect is small. That's where effect size (Cohen’s d variable) comes in to identify the magnitude of the difference in means between different groups. Satisfaction with Current Services The mean satisfaction with current environmental and housing services between the unincorporated and incorporated communities were slightly varied. The satisfaction of means for current housing and environmental services from the incorporated communities ranged from 2.75 to 3.43, with 1 being “Not at all satisfied” and 5 being “Very satisfied”. For unincorporated communities, these means of satisfaction ranged from 2.44 to 3.23 on the same scale. However, when comparing through statistical testing there were no significant differences between the means. (See Table 48). Table 48. Satisfaction with current services, Environmental and Housing, Incorporated vs. Unincorporated, Means and Significance Service Incorporated Mean Unincorporated Mean Significance p < 0.05? Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 3.09 2.87 .604 No Protecting and supporting native plants and trees 3.43 3.23 .898 No Protecting environmental quality of the county, such as the quality of air and water 3.02 2.96 .117 No Supporting development of a variety of housing types near current residence 2.95 2.73 .092 No Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle- income residents and workers 2.75 2.49 .339 No Housing availability 3.06 2.87 .603 No Housing development 2.76 2.44 .235 No New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 77 When asked about their satisfaction with different development and infrastructure services, the mean answers from incorporated communities varied from 2.77 to 3.66 on the same previously used scale. In unincorporated communities, these means varied from 2.61 to 3.47. The same testing was used to compare the means of satisfaction with current development and infrastructure services. The only service with a statistically significant difference is “supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas”. The effect size however was negligible, meaning that the statistical difference between the two means is significant but the size of the difference isn’t large enough to have an effect (See Table 49). Table 49. Satisfaction with current services, Development and Infrastructure, Incorporated vs. Unincorporated, Means and Significance Service Incorporated Mean Unincorporated Mean Significance p < 0.05? Managing where different types of development occur 2.77 2.61 .964 No Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas 3.53 3.40 .744 No Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths 2.95 2.96 .894 No Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas 3.66 3.47 .036 Yes Supporting improvements to aging development 3.24 3.25 .471 N0 Importance of devoting resources to County services When asked about the importance of devoting resources to County services, there was little variation for the means for both the unincorporated and incorporated community. For incorporated communities the means varied from 3.20 to 4.83 and for unincorporated communities the means varied from 3.12 to 4.86 on a scale from 1, meaning “Not at all important”, to 5, meaning “Very important”. When tested for statistical significance, none of the means had a significant difference (see Table 50). Table 50. Importance of devoting resources to services, Environmental and Housing, Incorporated vs. Unincorporated, Means and Significance Service Incorporated Mean Unincorporated Mean Significance p < 0.05? Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 4.64 4.68 .107 No New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 78 Protecting and supporting native plants and trees 4.42 4.45 .733 No Protecting environmental quality of the county, such as the quality of air and water 4.83 4.86 .073 No Supporting development of a variety of housing types near current residence 3.20 3.12 .077 No Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle- income residents and workers 4.16 4.00 .856 No For the importance of devoting resources to development and infrastructure services, the average means from the incorporated community ranged from 4.07 to 4.80. For the unincorporated community, the means ranged from 4.10 to 4.86, on the same scale previously mentioned. When asked about the importance of devoting resources to development and infrastructure services, there were two services with statistically significant differences between the two means from the incorporated and unincorporated community. These two services are “providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas” and “supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths”. While both have statistically significant differences, the effect size of the differences is negligible (See Table 51). Table 51. Importance of devoting resources to services, Development and Infrastructure, Incorporated vs. Unincorporated, Means and Significance Service Incorporated Mean Unincorporated Mean Significance p < 0.05? Managing where different types of development occur 4.13 4.24 .107 No Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas 4.80 4.86 .025 Yes Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths 4.30 4.18 .004 Yes Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas 4.68 4.65 .234 No Supporting improvements to aging development 4.07 4.10 .721 No New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 79 Land use The means for satisfaction with the amount of housing and commercial land use also varied. Average satisfaction ratings from the incorporated community ranged from 3.35 to 3.68, and the unincorporated community means ranged from 3.06 to 3.64, on a scale from 1, meaning “Not at all satisfied”, to 5, meaning “Very satisfied”. While these means differed slightly, there were only two statistically significant differences. The mean scores for satisfaction with larger apartment or condominium units were statistically significant and had a small effect size. This indicates that the difference between the two means was small. While “factories and industrial facilities” had a significant difference, the effect size between the two means was negligible (see Table 52). Table 52. Satisfaction with amount of land use, Housing and Commercial, Incorporated vs. Unincorporated, Means and Significance Service Incorporated Mean Unincorporated Mean Significance p < 0.05? Single-family homes 3.37 3.23 .490 No Low rises 3.46 3.26 .412 No Larger apartment or condominium units 3.40 3.06 .044 Yes Townhomes 3.43 3.30 .370 No Duplexes 3.35 3.20 .501 No Accessory Dwelling Units 3.58 3.50 .585 No Office buildings 3.68 3.57 .394 No Shopping areas 3.62 3.64 .448 No Factories or industrial facilities 3.61 3.42 .011 Yes New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 80 IX. Appendix Appendix 1. Pilot Test Survey SURVEY INTRODUCTION Hello, My name is XXXX and I am calling on behalf of the New Hanover County Planning Department to ask some questions about residents’ vision for the county’s future. May I speak to XXXX? We are updating the County’s Comprehensive Plan, which is a long-range plan to address future growth and development. This survey is designed to help us understand how our residents feel about topics in the plan. This survey is being conducted on behalf of the New Hanover County Planning Department. Your participation is voluntary, and responses will be confidential and reported only in aggregate. (IF ASKED: Results will only be reported in aggregate.) The survey may take about 12-15 minutes to complete. (IF ASKED: In this survey, you will be asked about your opinions on development, public services, and related community planning issues. You may skip any question asked, but we appreciate if you can answer the survey questions to the best of your ability.) Would you like to take the survey? If, YES à Continue to survey. Thank you so much for your participation. If, NO à Thank you so much for your time and I hope you have a great day. If VOICEMAIL [cell ONLY]: “Hello, I am calling on behalf of the New Hanover County Planning Department. We are conducting a survey to better understand how our residents feel about important topics to be addressed in our key policy document, the Comprehensive Plan. This is NOT a sales call. We will try to reach you again.” If Respondent says “DRIVING/UNABLE TO TAKE CALL”: Thank you. We will try you another time... New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 81 INTRODUCTION QUESTIONS Are you an adult 18 years of age or older? 1 Yes (I am an adult 18 years of age or older) 2 No (I am under age 18) 3 Don’t know/Refused If Q1 is not “Yes”: Unfortunately, we cannot continue the survey since this survey is approved only for adults 18+. Thank so much for your time... Do you live in New Hanover County? 1 Yes ➔ (GO to Q3) 2 No ➔ (THANK and TERMINATE, Record as “Not a New Hanover County Resident) 8 Don’t know/Prefer not to answer (THANK and TERMINATE, Record as “Screening Refusal”) THANK YOU: Unfortunately, this survey is only for residents of New Hanover County. If you do not live in New Hanover County or we cannot confirm that you live in New Hanover County, we must stop the survey here, thank you so much for your time. Do you live in an unincorporated area? An unincorporated area is a community or geographic area that is not part of an incorporated city or town, and is governed by local county elected officials. 1 Yes 2 No 3 Don’t know/Prefer not to answer New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 82 ENVIRONMENT Now, I have some questions about some environmental services in the County. Please rate how important you think it is for the County to devote resources to the following environmental services, on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “Not at All Important” and 5 means “Very Important.” How important is it for the County to devote resources to…? (RANDOMIZE ORDER) Not at all important Very importan t Don’t know / Prefer not to say a. Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 1 2 3 4 5 0 b. Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water 1 2 3 4 5 0 c. Protecting and supporting native plants & trees 1 2 3 4 5 0 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 83 Please rate how satisfied you are with the following County environmental services, on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “Not at All Satisfied” and 5 means “Very Satisfied.” How satisfied are you with the County services…? (RANDOMIZE ORDER) Not at all satisfied Very satisfie d Don’t know / Prefer not to say a. Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 1 2 3 4 5 0 b. Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as air water quality 1 2 3 4 5 0 c. Protecting and supporting native plants & trees 1 2 3 4 5 0 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 84 HOUSING Next, I would like to ask you about housing in the County. For some of these questions, we would like to define what we mean when we refer to “housing types.” Housing types include single-family homes, apartments, townhomes, duplexes, and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). [IF ASKED: ADUs are commonly called mother-in-law suites and consist of a small independent housing unit located on the same lot as another primary dwelling or a single-family detached home.]” Please rate how important you think it is for the County to devote resources to the following County initiatives, on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “Not At All Important” and 5 means “Very Important.” How important is for the County to devote resources to…? (RANDOMIZE ORDER) Not at all important Very importan t Don’t Know/ Prefer not to say a. Supporting development of a variety of housing types* near your current residence 1 2 3 4 5 0 b. Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle- income residents and workers 1 2 3 4 5 0 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 85 Please rate how satisfied you are with the following County housing initiatives on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “Not At All Satisfied” and 5 means “Very Satisfied.” How satisfied are you with the County initiatives…? (RANDOMIZE ORDER) Not at all satisfie d Very satisfie d Don’t Know/ Prefer not to say a. Supporting development of a variety of housing types* near your current residence 1 2 3 4 5 0 b. Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle- income residents and workers 1 2 3 4 5 0 *Housing types include: single-family homes, low rises (two-story garden style or other smaller apartments/condominiums), larger apartment/condominium units, townhomes, duplexes, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)* (commonly called mother-in-law suites) *Interviewer to read ADU definition: a small independent housing unit located on the same lot as another primary dwelling or a single-family detached home New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 86 I would like to now ask about your thoughts on the current landscape of housing availability and development. How do you view current housing availability? Would you say…? (READ LIST; CHECK ONLY ONE) 1 There is not enough 2 About the right amount 3 There is too much 4 Don’t know 0 Prefer not to say How do you view current housing development? Would you say…? (READ LIST; CHECK ONLY ONE) 1 There is not enough 2 About the right amount 3 There is too much 4 Don’t know 5 Prefer not to say Several factors can affect whether someone is able to attain housing in an area, including availability of housing, affordability, opportunity, social connections, and sometimes even physical location or features. Considering all of these factors that can affect attainability, do you feel there is enough housing that is attainable to all local residents? 1 Yes 2 No 9 Don’t Know Again, considering the same factors, do you feel there is enough housing that is attainable to local low and middle-income residents and workers? (IF NECESSARY TO REPEAT: Several factors can affect whether someone is able to attain housing in an area, including availability of housing, affordability, opportunity, social connections, and sometimes even physical location or features.) 1 Yes 2 No 9 Don’t Know New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 87 What were the most important factors for you when choosing a home? (CAN SELECT MORE THAN ONE) (READ LIST; CHECK ALL THAT APPLY) 1 Price 2 Neighborhood amenities (playground) 3 School district 4 Proximity to parks, greenways, or other open spaces 5 Proximity to interstates or primary arterial roads 6 Proximity to work 7 Ability to walk or bike to goods and services 8 Home style or architecture 9 Safety 10 Other______________________________ In the future, what would be most important to you when buying a home for yourself? (CAN SELECT MORE THAN ONE) (READ LIST; CHECK ALL THAT APPLY) 1 Housing type 2 Ability to travel without a car 3 Close proximity to retail, office, or other commercial spaces 4 Street connectivity to amenities such as open space, pools, or playgrounds 5 Neighborhood architecture or style 6 Landscaping 7 Plenty of space to park personal vehicles 8 Other______________________________ New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 88 Can you please tell me your thoughts on the following land uses? For each one, please tell me whether you think there is not enough in the County, about the right amount, or too much. What about…? Not enough About the right amount Too much Don’t know Prefer not to say a. Single-family homes 1 2 3 8 0 b. Low rises, which are two-story garden style or other smaller apartments or condominiums 1 2 3 8 0 c. Larger apartment or condominium units 1 2 3 8 0 d. Townhomes 1 2 3 8 0 e. Duplexes 1 2 3 8 0 f. Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, also commonly called mother-in-law suites* [READ ADU DEFINITION HERE] 1 2 3 8 0 g. Office buildings 1 2 3 8 0 h. Shopping areas 1 2 3 8 0 i. Factories or industrial facilities 1 2 3 8 0 *Interviewer to read ADU definition: a small independent housing unit located on the same lot as another primary dwelling or a single-family detached home New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 89 DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE Next, I have some questions about infrastructure services in the County. Please rate how important you think it is for the County to devote public funds to the following infrastructure services, on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “Not at All Important” and 5 means “Very Important.” (IF ASKED: Infrastructure is the basic facilities and systems serving the county and its residents, such as water access or sidewalks.) How important is for the County to devote resources to…? (RANDOMIZE ORDER) Not at all important Very importan t Don’t Know/ Prefer not to say a. Managing where different types of new development occur 1 2 3 4 5 0 b. Supporting improvements to aging developments 1 2 3 4 5 0 c. Supporting development of businesses 1 2 3 4 5 0 d. Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas 1 2 3 4 5 0 e. Supporting efforts to improve potable or drinking water quality and treatment to residential areas 1 2 3 4 5 0 f. Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas 1 2 3 4 5 0 g. Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths 1 2 3 4 5 0 New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 90 Please rate how satisfied you are with the following County infrastructure services, on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “Not at All Satisfied” and 5 means “Very Satisfied.” How satisfied are you with the County services…? (RANDOMIZE ORDER) Not at all satisfied Very satisfie d Don’t Know/ Prefer not to say a. Managing where different types of new development occur 1 2 3 4 5 0 b. Supporting improvements to aging developments 1 2 3 4 5 0 c. Supporting development of businesses 1 2 3 4 5 0 d. Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas 1 2 3 4 5 0 e. Supporting efforts to improve water quality and treatment to residential areas 1 2 3 4 5 0 f. Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas 1 2 3 4 5 0 g. Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths 1 2 3 4 5 0 What types of commercial development would you like to see more of? (READ LIST; CHECK ALL THAT APPLY) 1 Restaurants 2 Retail 3 Recreation 4 Office space 5 Warehousing 6 Mixed-use areas, which are areas where multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, and retail, would be combined into a single building 7 Are there any types of commercial development you would like to see more of? (Other):______________________________ New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 91 DEMOGRAPHICS The following demographic questions are used to ensure we are surveying a broad cross-section of the community. Your responses are completely confidential and voluntary. What is your age? * _______________________________________________ (ENTER 97 IF AGE IS 97 OR OLDER) (ENTER 98 FOR DON'T KNOW) (ENTER 99 FOR REFUSED) How many individuals under the age of 18 are currently living in your home? _______ 0 None ➔ (GO to Q21) 8 Don’t know ➔ (GO to Q21) 9 Prefer not to answer ➔ (GO to Q21) How many of the individuals under the age of 18 living in your home attend New Hanover County Public Schools? _____ Do you own or rent your current home? 1 Own 2 Rent 0 Prefer not to answer What type of water system does your home use? (READ LIST; CHECK ONLY ONE) 1 Public water (IF ASKED: Cape Fear Public Utility Authority) 2 Private water (IF ASKED: such as Aqua or other private water provider) 3 Well water 4 Not sure What type of sewer system does your home use? (READ LIST; CHECK ONLY ONE) 1 Public sewer (IF ASKED: You receive a sewer bill from Cape Fear Public Utility Authority) 2 Private sewer system, such as a septic system 3 Not sure New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 92 What is your current employment status? (READ LIST; CHECK ONLY ONE) 1 Employed full time 2 Employed part time 3 Unemployed or Looking for work ➔ (GO to Q25) 4 Stay-at-home parent or homemaker ➔ (GO to Q25) 5 Retired ➔ (GO to Q25) 6 Full-time Student ➔ (GO to Q25) 7 Prefer not to answer ➔ (GO to Q25) 24a. If employed full time or part time, where is your primary place of employment? 1 New Hanover County 2 Work from home 3 Other (specify) ____________ 4 All over 0 Prefer not to answer Do you live in New Hanover County full time? (more than half of the year) 1 Yes 2 No Last year – that is in 2024 – what was your total approximate family income from all sources, before taxes? (INTERVIEWER: READ QUESTION BUT DO NOT READ RESPONSE OPTIONS; SELECT CLOSEST ANSWER FROM LIST) ( ) Less than $20,000 ( ) 20 to under $35,000 ( ) 35 to under $50,000 ( ) 50 to under $70,000 ( ) 70 to under $100,000 ( ) 100 to under $150,000 ( ) $150,000 or more ( ) (VOL. / DNR) Don’t know ( ) (VOL. / DNR) Refused Are you of Hispanic or Spanish origin? * ( ) Yes ( ) No ( ) (VOL. / DNR) Don’t know ( ) (VOL. / DNR) Refused New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 93 Are you white, black, Asian, or of some other racial background? * ( ) White ( ) Black, African-American ( ) Asian ( ) Other or mixed race: _________________________________________________* ( ) (VOL. / DNR) Don’t know ( ) (VOL. / DNR) Refused What is your gender?* (INTERVIEWER: READ QUESTION BUT DO NOT READ RESPONSE OPTIONS) ( ) Male ( ) Female ( ) Transgender: Female to Male ( ) Transgender: Male to Female ( ) Intersex ( ) Non-binary ( ) (VOL. / DNR) Refused ( ) (INTERVIEWER: SELECT ONLY IF YOU CANNOT CORRECTLY SELECT ANY OF THE ABOVE OPTIONS.) PLEASE EXPLAIN BRIEFLY: _________________________________________________* What is the highest level of school you have completed or the highest degree you have received? * (INTERVIEWER: READ QUESTION BUT DO NOT READ RESPONSE OPTIONS) ( ) Less than high school (Grades 1-8 or no formal schooling) ( ) High school incomplete (Grades 9-11 or Grade 12 with NO diploma) ( ) High school graduate (Grade 12 with diploma or GED certificate) ( ) Some college, no degree (includes some community college) ( ) Associate degree from a college or university ( ) Bachelor’s degree (e g , BS, BA, AB) ( ) Some postgraduate or professional schooling, no postgraduate degree ( ) Postgraduate or professional degree, including master’s, doctorate, medical or law degree (e.g., MA, MS, PhD, MD, JD) ( ) Don’t know ( ) Refused Which of the following best describes your current relationship status? (READ LIST; CHECK ONLY ONE) 1 Never married 2 Married New Hanover County Residential Survey April 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 94 3 Separated 4 Divorced 5 Widowed 6 Other: __________________________________ 0 Prefer not to answer How many years have you lived in New Hanover County? ______ years (IF APPLICABLE): 32a. Have you lived here your whole life or did you move here from somewhere else? 0 Lived here all my life (GO to Q33) 1 Moved here from somewhere else 32b. Where did you move from? (City, State) _____________________ What is your zip code? * _______________ What do you call the community, neighborhood, or area where you live? ________________ [Ask participant for their thoughts. If needed, use the list below to provide suggested answers if they need help.]] Suggested List: • 421 • Mayfaire • Porters Neck • Sunset Park • Bayshore • Middle Sound • River Heights • UNCW (University of North Carolina Wilmington) • Beau Rivage • Monkey Junction • Rockhill • Veterans Park • Carolina Beach • Murrayville • Scotts Hill • Wrightsboro • Castle Hayne • Myrtle Grove • Seabreeze • Wrightsville Beach • City of Wilmington • North Side • Silver Lake • Greenview Ranches • Northchase • Skippers Corner • Hightsville • Ogden • Snows Cut • Kure Beach [Pronounced CURE-ee] • Outside of New Hanover County • South Side • Masonboro • Pine Valley • Spring Arbor/Kings Grant New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 95 What is your street address? ______________________________________ (INTERVIEWER: NOT required – can also ask for closest street cross section) Thank You! Those are all my questions. Thank you for your help in completing this survey. New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 96 Appendix 2. Final Test Survey SURVEY INTRODUCTION Hello, My name is XXXX and I am calling on behalf of the New Hanover County Planning Department to ask some questions about residents’ vision for the county’s future. May I speak to XXXX? We are updating the County’s Comprehensive Plan, which is a long-range plan to address future growth and development. This survey is designed to help us understand how our residents feel about topics in the plan. This survey is being conducted on behalf of the New Hanover County Planning Department. Your participation is voluntary, and responses will be confidential. (IF ASKED: Results will only be reported in aggregate.) The survey may take about 12-15 minutes to complete. (IF ASKED: In this survey, you will be asked about your opinions on development, public services, and related community planning issues. You may skip any question asked, but we appreciate if you can answer the survey questions to the best of your ability.) Would you like to take the survey? If, YES à Continue to survey. Thank you so much for your participation. If, NO à Thank you so much for your time and I hope you have a great day. If VOICEMAIL [cell ONLY]: “Hello, I am calling on behalf of the New Hanover County Planning Department. We are conducting a survey to better understand how our residents feel about important topics to be addressed in our key policy document, the Comprehensive Plan. This is NOT a sales call. We will try to reach you again.” If Respondent says “DRIVING/UNABLE TO TAKE CALL”: Thank you. We will try you another time... New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 97 Introduction Questions Are you an adult 18 years of age or older? 4 Yes (I am an adult 18 years of age or older) 5 No (I am under age 18) 6 Don’t know/Refused If Q1 is not “Yes”: Unfortunately, we cannot continue the survey since this survey is approved only for adults 18+. Thank so much for your time... Do you live in New Hanover County? 1 Yes ➔ (GO to Q3) 2 No ➔ (THANK and TERMINATE, Record as “Not a New Hanover County Resident) 8 Don’t know/Prefer not to answer (THANK and TERMINATE, Record as “Screening Refusal”) THANK YOU: Unfortunately, this survey is only for residents of New Hanover County. If you do not live in New Hanover County or we cannot confirm that you live in New Hanover County, we must stop the survey here, thank you so much for your time. Do you live in an unincorporated area? An unincorporated area is a community or geographic area that is not part of an incorporated city or town, and is governed by local county elected officials. 1 Yes 2 No 3 Don’t know/Prefer not to answer New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 98 Environment Now, I have some questions about some environmental services in the County. Please rate how important you think it is for the County to devote resources to the following environmental services, on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “Not at All Important” and 5 means “Very Important.” How important is it for the County to devote resources to…? (RANDOMIZE ORDER) Not at all important Very importan t Don’t know / Prefer not to say d. Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 1 2 3 4 5 0 e. Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water 1 2 3 4 5 0 f. Protecting and supporting native plants & trees 1 2 3 4 5 0 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 99 Please rate how satisfied you are with the following County environmental services, on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “Not at All Satisfied” and 5 means “Very Satisfied.” How satisfied are you with the County services…? (RANDOMIZE ORDER) Not at all satisfied Very satisfie d Don’t know / Prefer not to say d. Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 1 2 3 4 5 0 e. Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as air water quality 1 2 3 4 5 0 f. Protecting and supporting native plants & trees 1 2 3 4 5 0 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 100 Housing Next, I would like to ask you about housing in the County. For some of these questions, we would like to define what we mean when we refer to “housing types.” Housing types include single-family homes, apartments, townhomes, duplexes, and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). [IF ASKED: ADUs are commonly called mother-in-law suites and consist of a small independent housing unit located on the same lot as another primary dwelling or a single-family detached home.]” Please rate how important you think it is for the County to devote resources to the following County initiatives, on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “Not At All Important” and 5 means “Very Important.” How important is for the County to devote resources to…? (RANDOMIZE ORDER) Not at all important Very importan t Don’t Know/ Prefer not to say c. Supporting development of a variety of housing types* near your current residence 1 2 3 4 5 0 d. Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle- income residents and workers 1 2 3 4 5 0 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 101 Please rate how satisfied you are with the following County housing initiatives on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “Not At All Satisfied” and 5 means “Very Satisfied.” How satisfied are you with the County initiatives…? (RANDOMIZE ORDER) Not at all satisfie d Very satisfie d Don’t Know/ Prefer not to say c. Supporting development of a variety of housing types* near your current residence 1 2 3 4 5 0 d. Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle- income residents and workers 1 2 3 4 5 0 *IF ASKED: Housing types include: single-family homes, low rises (two-story garden style or other smaller apartments/condominiums), larger apartment/condominium units, townhomes, duplexes, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)* (commonly called mother-in- law suites) *Interviewer to read ADU definition: a small independent housing unit located on the same lot as another primary dwelling or a single-family detached home New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 102 On a scale from 1 – 5, how satisfied are you with current…. (RANDOMIZE ORDER) Not at all satisfie d Very satisfie d Don’t Know/ Prefer not to say a. Housing availability 1 2 3 4 5 0 b. Housing development 1 2 3 4 5 0 Several factors can affect whether someone is able to attain housing in an area, including availability of housing, affordability, opportunity, social connections, and sometimes even physical location or features. Considering all of these factors that can affect attainability, do you feel there is enough housing that is attainable to all local residents? 1 Yes 2 No 9 Don’t Know Again, considering the same factors, do you feel there is enough housing that is attainable to local low and middle-income residents and workers? (IF NECESSARY TO REPEAT: Several factors can affect whether someone is able to attain housing in an area, including availability of housing, affordability, opportunity, social connections, and sometimes even physical location or features.) 1 Yes 2 No 9 Don’t Know What were the most important factors for you when choosing your current home? (CAN SELECT MORE THAN ONE) (READ LIST; CHECK ALL THAT APPLY) 11 Price 12 Neighborhood amenities (playground) 13 School district 14 Proximity to parks, greenways, or other open spaces 15 Proximity to interstates or primary arterial roads 16 Proximity to work 17 Ability to walk or bike to goods and services 18 Home style or architecture 19 Safety 20 Other______________________________ New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 103 In the future, what would be most important to you when buying a home for yourself? (CAN SELECT MORE THAN ONE) (READ LIST; CHECK ALL THAT APPLY) 9 Housing type 10 Ability to travel without a car 11 Close proximity to retail, office, or other commercial spaces 12 Street connectivity to amenities such as open space, pools, or playgrounds 13 Neighborhood architecture or style 14 Landscaping 15 Plenty of space to park personal vehicles 16 Other______________________________ New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 104 Can you please tell me your thoughts on the following land uses? Please rate how satisfied you are on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “Not At All Satisfied” and 5 means “Very Satisfied.” How satisfied are you with the amount of…. Not at all satisfie d Very satisfied Don’t Know/ Prefer not to say j. Single-family homes 1 2 3 4 5 0 k. Low rises, which are two-story garden style or other smaller apartments or condominiums 1 2 3 4 5 0 l. Larger apartment or condominium units 1 2 3 4 5 0 m. Townhomes 1 2 3 4 5 0 n. Duplexes 1 2 3 4 5 0 o. Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, also commonly called mother-in-law suites* 1 2 3 4 5 0 p. Office buildings 1 2 3 4 5 0 q. Shopping areas 1 2 3 4 5 0 r. Factories or industrial facilities 1 2 3 4 5 0 *IF ASKED: Interviewer to read ADU definition: a small independent housing unit located on the same lot as another primary dwelling or a single-family detached home New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 105 Development and Infrastructure Next, I have some questions about infrastructure services in the County. Please rate how important you think it is for the County to devote public funds to the following infrastructure services, on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “Not at All Important” and 5 means “Very Important.” (IF ASKED: Infrastructure is the basic facilities and systems serving the county and its residents, such as water access or sidewalks.) How important is for the County to devote resources to…? (RANDOMIZE ORDER) Not at all important Very importan t Don’t Know/ Prefer not to say h. Managing where different types of new development occur 1 2 3 4 5 0 i. Supporting improvements to aging developments 1 2 3 4 5 0 j. Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas 1 2 3 4 5 0 k. Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas 1 2 3 4 5 0 l. Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths 1 2 3 4 5 0 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 106 Please rate how satisfied you are with the following County infrastructure services, on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “Not at All Satisfied” and 5 means “Very Satisfied.” How satisfied are you with the County services…? (RANDOMIZE ORDER) Not at all satisfied Very satisfie d Don’t Know/ Prefer not to say h. Managing where different types of new development occur 1 2 3 4 5 0 i. Supporting improvements to aging developments 1 2 3 4 5 0 j. Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas 1 2 3 4 5 0 k. Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas 1 2 3 4 5 0 l. Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths 1 2 3 4 5 0 What types of commercial development would you like to see more of? [OPEN ENDED] _____________________________________________________ New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 107 Demographics The following demographic questions are used to ensure we are surveying a broad cross-section of the community. Your responses are completely confidential and voluntary. What is your age? * _______________________________________________ (ENTER 97 IF AGE IS 97 OR OLDER) (ENTER 98 FOR DON'T KNOW) (ENTER 99 FOR REFUSED) How many individuals under the age of 18 are currently living in your home? _______ 0 None ➔ (GO to Q21) 8 Don’t know ➔ (GO to Q21) 9 Prefer not to answer ➔ (GO to Q21) How many of the individuals under the age of 18 living in your home attend New Hanover County Public Schools? _____ Do you own or rent your current home? 1 Own 2 Rent 1 Prefer not to answer What type of water system does your home use? (READ LIST; CHECK ONLY ONE) 1 Public water (IF ASKED: Cape Fear Public Utility Authority) 2 Private water (IF ASKED: such as Aqua or other private water provider) 3 Well water 4 Not sure What type of sewer system does your home use? (READ LIST; CHECK ONLY ONE) 1 Public sewer (IF ASKED: You receive a sewer bill from Cape Fear Public Utility Authority) 2 Private sewer system, such as a septic system 3 Not sure New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 108 What is your current employment status? ____________________ 23a. If employed, 1 Employed full time 2 Employed part time 23b. If employed full time or part time, do you work in New Hanover County? 2 Yes 3 No Do you live in New Hanover County full time? (more than half of the year) 3 Yes 4 No Last year – that is in 2024 – what was your total approximate family income from all sources, before taxes? (INTERVIEWER: READ QUESTION BUT DO NOT READ RESPONSE OPTIONS; SELECT CLOSEST ANSWER FROM LIST) ( ) Less than $20,000 ( ) 20 to under $35,000 ( ) 35 to under $50,000 ( ) 50 to under $70,000 ( ) 70 to under $100,000 ( ) 100 to under $150,000 ( ) $150,000 or more ( ) (VOL. / DNR) Don’t know ( ) (VOL. / DNR) Refused Are you of Hispanic or Spanish origin? * ( ) Yes ( ) No ( ) (VOL. / DNR) Don’t know ( ) (VOL. / DNR) Refused Are you white, black, Asian, or of some other racial background? * ( ) White ( ) Black, African-American ( ) Asian ( ) Other or mixed race: _________________________________________________* ( ) (VOL. / DNR) Don’t know ( ) (VOL. / DNR) Refused New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 109 What is your gender?* (INTERVIEWER: READ QUESTION BUT DO NOT READ RESPONSE OPTIONS) ( ) Male ( ) Female ( ) Transgender: Female to Male ( ) Transgender: Male to Female ( ) Intersex ( ) Non-binary ( ) (VOL. / DNR) Refused ( ) (INTERVIEWER: SELECT ONLY IF YOU CANNOT CORRECTLY SELECT ANY OF THE ABOVE OPTIONS.) PLEASE EXPLAIN BRIEFLY: _________________________________________________* What is the highest level of school you have completed or the highest degree you have received? * (INTERVIEWER: READ QUESTION BUT DO NOT READ RESPONSE OPTIONS) ( ) Less than high school (Grades 1-8 or no formal schooling) ( ) High school incomplete (Grades 9-11 or Grade 12 with NO diploma) ( ) High school graduate (Grade 12 with diploma or GED certificate) ( ) Some college, no degree (includes some community college) ( ) Associate degree from a college or university ( ) Bachelor’s degree (e g , BS, BA, AB) ( ) Some postgraduate or professional schooling, no postgraduate degree ( ) Postgraduate or professional degree, including master’s, doctorate, medical or law degree (e.g., MA, MS, PhD, MD, JD) ( ) Don’t know ( ) Refused What is your current relationship status? ____________________________________ Are you a New Hanover County native or did you move here? 1 New Hanover Native 2 Moved here What is your zip code? * _______________ New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 110 What do you call the community, neighborhood, or area where you live? ________________ [Ask participant for their thoughts. If needed, use the list below to provide suggested answers if they need help.]] Suggested List: • 421 • Mayfaire • Porters Neck • Sunset Park • Bayshore • Middle Sound • River Heights • UNCW (University of North Carolina Wilmington) • Beau Rivage • Monkey Junction • Rockhill • Veterans Park • Carolina Beach • Murrayville • Scotts Hill • Wrightsboro • Castle Hayne • Myrtle Grove • Seabreeze • Wrightsville Beach • City of Wilmington • North Side • Silver Lake • Greenview Ranches • Northchase • Skippers Corner • Hightsville • Ogden • Snows Cut • Kure Beach [Pronounced CURE-ee] • Outside of New Hanover County • South Side • Masonboro • Pine Valley • Spring Arbor/Kings Grant New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 111 What is your street address? ______________________________________ (INTERVIEWER: NOT required – can also ask for closest street cross section) Thank You! Those are all my questions. Thank you for your help in completing this survey. New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 112 Appendix 3. Data Tables This appendix contains detailed data tables for use by readers. These tables do not include questions asking for open-ended (verbatim) responses (Q11, Q12, Q16). Those responses are found in Appendix D. The percentage data tables show two statistics for the responses to survey questions: unweighted counts of the number of respondents who gave a particular response (labeled “Countu”), and weighted column percentages (labeled “Percentagew”) that allow comparisons across subgroups of respondents. The means tables show two statistics for the responses to survey questions: unweighted counts of the number of respondents who gave a valid response (Countu), and weighted means (labeled “Meanw”). Unweighted counts, rather than weighted counts, are shown so that readers can make a judgment as to the stability of the weighted statistics – smaller numbers of unweighted responses to questions provide less reliable statistics. At least 25 to 30 unweighted responses to questions should be present in a table cell for the cell statistic based on that number to be considered useful, and some analysts would prefer to see as many as 50 to 75 unweighted cases before using the survey data to characterize a particular question or subgroup. Weighted statistics, rather than unweighted statistics, are shown so that the reader can compare proportionally representative data wherever the unweighted count of responses indicates a sound basis for use. For ease of use and readability, the data tables do not include indications of statistically significant differences. New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 113 Demographics What is your age?, Means Incorporated Unincorporated Total Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Age 50.0 307 49.0 300 50.0 607 How many individuals under the age of 18 are currently living in your home? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Meanw Countu How many individuals under the age of 18 are currently living in your home? 3 2 3 How many of the individuals under the age of 18 living in your home attend New Hanover County Public Schools? 1 1 1 Total 307 300 607 Do you own or rent your current home? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Own 242 64.9% 269 75.1% 511 69.4% Rent 60 32.9% 21 13.9% 81 24.6% Prefer not to answer 5 2.2% 10 11.0% 15 6.1% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% What type of water system does your home use? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Public water (Cape Fear Public Utility Authority) 286 91.5% 208 71.7% 494 82.8% Private water (such as Aqua or another provider) 1 0.2% 23 7.5% 24 3.4% Well water 6 2.5% 58 18.9% 64 9.7% Not sure 14 5.8% 11 1.9% 25 4.1% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 114 What type of sewer system does your home use? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Public sewer (Cape Fear Public Utility Authority) 290 92.5% 226 76.9% 516 85.6% Private sewer system, such as a septic system 5 1.1% 65 21.5% 70 10.1% Not sure 12 6.4% 9 1.6% 21 4.3% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% What is your current employment status? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Employed 149 66.1% 139 63.3% 288 64.9% Employed part time 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% Unemployed or looking for work 5 2.4% 15 5.8% 20 3.9% Stay-at-home parent or homemaker 4 1.4% 4 1.0% 8 1.2% Retired 131 25.7% 121 24.6% 252 25.2% Full-time student 1 0.3% 0 0.0% 1 0.2% Other 14 3.8% 17 4.6% 31 4.1% Prefer not to answer 3 0.3% 4 0.7% 7 0.5% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Do you work in New Hanover County? (Asked of those who are employed) Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Yes 142 82.1% 136 77.5% 278 80.1% No 24 14.2% 18 22.5% 42 17.8% Prefer not to answer 1 3.7% 0 0.0% 1 2.1% Total 167 100.0% 154 100.0% 321 100.0% Are you employed full time or part time? (Asked of those who are employed) Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Employed full time 136 59.4% 135 64.9% 271 61.8% Employed part time 31 13.0% 19 5.6% 50 9.8% Don’t know 91 19.3% 82 18.1% 173 18.8% Prefer not to answer 37 8.2% 46 11.4% 83 9.6% Total 295 100.0% 282 100% 577 100.0% New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 115 Do you live in New Hanover County full-time, that is, more than half of the year? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Yes 302 98.3% 295 99.2% 597 98.7% No 1 0.3% 1 0.3% 2 0.3% Prefer not to say 4 1.4% 4 0.5% 8 1.0% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Last year – that is in 2024 – what was your total family income from all sources, before taxes? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Less than $20,000 9 4.8% 7 2.1% 16 3.6% 20 to under $35,000 12 5.2% 13 4.0% 25 4.7% 35 to under $50,000 18 6.4% 13 2.8% 31 4.8% 50 to under $70,000 30 13.0% 24 7.1% 54 10.4% 70 to under $100,000 54 14.6% 41 15.3% 95 14.9% 100 to under $150,000 47 16.4% 55 20.0% 102 18.0% $150,000 or more 67 18.6% 62 20.1% 129 19.3% Don’t know 15 4.2% 27 16.3% 42 9.5% Refused 55 16.8% 58 12.4% 113 14.9% Total 307 100.0% 300 100.0% 607 100.0% Are you of Hispanic or Spanish origin? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Yes 8 4.1% 16 12.8% 24 7.9% No 299 95.9% 284 87.2% 583 92.1% Don’t know 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% Refused 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% Total 307 100.0% 300 100.0% 607 100.0% Are you white, black, Asian, or of some other racial background? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Meanw White 83.56 81.83 82.80 Black, African-American 9.97 15.50 12.40 Asian 1.07 0.28 0.72 Other or mixed race 4.30 6.08 5.08 Don’t know 0.26 0.45 0.34 Refused 1.83 2.89 2.30 Total 307 300 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 116 Table #. What is your gender? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Male 158 47.0% 148 46.7% 306 46.9% Female 145 51.7% 149 52.9% 294 52.2% Transgender: Female to Male 1 0.2% 0 0.0% 1 0.1% Transgender: Male to Female 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% Intersex 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% Non-binary 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% Refused 3 1.2% 3 0.5% 6 0.9% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% What is the highest level of school you have completed or the highest degree you have received? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Less than high school (Grades 1-8 or no formal schooling) 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% High school incomplete (Grades 9-11 or Grade 12 with NO diploma) 1 0.3% 4 1.1% 5 0.7% High school graduate (Grade 12 with diploma or GED certificate) 30 8.4% 23 7.8% 53 8.2% Some college, no degree (includes some community college) 34 10.4% 58 25.9% 92 17.2% Associate degree from a college or university 36 13.1% 37 14.1% 73 13.6% Bachelor’s degree (e g , BS, BA, AB) 115 44.6% 97 28.8% 212 37.7% Some postgraduate or professional schooling, no postgraduate degree 8 1.7% 5 1.0% 13 1.4% Postgraduate or professional degree, including master’s, doctorate, medical or law degree (e.g., MA, MS, PhD, MD, JD) 75 19.2% 65 18.7% 140 19.0% Don’t know 7 1.1% 6 1.4% 13 1.2% Refused 1 1.2% 5 1.1% 6 1.1% Total 307 100.0% 300 100.0% 607 100.0% New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 117 How would you describe your current relationship status? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Never married 42 23.0% 32 17.8% 74 20.7% Married 182 57.0% 184 51.7% 366 54.7% Separated 2 0.6% 3 1.5% 5 1.0% Divorced 21 4.8% 24 7.3% 45 5.9% Widowed 23 5.4% 20 4.0% 43 4.8% Other 28 7.7% 27 15.8% 55 11.3% Prefer not to answer 9 1.4% 10 1.8% 19 1.6% Total 307 100.0% 300 100.0% 607 100.0% Are you a New Hanover County native or did you move here? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew New Hanover County native 45 14.7% 54 20.3% 99 17.6% Moved here from somewhere else 259 84.4% 239 78.5% 498 81.7% Prefer not to say 3 1.0% 7 1.2% 10 0.7% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% What do you call the community, neighborhood, or area where you live? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Mayfaire 5 4.9% 0 0.0% 5 2.8% Porters Neck 1 0.3% 21 4.4% 22 2.1% Sunset Park 7 2.9% 0 0.0% 7 1.6% Bayshore 0 0.0% 10 2.8% 10 1.2% Middle Sound 0 0.0% 10 2.1% 10 0.9% River Heights 4 1.0% 3 0.6% 7 0.8% UNCW (University of North Carolina Wilmington) 5 3.9% 0 0.0% 5 2.2% Beau Rivage 0 0.0% 2 0.5% 2 0.2% Monkey Junction 4 1.3% 23 9.6% 27 4.9% Rockhill 1 0.1% 0 0.0% 1 0.1% Veterans Park 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% Carolina Beach 23 6.4% 1 0.6% 24 3.8% Murrayville 1 0.8% 8 2.6% 9 1.6% Scotts Hill 0 0.0% 4 1.9% 4 0.8% Wrightsboro 0 0.0% 6 0.9% 6 0.4% Castle Hayne 0 0.0% 16 7.6% 16 3.3% Myrtle Grove 0 0.0% 8 3.0% 8 1.3% Seabreeze 0 0.0% 5 1.1% 5 0.5% New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 118 Wrightsville Beach 4 0.6% 1 0.2% 5 0.4% City of Wilmington 40 13.9% 6 2.1% 46 8.8% North Side 2 0.3% 0 0.0% 2 0.2% Silver Lake 1 0.3% 3 0.5% 4 0.4% Greenview Ranches 1 0.1% 0 0.0% 1 0.1% Northchase 0 0.0% 3 1.5% 3 0.7% Skippers Corner 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% Hightsville 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% Ogden 1 0.2% 20 6.0% 21 2.7% Snows Cut 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% Kure Beach 4 0.8% 0 0.0% 4 0.4% Outside of New Hanover County 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% South Side 1 0.3% 1 0.3% 2 0.3% Masonboro 9 2.4% 3 0.8% 12 1.7% Pine Valley 11 3.1% 2 0.5% 13 2.0% Spring Arbor / Kings Grant 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% Other 165 51.8% 112 43.1% 277 48.0% Prefer not to say 17 4.8% 30 6.9% 47 5.7% Total 307 100.0% 300 100.0% 607 100.0% Environment How important is it for the County to devote resources to…?, Environmental, Means Incorporated Unincorporated Total Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 4.639 4.683 4.659 Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water 4.831 4.863 4.845 Protecting and supporting native plants and trees 4.417 4.452 4.433 Total 307 300 607 New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 119 How important is it for the County to devote resources to…?, Environmental, Counts and Percentages Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all important 1 0.3% 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 2 5 4.1% 5 1.7% 10 2.9% 3 14 3.4% 21 7.0% 35 4.4% 4 47 16.1% 42 14.0% 89 16.5% 5 – Very important 239 75.6% 229 76.3% 468 75.6% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 1 0.4% 3 1.0% 4 0.4% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all important 1 0.3% 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 2 1 0.2% 2 0.4% 3 0.2% 3 7 4.3% 9 2.7% 16 3.6% 4 24 7.1% 27 7.4% 51 7.2% 5 – Very important 272 87.6% 261 89.4% 533 88.4% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 2 0.5% 1 0.2% 3 0.3% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Protecting and supporting native plants and trees Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all important 1 0.3% 3 0.5% 4 0.4% 2 6 1.5% 11 2.5% 17 1.9% 3 37 13.1% 38 9.4% 75 11.5% 4 82 26.8% 57 27.0% 139 26.9% 5 – Very important 180 57.9% 187 59.9% 367 58.8% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 1 0.4% 4 0.6% 5 0.5% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% How satisfied are you with the County services…?, Environmental, Means Incorporated Unincorporated Total Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes 3.091 2.872 2.995 New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 120 Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water 3.021 2.965 2.996 Protecting and supporting native plants and trees 3.426 3.228 3.339 Total 307 607 How satisfied are you with the County services…?, Environmental, Counts and Percentages Preserving and protecting open space and sensitive environmental areas, including wetlands and marshes Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 63 18.2% 84 21.4% 147 19.6% 2 55 16.8% 67 23.9% 122 19.9% 3 91 29.1% 76 24.0% 167 26.9% 4 52 18.7% 34 11.1% 86 15.4% 5 – Very satisfied 22 7.8% 23 15.8% 45 11.3% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 24 9.4% 16 3.8% 40 6.9% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Protecting environmental quality in the County, such as the quality of air and water Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 50 16.0% 64 19.3% 114 17.4% 2 56 20.1% 56 22.1% 112 21.0% 3 98 33.3% 93 24.9% 191 29.6% 4 55 15.3% 45 13.5% 100 14.5% 5 – Very satisfied 28 7.0% 26 17.0% 54 11.4% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 20 8.3% 16 3.2% 36 6.1% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Protecting and supporting native plants and trees Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 36 10.5% 51 12.6% 87 11.4% 2 49 16.8% 62 19.6% 111 18.1% 3 92 25.2% 89 32.8% 181 28.5% 4 68 28.2% 34 10.2% 102 20.3% 5 – Very satisfied 25 5.6% 26 16.7% 51 10.5% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 37 13.7% 38 8.0% 75 11.2% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 121 Housing How important is it for the County to devote resources to…?, Housing, Means Incorporated Unincorporated Total Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence 3.204 3.118 3.166 Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers 4.162 4.002 4.092 Total 307 300 607 How important is it for the County to devote resources to…?, Environmental, Counts and Percentages Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all important 78 24.4% 85 22.8% 163 23.7% 2 32 9.3% 40 10.4% 72 9.8% 3 59 18.5% 67 24.6% 126 21.2% 4 53 20.7% 48 17.6% 101 19.3% 5 – Very important 72 23.8% 53 23.4% 125 23.6% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 13 3.4% 7 1.2% 20 2.4% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all important 20 5.7% 27 6.7% 47 6.1% 2 14 5.8% 28 6.6% 42 6.2% 3 57 13.4% 63 16.1% 120 14.6% 4 57 17.2% 51 21.2% 108 19.0% 5 – Very important 157 57.2% 129 49.0% 286 53.6% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 2 0.6% 2 0.3% 4 0.5% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 122 How satisfied are you with the County initiatives…?, Housing, Means Incorporated Unincorporated Total Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence 2.955 2.733 2.858 Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers 2.725 2.489 2.636 Total 307 300 607 How satisfied are you with the County initiatives…?, Environmental, Counts and Percentages Supporting development of a variety of housing types near your current residence Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 63 17.9% 81 28.2% 144 22.4% 2 61 21.6% 58 17.1% 119 19.6% 3 89 30.5% 79 24.7% 168 28.0% 4 45 14.4% 40 17.8% 85 16.1% 5 – Very satisfied 31 7.7% 20 7.3% 51 7.5% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 18 7.6% 22 4.8% 40 6.4% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Supporting the development of housing that is attainable and accessible to low to middle-income residents and workers Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 70 21.3% 74 27.9% 144 24.2% 2 74 30.4% 82 31.7% 156 31.0% 3 83 23.3% 73 21.0% 156 22.3% 4 38 10.2% 24 6.8% 62 8.7% 5 – Very satisfied 23 6.1% 29 8.6% 52 7.2% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 19 8.6% 18 4.0% 37 6.6% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% On a scale from 1 – 5, how satisfied are you with current…., Counts and Percentages Housing availability Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 48 18.7% 60 20.8% 108 19.6% 2 57 20.9% 46 24.9% 103 22.6% 3 66 27.1% 71 24.1% 137 25.8% New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 123 4 46 11.2% 35 13.9% 81 12.4% 5 – Very satisfied 42 12.8% 36 9.2% 48 11.2% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 21 9.3% 27 7.1% 48 8.4% Total 280 100% 275 100% 555 100% Housing development Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 83 25.4% 100 30.1% 183 26.9% 2 55 18.8% 56 22.3% 111 20.3% 3 74 32.5% 64 30.7% 138 31.7% 4 34 11.0% 27 9.7% 61 10.4% 5 – Very satisfied 23 6.9% 18 4.5% 41 5.9% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 11 6.4% 10 2.7% 21 4.8% Total 280 100% 275 100% 555 100% Housing attainability, Counts and Percentages Considering all of these factors that can affect attainability, do you feel there is enough housing that is attainable to all local residents? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Yes 82 25.5% 106 25.9% 188 25.7% No 220 73.2% 181 71.0% 401 72.2% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 5 1.3% 13 3.1% 18 2.1% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Again, considering the same factors, do you feel there is enough housing that is attainable to local low and middle-income residents and workers? Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Yes 56 15.0% 68 16.3% 124 15.6% No 241 79.8% 209 79.0% 450 79.5% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 10 5.2% 23 4.7% 33 5.0% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Factors when choosing current home, Means Incorporated Unincorporated Total Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Price 78.0% 85.5% 81.3% Neighborhood amenities (playground) 36.8% 45.9% 40.8% School district 31.5% 47.0% 38.3% New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 124 Proximity to parks, greenways, or other open spaces 61.1% 50.9% 56.6% Proximity to interstates or primary arterial roads 28.8% 40.3% 33.8% Ability to walk or bike to goods and services 47.6% 27.6% 38.8% Safety 65.4% 79.4% 71.5% Don't know 2.8% 1.9% 2.4% Other 17.7% 20.6% 19.0% Home style or architecture 46.2% 55.3% 50.2% Total 307 300 607 Factors when choosing future home, Means Incorporated Unincorporated Total Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Meanw Countu Housing type 58.6% 65.9% 61.8% Ability to travel without a car 35.7% 35.7% 35.7% Close proximity to retail, office, or other commercial spaces 41.2% 45.9% 43.3% Street connectivity to amenities such as open space, pools, or playgrounds 50.9% 44.8% 48.2% Plenty of space to park personal vehicles 62.3% 71.2% 66.2% Landscaping 46.5% 44.2% 45.5% Neighborhood architecture or style 45.7% 49.7% 47.4% Don't know 4.1% 1.7% 3.0% Other 37.2% 26.0% 32.3% Total 307 300 607 How satisfied are you with the amount of….?, Land use – Housing, Counts and Percentages Single-family homes Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 44 12.5% 43 11.8% 87 12.2% 2 51 18.4% 39 25.8% 90 21.7% 3 68 25.8% 60 17.7% 128 22.3% 4 45 14.0% 61 19.2% 106 16.3% 5 – Very satisfied 85 22.0% 88 23.3% 173 22.5% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 14 7.3% 9 2.2% 23 5.1% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 125 Low rises Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 33 9.5% 39 9.3% 72 9.4% 2 45 15.9% 51 21.7% 96 18.5% 3 87 27.0% 89 31.8% 176 29.1% 4 60 22.0% 39 12.8% 99 18.0% 5 – Very satisfied 65 17.7% 66 19.7% 131 18.6% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 17 7.9% 16 4.6% 33 6.5% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Larger apartment of condominium units Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 60 16.4% 80 19.8% 140 17.9% 2 42 12.0% 41 14.7% 83 13.2% 3 70 22.1% 75 33.2% 145 26.9% 4 43 22.3% 21 7.3% 64 15.7% 5 – Very satisfied 75 19.4% 70 22.5% 145 20.8% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 17 7.9% 13 2.5% 30 5.5% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Townhomes Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 28 7.7% 38 8.6% 66 8.1% 2 59 20.3% 57 22.0% 116 21.1% 3 87 28.8% 84 31.0% 171 29.8% 4 51 16.6% 40 14.6% 91 15.7% 5 – Very satisfied 61 17.2% 54 17.0% 115 17.1% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 21 9.4% 27 6.8% 48 8.2% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Duplexes Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 31 9.5% 44 13.4% 75 11.2% 2 65 22.8% 60 20.4% 125 21.7% 3 89 25.7% 81 30.8% 170 27.9% 4 43 18.5% 35 12.3% 78 15.8% 5 – Very satisfied 49 12.3% 48 15.1% 97 13.5% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 30 11.2% 32 8.1% 62 9.9% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 126 Accessory Dwelling Units Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 53 16.7% 53 14.6% 106 15.8% 2 41 12.3% 44 17.4% 85 14.5% 3 72 23.9% 66 23.3% 138 23.6% 4 34 13.5% 19 12.2% 53 12.9% 5 – Very satisfied 42 10.8% 48 12.9% 90 11.7% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 65 22.9% 70 19.7% 135 21.5% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% How satisfied are you with the amount of….?, Land use – Commercial, Counts and Percentages Office buildings Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 27 8.0% 43 11.2% 70 9.4% 2 44 14.9% 34 13.4% 78 14.2% 3 90 23.7% 59 17.8% 149 21.1% 4 49 20.2% 60 26.6% 109 23.0% 5 – Very satisfied 78 21.1% 86 26.9% 164 23.7% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 19 12.1% 18 4.1% 37 8.6% Total 307 8.0% 300 100% 607 100% Shopping areas Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 17 7.7% 26 10.4% 43 8.9% 2 51 18.1% 39 14.3% 90 16.4% 3 58 15.0% 52 15.8% 110 15.4% 4 62 23.4% 68 20.8% 130 22.3% 5 – Very satisfied 115 34.7% 111 37.8% 226 36.1% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 4 1.1% 4 0.9% 8 1.0% Total 307 % 300 100% 607 100% Factories or industrial facilities Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all satisfied 48 13.6% 50 11.4% 98 12.6% 2 51 14.2% 51 19.3% 102 16.5% 3 64 19.7% 63 18.1% 127 19.0% 4 42 14.6% 48 23.9% 90 18.7% 5 – Very satisfied 71 25.7% 68 21.7% 139 23.9% New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 127 Don’t know/Prefer not to say 31 12.2% 20 5.6% 51 9.3% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Development and Infrastructure How important is it for the County to devote resources to…?, Development and Infrastructure, Counts and Percentages Managing where different types of new development occur Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all important 22 6.7% 17 4.1% 39 5.5% 2 11 3.7% 15 5.3% 26 4.4% 3 34 15.2% 33 10.4% 67 13.1% 4 57 19.9% 52 24.0% 109 21.7% 5 – Very important 178 53.6% 178 55.2% 356 54.3% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 5 0.9% 5 1.0% 10 1.0% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Supporting improvements to aging developments Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all important 8 2.3% 20 4.6% 28 3.3% 2 16 7.9% 13 3.2% 29 5.9% 3 63 18.4% 64 20.8% 127 19.5% 4 73 24.2% 60 21.8% 133 23.2% 5 – Very important 141 46.1% 138 48.6% 279 47.2% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 6 1.0% 5 1.0% 11 1.0% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all important 6 2.0% 5 1.1% 11 1.6% 2 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% 3 9 3.8% 10 1.9% 19 2.9% 4 20 5.2% 19 6.0% 39 5.6% 5 – Very important 270 88.5% 262 90.3% 532 89.3% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 2 0.5% 3 0.5% 5 0.5% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 128 Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all important 3 0.8% 8 2.3% 11 1.4% 2 1 0.2% 5 1.0% 6 0.5% 3 18 5.1% 15 3.6% 33 4.5% 4 39 19.2% 43 16.1% 82 17.9% 5 – Very important 242 73.3% 227 76.4% 469 74.7% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 4 1.4% 2 0.5% 6 1.0% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all important 9 3.5% 17 4.1% 26 3.8% 2 9 2.4% 15 2.9% 24 2.6% 3 40 10.0% 47 19.7% 87 14.3% 4 87 28.6% 65 17.3% 152 23.7% 5 – Very important 162 55.4% 154 55.7% 316 55.5% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 0 0.0% 2 0.3% 2 0.1% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% How satisfied are you with the County services…?, Development and Infrastructure, Counts and Percentages Managing where different types of new development occur Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all important 75 21.5% 90 26.3% 165 23.6% 2 74 22.7% 70 21.7% 144 22.3% 3 85 31.4% 81 25.0% 166 28.6% 4 36 12.7% 30 19.9% 66 15.9% 5 – Very important 20 5.0% 19 5.5% 39 5.2% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 17 6.7% 10 1.6% 27 4.4% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Supporting improvements to aging developments Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all important 27 11.7% 36 11.3% 63 11.5% 2 54 14.9% 60 14.7% 114 14.8% 3 121 40.6% 103 35.2% 224 38.2% 4 44 13.6% 39 23.4% 83 17.9% 5 – Very important 30 8.4% 27 8.2% 57 8.3% New Hanover County Residential Survey Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University 129 Don’t know/Prefer not to say 31 10.7% 35 7.3% 66 9.2% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Providing potable or drinking water connections to residential areas Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all important 31 11.5% 41 12.2% 72 11.8% 2 32 7.8% 39 13.3% 71 10.2% 3 76 32.8% 79 28.5% 155 30.9% 4 71 21.7% 66 17.7% 137 20.0% 5 – Very important 69 17.0% 59 25.2% 128 20.6% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 28 9.2% 16 3.2% 44 6.5% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Supporting efforts to improve sewage systems in residential areas Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all important 22 7.3% 27 6.5% 49 6.9% 2 32 9.0% 41 11.8% 73 10.2% 3 98 34.4% 101 36.3% 199 35.2% 4 65 20.1% 55 25.6% 120 22.5% 5 – Very important 59 18.1% 47 12.7% 106 15.7% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 31 11.2% 29 7.1% 60 9.4% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% Supporting bicycle and pedestrian amenities, such as sidewalks and bike paths Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew 1 – Not at all important 40 19.4% 56 19.0% 96 19.2% 2 47 18.4% 60 19.4% 107 18.8% 3 87 26.2% 74 22.9% 161 24.8% 4 78 21.0% 62 25.7% 140 23.0% 5 – Very important 50 13.5% 39 11.4% 89 12.6% Don’t know/Prefer not to say 5 1.5% 9 1.6% 14 1.6% Total 307 100% 300 100% 607 100% New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 130 Appendix 4. Open-End Answers Demographics What is your current employment status?, Other Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew BUSINESS OWNER 1 0.3% 0 0.0% 1 0.2% caregiver for a family member 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% DIABLED 2 0.5% 0 0.0% 2 0.3% Disabled 1 0.3% 0 0.0% 1 0.2% DISABLED 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% disablity 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% disgruntALED 0 0.0% 1 0.3% 1 0.1% DON\'T KNOW 0 0.0% 1 0.1% 1 0.0% Not employed 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% part time 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% Part time student 0 0.0% 1 0.3% 1 0.1% self employed 0 0.0% 1 0.4% 1 0.2% Self employed 1 0.4% 2 1.2% 3 0.8% SELF EMPLOYED 5 1.3% 2 0.5% 7 0.9% self-employed 1 0.1% 2 0.4% 3 0.2% Self-employed 2 0.6% 1 0.2% 3 0.4% self-employed real estate 1 0.3% 0 0.0% 1 0.2% Unemployed 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% Are you white, black, Asian, or of some other racial background?, Other Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Black and white 1 0.1% 0 0.0% 1 0.0% BROWN 0 0.0% 1 0.3% 1 0.1% Danish 1 0.2% 0 0.0% 1 0.1% GRREK AMERICAN 1 0.3% 0 0.0% 1 0.1% hispanic 1 0.5% 0 0.0% 1 0.3% Hispanic 0 0.0% 1 0.3% 1 0.1% Indian 0 0.0% 1 0.1% 1 0.0% Indigenous 1 0.2% 0 0.0% 1 0.1% Irish 1 0.3% 0 0.0% 1 0.2% Italian 0 0.0% 1 1.2% 1 0.5% LUMBE TRIBE 0 0.0% 1 1.6% 1 0.7% Mexican 1 0.6% 0 0.0% 1 0.4% mixed 0 0.0% 1 0.4% 1 0.2% mixed race 1 0.1% 0 0.0% 1 0.0% Nativ american 1 0.2% 0 0.0% 1 0.1% native american 1 0.3% 0 0.0% 1 0.2% Native American 1 0.3% 1 0.2% 2 0.3% New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 131 NATIVE AMERICAN 1 0.3% 1 0.1% 2 0.2% other 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% Pacific islander 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% Philipino 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% SOME OTHER 2 0.5% 0 0.0% 2 0.3% SPANISH 0 0.0% 1 1.2% 1 0.5% UKRANIAN 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% What is your current relationship status?, Other Incorporated Unincorporated Total Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew Countu Percentagew COMMITTED 0 0.0% 1 0.5% 1 0.2% Don\'t Know 0 0.0% 1 0.1% 1 0.0% Engagaed 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% ENGAGED 1 0.7% 0 0.0% 1 0.4% ESTRANGED 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% HAPPILY SINGLE 1 0.3% 0 0.0% 1 0.2% in a relationship 0 0.0% 2 1.0% 2 0.5% LIVE ON MY OWN 1 0.1% 0 0.0% 1 0.1% LIVE WITH A PARTNER 2 0.5% 0 0.0% 2 0.3% Long term partner 1 0.3% 1 0.2% 2 0.3% NOT SINGLE BUT IN A RELATIONSHIP 1 0.3% 0 0.0% 1 0.2% OTHER 1 0.3% 0 0.0% 1 0.2% Partner 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% PARTNER 0 0.0% 1 0.2% 1 0.1% RELATIONS LONG 0 0.0% 1 1.6% 1 0.7% relationship 0 0.0% 1 0.3% 1 0.1% Simgle 0 0.0% 1 0.3% 1 0.1% single 11 2.3% 9 9.8% 20 5.6% Single 1 0.2% 3 0.5% 4 0.3% SINGLE 7 2.6% 2 0.6% 9 1.7% SOON TO BE MARRIED 1 0.2% 0 0.0% 1 0.1% What do you call the community, neighborhood, or area where you live? Theme Incorporated Unincorporated Total ;andfall 1 0 1 AIRLY 1 0 1 ALAMOSA PLACE 0 1 1 Andrew\'s Reach 1 0 1 arrow head 0 1 1 ASHLEY PARK 0 1 1 Autum hall 1 0 1 AUTUMN HALL 1 0 1 BELLA PORT 0 1 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 132 BETWEEN BEAU RIVAGE AND CARALINABEACH 0 1 1 between porters neck and agden 0 1 1 bishop park 0 1 1 Breezewood 1 0 1 Brewster place 0 1 1 Briarwood 0 1 1 Brookside Gardens 0 2 2 BY THE POINT 1 0 1 CAPE HARBOUR APARTMENTS 0 1 1 Capeside Village 0 1 1 CAROLINA HEIGHTS 1 0 1 carolina place adjacent 1 0 1 CARRIAGE HILL 1 0 1 CASTLE HAYNE 0 1 1 CEDAR RIDGE 1 0 1 CENTURY OAKS 0 1 1 chestnut heights 1 0 1 Churchill estates 0 1 1 city 1 0 1 Clear brook 1 0 1 CLEARWATER PRESERVE 0 1 1 Cold court 0 1 1 college acres 1 0 1 COLLEGE ACRES 1 0 1 college park 1 0 1 COLLEGES AT HIGH GLENN 1 0 1 COUNTY 1 0 1 covington sub division 0 1 1 crestwood 0 1 1 Crestwood 0 1 1 curry beach 1 0 1 CURRY BEACH 1 0 1 CURRY BEACH VILLAGES 1 0 1 CYPRUS POND 0 1 1 Davis 1 0 1 Del Webb cobb 1 0 1 DOESN\'T KNOW 1 1 2 Dolphine bay 0 1 1 don\'t know 0 1 1 DON\'T KNOW 1 1 2 downtown 2 0 2 Downtown 3 0 3 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 133 DOWNTOWN 1 0 1 Downtown Near the Cargo District 1 0 1 Downtown Wilmington 1 0 1 Drive Pond 1 0 1 dry pond downtown 1 0 1 eagle creek 1 0 1 East wind 1 0 1 Eastwood Village 1 0 1 EASTWOOD VILLAGE 1 0 1 Echo east 1 0 1 Echo Farms 3 1 4 FAIRFIELD PARK 1 0 1 Flemington Horseshoe 0 1 1 FOREST COVE 1 0 1 FOREST HILL 2 0 2 Forest Hills 2 0 2 FOREST HILLS 2 0 2 FOREST PARK 1 0 1 GARLING HEIGHTS 0 1 1 georgetown 0 1 1 GLEN FALL 1 0 1 Glen mead 1 0 1 GLEN MEAD 1 0 1 Gorman plantation 0 1 1 Green Acres 1 0 1 Green Meadows 1 0 1 GREENFIELD LAKE 1 0 1 Greenville sound 1 0 1 hallside 1 0 1 Hanover Lake 0 1 1 Harbor Station 1 0 1 He doesn\'t know 1 0 1 Heritage Woods 0 1 1 Hickory Knoll 0 1 1 HIDDEN POINT ON THE LAKE 0 1 1 HIGHLAND HILLS 2 0 2 HISTORIC DISTRANT 1 0 1 historic Wilmington 1 0 1 HOLLY DOWNS 1 0 1 Holly Glen 1 0 1 HOLLYGLAND 1 0 1 INDIAN COVE 0 1 1 Inland greens 1 0 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 134 inlet point harbor 0 1 1 Island Creek 0 1 1 KATE LANDING 0 1 1 KENSINGTON PLACE 1 0 1 Keys at 17 th street 1 0 1 King\'s Grant 0 1 1 KING\'S GRANT SUB 0 1 1 Kings grant 0 1 1 KINGS GRANT 0 1 1 Kirkwood 0 1 1 kure beach 1 0 1 LA\\\\NDFALL 1 0 1 lacumber terrace 1 0 1 LAKE RIDGE COMMONS 1 0 1 Lakeside village 1 0 1 LAND FALL 1 0 1 landfall 1 0 1 Landfall 2 0 2 LANDFALL 3 0 3 Landing at Lewis 0 1 1 LANDS DOWN SOUTH 0 1 1 LANDS END 1 0 1 Landsdowne 1 0 1 Landstown Estates 1 0 1 LANEY 0 1 1 LANSDONE 1 0 1 LAURENS BRIDGE 0 1 1 Leland 0 1 1 Lonely fields 1 0 1 LONG LEAF ACRES 1 0 1 LONG LEAF HILLS 2 0 2 LONG LEAF PARK 1 0 1 LONG LIEF ARCES 1 0 1 LORD\'S CREEK 0 1 1 Lovegrove 1 0 1 MAGNOLIA 1 0 1 Magnolia Trace 1 0 1 Marquis Hills 0 1 1 Marsh oaks 0 1 1 MARSH OAKS 0 1 1 MASONBOROGH LOOP 1 0 1 Meridian, north of Monkey Junction 1 0 1 MID TOWNE 1 0 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 135 Midtown 3 0 3 MIDTOWN 2 0 2 MIDTOWN CAMPUS 1 0 1 MILBROOK 1 0 1 MILLBROOK 1 0 1 Monkey Junction 0 1 1 MONTEREY HEIGHTS 0 1 1 Monterray Heights 0 1 1 Mott\'s Village 0 1 1 MOTTS 0 1 1 MOTTS VILLAGE 0 2 2 Myrtle Garden 0 1 1 NO IDEA 0 1 1 None 0 1 1 NORTH BEND 0 1 1 NOT SURE 1 0 1 Ocean Forest Lake 0 1 1 off market street near bayshore 0 1 1 OLD CAPE COD 0 1 1 old mill 0 1 1 Oleander estate 1 0 1 oleander estates 1 0 1 OXFORD PLACE 1 0 1 PARKWOOD 0 1 1 pine Grove community 1 0 1 Pine valley 1 0 1 Plantation Landing 0 1 1 plantion landing 0 1 1 Pleasure island 1 0 1 POINT SUMMERSET 1 0 1 PONDS ALLEY 1 0 1 PORTERNECK 0 1 1 Potomac woods 0 1 1 Princess Place 1 0 1 Quail Woods 0 1 1 QUAILWOODS 0 1 1 Quill Woods 0 1 1 riceborough 0 1 1 River Bluff 0 2 2 river bluffs 0 1 1 River bluffs 0 1 1 RIVER BLUFFS 0 1 1 River Lights 2 0 2 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 136 RIVER LIGHTS 1 0 1 RIVER OAKES 1 0 1 River oaks 0 1 1 River Oaks 0 1 1 RIVER OAKS 0 1 1 Riverlights 1 0 1 RIVERLIGHTS 1 0 1 Rivers edge 1 0 1 saint Andrew reserve 1 0 1 Sea Gate 0 1 1 Seagate 1 0 1 Settlers landing 1 0 1 SHARON HILLS 1 0 1 SHERWOOD FORREST 1 0 1 Shinwood 1 0 1 SHWARTZVILLE RD 0 1 1 SIDBURY STATION 0 1 1 south lollington, south side 1 0 1 SOUTH WILMINGTON 1 0 1 sterling place 1 0 1 STONETHROW 1 0 1 Stoney brook 0 1 1 Sunset Reach 0 1 1 SYCAMORE GROVE 0 1 1 TAMBRIDGE PARK 1 0 1 TANGLEWOOD 0 1 1 the bottom 1 0 1 the cape 0 2 2 The Cape 0 1 1 The Cape Subdivision 0 1 1 the gardens 0 1 1 THE MARSHES 1 0 1 THE POINTS OR SILVER LAKE 1 0 1 THE RESERVE AT FOREST HILLS 1 0 1 THE RESERVES FOREST HILL 1 0 1 THE WOODS AT HOLLY TREE 1 0 1 Timbercreek 0 1 1 UGLY TOWN BUT WE DON\'T CALL IT THAT ANYMORE 1 0 1 Uncw 1 0 1 UPPER REACH 1 0 1 village at Motts landing 0 1 1 village of Motts landidng 0 1 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 137 Village of Motts Landing 0 1 1 Village Terrace 1 0 1 Walnut Hills 0 1 1 WHALE WOODS 0 1 1 Whitney pines 1 0 1 Whitney Pines 0 1 1 WILLABY PARK 1 0 1 willimington 1 0 1 Willmington 1 0 1 WILLOUBY PARK 0 1 1 WILLOW PARK 1 0 1 WILLOW WOODS 1 0 1 Willowick 1 0 1 wilmingtom 1 0 1 wilmington 0 1 1 WILMINGTON 1 0 1 WILMINGTON COUNTY 0 1 1 WILMINTON 0 1 1 winsor estates 1 0 1 WINSWEPT 0 1 1 WISTERA 1 0 1 Woodberry Forest 1 0 1 WOODBURY 1 0 1 Woodbury Forest 1 0 1 WOODBURY FOREST 1 0 1 Woodlake 0 1 1 woodsedge 0 1 1 WOOLLAWN 1 0 1 Wrightsill beach 1 0 1 wristwood pine 1 0 1 Wyckfarm 0 1 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 138 Housing What were the most important factors for you when choosing your current home?, Other Theme Incorporated Unincorporated Total Beach 0 1 1 Nature 0 1 1 A BIGGER YARD FOR MY CHILD TO PLAY IN 0 1 1 a lot of trees 0 1 1 ABILITY TO LANDSCAPE HOW I WANT TO 1 0 1 ABLE TO WALK IN NEIGHBORHOOD 0 1 1 ACCESS TO THE BEACH 0 1 1 across beach 1 0 1 amount of traffic; need more traffic planning given the growth going on 1 0 1 AROUND THE CORNER FROM SON AND FAMILY 1 0 1 AVAILIBILITY 0 1 1 Avoiding flood zones, home insurance rates with proximity to water 0 1 1 Backyard space 0 1 1 beaches 2 0 2 beaches and space 0 1 1 BEING CLOSE TO THE WATER 0 1 1 Being near bars and restaurants 1 0 1 BIG LOT 1 0 1 BIKE TRAILS/FIRE AND POLICE DEPT./AMBULANCE/EMT 1 0 1 Boat ramp accessability 0 1 1 BUS SERVICE 0 1 1 cleanliness of common area; development maintenanc 0 1 1 climate 1 0 1 CLOSE TO BEACH 1 0 1 CLOSE TO GROCERY STORES AND GAS STATIONS 0 1 1 close to hospitals 1 0 1 CLOSE TO MEDICAL SERVICES, AIRPORTS AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES, AND BOATING FACILITIES 0 1 1 CLOSE TO OCEAN 1 0 1 CLOSE TO THE BEACH 0 1 1 CLOSE TO THE WATER 0 1 1 COST 0 1 1 diversity 0 1 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 139 DIVERSITY OF NEIGHBORHOOD 1 0 1 Dual service on water 0 1 1 emergency services 1 0 1 EXCELLENT HEALTH CARE 1 0 1 fAMILY CLOSENESS 1 0 1 FAMILY NEARBY 0 1 1 flooding 0 1 1 GATED COMMUNITY 1 0 1 GENERAL LOCATION IN THE COUNTY 0 1 1 golf course 1 0 1 green spaces; nature, tree 1 0 1 housing with jobs providing a sustainable income 0 1 1 I live in my parent's house, so I really chose it just cause it was available 1 0 1 I'M A SENIOR WHO LIVES IN A SENIOR COMMUNITY 1 0 1 INCOME DIVERSITY 1 0 1 Inherited 0 1 1 IT WAS AN OLDER STABLE ATTRACTIVE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH PLENTY OF SPACE AND NO HOA WITH A GREENWAY ANDNO NEAR A BUNCH OF DEVELOPMENT 1 0 1 landscaping 0 1 1 landscapitng 1 0 1 location 2 0 2 Location 2 3 5 LOCATION 4 1 5 Location (near water) 0 1 1 LOCATION BY A RIVER OR ON THE WATER 0 1 1 LOCATION FRIENDS NEIGHBORHOOD PRIOR 1 0 1 LOCATION/WHERE YOU SHOP 1 0 1 lot size 1 0 1 Lot Size 1 0 1 LOT SIZE 1 3 4 LOT SIZE AND TREES ON THE PROPERTY 0 1 1 LOTS OF WOODS FOR MY KIDS TO PLAY/WILDLIFE HAS NO PLACE TO GO/ROADS NEED TO BE TAKEN CARE OF 1 0 1 LOVED THE HOUSE I SAW 0 1 1 MAINTAIN ROADS 1 0 1 MAINTANCE FREE COMMUNITY 0 1 1 marriage to husband living here 1 0 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 140 MY DAUGHTER LIVES AROUND THE CORNER 0 1 1 NATURAL SPACES 1 0 1 NATURE 0 1 1 Near airports and enough space between homes 0 1 1 NEAR BEACH 1 0 1 NEAR MEDICAL CARE AND BEACHES 1 0 1 NEAR THE BEACH 0 1 1 NEIGHBORHOOD 1 1 2 neighborhood--other children in the area 0 1 1 NO CHEMICALS 1 0 1 NO HOA 1 0 1 NO HOA; PARKING 1 0 1 NO STAIRS 0 1 1 no taxes 0 1 1 NONCHARTED, HOA PROTECTED, CLOSE TO OCEAN, CLOSE TO BUSINESSES 0 1 1 NONE 0 1 1 Not in an incorporated 1 0 1 Parking 0 1 1 PEDESTRIAN SIDEWALKS/PUBLIC TRANSPORTATON 1 0 1 Population Density of the immediate area 0 1 1 population diversity 1 0 1 POTENTION FOR APPRECIATION. LONG TERM APPRECIATION 1 0 1 PROPERTY SIZE 1 0 1 PROX TO BEACH 1 0 1 proximity of first responders 0 1 1 proximity the water 1 0 1 PROXIMITY TO DRIVE WITHIN A RESONABLE DRIVE TO THINGS 0 1 1 proximity to family 0 1 1 Proximity to family 0 1 1 PROXIMITY TO MEDICAL 0 1 1 proximity to pharmacies, medical care 1 0 1 Proximity to town work and beach 0 1 1 PROXIMITY TO WILDLIFE/NOISE POLLUTION/SEEING GREEN 0 1 1 PUBLIC TRANSPORT 1 0 1 Quality of the building (apartment) 1 0 1 quiet location 0 1 1 Rural 0 1 1 Screened in porch, single story 0 1 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 141 Seclusion 1 0 1 SEE BELOW 0 1 1 Sidewalks 1 0 1 sidewalks would be nice 0 1 1 single story since I'm a senior citizen 1 0 1 SOCIAL SERVICES FOR AUTISM 0 1 1 Space 0 1 1 SPACE 1 2 3 space, trees, low traffic 0 1 1 Spacious area (house with some room around it rather than being cramped up with other houses) 1 0 1 spouse--that's where she wanted to live 1 0 1 STATE MAINTAINED ROAD 0 1 1 The kind of trailers and no HoA 1 0 1 the location of Middletown, the cultural blend 0 1 1 The possible cost of insurance 1 0 1 There wasn't a lot of traffic when I moved here and I was surrounded by forests it was so much better 1 0 1 To be close to family 0 1 1 TRAFFIC AND SPACE BETWEEN HOMES 0 1 1 Traffic in the area 1 0 1 TRANSIT 1 0 1 Tree coverage 1 0 1 Trying to find one 0 1 1 WAS OITSIDE OF CITY LIMOTS 0 1 1 Water Access 0 1 1 WATER VIEW OR ACCESS, NOT A FLOOD ZONE 1 0 1 WEATHER PROOF 0 1 1 wetlands are causing flooding in my area 0 1 1 ZONING ISSUES 1 0 1 In the future, what would be most important to you when buying a home for yourself?, Other Theme Incorporated Unincorporated Total A NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE ITS NOT OVER DEVELOPED AND THERE ARE PLENTY OF TREES 1 0 1 ABIILTY TO TRANSP 0 1 1 ABILITY OF STREETS TO PERMIT TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC 1 0 1 ability to get downtown 0 1 1 ABOUT DONE BUYING HOUSES 0 1 1 Access to medical facilities 0 1 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 142 Access to public transit 0 1 1 access to recreational water 0 1 1 accessibility safety 1 0 1 AFFORDABILITY 1 1 2 Affordability, I think they are building houses too close together and it just breeds violence 0 1 1 affordable; single level (handicapped accessibility; safetyt 1 0 1 Age of development (how new or old the buildings are) 0 1 1 Amount of noise pollution 0 1 1 AND MORE SPACE 1 0 1 ANOER MORE UNCRODWED KOCATEON 0 1 1 APT COMPLEX 0 1 1 AWAY FROM PEOPLE WITH MORE LAND 1 0 1 BETTER BUS TRANSP 0 1 1 Boat ramp near the river 0 1 1 Building so much so fast everywhere--where will they put the cars. Every square inch of land. Land behind me used to be woods; now it's a development 0 1 1 CITY WATER 0 1 1 close emergency services 1 0 1 CLOSE TO BEACH 0 1 1 CLOSE TO EMERGENCY SERVICES LIKE FIRE STATIONS 0 1 1 Close to family 0 2 2 Close to the water 1 0 1 CLOSE TO THE WATER 0 1 1 COMMUBITY W POOL N PARFK 0 1 1 concern about the wetlands/county commissioner doesn't care about it 0 1 1 CONGESTION 1 0 1 COST 0 1 1 Crime in the area 1 0 1 Density of people around my home 1 0 1 density of the housing, size o flot 0 1 1 DISTANCE AWAY FROM BUSY COMMERCIAL AREAS 0 1 1 DIVERSITY 1 0 1 Durability/Weather proofed housing 0 1 1 FAMILY BASED ACTIVIES 1 0 1 first responders, hospitals or urgent care 0 1 1 FLOODING IS AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED 0 1 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 143 GATED COMMUNITY 0 2 2 General care and up keep green spaces 1 0 1 GOOD RESTAURANTS 1 0 1 GOOD WATER 1 0 1 Gree wa 1 0 1 Hospital close by 1 0 1 House style or architecture 0 1 1 I WON'T BE BUYING ANOTHER HOME 0 1 1 I would really like to have a single family home with a yard that is affordable, and energy efficiency 1 0 1 INCOME DIVERSITY AND HOUSEHOLD TYPES 1 0 1 INTER GENERATIONAL HOSING FOR SENIORS AND CHILDREN 0 1 1 investment 1 0 1 LIBRARY/SENIOR CENTERS/EXERCISE OPTIONS 1 0 1 LIGHTING, CAMERAS, GAS ULITIES, CLEAN WATER 0 1 1 Like quiet 1 0 1 location 2 0 2 LOCATION 2 0 2 Location to downtown 1 0 1 LOCATION, YARD SIZE, TREES AROUND 0 1 1 loccatuion 1 0 1 lot size 0 1 1 Lot Size 1 0 1 LOT SIZE 0 1 1 Lots of land 0 1 1 LOTS OF TREES 1 0 1 MANY CHOICES OF TRANSPORTATION 1 0 1 MEDICAL OFFICES 1 0 1 more handicap homes 0 1 1 more space--bigger lot. Not people right up on you 0 1 1 MULTIPLE ACCESS POINTS 1 0 1 NEIGHBORHOOD 1 1 2 NEIGHBORHOOD, GETTING READY TO MOVE 0 1 1 NEIGHBORS 1 0 1 neihborhood 1 0 1 NO HOA 1 0 1 NON HOA NEIGHBORHOOD OR HOA THAT IS RUN LESS STRICT 0 1 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 144 none 2 1 3 NONE HOA 0 1 1 not an HOA; want availability to do native plantings 1 0 1 Not buying 1 1 2 NOT BUYING ANOTHER HOUSE 1 1 2 NOT MOVING 0 1 1 NOT TO PAY CITY TAXES OR HIGH AMOUNTS WE ARE CHARGED 1 0 1 OPEN SPACES 0 1 1 OUT IN COUNTRY 1 0 1 PEDESTRIAN SIDEWALKS/PUBLIC TRANSPORT 1 0 1 plans to move away from all of it at some point 1 0 1 PLENTY OF SPACE BETWEEN HOUSES 0 1 1 price 2 1 3 Price 2 1 3 PRICE 8 4 12 Price and interest rates 1 0 1 PRICE AND WON'T BE MOVING. 0 1 1 Price below 4000000 0 1 1 price location 1 0 1 price safety access to main roads 1 0 1 price, land, not too close to neighbors 0 1 1 PRICE, LOT SIZE 1 0 1 Privacy fence allowance, larger pet allowance of at least 3 pet, pet friendly parks 0 1 1 Property that comes with the home, space in between homes 0 1 1 PROX TO WORK 0 1 1 Proximity of school 1 0 1 PROXIMITY TO BEACHES 1 0 1 proximity to churches 1 0 1 Proximity to family 1 0 1 PROXIMITY TO FAMILY 1 0 1 proximity to hospitals and medical services 1 0 1 proximity to nature and Greenway and lot size 1 0 1 proximity to work, proximity to green space and amenitites 1 0 1 PROXIMKITY TO WORK 0 1 1 QUALITY OF WATER 0 1 1 Resell value 1 0 1 respectful community spirit--kids safe to play outside, streets with lower speed limits, safety, 0 1 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 145 creeks that are not polluted by raw sewage because of development & interstate safe neighborhood 1 0 1 safety 1 0 1 Safety 2 3 5 SAFETY 5 0 5 safety and price 0 1 1 SAFETY/SINGLE FAMILY HOMES/SPACE FOR VEHICLES THAT ARE NOT STREET SIDE PARKING 1 0 1 SAFTEY 1 0 1 SAFTY N PRICE 0 1 1 SCHOOL 1 0 1 School district 0 1 1 SCHOOL DISTRICT 0 2 2 SCHOOL DISTRICT AND SAFETY 1 0 1 school district, price 0 1 1 SCHOOL DISTRICT, PRICE, LOCATION 0 1 1 Schools (when we were younger) 1 0 1 Senior housing affordable 1 0 1 SEPERATE DINING ROOM AND SAFETY 0 1 1 she states she will not buy another home 1 0 1 SIDEWALKS CONNECTING THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO OUTSIDE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD 0 1 1 Size of the home, energy efficiency 1 0 1 Solitude 0 1 1 STREET WIDER 0 1 1 taxes 0 1 1 THEY LIVE IN PORTER NECK FOR RETIREES. 0 1 1 TO GET ON THE MAIN ROAD SAFELY 0 1 1 traffic planning 1 0 1 TRANSPORTATION 1 0 1 UNDERGROUND ELECTRIC 1 0 1 WALKABILITY 1 0 1 walkability & bikeability; tree cover & preservation of the old trees; shade (uncomfortable and perhaps unsafe to walk without shade) 1 0 1 walking within the neighborhood and sidewalks and price 0 1 1 Would rather move away to country 1 0 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 146 Development and Infrastructure What types of commercial development would you like to see more of?, Countsw, Other Theme Incorporated Unincorporated Total M AAOERDABLE HOUSUBFKE [ATHS WALKWAYS 0 1 1 No 0 1 1 'goods and services' 0 1 1 a new hospital including all new employees pre COVID 0 1 1 activities for families 0 1 1 activity centers 1 0 1 Activity places for the youth 0 1 1 AD]\FFORDAB LE HOUSING 0 1 1 Affordable development for small businesses, More tiny home type places or places for the elderly for low income seniors, a plot of land for homeless people to reside on with portapottys 1 0 1 affordable house 1 0 1 affordable housing 1 0 1 AFFORDABLE HOUSING LESS APT MORE HOMES 0 1 1 affordable housing open green space 0 1 1 affordable independent living units for older people 1 0 1 Affordable rental places 0 1 1 ANYTHING THAT WILL BRING IN JOBS 1 0 1 Apartments that's not 3000 a month 1 0 1 arts and intertannments 1 0 1 athletic facilities, fields 1 0 1 B=NO MOERE 1 0 1 bakery and grocery 0 1 1 BARS, NIGHT SPOTS 0 1 1 BETTER BIKE PaTGS 0 1 1 BIKE PATHS, WALKING AREA 0 1 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 147 BIKES N WALKWAYS OVERPASSES TRAFFIC CONTROL 0 1 1 BOUTIQUE RESTAURANTS AND RETAI; 1 0 1 BOWLING ALLEY, MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM 0 1 1 bowling alleys, skating rinks, hang out 0 1 1 BREWARY WITH OUTSIDE SEATING 0 1 1 BRING GOOD PAYING JOBS TO OUR AREAS 0 1 1 BRING MALL COME BACK TO LIFE 0 1 1 bringing higher paying jobs to the area 0 1 1 businesses near Wilmington Airport 0 1 1 BUSINESSES THAT BRING JOBS 1 0 1 CHEESECAKE FACTIRY OR PF CHANG OR BIG CHAIN RESATAURANTS 1 0 1 Child care, camps, day care 0 1 1 Children activities 1 0 1 CLEAN ENERGY 1 0 1 clothing stores with a variety of clothes for different cultures that's affordabe & good quality; gathering spaces for get togethers (indoors & outdoors); so people feel valuable; playgrounds where parents & neighbors can see kids playing and ensure kids 1 0 1 Corporations for more job growth 1 0 1 culture activities, parks 0 1 1 DEVEOPNENT FOR OLD AND YOUNG THAT WON'T HURT THE ENVIROMENT DON'T CUT DOWN TREES FOR A BOX STORE THAT WILL GO OUT OF BUSINESS IN A YEAR 0 1 1 different commercial everything is the same, more independent business 0 1 1 diversifaction of industry 0 1 1 Economic opportunities 1 0 1 Enternment 0 1 1 entertainment 1 0 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 148 ENTERTAINMENT 1 0 1 Entertainment areas. Golf and sports 1 0 1 ENTERTAINMENT FOR FAMILY 1 0 1 entertainment, stadium 1 0 1 Environmental businesses 0 1 1 Ethnic Restaurants 1 0 1 Everyday use retail 0 1 1 Factories 0 1 1 FACTORIES 1 0 1 factories & actual business; recreational access; clean water (Salt Water Creek is very polluted) 0 1 1 FACTORIES FOR PEOPLE TO WORK IN/ JOBS FOR THE COMMUNITY 0 1 1 factories or industrial 1 0 1 FACTORIES, INDUSTRIES 1 0 1 Family 0 1 1 FAMILY ACTIVITIES 1 0 1 Family center for kids to play in and grocery stores 0 1 1 family entertainment, youth centers 0 1 1 family oriented spaces 1 0 1 FARMS 0 1 1 FILM INDUSTRY; MANUFACTURING AND LIGHT INDUSTRY, 1 0 1 FINER DINING 0 1 1 Flex space 0 1 1 FURNITURE STORE, TRADER JOES 1 0 1 GREEN SPACES/PARKS 0 1 1 GREENSPACE 1 0 1 Grocery store 0 1 1 Grocery stores 2 1 3 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 149 Grocery Stores 1 0 1 GROCERY STORES 4 0 4 grocery stores bookstores 0 1 1 Grocery stores in downtown wilmington 1 0 1 GROCERY STORES IN THE RIGHT PLACE 1 0 1 Grocery stores, (Trader Joes) 0 1 1 GROCERY STORES, MOM POPS 0 1 1 grocery stores, rural areas 0 1 1 GSW 1 0 1 healthcare institutes and casual activities 0 1 1 Healthier choices for restaurants and groceries 0 1 1 HIGH END SHOPPING, BOAT RAMPS 1 0 1 Higher end retail 0 1 1 HIGHER END RETAIL AND CLEAN INDUSTRY 0 1 1 homes 0 1 1 HOSPITALS 1 0 1 HOSPITALS AND OLDER SCHOOLS HAVING THE AMENITITES THEY DESERVE. 1 0 1 hospitals, fire departments, police departments 0 1 1 housewares and clothing retail, vetranarian office 0 1 1 Housing 1 0 1 I am happy with what we have 0 1 1 I THINK THYE GOT PLENTY THERE IS ENOUGH 0 1 1 I'd like them to connect Murrayville Road to the military cut- off 0 1 1 ID LIKE TO SEE WAREHOUSES BUT JUST NOT IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA. ALSO ID LIKE TO SEE AN IKEA 0 1 1 IN THE MONKEY JUNKTION AREA IN THE COUNTY AND INDUSTRIAL AREAS 1 0 1 INDEPENDENT OR LOCALLY OWED EITHER SHOPS OR RESTAURANTS 1 0 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 150 industrial 0 1 1 INDUSTRIAL PARKS EMPLOY MORE 1 0 1 industrial work and other employment with a sustainable wage 0 1 1 industry 0 1 1 Industry 0 1 1 industry, job market 1 0 1 insurance companies 1 0 1 It doesn't matter 0 1 1 IT TECH COMPUTER/MANUFACTURING 1 0 1 job industry 1 0 1 Job opportunities 1 0 1 JOB OPPORTUNITIES 1 0 1 jobs 1 0 1 JUST MORE COMMERCIAL 0 1 1 Larger gathering areas and entertainment venues 0 1 1 Larger Swimming facility 1 0 1 Less Chains but more commercial opportunities for locally owned businesses- more diversity of businesses 1 0 1 LESS DEVELOPMENT 1 0 1 less goverment 0 1 1 libraries 1 0 1 LIGHT INDUSTRIAL 1 0 1 LIVE THEATER, MUSEUMS 1 0 1 LOCALLY OWNED RESURAUNTS AND STORES , ENTERTAINMENT 0 1 1 low income housing 0 1 1 LOW TO MIDDLE INCOME/DEVELOPMENT/AFFORDABILITY FOR THEM TO LIVE 1 0 1 MANAFACTURING 1 0 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 151 Manufacture 1 0 1 Manufacturing 1 0 1 MANUFACTURING 0 1 1 Manufacturing facilities 1 0 1 MANUFACTURING TYPE 1 0 1 manufacturing, business, middle and low income housing 0 1 1 maxed out already 0 1 1 MEDICAL FACILITIES AND SCHOOLS 0 1 1 MINOR LEAGUE SPORTS STADIUM/NO CAR ZONE IN CITY OF WILMINGTON, PEDESTRIAN ONLY STREETS/MORE BUSSING AVAILABLE TO COUNTY PARKS/MORE MUSIC ALONG CAPE VEAR RIVER/ESPONOD IN WILMINGTON LEADS TO FLOODING 1 0 1 MOM AND POP STORES, LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES IN GENERAL 0 1 1 more businesses that serve authentic cuisine 0 1 1 MORE FACILITIES GEARED TOWARDS CHILDREN, MAYBE SOME WATER PARKS 1 0 1 MORE FACILITIES THAT SUPPORT MANUFACTURING JOBS FOR AMERICANS INSTEAD OF BUYING FROM OVERSEAS 0 1 1 more good jobs--unless you're in retail, real estate or a doctor or lawyer, it's very difficult to find a good job in the metro area. Kids just out of college will take a lesser paying job, and they cycle out. So I am getting paid what a 25YO would get pa 1 0 1 more jobs 1 0 1 more manufacturing facilities, more tech companies to support population 0 1 1 MOVIE THEATER 1 0 1 MULTI USE 1 0 1 Museums, community activities 1 0 1 NIGHT LIFE BARS 0 1 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 152 no 3 1 4 No 3 1 4 NO 1 3 4 NO ANSWER 1 0 1 NO BUT SOMETHING TO MAKE MORE JOBD 0 1 1 no commercial development 0 1 1 NO COMMERCIAL DEVELP 1 0 1 NO CONSTRUC 0 1 1 No Development 2 5 7 NO DEVELOPMENT 4 13 17 NO DEVELOPMENTS 10 2 12 NO MATTRESS STORES AND NO CAR WASHES 1 0 1 NO MORE BLDG 0 1 1 NO MORE CONST 1 0 1 NO MORE CONSTRUCTION 0 1 1 No more Development 1 0 1 NO MORECOMMERCIAL DEV 1 0 1 no new development 0 3 3 none 21 16 37 None 14 16 30 NONE 23 14 37 none; County is already growing too fast 0 1 1 none; unless it would include better roads 0 1 1 NOT CHAIN STORES 0 1 1 Nothing 1 3 4 NOTHING 2 0 2 nothing comes to mind 1 0 1 NOTHING ELSE 1 1 2 Nothing in specific 1 0 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 153 OFFICE PARK OUT SHIPPING CONTAINERS, MORE ENVIROMENTALLY FRIENDLY BUILDINGS AND MORE AFFORDABLE TO START SMALL BUSINESSES 0 1 1 ONE STOP SHOPPING 0 1 1 ONES THAT HELP SMALL BUSINESSES/ BOWLING ALLEY/ SKATING RINK/ARCADES/ CHILDREN CENTERS 0 1 1 OPEN AIRED TOWN FEELING SHOPPING AREAS WHERE ITS NICE TO WALK AROUND 1 0 1 OPEN CONCEPT MALLS 1 0 1 open green space downtown 1 0 1 OPEN SPACE, HORSE TRAILS 1 0 1 OPEN SPACES WITH COMMERCIALS; SORTA LIKE GOLF COURSES, BUT NOT GOLF COURSES. LIKE PARKS AMPLITHEATER AND SMALL SHOPSC RESTAURANTS CATORING TO THE SITUATION. 1 0 1 PARKS 0 1 1 Parks and Open spaces 0 1 1 Places for people to hangout like arcades 1 0 1 places that you dont need to spend money at, fun things to do when its cold and rainy 0 1 1 public parking 1 0 1 public pools 1 0 1 PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL 1 0 1 ROADWAY DEVELOPMENT 1 1 2 schools 0 1 1 SCHOOLS 0 1 1 SELECT SPACE WAREHSE N OFFICE SPACE TOGETHER COMBINRD NOTHING HERE 1 0 1 SENIOR HOMES 0 1 1 SENIOR HOUSING FOR LOW INCOME PEOPLE 0 1 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 154 Shelter in case of emergency/storms, better learning environemtns like better libraries and such, just more to do for the adolescents 1 0 1 SHOPPING 1 0 1 SHUTTLES/BUSES/ENTERTAINMENT 1 0 1 SINGLE FAMILY HNES NOT HOA 1 0 1 single family home 1 0 1 SMALL BUSINESS 1 0 1 SMALL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES 0 1 1 Small businesses 1 0 1 SMALL BUSINESSES 0 1 1 SMALL ENOUGH TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS 1 0 1 Small local business 0 1 1 Speciality baker's, coffee houses 0 1 1 SPORTS PLACES FOR KIDS TO PLAY/PRACTICE 1 0 1 subsidized housing 1 0 1 Supermarket, Pharmacies in the downtown area 1 0 1 supermarkets 0 1 1 sustainable development; local food sources supporting local farmers, fewer gas stations, no more restaurant or bars, more affordable housing, a hospital not run by NOHAN (?) 0 1 1 TECH 1 0 1 TECH BUSINESSES 1 0 1 Technological areas and more schools 1 0 1 tennis court pool shady place 0 1 1 TENNIS COURTS 1 0 1 THE KIND THAT DONT POLLUTE GREEN ENGERY 0 1 1 theatre 1 0 1 TOO MUCH STOP CONSTR 0 1 1 TRADER JOES 0 1 1 New Hanover County Residential Survey March 2025 155 types of businesses that are ih downtown wilmington 1 0 1 use the empty spaces we have already have, including industrial north of town 1 0 1 Value Saving Retail 1 0 1 WATER SPORTS MOVIE THEATRES 0 1 1 WE HAVE ENOUGH 0 1 1 whatever generates the jobs 0 1 1