NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – The Senior Resource Center seems to be the main reason why someone would or would not recommend living in New Hanover County, according to a recent citizen survey.

County government paid Insight Research, a Greensboro-based company, $14,775 for it to handle evaluate a survey sent to about 3,600 homes. The county received 567 completed surveys.

An executive summary from the research group mentioned the return rate could have been higher if the survey was done at a different time than the holiday season.

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – The North Carolina constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman passed with 61% of voters being in favor of the amendment. In all, only seven counties in the state voted to oppose the amendment. Those were: Wake, Orange, Durham, Chatham, Mecklenburg, Buncombe and Watauga.

In New Hanover County, the amendment passed by only 198 votes. A total of 21 precincts in the county voted against the amendment, and most of them came from the downtown and beach areas in the county.

The constitutional amendment reads, "Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts."