Moving to Raleigh (Cary, Apex: fit in, real estate, townhouses)

[CalandraShane]

Hello,

My husband and I are in our early 30's, no children yet, have two dogs. We have never been to Raleigh or North Carolina for that matter. We want to make sure when we move there that we look for a nice neighborhood that we would fit in too. We would really appreciate any help. We are moving from Las Vegas and live in a great neighborhood where we get together and have BBQ and pool parties and we are not the only people that have no children. We have looked on the internet and seem to only find neighborhoods with families (w/ children). We want to have children and plan on having kids but we have found is that people that have children do not wish to do anything with us, only people with no kids. We don't really care if people have children or not we just don't want to be left out of activities simply because we have no children. Please give any advice on areas of where you think we would fit in. We love to go on long walks, hike, bike, swim, we are very active and love the outdoors also here in Vegas I do monthly, sometimes bi-weekly, activities with the neighborhood girls who live in the neighborhood and we bake cookies, I teach them art with painting and sculpting, I will really miss doing these things and hope I will find an even better place there . Thanks for any and everyone that responds.

[leighbhe]

Hi!

You could move into my neighborhood, I would be happy to be friends with someone without kids, because I do get sick of talking about kids all of the time!!!! Seriously, I have a friend who relocated here from las vegas last year, she and her family seem to be adjusting well!!! I do think there are neighborhoods in the triangle area that have a nice mix of kids, young couples without kids, and retired. There are a number of communities that have multipriced homes (single family starters, larger homes, townhouses, etc). In those neighborhoods you have people in various stages in their lives! My neighborhood in wake forest has couples without kids, a few like me with little ones, more with older kids, and retired couples.

There are definitely areas around the triangle (lots of parks, hiking trails) where you can be active, plus we are only about 4 hours from the mountains and 3 from the beach.

Anyhow, I have lived in the area for most of my life and have lived all over the triangle, and I have been in your position!!!! So, feel free to send me a private message or personal email if you have more questions.

Leigh

[RaleighRob]

Calandra-- I SO know what you're talking about!
Many of the suburban areas, such as North Raleigh, Cary, Apex and the other small suburbs are VERY family-oriented (or family-obsessed depending on your point of view).
I think you'll find more diversity in the older Raleigh neighborhoods Inside-the-Beltline, which have a slightly more urban feel as they surround downtown. These areas have a huge variety of retirees, childless couples, unmarried couples, empty nesters, students, singles, gays, divorcees, and yes, even families. And in neighborhoods such as mine, they all pretty much get along great!
I think you'll like it!

[CalandraShane]

Thanks for the info. We are really interested in the older homes, they tend to have a lot more character and charm. Do you know what zip codes I can search the real estate sites to see what is available? What else is there to do there in Raleigh for young couples? Are there any comedy clubs, dance clubs for night. Also resturants, we are orginally from the mid-west and love steak, potatoe, sweet corn, rolls and pie. Any places like that there?

[RaleighRob]

Originally Posted by CalandraShane

Thanks for the info. We are really interested in the older homes, they tend to have a lot more character and charm. Do you know what zip codes I can search the real estate sites to see what is available? What else is there to do there in Raleigh for young couples? Are there any comedy clubs, dance clubs for night. Also resturants, we are orginally from the mid-west and love steak, potatoe, sweet corn, rolls and pie. Any places like that there?

Well, it's hard to go by zip codes here....they often stretch to areas that are completely different from each other. But for the most part, for the areas I described above, you're looking at 27601, 27602, 27605, 27607, 27608 plus the northern end of 27603, the southern end of 27604, the northwestern end of 27610, and the northeastern end of 27606. (A good online reference for info on these neighborhoods can be found at: tinyurl.com/ncxm2).

I think there's a good variety of stuff for young couples, particularly downtown. Comedy clubs, dance clubs, lounges, galleries, cafes and all that sorta stuff. And as far as restaurants, I'll think just about everyone will find a decent number of places to keep from getting bored with the same stuff every weekend.

[Beffrey2]

You need to move near downtown Raleigh. Probably just west of the 5 points area. I think the road is Glenwood ave? Lots of nice old homes. Could be kind of expensive though. But trust me, there is plenty of Character, charm...few kids, huge old oak trees. You get the picture!