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Old 11-16-2011, 08:56 AM
 
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Originally Posted by LewLew View Post
This intrigues me. We really liked the looks of it, but were unsure about cultural events, the boating/lake accessibility, and if it was higher crime than closer to Raleigh. We are going back up to check it out again, but its nice that someone weighed in on Hope Valley. Durham is the closest to my husband's job, but I'm guessing heading West M-F isn't as bad as heading east...but I may be WAY off. My husband works "off" hours, so he won't be heading to work in the thick of rush hour. I work from home, so I need convenience..being able to run to the store, lunch, shop, quick errands all without spending too much time driving. When you say Cary folks drive, I hope you don't mean "sit in traffic". Running errands near my current house can take 30 minutes to go 7 miles because of traffic. I HATE that. I'd rather drive 10 and really be moving.
Hope Valley does not have a high crime rate. It's VERY safe, very suburban. You can walk the dog at night and be fine. Hope Valley elementary has a good mix of hispanic kids. Durham has a plethora of cultural events. Hope Valley is very close to shopping at Southpoint but also easy access to Downtown for cultural events and things like Tutti Frutti, Only Burger, the SW Durham Library (great selection of events and books for kids) .... all on Shannon Rd.

If you live in HOpe Valley proper the country club swimming pool is GREAT for little kids all the way to teenagers. The kiddie pool is separate from the other 2 pools. Pools are important here in the summer.

In Hope Valley you are still close to Jordan Lake.

We live South of Southpoint. It's very safe and suburban. Very quiet at night. We are 10 miles from Jordan Lake. (Hope Valley is a little bit further to Jodan Lake.) And we are 5 mins from all the shopping at Southpoint. 5 mins to i40. Our elementary school is Creekside, which is also culturally diverse. This elementary school gets kids from all over the world: sweden, iran, england, mexico, china, japan, india to name just a few. Lots graduate students, post docs, and visiting professors at both UNC and Duke send their kids to this school because of the convince to UNC-CH and Duke. It has a huge International Culture Night.

Don't rule out Durham on fears of safety. Raleigh is broken up into more towns and cities. Most of Durham Co. is in the city of Durham. And the different parts of Durham are very unique to each other. Hope Valley is more similar to North Raleigh. South Durham is more similar to parts of Cary... but just without some of the traffic issues since we are not as big as Cary.

good luck with your search.
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Old 11-16-2011, 09:38 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PDXmom View Post
Hope Valley does not have a high crime rate. It's VERY safe, very suburban. You can walk the dog at night and be fine. Hope Valley elementary has a good mix of hispanic kids. Durham has a plethora of cultural events. Hope Valley is very close to shopping at Southpoint but also easy access to Downtown for cultural events and things like Tutti Frutti, Only Burger, the SW Durham Library (great selection of events and books for kids) .... all on Shannon Rd.

If you live in HOpe Valley proper the country club swimming pool is GREAT for little kids all the way to teenagers. The kiddie pool is separate from the other 2 pools. Pools are important here in the summer.

In Hope Valley you are still close to Jordan Lake.

We live South of Southpoint. It's very safe and suburban. Very quiet at night. We are 10 miles from Jordan Lake. (Hope Valley is a little bit further to Jodan Lake.) And we are 5 mins from all the shopping at Southpoint. 5 mins to i40. Our elementary school is Creekside, which is also culturally diverse. This elementary school gets kids from all over the world: sweden, iran, england, mexico, china, japan, india to name just a few. Lots graduate students, post docs, and visiting professors at both UNC and Duke send their kids to this school because of the convince to UNC-CH and Duke. It has a huge International Culture Night.

Don't rule out Durham on fears of safety. Raleigh is broken up into more towns and cities. Most of Durham Co. is in the city of Durham. And the different parts of Durham are very unique to each other. Hope Valley is more similar to North Raleigh. South Durham is more similar to parts of Cary... but just without some of the traffic issues since we are not as big as Cary.

good luck with your search.
Wow, great post, thanks! Can you give me zip codes to search? I've just been searching "Hope Valley" because I was concerned about picking a bad pocket where the schools may not be strong or the crime would be much higher. If we went with Durham, we'd want to be central enough to enjoy our "home town", but close to Raleigh to enjoy it, and close enough to Durham city/Duke, and Chapel HIll that we wouldn't feel isolated. Thanks so much for the info. It appears that even Hope Valley Farms area is gorgeous, and very treed and hilly. I like that.
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Old 11-16-2011, 09:39 AM
 
1,023 posts, read 3,333,410 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PDXmom View Post
Hope Valley does not have a high crime rate. It's VERY safe, very suburban. You can walk the dog at night and be fine. Hope Valley elementary has a good mix of hispanic kids. Durham has a plethora of cultural events. Hope Valley is very close to shopping at Southpoint but also easy access to Downtown for cultural events and things like Tutti Frutti, Only Burger, the SW Durham Library (great selection of events and books for kids) .... all on Shannon Rd.

If you live in HOpe Valley proper the country club swimming pool is GREAT for little kids all the way to teenagers. The kiddie pool is separate from the other 2 pools. Pools are important here in the summer.

In Hope Valley you are still close to Jordan Lake.

We live South of Southpoint. It's very safe and suburban. Very quiet at night. We are 10 miles from Jordan Lake. (Hope Valley is a little bit further to Jodan Lake.) And we are 5 mins from all the shopping at Southpoint. 5 mins to i40. Our elementary school is Creekside, which is also culturally diverse. This elementary school gets kids from all over the world: sweden, iran, england, mexico, china, japan, india to name just a few. Lots graduate students, post docs, and visiting professors at both UNC and Duke send their kids to this school because of the convince to UNC-CH and Duke. It has a huge International Culture Night.

Don't rule out Durham on fears of safety. Raleigh is broken up into more towns and cities. Most of Durham Co. is in the city of Durham. And the different parts of Durham are very unique to each other. Hope Valley is more similar to North Raleigh. South Durham is more similar to parts of Cary... but just without some of the traffic issues since we are not as big as Cary.

good luck with your search.
Also, we live in FL, so we are well aware of pool necessity. We've alwayshad one in our backyard, so sharing will be different, but not having the maintenance will be lovely. Who knows, if the yard is flat enough...maybe we'll put one in someday.
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Old 11-17-2011, 05:52 AM
 
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Originally Posted by LewLew View Post
Thanks! I've been confused on this area though. Saw a home we liked in Hope Valley Farms, and then saw much grief being given to that area for carrying the name. Can't afford old Hope Valley (not many can, I assume)...but how would I search on New HOpe Valley? Our realtor is from Raleigh, so I'm unsure how savvy she is on the Durham side of things. Do you have a zip to search, or neighborhood names to look into? Thanks again!
For New Hope Valley, look for houses on St. Mark's Rd., Northhampton, Carlisle, Wentworth, Westchester, Chippenham and Champaign. Zip is 27707. Great walking neighborhood, mature trees, old and young people. Children attend public and private schools. Houses are newer than Old Hope Valley (1970s and 80s and up). There's a popular preschool at a church up on Old Chapel Hill Rd. Come by on Dec. 11 when all of Hope Valley will be ablaze in luminaries!
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Old 11-17-2011, 06:36 AM
 
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Originally Posted by Heater454 View Post
For New Hope Valley, look for houses on St. Mark's Rd., Northhampton, Carlisle, Wentworth, Westchester, Chippenham and Champaign. Zip is 27707. Great walking neighborhood, mature trees, old and young people. Children attend public and private schools. Houses are newer than Old Hope Valley (1970s and 80s and up). There's a popular preschool at a church up on Old Chapel Hill Rd. Come by on Dec. 11 when all of Hope Valley will be ablaze in luminaries!
Thanks! Seriously, you Raleigh/Durham folks are so helpful. I don't think we've every lived in any area where the people are so forthcoming. Kudos, and thanks! PS...we LOVE LUMINARIES. Only one place we ever lived did that, and it was fantastic.
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Old 11-17-2011, 07:52 AM
 
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We live in Cary, and honestly, I feel we are very spoiled when it comes to driving. I rarely need to leave Cary and can get most places within 10 minutes or less: numerous grocery stores (including Trader Joe's and Fresh Market), shopping centers, a huge variety of restaurants, doctor's offices, numerous parks, fitness opportunities, etc. We can be at Jordan Lake in 20 minutes door-to-door. RDU, NCSU, the state Farmer's Market, and downtown Raleigh museums are within a 20 minute drive as well. I think Cary has a nice, small downtown area with some shops, restaurants, the library and the new Cary Arts Center. The Town of Cary offers a wide variety of programs and classes for all ages.

We also live in Oxxford Hunt, which is an established neighborhood with lots of trees, a community pool, and greenway trails into Bond Park. We walk or ride our bikes there almost every day. There are lots of families in this neighborhood and many spend a good teal of time outdoors - walking and talking with neighbors. We love it here.
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Old 11-17-2011, 09:06 AM
WDJ
 
286 posts, read 787,277 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LewLew View Post
Wow, great post, thanks! Can you give me zip codes to search? I've just been searching "Hope Valley" because I was concerned about picking a bad pocket where the schools may not be strong or the crime would be much higher. If we went with Durham, we'd want to be central enough to enjoy our "home town", but close to Raleigh to enjoy it, and close enough to Durham city/Duke, and Chapel HIll that we wouldn't feel isolated. Thanks so much for the info. It appears that even Hope Valley Farms area is gorgeous, and very treed and hilly. I like that.
I'm over in SW Durham close by the border of Chapel Hill and Durham and like it so far. In addition to the zip code 27707, there's 27713 to its east and 27705 to its north. There's some stuff in 27517 as well that still SW Durham, even though the zip code is for Chapel Hill.

Some of the neighborhoods we were interested in while house hunting in SW Durham were Hope Valley Farms, Woodcroft, Five Oaks, Falconbridge, and Downing Creek. We liked these areas since they are more established and don't have those cookie cutter homes. Jordan HS seems to be the preferred school in the area vs. Hillside HS.
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Old 11-17-2011, 12:26 PM
 
3,155 posts, read 10,731,863 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LewLew View Post
Wow, great post, thanks! Can you give me zip codes to search? I've just been searching "Hope Valley" because I was concerned about picking a bad pocket where the schools may not be strong or the crime would be much higher. If we went with Durham, we'd want to be central enough to enjoy our "home town", but close to Raleigh to enjoy it, and close enough to Durham city/Duke, and Chapel HIll that we wouldn't feel isolated. Thanks so much for the info. It appears that even Hope Valley Farms area is gorgeous, and very treed and hilly. I like that.
I found zip codes in the Triangle are not the best way to search. I'll give you schools searches that might suit what you are looking for in Durham.

Hope Valley/ Githens/ Jordan
Creekside/ Githens or Lowes Grove/ Jordan
Forestview/ Githens/ Jordan

Part of Hope Valley Farms is Jordan and part is Hillside. Hillside has had it's share of academic challenges but does work well for some kids. I recommend checking out: StrongDurhamSchools.org.

More central in Durham, you might want to look at:
EK Powe/ Brogden/ Riverside HS or Jordan
Hillandale/ Brogden/ Riverside

The year round elementary options Pearsontown (in Southern Durham) and Easley in Northern Durham are strong options too. They are magnet based.

The area around Southpoint feels very convenient and central to places we go in the Triangle. Chapel Hill is a quick trip (10 -15 mins), RTP is at our back door, downtown Raleigh is an easy 30 mins. And Cary and Morrisville is closer. And downtown Durham is a close 20 mins. I like being so close to 40 too.

Lastly, pools.... you will find most people here opt to not have a pool in there back yards. Consult realtors about this but I've read a pool can decrease your home value here. BUT there are many pools you can join without being in an HOA. Here a few in Southern Durham: Hope Valley Country Club (pricey), Woodcroft, Hope Valley Farms, Meadowmont (closer to the Durham / Chapel Hill side), and Parkwood Swim Club (older pool... inexpensive, GREAT family atmosphere & GREAT swim team). Lots of families opt for Woodcroft. All of these options you do NOT have to live in those n'hoods to join the pool. The city pools in Durham are fine for adult lap swim but not as conducive for kids or play.
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Old 11-17-2011, 02:13 PM
 
Location: NC
2,023 posts, read 3,227,673 times
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Originally Posted by NeedAVacation View Post
We live in Cary, and honestly, I feel we are very spoiled when it comes to driving. I rarely need to leave Cary and can get most places within 10 minutes or less: numerous grocery stores (including Trader Joe's and Fresh Market), shopping centers, a huge variety of restaurants, doctor's offices, numerous parks, fitness opportunities, etc. We can be at Jordan Lake in 20 minutes door-to-door. RDU, NCSU, the state Farmer's Market, and downtown Raleigh museums are within a 20 minute drive as well. I think Cary has a nice, small downtown area with some shops, restaurants, the library and the new Cary Arts Center. The Town of Cary offers a wide variety of programs and classes for all ages.
I agree with this post. The op should look at the cary/apex border along 55. It's a great location close to beaver creek and sopposedly where the new costco will be. It is also convenient to Jordan Lake and 540 whenever it opens.
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Old 11-17-2011, 04:17 PM
 
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Originally Posted by LewLew View Post
Our price range is easily accommodated in any of those areas. We love the affordability of Wake Forest and Durham. However, the easy access of Cary is high on our list too. Its one of those questions...lots to choose from...so how do you pick one? Thanks for the advice. The one thing I like about Jordan Lake over Falls, is that they rent boats. We have our own boat, but its in Tampa right now, and might not be with us for a few months in NC. Also, with young children, I love the pontoon boats. Great family "hang" out boats. Ours is more of a fishing boat, so not as fun for the kids. One last question....is Durham "rougher", and "higher" crime than Cary, N Raleigh or Wake Forest? Thanks!

Like anyplace with crime, it depends on the area, but generally speaking, yeah, Durham is higher crime in the city and around the duke campus, having said that, up north it is close to Falls lake and very nice. We lived in Crenshaw hall Plantation, and loved it, lots of kids, great area in Wake Forest, however, it's kinda stepford, as was much of Cary, try out New Light Road in North Wake..I too prefer Jordon over Falls, for many reasons but yours is a good one. The biggest difference between Carey and Wake Forest is the city planners didn't go nuts in the forest. that could change but as of now the traffic is great. the traffic in CAry is crazy, any and all hours of day, night, week-end, its nuts! and I'm from a chicago suburb, I'm used to high volume traffic and Cary is difficult to cope with at best, just sayin'
Apex area is very nice. taxes are higher in Chapel hill and chatham country, so watch you don't get over the county line, lots of nice places around the east side of the lake, coming from the lake, go right as soon as you cross, several pvt road subdivisions out there with only a couple homes . I would find a realtor in each of the areas you like, give them your top five must haves, and then add a few really wants, also give him 5 deal breakers, then set up time to view a few homes in each area.
I've done this a time or two, can you tell? LOL. good luck and enjoy, it's a beautiful area and I miss it so much! but for my money, I loved Wake Forest!

Last edited by LPnerd; 11-17-2011 at 04:43 PM.. Reason: spelling
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