The Cost of Living Diaries: Elizabeth City, NC
Get a feel for the local life in Elizabeth City.
Welcome to The Cost of Living Diaries. How much does it cost to live in Elizabeth City, North Carolina? What’s an average mortgage, a cocktail, or a week’s worth of childcare? Keep reading because we asked an Elizabeth City local to tell us all about the cost of living in this thriving city!
Tim Barnett
Owner
Drone ICS, LLC
A charming coastal community, Elizabeth City’s relaxed lifestyle is balanced with a long list of amenities. Here, residents can get a good dose of delicious food, outdoor fun, beautiful art and community camaraderie — not to mention a great career and affordable home.
To get a better idea of what it’s like to live in the area, we sat down with Tim Barnett, an Elizabeth City native, who moved away for college in 1977, lived in multiple places around the U.S. for his career with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and recently moved back post-retirement in 2021. Today, he owns Drone ICS, LLC, a company he launched in 2021 that provides aerial photography and video.
A: Primarily to take care of my mom, but I knew that I wanted to do something or give back to the community. Like most retirees, you want to do something enjoyable, and I decided I’d give my drone business a shot.
A: It’s like what Dorothy says in The Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home.” It’s always good to be around family and friends, but then there’s also the affordability — you can buy two houses here for the price of one in Boston. And then, I love the culture and history of the area and the networking and business opportunities.
A: I like to spend time with family and friends, and at 2 Souls Wine Bar and Seven Sounds Brewing and Ghost Harbor Brewing downtown. I love to work out daily and am an avid runner and cyclist. I’ll run and bike downtown and along the waterfront.
A: The restaurants here, they all have their own distinct qualities and pricing. Montero’s (Restaurant & Bar) has a casual atmosphere and upscale dishes. It’s $25 for a good steak. There’s one called Big Boss Burritos — it’s burritos, and they’re really good for people who work out and want to get a good lunch. I also like Van’s Kitchen, The Mills Downtown Bistro and Hoppin’ Johnz New South Cuisine.
A: Being a quaint little town, there are always numerous events being held. There’s the Downtown Waterfront Market at Mariners’ Wharf Park. It has great local veggies, hot sauces, things like that. A lot of the businesses are having things, too, like the wine bar has a wine tasting. There’s First Friday ArtWalk held on the first Friday of every month. It’s awesome. Check out visitelizabethcity.com for all the events.
Want to learn more?
To learn more about the Elizabeth City area, check out the latest edition of Livability Elizabeth City, North Carolina.