Questions about Burlington area... (Raleigh, Greensboro: relocating, real estate, budget)

[jetengineman's wife]

DH and I are considering relocating to the Burlington area if he can eventually get a job at the new jet engine facility being built in Burlington by GE/Honda. Hopefully this will happen in the next few years. In the meantime, I have some questions about the area...

1. What are the best areas for young families within a short commute (1/2 hour or less) of Burlington? Kids will be in early elementary (kindergarten and 3rd by then) and I would LOVE year-round schools as an option.

2. Is Burlington a suburb of Greensboro or Raleigh/Durham or both?

3. How much does acreage go for in the area? We would love to have a 5-10 acre parcel. Our budget is about $50,000 or less.

4. Are the summers absolutely unbearable?

5. How hard is it to get a job in the schools or colleges in a non-teaching position?

Any other advice would be helpful. We are one of the many darn yankees heading that way from poor, old Michigan. Sorry for the intrusion to your beautiful state but I'm sick of the lack of opportunities here in the great, white north.

[superk]

Originally Posted by jetengineman's wife

1. What are the best areas for young families within a short commute (1/2 hour or less) of Burlington? Kids will be in early elementary (kindergarten and 3rd by then) and I would LOVE year-round schools as an option.

Burlington, Mebane, Eastern Greensboro, Whitsett, Gibsonville.

Originally Posted by jetengineman's wife

2. Is Burlington a suburb of Greensboro or Raleigh/Durham or both?

Both, although more so of Greensboro since they are closer together.

Originally Posted by jetengineman's wife

3. How much does acreage go for in the area? We would love to have a 5-10 acre parcel. Our budget is about $50,000 or less.

Don't know for sure. I think the average price is around 10K-20K/acre in NC.

Originally Posted by jetengineman's wife

4. Are the summers absolutely unbearable?

No.

Originally Posted by jetengineman's wife

5. How hard is it to get a job in the schools or colleges in a non-teaching position?

I've seen a few people get IT jobs at UNC Chapel Hill.

[mm34b]

Compared to your current residence of Northern Michigan, summers in the Triad & Triangle might be a bit trying for a few years, but you'll like the winters.

Burlington Climate Averages
(1950-2007)

http://www.sercc.com/cgi-bin/sercc/cliMAIN.pl?nc1239

Southeast Regional Climate Center

[Dusty Rhodes]

Originally Posted by jetengineman's wife

DH and I are considering relocating to the Burlington area if he can eventually get a job at the new jet engine facility being built in Burlington by GE/Honda. Hopefully this will happen in the next few years. In the meantime, I have some questions about the area...

1. What are the best areas for young families within a short commute (1/2 hour or less) of Burlington? Kids will be in early elementary (kindergarten and 3rd by then) and I would LOVE year-round schools as an option.

2. Is Burlington a suburb of Greensboro or Raleigh/Durham or both?

3. How much does acreage go for in the area? We would love to have a 5-10 acre parcel. Our budget is about $50,000 or less.

4. Are the summers absolutely unbearable?

5. How hard is it to get a job in the schools or colleges in a non-teaching position?

Any other advice would be helpful. We are one of the many darn yankees heading that way from poor, old Michigan. Sorry for the intrusion to your beautiful state but I'm sick of the lack of opportunities here in the great, white north.

If possible, try to get in the Orange County side of Mebane, that means Orange County schools, very good! Also, Mebane is just beginning to grow, should be able to pick up some real estate at a reasonable price. Also, it is a small town, friendly has a variety of town fun functions. Burlington is not a suburb of either of your listed options. It is it's own town, between G'boro, Durham, Mebane is closer to Durham, if you look on a map and see where I85 and I40 split, Mebane is close to the "Y" there is still a fair amount of acreage available in the price range you mention. And,.... as long as we don't hear "Well, we did that differently back in------why don't you do it the same way we used to?" you will probably get along well. This is the south, things really are different, like Christmas day is normally spent in short sleeve shirts, none of our ponds or lakes freeze over enough for a dog to walk out on. Ice skating is something we see on TV, but, the saltwater fishing off the outer banks is superb.....BIG FISH.....and, assuming this drought abates, the red clay here grows really good gardens (don't plant peanuts, they will really grow well, but, getting them out of the red clay is a pain in the_____ )I'll let you fill in the blank. At times, yes, the summers can be rough, but that is why A/C was invented. But, we haven't had a real snow (more that 3 inches) in over 6 years, winter is an inconvenience, we are now overdue for another bad ice storm and most of the people here can not drive in snow, schools close if snow is forecast. one inch of snow will close schools for two days. (you probably think I'm joking, but I'm not) and most school positions get filled during the summer for the coming year. (also, it is pronounced MEH-bin) Good Luck.

[mm34b]

You might also want to consider the county property tax rates for Alamance and surrounding counties.

Alamance County - 0.5800 per $100
Chatham - 0.6170
Orange - 0.9500
Caswell - 0.6720
Guilford - 0.6914
Randolph - 0.5300

These rates do not include the additional municipal or special taxing districts rates, if any.

[jetengineman's wife]

Wow! Great info, everyone! We are going to put our house on the market "silently" (we have a realtor friend who will bring qualified, interested people to see it without sticking a sign in our yard) next summer but suspect we won't sell until 2009. If we do, no big deal, we'll rent here until we secure a job there! I am sooooo excited for better winters... I used to love the snow but hate it now... I'll deal with the hot summers!

Hubby wants me to ask if there are ATV trails in that area? We like to camp and go ATV riding, so that would be a big bonus.

As for taxes... .95/100 in Orange county... is that why the schools are so good? That rate doesn't scare me... we pay $2500+ for a 1500 sq ft ranch on 2 city lots in a rural area! Granted, that includes trash, road maintenance, etc, but it's really ridiculous for this area. If we weren't in the "city" center, we'd pay about 1/3rd of that.

Glad to hear gardens grow well there... can't have one here because everything is sand and the deer will eat anything that actually grows! (Yes there are deer in the city... like I said, we are rural).

I am sooooo excited to come down there and check it out. I'm actually a southerner by blood... wa-a-a-a-y back, my distant relatives settled in Manning (my maiden name), South Carolina (we're talking sometime in the 1700's, I believe). Not sure what brought them north, but slowly my whole family is moving back south! Guess it's just meant to be!

BTW, as far as expecting things to be "done the same" down there... I am certainly hoping they aren't! I wouldn't be looking to move if I liked the way things are done around here! Speaking of which... do the schools tend to have active parent groups... PTA's, etc? Our school district lacks involved parents and it's a huge issue for me.

Thanks again!

[Dusty Rhodes]

Originally Posted by jetengineman's wife

Wow! Great info, everyone! We are going to put our house on the market "silently" (we have a realtor friend who will bring qualified, interested people to see it without sticking a sign in our yard) next summer but suspect we won't sell until 2009. If we do, no big deal, we'll rent here until we secure a job there! I am sooooo excited for better winters... I used to love the snow but hate it now... I'll deal with the hot summers!

Hubby wants me to ask if there are ATV trails in that area? We like to camp and go ATV riding, so that would be a big bonus.

As for taxes... .95/100 in Orange county... is that why the schools are so good? That rate doesn't scare me... we pay $2500+ for a 1500 sq ft ranch on 2 city lots in a rural area! Granted, that includes trash, road maintenance, etc, but it's really ridiculous for this area. If we weren't in the "city" center, we'd pay about 1/3rd of that.

Glad to hear gardens grow well there... can't have one here because everything is sand and the deer will eat anything that actually grows! (Yes there are deer in the city... like I said, we are rural).

I am sooooo excited to come down there and check it out. I'm actually a southerner by blood... wa-a-a-a-y back, my distant relatives settled in Manning (my maiden name), South Carolina (we're talking sometime in the 1700's, I believe). Not sure what brought them north, but slowly my whole family is moving back south! Guess it's just meant to be!

BTW, as far as expecting things to be "done the same" down there... I am certainly hoping they aren't! I wouldn't be looking to move if I liked the way things are done around here! Speaking of which... do the schools tend to have active parent groups... PTA's, etc? Our school district lacks involved parents and it's a huge issue for me.

Thanks again!

Well, as for taxes, for our 2 BR, 2000 sq/ft, on 11.26 acres (can't see it from the road) we pay about 1100/yr, also, as you may have heard, Basketball is a big deal in this neck of the woods, living in this section of NC you are among UNC, Duke, NC State, and Wake Forest just to name the biggies, several other colleges and universities also, and let's not forget the community college system, quite active here as well. YES, parents take an active part in the education of their children, this area is better educated than the rest of the state, this also translates into other entertainment forms aside from sports. UNC-G has an excellent theatre department if you are into live performances. If you've seen the movie "Bull Durham", the Durham Bulls are real as are the Greensboro Bats, minor league baseball. Mebane has two coffee houses and Mebane is small, it also has tennis courts, hoops, an amateur drama group, and street festivals almost every month, most communities in this area do the same. This area is between the Mountains and the Ocean, four hours drive will put you in either of the extremes, both have public campsites and several private ones with more amenities. You will not be leaving the Deer behind, I no longer attempt to grow peas or beans, if I do, the Deer come in and browse, while they are at it, they also sample the other goodies. No peas or beans, no Deer, at least until the corn comes in. Depending on where you live of course, there are quite a few ATV trails, at least in the rural areas, not many inside the city limits of Durham, Raleigh, or Greensboro, for that matter, not many inside the town limits of Graham, Burlington, Mebane or Efland. There are at least a couple of places on the river where people swim, as well as a private swimming pool, a membership thing.

[jetengineman's wife]

Originally Posted by Dusty Rhodes

Well, as for taxes, for our 2 BR, 2000 sq/ft, on 11.26 acres (can't see it from the road) we pay about 1100/yr, also, as you may have heard, Basketball is a big deal in this neck of the woods, living in this section of NC you are among UNC, Duke, NC State, and Wake Forest just to name the biggies, several other colleges and universities also, and let's not forget the community college system, quite active here as well. YES, parents take an active part in the education of their children, this area is better educated than the rest of the state, this also translates into other entertainment forms aside from sports. UNC-G has an excellent theatre department if you are into live performances. If you've seen the movie "Bull Durham", the Durham Bulls are real as are the Greensboro Bats, minor league baseball. Mebane has two coffee houses and Mebane is small, it also has tennis courts, hoops, an amateur drama group, and street festivals almost every month, most communities in this area do the same. This area is between the Mountains and the Ocean, four hours drive will put you in either of the extremes, both have public campsites and several private ones with more amenities. You will not be leaving the Deer behind, I no longer attempt to grow peas or beans, if I do, the Deer come in and browse, while they are at it, they also sample the other goodies. No peas or beans, no Deer, at least until the corn comes in. Depending on where you live of course, there are quite a few ATV trails, at least in the rural areas, not many inside the city limits of Durham, Raleigh, or Greensboro, for that matter, not many inside the town limits of Graham, Burlington, Mebane or Efland. There are at least a couple of places on the river where people swim, as well as a private swimming pool, a membership thing.

Oooooo... culture and affordability... I'm sold. Anyone want to buy a house in East Tawas, MI (1 mile to the beach on Lake Huron!)

[Dusty Rhodes]

Well, as a souvenir of a throughly ill-spent youth, I speak Spanish and have several Hispanic friends. This area has a fair small collection of restaurants, but.... as all of my Hispanic friends tell me, as do my own tastebuds, we have the best Mexican Restaurant in this section of N.C., I know people from both Greensboro and Durham who come to Mebane for a Mexican meal. Not only is it authentic Mexican food, it is really good, authentic, Mexican food. If you show up at the restaurant fairly early in the evening, you are likely to be the only Gringos in the house. Of course if you are not into Mexican food, this won't help you out a bit.

[jetengineman's wife]

Originally Posted by Dusty Rhodes

Well, as a souvenir of a throughly ill-spent youth, I speak Spanish and have several Hispanic friends. This area has a fair small collection of restaurants, but.... as all of my Hispanic friends tell me, as do my own tastebuds, we have the best Mexican Restaurant in this section of N.C., I know people from both Greensboro and Durham who come to Mebane for a Mexican meal. Not only is it authentic Mexican food, it is really good, authentic, Mexican food. If you show up at the restaurant fairly early in the evening, you are likely to be the only Gringos in the house. Of course if you are not into Mexican food, this won't help you out a bit.

I have a Spanish minor... I don't get a chance to practice much up here, so having a great place to hang out, eating authentic Hispanic food, and practicing my rusty Spanish would be a bonus. Hubby would love it too.. the only Mexican restaurants up here are Taco Bell (Ha!) and a place that claims to serve Mexican but actually just reheats canned and frozen crap in the microwave (nasty).

I just love the idea of having so many options in such a small area. I laugh when people complain about the commute time between the various areas of the Triad and Triangle... I have to drive 1 1/2 hours just to get to a decent store in this area!