Need an Affordable Neighborhood With Character (Raleigh, Durham: appointed, fit in, crime)

[relocate0894]

I'm looking at possibly relocating to the Triangle Area. Although I don't know where I'll be working, my career is in the IT field and so I'll probably be commuting to the the major employers or close by (probably RTP or thereabouts). I'm going to be relocating from the west coast, and have only briefly lived in the Washington D.C. area, so this will be a new experience for me.

I've read the many posts about fitting in "the south" and have determined that I'll probably be fine in the Triangle area, but maybe not outside of it. Given my desire to have a short commute that surely won't be an issue.

I've done some (minimal) looking around the Triangle area, and here are my early impressions.

Chapel Hill: I expected that I'd like Chapel Hill, as I generally love college towns, and I did like it, at least as a visitor. In fact, this would be an obvious choice for me. However, I understand that Chapel Hill is one of the more expensive cities out there, so that may rule it out for me. Still, I figured I'd mention that I did like the place.

Durham: Never had the chance to see the place except for the Duke Campus and Gardens. Some posters here have been negative on Durham because of crime, bad schools, etc, which makes me pause. However, I'd be willing to give a Durham neighborhood a chance if it can meet my criteria.

Raleigh: Had some nice neighborhoods for a small city, but I didn't get a chance to look at it a lot. I feel like there may be some possibilities but would not want to have to drive through the city on my way to work. Perhaps the western or northwestern side of town?

Cary: I realize that there are some very sensitive posters out there, but I would personally prefer not to live in Cary or anything resembling it. However, if I had to live in Cary to accommodate my other preferences I suppose I could deal with it. (Although from reading this forum it appears that Cary may actually have a price premium over other locations?)

Here's what I need:

- Price Range: Would prefer something around 300k, but could probably stretch to 350k+ for something of particularly good value.

- Short Commute to major IT employers. Less than 30 minutes even on the worst traffic days.

- I have kids so I prefer something large enough to accommodate a family. 3000+ SF would be ideal, but may not fit in my price range. Need a yard of some sort.

- Good Public Education options.

- Close to interesting neighborhoods and commercial areas. (I'd prefer the shopping, restaurants, businesses to be at least 50/50 national chains versus locally owned)

- Somewhere with variety of political views and lifestyles represented (i.e., not exclusively conservative or liberal).

- mature landscaping, trees.

(One thing that is NOT important is new construction. I'm not totally against new construction in theory, but dislike what it often brings in practice: high prices, far-out locations, small lots, clear-cutting of the forests, lack of amenities closeby. Because of this, I think it's very unlikely I'll end up in anything remotely new, which is perfectly okay by me).

I could see myself going one of two ways. First, living in an older or historic home in one of the cities OR living on an acre in the woods (but still within commuting distance.). Living in a suburban-style subdivision is probably my least favorite choice but I could settle for that if I had to, particularly if it was an older, mature subdivision.

I appreciate all the help that posters on this forum may provide.

[MikeJaquish]

I think you have described Durham. Crime not as bad as some folks say.
Kids who work at it seem to do well in school.
Woodcroft, Hope Valley come to mind

Look at MLS#929993 in town historic home at $299.5K.

Might be some older suburban opportunities in the Leesville to Briar Creek area, Raleigh and Durham addresses.

Generally homes in decent condition in the historic areas of Raleigh with 3000SF and a nice lot will be a lot more than your budget, say $225+/SF.

[MrsSteel]

Aaaw, Mike. How sweet of you to recommend my neighborhood. I love Woodcroft , obviously, but I fear it may be too subdivision-y for this individual. I definitely agree with your other recomendations, though.

Trinity Park in Durham might be a good place (zip 27701). There are other historic neighborhoods in that area, too (Duke Park, Watts-Hillandale). I'm not too familiar with these areas personally, but I believe there are lots of locally owned restaurants & stores within walking distance. Here are some threads that feature photos of the area.
http://www.city-data.com/forum/ralei...nity-park.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/ralei...th-street.html

Hope Valley could be a good choice. Gorgeous older homes on lovely lots. Technically it's a subdivision, but it doesn't feel as much like one to me. You might be priced out of some of the best homes in that area, though. Plus you have to be mindful when hunting out homes in "Hope Valley" on the internet because there are a lot of newer neighborhoods with the words "Hope Valley" in the name, but they aren't a part of the older Hope Valley that I'm talking about. Be wary of Hope Valley Farms, Hope Valley Downs, etc. There's a dig difference. They're nice neighborhoods, but not what you're looking for. A realtor can help a lot with this, too, of course.

I'm mostly familiar with Durham, so I can't offer much more than that. Maybe someone else can recommend some other areas for you. Good luck!

[coltank]

You might try American Village, Marywood, Willowhaven, the western and north western side of Durham. In Chapel Hill you still may be able to find some affordable things in and around Lakeshore, but they'd certainly be older, and probably need some tlc.

[mjohnson185]

You might want to try Apex. It's a short commute to Raleigh and we have everything you might want in a town. Small town feel....but all of the modern amenities as well. There is a great downtown area and a good mixture of local and chains as well. There is a huge greenway they are planning to start within a year or so that includes 126 or more acres of trails, ampitheater, bike path, etc. There is a subdivision called Scotts Mill that have a lot of homes 8 years old with a lot of mature trees. Although the lots are only 1/4 an acre, everyone I know that lives there absolutely loves it. Built by local builders, the homes are very unique and resemble bungalow housing with charm. If you want an acre...Elliot Landing is a really nice neighborhood. It's in Fuquay Varina. Very intricate detail in mouldings, details...etc. It's a new construction...but a local builder and is not the type of "new construction" pop-up neighborhood you've described. I was very impressed with this subdivision and trust me...it takes a lot to impress me. Hope this helps.

[Dire Wolf]

Apex also has some historic homes that are within walking distance to downtown. I used to live in one of these and if you want a 100 y.o. house with lots of character, Apex is hard to beat. Still reasonable prices, yet close enough in to shopping, jobs, etc.

I also wouldn't rule out Raleigh, or even Cary. Both have lots of older neighborhoods with lots of mature trees. While Cary has lots of neighborhoods that fit the "Truman Show" stereotype, most of those were only built in the last 15 years (and Raleigh has as many of these in the North Raleigh area). If you look at neighborhoods/homes built prior to 1990, you'll get a very different feel. Much larger lots, more old trees, etc.

[relocate0894]

Thanks for the help, everyone! Some of your ideas will come in very handy as I continue searching. There are many great options here, to be sure.

[Gurl]

Originally Posted by MikeJaquish

I think you have described Durham. Crime not as bad as some folks say.
Kids who work at it seem to do well in school.
Woodcroft, Hope Valley come to mind

I would agree. I would also agree with the crime 'thing'. I'm from the same areas as the OP, and while there a several areas of Durham I wouldn't EVER want to venture into, there are many where I never even 'think' of the crime.

Originally Posted by MrsSteel

Be wary of Hope Valley Farms, Hope Valley Downs, etc. There's a dig difference. They're nice neighborhoods, but not what you're looking for.

I would have to disagree here. Based on the OP's description, I think she might like HVF. (I don't know anything about HVD).

While I like the loads of nature in Woodcroft (Woodcroft Parkway is my favorite street in all of Durham), I like the houses better in Hope Valley Farms - mainly because they're newer.

I currently own in HVF, but just this weekend went looking at houses in Woodcroft, but was sorely disappointed because the interiors were so dated - and I looked at everything availble in the 250k-350k+ range. In every house I looked at, I would be looking at $20k+ in renovatons to bring it up to speed with most of the houses I see in HFV.

Fortunately, HFV is exactly 1.5 miles from my home, so I can jog there whenever I want.

We also looked at homes in Hope Valley. I also love that neighborhood, but if I had kids I don't know if I would choose to live there. It didn't seem too 'kid friendly'. If I were a kid, I'd love growing up in HVF or Woodcroft.