My oldest snake was almost certainly WC (er... well, very close to it anyway). His mother was WC, and when the person realized she was gravid they gave her to the local pet store where she had her babies a few days later. Even very old, he is quite healthy. However, I'd be surprised if any of his siblings lived longer than a few months due to people not knowing how to care for them. My WC reptiles definitely seem to be hardier than my CB reptiles.

It depends on where you're at in the US as to what native species are legal to keep. Each state has its own set of laws. For example, a snake that lives in both NC and GA could be legal to own in NC but not GA.