America’s Most Affordable Beach Towns Include Two In The Carolinas

My wife and I have a dream to someday live at the beach full-time. We both know that would be a risky proposition. Every year, we see hurricanes and tropical storms wreak havoc on coastal communities. We're undeterred. I can promise you that when Sara and I are at the beach this spring and summer, we'll have serious discussions about how and when our dream can come true.

Of course, in addition to the weather, cost is another consideration. We couldn't just pick and move to any beach in the world. We're looking for value. For us, that means a combination of housing prices and location. We'd probably want to stay in the Carolinas to be close to family. Fortunately, there are still some relatively affordable options in both North and South Carolina.

The folks at Thrillist combed the sand... and Zillow... to find America's most affordable beach towns, at least in terms of median home prices. They found some choice spots all over the country. The cheapest option on their list is Port Arthur, Texas, which sits on both Sabine Lake and the Gulf of Mexico. The median home price there is only $84, 937. But we're interested in the Carolinas.

The best beach bargain in South Carolina is good ol' Myrtle Beach, where the median home price is $301,846. Sara and I can do without the nightlife on the Grand Strand, so we'd probably look elsewhere. The most affordable beach town in North Carolina is more our speed. Swansboro, about 90 minutes up the coast from Wilmington, has a median home price of $322,388. That's quite a bit more than Port Arthur, Texas, but Swansboro offers easy access to some of our favorite spots, including the Outer Banks. We may have to poke around there this summer.

You can see more of America's most affordable beach towns HERE.

There is just something about your favorite comfort food. While I won't binge on them constantly, I enjoy some good down-home southern home cooking from time to time. Personally for me when I think of comfort foods I think of things like mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, or a grilled cheese sandwich. But those are just a few of the endless examples. The Oxford Dictionary defines comfort foods as "food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being, typically any with a high sugar or other carbohydrate content and associated with childhood or home cooking."

The researchers over at E-Conolight analyzed Google search data to determine the most popular comfort foods in each state. And by popular they mean the most searched for. And there were some fantastic foods that made the list including chicken and dumplings, cheese grits, pot roast, stuffing, and chili. In fact, reading this list has made me hungry for lunch. And not the salad I was planning on having either. But what did the data show as the most popular comfort food in South Carolina? It's a quintessential South Carolina southern delicacy.

Keep reading to see which foods the Carolinas and neighboring states love. Want to see more? You can read the full E-Conolight article here.

Could there be a better comfort food representation of South Carolina than shrimp & grits? When this meal is good it's GOOD. Especially in Charleston and other coastal towns. In the south we know how to really cook grits and this meal is the perfect blend.

Chicken & Waffles. Maybe I just didn't get out much but I feel like in the last 10 years or so is when chicken & waffles became a thing. I love a good waffle and I love fried chicken. But for a while, I was very hesitant to try this combination. It just sounds so weird, mainly the syrup on fried chicken part. But as soon as I finally tried it, I get it. This combination is so good and an absolute staple on brunch menus for a reason!

Is there a better southern delicacy than fried chicken? It's a classic for a good reason. When you find a restaurant or even better a family member who makes the best fried chicken, it's a blessing!

Full disclosure I had no idea what Chess Pie is and had to Google it. But thanks to Cooking Classy, I learned that it is "a custard-style pie with a crisp browned topping". This dessert typically consists of a traditional pie crust with filling consisting of eggs, milk or buttermilk, flour, sugar, and often vinegar or lemon.

See the rest here.