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Hello,
We are a family of 6 and we live in London. We are craving sunshine and an outdoor lifestyle We have the possibility of transferring to the US for a year or so in December whilst my husband works at RTP. We are really excited about this opportunity, and would value your advice on where we should live! These are our priorities for choosing a neighbourhood:
1)Within 10 miles of RTP so my husband can cycle to work. We could stretch this a mile or so if needed.
2)Somewhere with good schools for our school-aged children of (at time of relocation) 9, 7 and just-turned 5. As this is not a permanent move, I am not necessarily seeking the greatest school ever, but would like somewhere where they are happy and engaged.
3)Somewhere where there are some amenities within walking distance. I realise things won't be the same as here (I almost never drive, we walk everywhere) but a few shops, recreation area etc would be great.
4)Somewhere authentic and diverse. I hope I don't offend anyone here, but I think I am looking for the American ideal I have in my head and so I would love a Main Street and one-off stores, iyswim.
5)We love being outdoors, year-round.
6)My 9 year-old son adores sport and would love to try out American sports.
I have done some internet searching, but would love to hear insiders' views.
Thanks in advance for reading this and for your help.
there was post last week about someone moving from UK which you may find helpful as a number of comments were made about factors to take into account. Where in RTP will your husband be working as that will really determine best areas to live if he plans to cycle to work - RTP is a large spread out area and the roads approaching from some areas are not cycle friendly until you get to RTP itself. Preston area of Cary is what comes to mind for cycling or Morrisville. Also both are close to the airport and other amenities with good schools.
Hello and congratulations on your new opportunity! I would suggest that you look in areas that have a nicely developed and well laid out shopping area very close by. Unfortunately, most areas require some driving but these would be your best bet for minimal driving and these areas also have nice schools as well. Brier Creek would be nice for you and convenient for your husband's commute to RTP. Also, North Hills in Raleigh has nice shopping. Again, Best of luck on your new adventure!
Congrats ... Do you know which GSK location your husband will be at? If its the RTP location off Moore Drive (and I suspect it will be) then the cycle part might be a bit limiting with your other wants. Now if your husband was located with the GSK folks at ATC (Durham) then you would have more options.
Since your stay here will be short - do you plan to buy or rent? I agree that a "already made" community like Brier Creek might have some advantages.
You may have to forfeit the "cycle to work" wish in order to get your other wishes (especially "authentic" and "walkable.") At the time RTP was built, it was a big park in the middle of nowhere. Now there is new construction within a reasonable distance, but it is shiny and has a lot of strip malls and isn't generally walkable.
Brier Creek is sometimes described as "walkable" but that's only if you enjoy walking across 4-6 lane roads.
I'd suggest you look at the older sections of Durham. You'll find a lot of criticism of Durham on this board, but there are a lot of great things there. If you can get close to 9th Street and Broad Street then there is wonderful shopping that will remind you of a High Street in the UK. The Durham Farmer's Market is second to none. I've heard really good things about EK Powe Elementary on Broad Street. You also could try to bike from there using portions of the American Tobacco Trail, but it would be right at your distance limit.
You also might want to look at the Woodcroft area in Durham, which is newer (though not as new as a lot of the construction in the Triangle) but has a lot of nice paths for walking and biking and is reasonably close to shopping. It also might be bike-able, but some of the roads will be challenging.
Greatschools.com is a good source for checking out schools. There is a guy who posts on this board named Bull City Rising and he has a blog of the same name (we can't link directly to blogs) but if you look for it and for his posts you'll get great info on the older of Durham.
Hi! Agree with other posters, similar threads will give you most of the info you need. However, as suggested, you might want to consider Durham, JLurk's post is excellent! this would be the one that would most fit most of your requirements.
You are not going to find all, and so close together. This is a driving city. When my sis visits from the UK it drives her mad that we have to hop in the car for everything! Public transport is weak. No train system around town, buses run infrequently. You guys do plan on buying a car - right? Otherwise you won't be able to do many of the things you mentioned.
When I first moved here I lived in Cameron Village, (built circa 1950) a walkable shopping/housing area, I walked everywhere I could. They have a drug store, grocery, bank, cleaners, boutiques, etc. I think you'd love that area. But your hubby would have to drive to work so that you'd be able to get out and walk to stores and such everyday.
Know that most strip shopping areas or streets here don't have the store selection you'd need for everyday shopping. Some do but generally you still have to drive to the cleaners, or grocery store, etc.
Be prepared for very hot humid weather. Regular English summer clothes are too warm to wear here. You need breathable fabrics. Our summer weather started early this year. Yesterday it was 96f and probably felt like 100 with the humidity. This is typical July/August weather. Sept usually is in the 80's, Oct can be the same or in hi 70's.
Hello,
We are a family of 6 and we live in London. We are craving sunshine and an outdoor lifestyle We have the possibility of transferring to the US for a year or so in December whilst my husband works at RTP. We are really excited about this opportunity, and would value your advice on where we should live! These are our priorities for choosing a neighbourhood:
1)Within 10 miles of RTP so my husband can cycle to work. We could stretch this a mile or so if needed.
2)Somewhere with good schools for our school-aged children of (at time of relocation) 9, 7 and just-turned 5. As this is not a permanent move, I am not necessarily seeking the greatest school ever, but would like somewhere where they are happy and engaged.
3)Somewhere where there are some amenities within walking distance. I realise things won't be the same as here (I almost never drive, we walk everywhere) but a few shops, recreation area etc would be great.
4)Somewhere authentic and diverse. I hope I don't offend anyone here, but I think I am looking for the American ideal I have in my head and so I would love a Main Street and one-off stores, iyswim.
5)We love being outdoors, year-round.
6)My 9 year-old son adores sport and would love to try out American sports.
I have done some internet searching, but would love to hear insiders' views.
Thanks in advance for reading this and for your help.
I don't think your going to find small town america anywhere close to RTP and your husband won't be cycling to work unless he works on the street where he lives
You can't REALLY walk to the shops here or walk to anywhere like you can in England. If you live on a sub division (estate) then you could cycle around there but I really wouldnt risk cycling anywhere else
I'd focus on identifying a high quality school, then a nice area to live locally to that school if those are your priorities ( they would be mine if I had school age children)
My wife and I used to walk everywhere in England but not so much here - we walk the sub division (early) and drive to the park to walk
PM me if you have any further questions but this question has been raised many times here
Well, we live in Morrisville and they're working hard to build a "Main Street" downtown area, but it won't be done in time for your stay. We do have plenty we can walk to--local restaurants, a starbucks, etc. Also, we live with access to a greenway, which I would recommend to you--ours is a paved path behind our community that leads to a shopping center as well as to Morrisville Community Park and to the Aquatic and Fitness Center. Also, the town's recreational opportunities might work for your family--for a very reasonable cost residents can play basketball, soccer, baseball, etc.
I can't speak to other areas b/c we're fairly new here. But we love it here and feel like it is relatively walkable. There's a farmer's market up the street in Carpenter Village that we can walk to on Saturdays as well. And the schools are terrific
Thank you very much for replying - there is a lot of helpful advice for me. I will be focusing my research on the neighbourhoods you have suggested.
I may have apeared overly-demanding in my original post! I realise that things will be different in your neck of the woods to how they are in London, which is a good thing, as there would be precious little point moving otherwise We are ready to embrace the NC way of life and think it could be a great experience for our whole family. I have so much to think about now, and I'm sure I'll pop back at some point to ask more about housing, schools, etc
As for the heat - I can't even imagine what 40 degrees feels like! Think I might need some advice later on that score.
Thanks again.
Thank you very much for replying - there is a lot of helpful advice for me. I will be focusing my research on the neighbourhoods you have suggested.
I may have apeared overly-demanding in my original post! I realise that things will be different in your neck of the woods to how they are in London, which is a good thing, as there would be precious little point moving otherwise We are ready to embrace the NC way of life and think it could be a great experience for our whole family. I have so much to think about now, and I'm sure I'll pop back at some point to ask more about housing, schools, etc
As for the heat - I can't even imagine what 40 degrees feels like! Think I might need some advice later on that score.
Thanks again.
It is ironic, most folks I know from the UK move here and want land and sun so they can grow a proper garden. It is a bit of a culture shift.
Last time I was in London, the "heat wave" included highs near 30c. We're hoping to settle back to those more average temps here next week.
Frank
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We have the possibility of transferring to the US for a year or so in December whilst my husband works at RTP. We are really excited about this opportunity, and would value your advice on where we should live! These are our priorities for choosing a neighbourhood:
We are ready to embrace the NC way of life and think it could be a great experience for our whole family. I have so much to think about now, and I'm sure I'll pop back at some point to ask more about housing, schools, etc
