if you could pick anywhere.... (Raleigh, Durham: transplants, real estate, chapel)

[ne2nc]

I've read a lot of posts and everyone here is so helpful. What a wonderful resource.
My husband and I and our 2 kids (under 4) are looking to leave Massachusetts and bring my parents (early 60s) with us. We're tired of working too many hours and never seeing the kids. The school system in our small town is going downhill in a hurry. We'll sell our house and mom's and try to have a more reasonable mortgage and quality of life. We'll probably spend somewhere between 400 and 500k... but we MUST have separate space for the parents.

I'm thinking of the Raleigh area because we have friends in Cary. We're going to visit them in October and check out the area.
I guess my question is, to those of you that are transplants or have lived in NC forever, where would you go if you could pick any town in the general area of Raleigh? The subdivision concept is foreign to New Englanders... there seems to be so many pros and cons.

any input is appreciated...

[MikeJaquish]

Originally Posted by ne2nc

I've read a lot of posts and everyone here is so helpful. What a wonderful resource.
My husband and I and our 2 kids (under 4) are looking to leave Massachusetts and bring my parents (early 60s) with us. We're tired of working too many hours and never seeing the kids. The school system in our small town is going downhill in a hurry. We'll sell our house and mom's and try to have a more reasonable mortgage and quality of life. We'll probably spend somewhere between 400 and 500k... but we MUST have separate space for the parents.

I'm thinking of the Raleigh area because we have friends in Cary. We're going to visit them in October and check out the area.
I guess my question is, to those of you that are transplants or have lived in NC forever, where would you go if you could pick any town in the general area of Raleigh? The subdivision concept is foreign to New Englanders... there seems to be so many pros and cons.

any input is appreciated...

I would consider Raleigh first if subdivisions are a turn-off, since there are so many mature neighborhoods in town that may be worth considering.
Your price range may be a limiting factor in some in town neighborhoods.
Cameron Park comes to mind, if anything suitable is available.

I would consider Cary, for convenience and location, as well as appreciation in value.
Apex.
Wake Forest.
Possibly Holly Springs.
But all of these are heavily subdivision-oriented.

But Raleigh would offer you the best bet in terms of not recognizing daily that you were living in a subdivision. Of course, all properties are subdivisions. The Boylan Heights' subdivision maps from the 1800's are fascinating.

Outside Wake County, you might consider Durham or Chapel Hill. In town neighborhoods are available.

[autumngal]

Originally Posted by MikeJaquish

The Boylan Heights' subdivision maps from the 1800's are fascinating.

1800's,
And Mike, where do these maps exist to view?

[MikeJaquish]

Originally Posted by autumngal

1800's,
And Mike, where do these maps exist to view?

When you go to the Wake.gov tax site, and find a property account, it will give the page where the deed is recorded. The deed often cites a recorded map, like "Map Book 3000, Page 2268."

At the Wake County Recorder's site, you can enter "BM2000......2268" in the boxes at the bottom, and voila! A map!
Boylan Heights plat map, like a lot of old plats, is black with white lines and text. I'm too cheap with the toner to print one.

Or you can enter the Deed Book and Page, and see the deed.

[autumngal]

Appreciate it as always friend,

[MrsSteel]

Well, if I personally could pick anywhere? I would prefer Durham - specifically the gorgeous homes in Hope Valley (those are really pricey, but you said anywhere! ). I also like Durham because of the arts offerings (theatre, dance festivals, film festivals, etc.) and the great local restaurants. And since we're central within the Triangle, it doesn't take us long to get to any of the other great towns around here, too. We're very happy with our choice.

Second place for me would probably be Chapel Hill and Carrboro - two towns that blend right into one another so that it's nearly impossible to tell where one ends & the other begins. Chapel Hill & Carrboro are great because, although rather small, the area has plenty of arts & entertainment offerings & tons of locally-owned restaurants. I also like the more liberal feel to the towns. The down side is just that everything costs more there; real estate is quite pricey & even gasoline costs about 5% more in Chapel Hill than anywhere else in the Triangle.

Third place is Hillsborough. I love its small town atmosphere, but I'm afraid of it getting too popular. I'm hoping that its geographical position (the far north western corner of the Triangle) will protect it from growing too quickly & that people who prefer the convenience of big box stores will chose to live elsewhere.

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

If I could pick anywhere in Raleigh and $ was not an obstacle, I would pick one of the historic neighborhoods in Raleigh. Of what I currently know about them, my top five places to live would be:

1) Boylean Heights ~ Picasa Web Albums - North_Raleigh_Guy - Boylan Heights (broken link)
2) Oakwood ~ Picasa Web Albums - North_Raleigh_Guy - Historic Oakw... (broken link)
3) Cameron Village
4) Five Points
5) Mordecai ~ Picasa Web Albums - North_Raleigh_Guy - Mordecai 2.16.07 (broken link)

[Dave O]

I'd live in San Francisco or San Diego. That's in the "general" area, right?

[MikeJaquish]

Originally Posted by North_Raleigh_Guy

If I could pick anywhere in Raleigh and $ was not an obstacle, I would pick one of the historic neighborhoods in Raleigh. Of what I currently know about them, my top five places to live would be:

1) Boylean Heights ~ Picasa Web Albums - North_Raleigh_Guy - Boylan Heights (broken link)
2) Oakwood ~ Picasa Web Albums - North_Raleigh_Guy - Historic Oakw... (broken link)
3) Cameron Village
4) Five Points
5) Mordecai ~ Picasa Web Albums - North_Raleigh_Guy - Mordecai 2.16.07 (broken link)

NRG,
You make me want to be a better photographer...

[RDU]

1. Five Points -raleigh - funky/thriving area 2. Apex 3. Wake Forest.