Zebulon (Raleigh, Wake Forest, Knightdale: apartment, new home, purchase)

[da3234]

Zebulon seems like a very nice place to live. What do you guys think?

[JoeChristmas]

I drive through there occasionally, since my parents live in that direction from Wake Forest, and it seems like a real dive. Sorry for being so blunt. I guess it depends on what you want. If you're happy with being a long way from everything, living in a town where fine dining means a night out at the Sonic, then go for it. My guess is the people are nice, but I wouldn't look for too much intellectual stimulation. Again, depends on what you want.

--JC

[jeannie216]

Originally Posted by JoeChristmas

I drive through there occasionally, since my parents live in that direction from Wake Forest, and it seems like a real dive. Sorry for being so blunt. I guess it depends on what you want. If you're happy with being a long way from everything, living in a town where fine dining means a night out at the Sonic, then go for it. My guess is the people are nice, but I wouldn't look for too much intellectual stimulation. Again, depends on what you want.

--JC

Hummm....I would think those that live there may be a tad insulted JC........

[da3234]

Originally Posted by JoeChristmas

I drive through there occasionally, since my parents live in that direction from Wake Forest, and it seems like a real dive. Sorry for being so blunt. I guess it depends on what you want. If you're happy with being a long way from everything, living in a town where fine dining means a night out at the Sonic, then go for it. My guess is the people are nice, but I wouldn't look for too much intellectual stimulation. Again, depends on what you want.

--JC

I really do not get that impression. It seems as if the area is building up, as new home construction dominates the market there. When you say it is a long way from everywhere, what do you mean? Isn't a short drive to Raleigh?

[saturnfan]

Took 45 minutes when we went there from West Raleigh.

Good budget priced area. Definitely not a Brier Creek or cary.

[JoeChristmas]

Originally Posted by jeannie216

Hummm....I would think those that live there may be a tad insulted JC........

Yeah. That was being too blunt. And my "experience" is simply looking through my car window....... So please ignore my limited impressions.

Still, I would definitely visit the area multiple times before seriously considering a house there. And focus on the area, activities, drive to Raleigh, etc., not just the house. And while living in a "Mayberry" type NC town may sound appealing at first, I wonder how it will seem after six months?

But for those who like that lifestyle, go for it.

--JC

[jeannie216]

Originally Posted by JoeChristmas

Yeah. That was being too blunt. And my "experience" is simply looking through my car window....... So please ignore my limited impressions.

Still, I would definitely visit the area multiple times before seriously considering a house there. And focus on the area, activities, drive to Raleigh, etc., not just the house. And while living in a "Mayberry" type NC town may sound appealing at first, I wonder how it will seem after six months?

But for those who like that lifestyle, go for it.

--JC

Much better..........

[Lizardlips]

I love Zebulon!! Nice comfortable feel to the area, but it all depends on what you want. I love the country feel, and that downhome feel, but if you want to be closer to shopping and nightlife, I wouldn't choose it. It is nice though, and it all depends on what you are looking for.

[saturnfan]

Zebulon's small but might be a good fit for many folks, especially those with limited housing budgets.

It reminded me of the town I grew up in during the 1950's, kind of like Wendell.

[Claire_F]

Originally Posted by JoeChristmas

Yeah. That was being too blunt. And my "experience" is simply looking through my car window....... So please ignore my limited impressions.
--JC

Wow. I'm glad you posted this follow-up, but your original post was way too harsh. Making a "guess" at the intelligence of an entire town's population based on driving through it a few times is pretty unfair. It's also not too intelligent.

The population must not be too dumb - after all, GlaxoSmithKline has a big facility here.

I moved here almost six years ago, after marrying my husband. He's lived here most of his life. I love it here. I work in downtown Raleigh, and my commute is an easy 35 minutes. We used to live in an apartment closer to the center of the town, but are now in a house about 7 or 8 miles from downtown Zebulon.

We were able to purchase 3 acres of wooded property and build a beautiful house that's 2200 sq. ft., plus a full basement and drive-under garage for around $200k. (We're just over the Wake County line, in Franklin County. The price would go up dramatically if we were in Wake County.) It's absolutely quiet out here, the night sky is full of stars (no city lights), and people wave at you when you drive by.

There's not much in Zebulon as far as shopping - although there's a great gift shop at Zebulon Drug called Sycamore Crossing. Beautiful, unique items, and fantastic prices. Whenever my out-of-town friends come to visit, they ask me to take them there. There's a Food Lion here, but we much prefer the Lowes Foods in Knightdale, which is an easy 10 minutes away. There's also a Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Office Max, etc. in Knightdale, along with several chain restaurants and more shopping to come. For everything else, Raleigh's an easy drive away.

The population of Zebulon is currently booming. There's a huge number of houses being built, and new commercial properties are on the way. We have a nice library, a nice stadium that's host to the AA baseball team Carolina Mudcats, a quaint downtown with a really BIG furniture store that's been in business for over 100 years (Whitley Galleries) and more.

I moved from Houston, a city with a population in the multi-millions, to live in Zebulon, with a population of around 8,000. I'll take small town living any day. My only hope is that it doesn't grow too much.