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We're moving to the triangle and I'll be working at UNC and my husband at RTP. Can anyone suggest areas to live in between that wouldn't be a brutal commute? Looking to rent a 3bdrm house or townhouse. We'll be coming to visit in 2 weeks to find a place to live.
I've read on here that parking can be bad at UNC, just how bad is it? Would it be better to live closer to UNC then and make my husband do all the commuting?
I lived in Chapel Hill for five years and commuted to RTP ... it was a 20-30 minute drive most days for me. For the first couple of years, I was also a grad student at UNC. I lived on the north side of Chapel Hill, sometimes rode the bus to school, more often than not drove to school ... never had any trouble finding parking near downtown. It really depends on where on campus your job is, don't know how parking is in other areas.
We just left a temporary apartment at Southpoint Village (that's the name of the development) and really liked the area. Right off of 40 and 54, both of which can take you to RTP and Chapel Hill. My husband works in Morrisville and it was about a 15 minute commute, easy. Lots of big box retail stuff, but still surprisingly walkable. Close to Sutton Station and Woodcroft walking trails, walk walk to the mall, etc. Generally, anything in the area of I40 and Fayetteville Road would be very convenient.
In my mind I am thinking of the area at 54 and 40, and also pretty much anywhere near Southpoint. If you get on the Chapel Hill side of 54/40, you can be walking or biking distance from the Friday Center park and ride (which has very frequent shuttle service to UNC). There's some other buses that go down that corridor and can take you straight to UNC as well.
If your husband is working right in the park, he's going to have to commute at least a little bit each day. There's not really housing in RTP, so he'll most likely have to get in a car every day anyways. There's some decent bus service to RTP, but it will end up being a situation where he takes a bus to the RTP station and then has to hop on a shuttle. Not too terrible, but he'll have to be committed to transit. It's also typically nice enough outside to bike to work year-round, save for a few days of rain each month.
Does your husband have a job lined up yet, or is he just hoping to land one in RTP? You could always live in Downtown Durham and take the Robertson Scholars bus to UNC each day. That's what my girlfriend did for 3 years. It's pretty convenient if where you're going at UNC is near Morehead Planetarium.
These two places aren't significantly apart from each other to worry about any sort of brutal commute, whether you lived near one or the other or in between.
The Southpoint area of Durham seems like the best bet. That would put you roughly 4 miles from RTP and 10 miles from Chapel Hill. Some neighborhoods to look at are Woodcroft, Wellingham, Grandale, Hope Valley, and Parkwood.
There are also gobs of apartments and townhomes in that area.
There is also the Downing Creek nieghborhood on the edge of Durham that is roughly equidistant from RTP and Chapel Hill.
Since you are new to the area, you might consider renting an apartment or townhouse until you get a better feel for where you want to live. I know a lot of people who have rented townhouses off of Highgate Rd (near Southpoint) and were happy there for a few years.
As for UNC parking, it is expensive (~700/year). The real issue is will your employing department have a parking permit for you. Some departments have enough to go around, others do not. If you have a permit, parking is no problem. If you live along Hwy 54, there are buses that go directly to UNC campus. However, you can easily spend 1-2 hours per day on the buses.
i couldn't tell you much on where to live but i can echo these sentiments:
Quote:
Originally Posted by BullCity75
As for UNC parking, it is expensive (~700/year). The real issue is will your employing department have a parking permit for you. Some departments have enough to go around, others do not. If you have a permit, parking is no problem. If you live along Hwy 54, there are buses that go directly to UNC campus. However, you can easily spend 1-2 hours per day on the buses.
i had a friend who worked there for 3 years & she never got a parking permit the entire time. it was a nightmare to find parking & the bus was a ridiculous waste of time as stated. she loved her job but in the parking was a definite thorn in her side. but that really depends on the department from what i understand.
Contrary to what other posters are saying, I think you will benefit greatly to live on or near a bus line in Chapel Hill, since the bus lines are free and parking is expensive at UNC. 2 hours on the bus? No way. Back in '07, the wife worked at UNC hospital, and I worked in south RTP. We lived in a 2BR in Glen Lennox for a year and it was great. Glen Lennox is not town homes but it's all 1 story cottages so it's they do have 3 BR apartments. I had an easy 20 minute drive on Stagecoach and O'Kelly Chapel, and she had a two minute walk to a bus line that ran every 5 minutes and took 15 minutes to get to the hospital, instead of the alternative which was to pay for a parking permit and STILL have to catch a shuttle to the hospital.
Would certainly offer a reasonable commute in both directions, but be aware there is much planning work going on right now between Durham and Chapel Hill regarding that area, which traffic-wise is one of the most congested in the Triangle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by orulz
Contrary to what other posters are saying, I think you will benefit greatly to live on or near a bus line in Chapel Hill, since the bus lines are free and parking is expensive at UNC.
Or commute in to Chapel Hill and use one of several park and ride lots to catch a bus to campus.
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