Tell Me About Durham, Raleigh, Roxboro, Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, etc. (Apex: real estate, house) - Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary - North Carolina (NC) -The Triangle Area - City-Data Forum

homewifeev · 07-20-2007, 01:14 AM

Hello,

I currently live in the Chicago area, which is a wonderful city. Me and my husband just got offered jobs at Person Memorial Hospital in Roxboro. We were originally led to believe it was 30 minutes from Raleigh. Then we tried a mapquest from the homes that we have been looking at in Apex and Wake Forest and it turns out it is more like 1 hour 20 minutes. I am having trouble finding a nice place within an hour drive of Roxboro. Since we are doctors commute time is extremely important. We have a 13 year old son so we are looking for a good jr. high school and high school. We have heard good things about the Holly Hills School System, Apex School System, and Wake Forest/Rolesville High School?. We have heard bad things about Durham County Schools and Chapel Hill Schools. We have been told to stay in Wake and Chatham Counties. What we want in a community is some public lakefront, maybe a quaint downtown, good schools is a must, and probably typical wealthy surbuban area. Similar to Barrington Hills, IL or South Barrington, IL. We have looked at home in St. Ives Estates and The Preserve at Jordan Lake. We want to have at least 4 bedrooms (prefferably 5) and 3+ bathrooms. Our range is $750,000 to $900,000. We like new construction in subdivisions with diverse architecture. at least .4 acre lot. We would like a finished basement, even a walkout. A nice master bedroom with bath. A house closer to the highway system might be helpful?

mfrank2109 · 07-20-2007, 05:37 AM

I'm sure you'll soon get the real estate agents chiming in, but you might want to consider Treyburn (Treyburn). It's in Northern Durham County. Personally, I think Holly Springs or Jordan Lake are going to be too far for a reasonable commute. Regarding schools, the schools in Chapel Hill-Carrboro are the best in the state, but don't confuse it with the Orange County Schools - same county, different school districts. Can't speak for the schools in Northern Durham County - but you can always do private. Good luck.

leighbhe · 07-20-2007, 06:10 AM

I too was going to suggest treyburn. I really like that neighborhood quite a bit, it has a nice price range of homes, golf course, etc. As far as schools go, I wouldn't discount any particular area. I tend to tell people to call schools that your son may attend based on homes you are considering. Test scores are not everything, and I believe talking with the administrators at the schools and see how the school will match with your particular child. So, if you do not find a good public school you like, there are many privates and charter schools out there that may work for you.

Living in cary, apex, etc (basically the southern part of wake county) or even at the preserve or chapel ridge, would really add to your commute. Durham is a great town with tons of culture and diversity.

Hope this helps
Leigh

Indigoblue · 07-20-2007, 06:46 AM

Yikes, you definitely don't want to live much further south than North Durham or Hillsborough. Both are beautiful areas with lush green landscapes and homes available in your price range with big chunks of land

Hillsborough would definitely fit the bill of a "quaint downtown" and would be an easy drive from either eastern Hillsborough or north Durham. I posted a photo tour of it recently:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/ralei...lsborough.html

Durham also has a great downtown area with nifty restaurants and shops - check out Brightleaf Square and Ninth Street, but it's more hip than quaint

I have no knowledge about Orange County schools (in Hillsborough) but would definitely urge you not to discount Durham County schools because of their aggregate scores. Durham is very diverse both racially and socioeconomically and that is reflected in diverse test results. Here is a comparison of the school systems in the area:
http://www.durham-nc.com/pdf/2006school_scores.pdf (broken link)

A quote from the comparative:

Quote:

The bottom line is that Durham compares favorably and families can reliably focus relocation decisions on the communities that fulfill lifestyle preferences and lessen traffic and commute times.

Durham's Riverside High School, Northern High School, and Jordan High School are all in Newsweek's list of top 1000 (so top 5%) high schools in the US. Durham also has many private school options, and magnet and charter options through a lottery system.

Indigoblue · 07-20-2007, 07:03 AM

PS. I've heard good things about Carrington Middle School and Githens Middle School. No specifics, just how people say "such and such is a great school!"

findingmesomeday · 07-20-2007, 08:43 AM

I've been considering either Chapel Hill or Hillsborough. Chapel Hill schools are excellent--not sure what your commute would be from there. I really like Hillsborough and so far I'm pretty pleased with the school information.

homewifeev · 07-20-2007, 02:52 PM

mfrank you were right, agents are messaging me constantly. I looked at Treyburn. The homes are very nice, many of them unique, and they were very affordably priced (They would have been multi-million dollar homes if built in Evanston!) The only things I am concerned about are the schools and crime. The profile of Northern High was that it mixed urban kids with suburban kids. Another thing was I have heard Durham is not safe and has a lot of property crime, is this the case around Treyburn? Are there other communities besides Treyburn in thet area? What about Bahama and Rougemont? Are they nice? I am about to check out Hillsborough.

alice_61 · 07-20-2007, 06:04 PM

There are some really good private schools in Durham like Durham Academy and Carolina Friends School.

beefskull · 07-20-2007, 09:36 PM

Homewifeev -I will be reading your thread every chance I get...we are in the same situation...just younger child (2 yr). We live in the city now and need / want a change of pace, etc. Anxious to hear about your research !!

homewifeev · 07-22-2007, 01:47 AM

I was really interested in transitioning my son back into public schools. He is already in private school. Private School in Chicago is one of the most snooty places on earth. Everyone dresses their kids up in Abercrombie & Hollister, oh, and my son's friend has a club where if you don't have ten pairs of Prada or Valentino shoes you cannot join her clique. Public School in Chicago can be the same way. I don't know if anyone has seen the comedy Mean Girls, but it was based on Evanston Township High School, watch it it will give you the picture! Writing an upfront check for $22,000 is not fun either, not including social outings which cost $1,500 a year, and the Montreal Trip for $4,500 per kid! It is insane here. I went to public schools in a wealthy area, Shaker Heights High, and I never experienced anything like this. So I wanted to be able to get my son into a less sheltered and more reallistic environment.