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I am new to the forum... well actually I have been looking at some of these posts for a couple months but new to posting... My family has to relocate to the RTP area in the next month for husbands work.
I have several questions to ask sorry if this is long winded.
What is living in the Parkwood area like? I was told by someone to stay out of South Durham, but Parkwood is very close to husbands work so he wants to live there.
Also I am an avid gardener and am out of my comfort zone in your hot climate, I have always gardened in a zone 3-4, can anyone give me some tips or recommendations?
As a mom (girl-7 / boy-3) I am very worried that I will not be able to get out and socialize with others and was interested in seeing if anyone here knows about a parent-to-parent style meetup in the area.
Lastly and probably most importantly, has anyone dealt with a mortgage broker that has experience with foreign purchasers? I can not find anyone who will speak to us about a mortgage until husband has worked for 2 years there. We have been home owners for 10 years and are not wanting to go back to renting now.
Parkwood is not in the "scary" part of South Durham--it's a suburban area, albeit an older (1960s?) one. Yes, it is very convenient to RTP. I don't live there myself, but know where the area is.
I have a friend who lives in Parkwood and is very happy with the neighborhood. It has a small convenience store, an elementary school, some churches and plenty of sidewalks to enjoy. Lots of kids too - I was there during Halloween last year, and they went through three bags of goodies, which was pretty impressive to me. The families seem nice, and it's very easy to get to both Southpoint and Research Triangle Park (10-15 minutes each, depending on location). Only bother can be NC 54 with its two lanes coming in and out of the main entrance, but there is a stoplight there that helps a great deal. I think you'll enjoy the area. As for your other questions, sorry, I don't have any answers for them.
I think of Southpointe as much more than a mall. Yes, there is the mall, but it's surrounded by housing developments, other shopping venues, restaurants, etc. I live in Chapel Hill and we refer to the entire general area as Southpointe. We call the mall "the mall", not Southpointe. Does that make sense?
As for gardening, I guess it would depend on exactly where you'd be, but there are certain areas that are heavily shaded.
As far as socializing , you could join Trianglemommies.com. There are a few Parkwood moms in the area. I'm sure you could post in the relocation and/or South Durham (you need to request to join that areagroup) subforums and 'meet' some of them online. They host periodic playdates specific to that part of Durham.
Thank you for the link, I am so nervous about moving away from everything I know and love here. All this help has made me a little less scared of NC... I am actually moving there blindly, husband went for the interview by himself so when we move that will be my first look at the area.
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