Oriental is a tiny coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 897 people and just one neighborhood, Oriental is the 415th largest community in North Carolina.
Oriental home prices are not only among the most expensive in North Carolina, but Oriental real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.
Oriental is a decidedly white-collar town, with fully 88.61% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Oriental is a town of professionals, sales and office workers, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in Oriental who work in food service (15.19%), office and administrative support (14.35%), and management occupations (14.35%).
Also of interest is that Oriental has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
Of important note, Oriental is also a town of artists. Oriental has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Oriental’s character.
One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 22.94% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
Residents will find that the town is relatively quiet. This is because it is not over-populated, and it has fewer college students, renters, and young children - all of whom can be noisy at times. So, if you're looking for a relatively peaceful place to live, Oriental is worth considering.
Oriental is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.
Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Oriental spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 17.28 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the town are less than they would otherwise be.
As is often the case in a small town, Oriental doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.
Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Oriental. 54.22% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.
The per capita income in Oriental in 2022 was $45,274, which is wealthy relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $181,096 for a family of four. However, Oriental contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
The people who call Oriental home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Oriental residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Oriental include English, German, Irish, Polish, and Scottish.
The most common language spoken in Oriental is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Spanish.
The way a neighborhood looks and feels when you walk or drive around it, from its setting, its buildings, and its flavor, can make all the difference. This neighborhood has some really cool things about the way it looks and feels as revealed by NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research. This might include anything from the housing stock to the types of households living here to how people get around.
This neighborhood has wide open spaces, few people, and lots of space to stretch out. If you like locations that fit that description, you may like this neighborhood. Based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis, with only 38 people per square mile living here, this neighborhood is less crowded than 91.2% of America. Do you like a coastal setting? If so, this neighborhood may be to your liking. The neighborhood is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Often such coastal places have amenities and recreational activities on the waterfront that are attractive to residents and visitors alike. In addition to being coastal, is a very nautical neighborhood, meaning that it is somewhat historic, walkable, densely populated and on the water. This gives the neighborhood a very nautical feel, with some seaside and shipping feel, which some may really enjoy the sights and sounds of. One of the notable things about is that it is one of the quietest neighborhoods in America, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis and quantitative rating of quietness. When you are here, you will find it to be very quiet. If quiet and peaceful are your cup of tea, you may have found a great place for you.
If you are planning to retire in North Carolina, this neighborhood should be on your must-see list. For many reasons, may be considered a retiree's dream neighborhood. According to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis and metrics, it's peaceful and quiet, has above average safety from crime compared to other neighborhoods in North Carolina, while also offering a diverse range of housing options. This, along with the vibrant mix of very educated seniors and other age groups who choose to live here, makes the neighborhood more retiree-friendly than 98.0% of neighborhoods in NC. If a North Carolina retirement is in your future, this neighborhood should be one of the places you visit.
Did you know that the neighborhood has more English ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 22.1% of this neighborhood's residents have English ancestry.
There are two complementary measures for understanding the income of a neighborhood's residents: the average and the extremes. While a neighborhood may be relatively wealthy overall, it is equally important to understand the rate of people - particularly children - who are living at or below the federal poverty line, which is extremely low income. Some neighborhoods with a lower average income may actually have a lower childhood poverty rate than another with a higher average income, and this helps us understand the conditions and character of a neighborhood.
The neighbors in the neighborhood in Oriental are middle-income, making it a moderate income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 43.8% of the neighborhoods in America. With 32.8% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 83.7% of U.S. neighborhoods.
The old saying "you are what you eat" is true. But it is also true that you are what you do for a living. The types of occupations your neighbors have shape their character, and together as a group, their collective occupations shape the culture of a place.
In the neighborhood, 46.8% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants, with 31.0% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations (12.1%), and 10.1% in manufacturing and laborer occupations.
The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 97.2% of households. Some people also speak Polish (2.8%).
Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.
In the neighborhood in Oriental, NC, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as English (22.1%). There are also a number of people of Irish ancestry (15.3%), and residents who report German roots (10.6%), and some of the residents are also of Scottish ancestry (4.5%), along with some Scots-Irish ancestry residents (3.0%), among others.
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend between 15 and 30 minutes commuting one-way to work (53.1% of working residents), which is shorter than the time spent commuting to work for most Americans.
Here most residents (81.6%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.