If you're thinking about relocating from Long Island to Raleigh, North Carolina... (New York: apartment, crime rates)

[TeaFor2]

To my fellow Long Islanders,

My family and I have recently relocated from Nassau County, NY to Cary, North Carolina last February. I know that there is a lot of talk about people doing this, due to the extortionate taxes on Long Island, but I am just telling you to be weary of all these fellow New Yorkers telling you how "fabulous" everything is down here.

Don't get me wrong, I live in a beautiful house in a new neighborhood, but I am very unhappy with the quality of education that my 16 and 13 year old brothers are getting. These newly built schools are already over-crowded, and classes are being taught in trailers outside. However, that is a superficial complaint compared to the great disparities that exist between a NC and Long Island education. Yes, the taxes are definitely lower compared to Long Island, but it is the education system that suffers. Many of the New Yorker's I have met down here send their children to private schools because of the poor public education system, but then that would completely defeat the purpose of moving to avoid the high taxes at 8-10K a kid.

I just wanted to give my perspective, because I feel that everyone is always talking about how great it is because they have their own insecurities and doubts about their decision to come down here, so they need you to buy into their perspective.

But if you love it that's great. To each his own. You can come buy our huge house so we can move back to a little ****box on LI

[kateb411]

Well, my kids are grown and my taxes are $13K a year...in Levittown...so for me, it might be a good option. Sorry it didn't work out for you. Besides the schools, how do you like it?

[nbres]

I'm just curious.

Aside from overcrowding, how are the schools worse in Raleigh.

What specifics can you give?

[Crookhaven]

Originally Posted by kateb411

Well, my kids are grown and my taxes are $13K a year...in Levittown...so for me, it might be a good option. Sorry it didn't work out for you. Besides the schools, how do you like it?

Its a non issue that your kids are out of school .If you go theyll be building the infrastructure on the NC homeowners dime immediately if not sooner.
Love it or hate it our schools are built.

You couldnt pay me to move to NC tight now. Its a state of LI Lemmings and the Southerners who hate them.

Next stop.....LI taxes.

crooks

[TeaFor2]

In the Wake County School District where my brothers are enrolled, my main gripe is the apathetic attitude from the guidance department and teachers. When transferring here from LI in 9th grade half-way through the school year in all accelerated/honors courses, they suggested that he be left back a year because they run on a semester-type schedule (Four 90 minute classes a day) and that didn’t match up with his previous course load. The guidance department said that if we didn’t like it, we could go to Cary Academy, which is 18K a year. Nevertheless, he was sent back to NY to finish out the year up there.

The curriculum is just very behind compared to LI schools. In a 10th grade Honor’s English class, they are learning about comma placement and no one knew what a bibliography was. On LI, he was writing Data Based Question essays in 5th grade. Just things that I took for granted aren’t offered here like musical instruments, a second language is not offered in middle school, no physical education in high school, and after school programs/clubs are at an extra cost. They elect different children each week to act as janitors after the lunch period to clean up the cafeteria because they don’t have enough custodial staff. The weirdest thing to me was that if you wanted to watch a soccer or lacrosse game, you have to pay money to go and watch, even as a student at the school.

The structure of the required courses is decided in the 9th grade by which pathway you choose, ranging from “Occupation” to Junior College/Technical College, and to University. I don’t think that a single decision as a 14/15 year old should solely determine your future education.

[TeaFor2]

Well the homes are gorgeous; I live in a new construction 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom house (3700 sq ft) that was 390K and the taxes are only $3600, but that was in February of 2008. Homes are probably much cheaper now with the market in the toilet. It’s a nice place to live but it takes time to adjust to the fact that you have to drive 8 miles on twisty roads to go to the supermarket, never mind at night! The food is expensive (supermarket stuff), and just beware of the Home Owner’s Association fee’s associated with many of the new homes built in sub-divisions. Water is pricey and you pay for garbage and sewage, but that isn’t that much money.

There isn’t much to do but eat at restaurants and shop. The natives are also crazy for college sports, which I know nothing about. The TV news only talks about the weather and the newspapers aren't good, so its hard to keep up on current events. However crime rates are low, so that is always a plus. There is a lot of obvious disparity between those living in the new construction homes and those on the outskirts, and open space! But it is a little boring, a good place to retire though.

[Peter B]

I'd rather be on LI in a little apartment than live in a 4k square foot house in ANYWHERE, NC. The chief reason being food and the lousy climate ( not enough winter & too humid). That's just me, but others will be the polar opposite. Whatever strokes your boat.

[I'minformed2]

Originally Posted by Crookhaven

Its a non issue that your kids are out of school .If you go theyll be building the infrastructure on the NC homeowners dime immediately if not sooner.
Love it or hate it our schools are built.

You couldnt pay me to move to NC tight now. Its a state of LI Lemmings and the Southerners who hate them.

Next stop.....LI taxes.

crooks

13 years spent in and around Raleigh and...yeah; sadly, that pretty much sums it up now!

[AlexisT]

Are you in Raleigh proper? I've heard that Raleigh schools are only just OK, and that Cary is good (despite both being Wake County--maybe because of the population in Cary?), Chapel Hill is better--but overall, standards are lower. if you're actually in Cary, then ouch--if that's what people consider top in NC, that's quite a gap. I have a friend who's a HS teacher near Charlotte, and she thinks the level is lower in NC (and in a lot of the South in general). It's a shame--the Triangle is one of the best concentrations of higher ed in the country (especially relative to population) with 3 excellent universities. (NC State isn't well known up here, but it's actually very good, better than UNC or Duke for many science and engineering subjects.)

I don't think the Triangle climate is that bad; it's hotter in summer and warmer in winter, but it's still a 4 season climate.

[Rachael84]

Originally Posted by TeaFor2

In the Wake County School District where my brothers are enrolled, my main gripe is the apathetic attitude from the guidance department and teachers. When transferring here from LI in 9th grade half-way through the school year in all accelerated/honors courses, they suggested that he be left back a year because they run on a semester-type schedule (Four 90 minute classes a day) and that didn’t match up with his previous course load. The guidance department said that if we didn’t like it, we could go to Cary Academy, which is 18K a year. Nevertheless, he was sent back to NY to finish out the year up there.

The curriculum is just very behind compared to LI schools. In a 10th grade Honor’s English class, they are learning about comma placement and no one knew what a bibliography was. On LI, he was writing Data Based Question essays in 5th grade. Just things that I took for granted aren’t offered here like musical instruments, a second language is not offered in middle school, no physical education in high school, and after school programs/clubs are at an extra cost. They elect different children each week to act as janitors after the lunch period to clean up the cafeteria because they don’t have enough custodial staff. The weirdest thing to me was that if you wanted to watch a soccer or lacrosse game, you have to pay money to go and watch, even as a student at the school.

The structure of the required courses is decided in the 9th grade by which pathway you choose, ranging from “Occupation” to Junior College/Technical College, and to University. I don’t think that a single decision as a 14/15 year old should solely determine your future education.

Wow, I didn't expect them to be that far behind. I teach 1st grade in the Bronx, and nearly half of my class can write a fairly legible paragraph and they're only 6 years old. I also have to teach them odd/even numbers, skip counting by 2s,5s,10s, etc. I bet they don't learn that until like 3rd grade there.

My parents moved to south Florida because of my dad's job. Everyone has to go pay to see the football games too. I think that's ridiculous.