Young Couple w/Dog: MI to NC (Mebane area) (Raleigh: apartments, chapel)

[TiredNomad82]

I've only been a member on CD for about a week, and already I've seen a ton of relocation posts for people moving to NC. I'm hoping mine is a little different and I'll get some good responses!

Just yesterday my husband accepted a job offer in Swepsonville. This is going to be a big move for us. (We've only been married about a year and our only move has been about 40 miles!) Either this weekend or next we're going to fly out and try and find an apartment, probably in Mebane or in that general area.

We're both scared, and excited! I've got a few questions/things that maybe some of you can help me with...

1. I have been out of work for a year (since we moved to where we are currently). Previously I have worked at a child care center for 2 yrs, and at an After-School program for 2 yrs before that. I was working in a degree in Early Childhood Education before my wedding, but became quite stressed and I never finished.

a) I noticed there is Alamance Community College where I might be able to transfer, are there other options? Anyone familiar with this school?

b) For work I was thinking of looking into a nanny/babysitter position. Is there a healthy need for child care? Would I be better off trying to find work at another child care facility? Do people use SitterCity.com?

2. My husband and I aren't really social butterflies, but we really want to work on that. We would like to get involved and make friends and try new things. Are there any newcomer groups or fun classes offered nearby? Any other ideas to help us get plugged in?

3. No children just yet, but we do have an 8 month old puppy!

a) We will naturally need to find a vet. Our dog has been having allergy problems that we (and our vet) have not been able to pin point yet. Are there any vets that are especially good working with allergy dogs? I'm not a fan of the steroid approach, and its also nice to not be over-charged!

b) Are there good dog parks in the area? Any dog play groups? Dogster dogs?
(Our dog's page: Dog profile for Lulu, a female Yorkshire Terrier/Bichon Frise )

Please and thank you!

[tobinml]

Dear Young Couple w/Dog,
I just found out that I will be getting a teaching position in Burlington but have chosen to live in Mebane because I have a friend there. I cannot help you with any of your questions but am happy to hear of a MI couple who will be new to the area. My question: My son is a fantastic basketball player (he's in 10th grade), which high school has the best BB team/academics. How does Eastern Alamance rate next to Orange High School? Any other info about the area would be greatly appreciated.

[marlo.countiss]

I have a 10th grader at Eastern and I LOVE IT! My son plays football, not basketball and we have nothing, but positive things to say about the coaching staff. We even made it to the second round of the state playoffs this year! Coach Moon is the boy's varsity basketball coach and he is a super guy.

[DanielleNC]

Hi TiredNomad82,

Mebane is a great small town that is convenient to both the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) and Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point). ACC is a great school and your classes will easily transfer to a 4 year school. Just make sure you take the classes required for the school you plan on transferring to, as some do vary (sometimes just by a class or two). You have plenty of 4 year schools to choose from in both the Triangle and Triad with reasonable commute times.

As a pet sitter I have tried Sittercity and have never had a response from the site. Maybe it is more popular with child care though. I always see listings on Craigslist so check it out. I am not familiar enough with Mebane to know if there is a dog park ,but here in Durham there are a couple as well as the surrounding areas. I believe Hillsborough is also getting or already has one (small town between Durham and Mebane).

Mebane has several newer apartments that should be nice and worth checking out. Maybe one will even have a small dog park on the premises. As for meeting new people, meetup.com has all kinds of groups for all kinds of hobbies and interests.

I would suggest posting your questions here for more responses:

Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary

Good luck with everything!

[DanielleNC]

Oh wow, just noticed this was an old thread

[marlo.countiss]

Originally Posted by tobinml

Dear Young Couple w/Dog,
I just found out that I will be getting a teaching position in Burlington but have chosen to live in Mebane because I have a friend there. I cannot help you with any of your questions but am happy to hear of a MI couple who will be new to the area. My question: My son is a fantastic basketball player (he's in 10th grade), which high school has the best BB team/academics. How does Eastern Alamance rate next to Orange High School? Any other info about the area would be greatly appreciated.

Eastern is not the power house in bball that they are in football, but Coach Moon is an awesome guy. On a yearly basis, Cummings always has a great team.

[scattershot]

I used to in Burlington(right down the way from Mebane) for a while and it is a good place to be.. not too far from the either the beach/mountains. The new Alamance Crossing mall has a number of great shops and a movie theatre. Elon University(which I went to and was formally known as Elon College) has alot to do from sports to theatre to musical events. There are a number of golf courses in the area. You are not too far from Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill to the east and to the west about 30 minutes to Greensboro.