I lived and worked in Wilmington for 10 years. I was a poor but happy 28 year-old secretary making $7.25 an hour. When the company went bankrupt I nearly lost my house and car. I applied for a job in Raleigh listed in the employment section in the Wilmington Star News. In my interview, I was told that it was obvious that I had been working below my potential for years (I never could seem to get ahead in Wilmington). I was hired on the spot for $9.50 an hour (answering phones). Within 6 months I was a project manager making more money than I had ever made in my life. Dream big, and follow those dreams to the Triangle Region. Wilmington employers (and employers in surrounding counties) pay peanuts and work you to death.