Relocation Question - Where near Rocky Mount? (Raleigh, Durham: schools, living in)

[jlwhite77]

Hi Everyone,
I was just offered a position in Rocky Mount. I'm currently living in New Hampshire, but have lived in NC before (Cary, Durham areas). In your opinion, where is a good place to live between Raleigh and Rocky Mount? My initial thoughts were to move to Raleigh since there is a lot to offer in that area. Does anyone have any advice to offer about that? I'm open to other towns/cities, but need some great childcare and want to live where there is stuff for us to do.

Thanks so much!
Jenn

[Francois]

Knightdale is one of the exurbs of Raleigh that is really seeing a lot of growth recently, though I have heard not-so-great things about the schools there (others on this forum will know more). Wilson, while not so close to Raleigh, is also not badly located from Rocky Mount AND Greenville, so you'd have a lot of choices in towns to go to, but if you expected to spend lots of time in Raleigh, that would be quite a hike. I do know of many in Wilson who go to church in Raleigh every week, so it is not a huge hurdle to many.

You would not want a Raleigh-to-Rocky Mount daily commute.

[rchapman]

My sister lives in Rockymount and their is not a whole lot there. It is a small area

[YankInEurope]

I lived in Raleigh 8 years, til last year:

I would do the commute from Raleigh, or Wake Forest. The interstate connection from Raleigh to Rocky Mount was finished maybe 4 years ago. Knightdale is a so-so choice, Wilson is "fuggedaboutit" (literally, forget about it). Rocky Mount and Wilson might be ok to work, but the demographics are just not up to snuff.

[tompope]

Naturally, it depends on what exactly your criteria are for where to live. I actually know a couple of people who are currently living in Rocky Mount and are very happy there, but they're not the types who are looking for action and nightlife and diversity. They just like a simple, quiet, laid-back, inexpensive kind of lifestyle, and for that Rocky Mount is fine (at least if you're one of the dwindling numbers of Rocky Mount residents who actually has a good job). But if you're looking for something a bit more active and cosmopolitan, you should be able to have your cake and eat it to if you live in eastern Wake County, which is part of the Triangle area, but also an easy, quick commute to The Mount. Personally, I really like the town of Wendell. I have other friends who live there, and it's a really nice balance between very appealing small-town charm and the access to the amenities of the metropolitan area. From Wendell, it's about 30 or 40 minutes to downtown Raleigh, and about 45 minutes to an hour to downtown Rocky Mount. To me, that's doable, and a commute that's easily worth it for the opportunity to live in the Triangle. Knightdale, Zebulon, and adjacent rural areas are similarly situated, but in my opinion, not quite as appealing.