Heading to eastern North Carolina

[Dan Sayre]

Hi folks, 

We lived in NC for 9 years but moved in the early 2000s to take care of family and other things. Our son is graduating high school next year and we will head down after he graduates. My wife and I will be heading to eastern NC.  We want to live within 5 miles of a hospital since I'm a healthcare worker and also be fairly close to a beach or a sound. We definitely want to house hack and possibly start a side gig as house cleaners/handymen.

We were looking at Calabash, Bolivia, Wilmington, Jacksonville, New Bern and every in between. Are there any  areas you would recommend in Eastern NC? Are there any areas we should avoid? Any other advice would be appreciated.