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I am biased when it comes to Cary. I remember when it was a crossroads. Now it's a series of developments for people who work at RTP. People who live there love it. It's fine enough. But, if it were me, I'd live in Raleigh instead.
And four seasons, we have that too. Most winters are mild compared to our northern neighbors, but every few years we get one that becomes the envy of our northern neighbors.
Well I have some pictures of a single 40+ inch storm from 2 years ago that would beg to differ It was 3 days until we got out on to roads.
Honestly, please tell me how bad your storms are. I am looking to relocate there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LovetheAutumn
Thanks so much, all. I have people telling us to check out Cary, but I fear Raleigh's growth will turn us off. Anyone want to offer some perspective on this recommendation, knowing we are burned out on sprawl and exploding population?
What I see is that both Raleigh and Greensboro are experiencing good quality controlled growth. You can look at Phoenix for an example of the opposite.
You would need to look at the possibility of neighboring property being developed into another "cookie-cutter" sub-division. That could happen to any farm if offered the right price.
I think the growth is under control so far (and I don't even live there yet!!). Obviously, there will be patches that push the limits.
Check out Summerfield (just north of Greensboro). Great schools. Large lots. Neighborhoods around Bur-Mil are awesome...
If you want more land, check out Stokesdale.
If you go up into Rockingham county, you can buy a small farm for what you are budgeting. (schools??)
Well I have some pictures of a single 40+ inch storm from 2 years ago that would beg to differ It was 3 days until we got out on to roads.
Honestly, please tell me how bad your storms are. I am looking to relocate there.
Eh, that's nothing! We had an 85" storm this past winter in November. We couldn't even get our door open and we were stuck in the house for several days and this is Buffalo that we are talking about so we have plenty of plows. It was a nightmare but I guess I'm a bit thankful for it because it was partially responsible for finally convincing my husband to move south which I've been wanting for years.
Thanks so much, all. I have people telling us to check out Cary, but I fear Raleigh's growth will turn us off. Anyone want to offer some perspective on this recommendation, knowing we are burned out on sprawl and exploding population?
Cary and Raleigh and it's other suburbs are growing pretty explosively, but the area is not as big as Dallas, nor is it likely to get that big. It seems like Charlotte has more aspirations towards that I think. I think the Raleigh-Cary area could be worth checking out. The Triad maybe has a homier feel. There's quite a bit of growth there, too, but a little slower than Cary or Raleigh and certainly slower than Dallas.
There are also some smaller communities in the Triangle (the Triangle is Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) that might appeal. Lots of folks like Wake Forest and Clayton right outside Raleigh and they're growing quite a bit, too, but they are outside of the highest growth areas.
Chapel Hill in Orange County is a classic college town and home to UNC. Chapel Hill and its adjacent sister town, Carrboro, drive developers crazy because they see the potential for big bucks (excellent schools where lots of families would love to be), but the towns have very strict regulations on development. This area is growing, but in a very controlled manner. It's also more expensive than a lot of places, in part because the strict development process limits the number of houses on the market, so the market will pay more for them.
North of Chapel Hill, also in Orange County, is Hillsborough which is a charming small historic town of about 6000. Orange County as a whole is a bit more strict about development than some other counties in the Triangle (and Chapel Hill/Carrboro adds an additional set of hurdles for developers) so Hillsborough is growing a little more slowly, too. It might be worth a look also.
The northwest side of Winston-Salem sounds like it could be a great fit for you, as could a lot of the other places mentioned here (NW side of Greensboro, Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, areas around Raleigh, etc.). I like Cary a lot, but it is largely a series of well-connected subdivisions with a very suburban feel. (But a really nice suburb with a great greenway and park system, neat spaces like the Koka Booth Amphitheater, etc.) Still, it sounds like a small city or a town with nice amenities would be more your speed. Come visit!
Well I have some pictures of a single 40+ inch storm from 2 years ago that would beg to differ It was 3 days until we got out on to roads.
Honestly, please tell me how bad your storms are. I am looking to relocate there.
What I see is that both Raleigh and Greensboro are experiencing good quality controlled growth. You can look at Phoenix for an example of the opposite.
You would need to look at the possibility of neighboring property being developed into another "cookie-cutter" sub-division. That could happen to any farm if offered the right price.
I think the growth is under control so far (and I don't even live there yet!!). Obviously, there will be patches that push the limits.
We almost had to relocate to Phoenix- glad we didn't.
As for the winter storms on a year to year basis, mild. We seem to be prone to more sleet or freezing rain than snow. The biggest threat of frozen precip is Jan & Feb. Christmas is usually brown and once March rolls in winter is done.
Most of the winter systems from the west get shredded by the mountains and pose little or no threat. It's the systems that come up from the Gulf or the coast that pack the punch.
We almost had to relocate to Phoenix- glad we didn't.
As for the winter storms on a year to year basis, mild. We seem to be prone to more sleet or freezing rain than snow. The biggest threat of frozen precip is Jan & Feb. Christmas is usually brown and once March rolls in winter is done.
Most of the winter systems from the west get shredded by the mountains and pose little or no threat. It's the systems that come up from the Gulf or the coast that pack the punch.
Yes to all of this. Average annual snowfall for Winston-Salem is something like 9.3 inches over the last hundred years, and 7.5 inches over the last 30. I think a little less for Greensboro.
And yes, things tend to shut down during winter storms, but that's because we don't have the equipment to plow/salt/sand every street quickly enough to keep up. Usually warmer weather rolls in within a day or two and helps take care of a lot of that.
Which is not to say you can't find snow if you want it. Just an hour and a half west of the Triad, you get into mountains that get 35-50 inches a year.
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It was 3 days until we got out on to roads.
