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I have been on the hunt for the perfect neighborhood for our family and thought maybe y'all could offer some suggestions?
We are currently living in a nice neighborhood in Chapel Hill but we are thinking we would like to move out of the school district. We initially thought we'd buy 1-2 acres of undeveloped land and build on it, but we have young children (1 and 4), and we'd like them to grow up in a more developed area where they can ride their bikes and be safe.
We are looking at Briar Chapel but I'm not sure about a) the small lot size and the b) costs of homes relative to what you get. Ideally we'd be in a similar neighborhood as far as amenities such as a pool and playground, but on a larger lot size. We don't want a cookie cutter house, we'd like to custom build a beautiful home. We'd like to build a 3000 square foot home, so not small but not a ginormous home either. But we'd like some room, and that may be a challenge at Briar Chapel.
Are there any developments you'd recommend? We are open to Hillsborough, Durham, Pittsboro, and outer CH. Husband commutes to RTP so we'd like to not get tooooo far away, and we like it on 'this' side, over more into Raleigh. I welcome any suggestions!
You could look into an undeveloped lot in Stoneridge (north Chapel Hill), and there are also alot of existing custom homes on big lots there that fit your bill if you are not locked into building new. Pool, playground, tennis courts, and backs up onto about 6000 acres of Duke Forest and Triangle Land Conservancy lands.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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If you don't mind me asking, is there a reason you want to move outside the school district? Taxes too high or did you hear things about the school district that you don't like?
Also, what about Churton Grove in Hillsborough? They may be somewhat cookie cutter, but I think they are on 1/2 acre lots.
Have you looked at Chapel Ridge? Very nice golf course community because of the economy great deals to be had in there. Neighborhood has a pool... I believe it's either chapel hill or pittsboro address but Chatham county schools ;-)
Last edited by dianeh; 01-27-2012 at 04:48 AM..
Reason: Mis- spelling
I was thinking about Chapel Ridge as well, the lots are definitely bigger, but it is also a huge neighborhood! you could get a nice re-sale home in there at this point, and their pool is very very nice. It is chatham county schools.
If you don't mind me asking, is there a reason you want to move outside the school district? Taxes too high or did you hear things about the school district that you don't like?
I'm curious too, since that is the school district everyone seems to wish they were in!
I apologize for being MIA - I ended up in the ER for the majority of yesterday and into the wee hours. All is well, but I must say if you need to go to the ER and can choose, the new Briar Creek WakeMed ER is fantastic!
Thanks everyone for the ideas! I'll look into each. I really like the Briar Chapel concept but I feel like the markup to live there is perhaps not totally justified, at least for the type of house we're looking for.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Francois
I'm curious too, since that is the school district everyone seems to wish they were in!
Ok, well I'll spare you and try not step up on my soapbox, but the bottom line is that there's a good education, and then there's pushing our children harder than children should be pushed, and for what? Since I have lived in CH (4 years now), I have watched my friends and neighbors' children in these schools. I've seen the homework, the pressure - kids are tearing their hair out to make it through. There were even several suicide notes discovered among friends and neighbor's kids who were nearing graduation and totally overwhelmed by the pressure and expectations the school system provides (we are districted for East). And I don't think the pressure was coming from the parents.
Ultimately, I'm not sure traditional classroom education is the best way to learn (my kids are currently in private Montessori), and I believe strongly that while education is important, being a kid is more important. Education is there to teach you not just facts, but how to think, work ethics, independence, and pushing our kids for good test results isn't my idea of a great education. I want them to have time to play at night, not spend 3 hours on homework. I want them to push themselves, not crush under the weight of being pushed by others.
And well, financially the bottom line is we intend on keeping our kids in their Montessori school through elementary, so I don't see the point in paying for that private education AND CH taxes. Particularly when I don't really want my kids in the CH schools.
So, there you have the summary. Now I'll LOL!
We'd also like to move to where we can have just the home we want, and while I love the community aspect of CH, the location, the people, I'm not sure we can afford the type of home we want right here in the center of CH.
You may want to take a look at Fairfield in South Durham -- near Southpoint. There are some "cookie cutter" homes but it's been a neighborhood in process since the early '80's so there are lots of different looks in the neighborhood even though there are only around 400 homes. There is a neighborhood pool, tennis courts and playground. The neighborhood has an active summer swim team for when your kids get a bit older. While the neighborhood is nearly built out there are still some open lots although you'd probably have to use one of the two builders in the neighborhood. Lots range from .25 to .50 acres with a couple of larger lots. A 3000 square foot home with fit in nicely from a size perspective. Also if you decide to move from a private Montessori there are a couple of Montessori magnets in Durham and you'd be within easy driving distance of Stirling Montessori (charter school) in Morrisville. And it is a short commute to RTP for your husband.
Last edited by durhammom; 01-27-2012 at 10:19 AM..
Reason: Added number of homes
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LOL! 
