Another Yankee Transplant Story.. with GOOD advice (Raleigh, Cary: for sale, credit)

[Radiojoe315]

As many of you who visit this board are, I am from the school of Yankees who headed on down to the triangle from Jersey. I am 17 years old, and my parents and I moved down to Carolina from Jersey. (I think I am a mature 17 year old so keep that in mind). My parents, who like many of you were sick of the high price tag on jersey, Put the house up for Sale in March. Sold it in May, and Left for Clayton in June. We TRIED To remain positive throughout the ordeal, but had a VERY VERY difficult time doing so. As a result, today the house in Clayton officially went on the market. Now, while a GOOD chunk of that reasoning behind that was career related for my parents, I have some sound advice to offer.

Heres what went into the descision and simply should be taken as advice. As I am NOT in anyway shape or form badmouthing The Triangle, clayton, or Johnston County. Because I am not leaving as a result of the area, we are leaving because of my parents job oppourtunites back in Jersey.

The BIGGEST piece of advice, I can offer is DO YOUR HOMEWORK. IF You know where your buying and REALLY study it, YOU WILL BE HAPPY. HOWEVER, the internet can only tell you so much.

Johnston County has a LOT to offer, the ENTIRE triangle does, and even Clayton. It's A VERY Desirable place and I can see why. However, as a yankee we regret not attempting to purchase a home in more developed area. I was in one of the least developed areas of Clayton. A good 10 minutes from Route 70 or 42. Which made a BIG Difference in my opinion. While, it may not sound like a lot, when your used to having everything at your fingertips thats A BIG Adjustement. MANY people like that, that however was not for us.

I feel as if we purchased in a more developed area the adjustement would have been A LOT easier. Now, I know that even the area of Clayton I was from will probably wind up developed in the not so distant future, but for now it isnt developed. We all agreed that if we paid a few extra dollars it would have been worth it to move into Cary, or Apex or an area which developed such as those have.

The schools REALLY REALLY are great in Johnston County. I HIGHLY reccomend them. However, keep in mind your child's age when moving. I am a Junior in HS. Thus, I had a VERY Rough time getting used to Clayton. I grew up and spent my entire life at the Jersey Shore. Big adjustement to go to that from the country. Its also very tough being the new kid as a Junior in HS. That goes for ANYWHERE You move. I know i had younger cousins who made the move also. They were middle school aged and absolutely loved it. Have fit right in, right away. Theres a LOT to offer in those schools. So take advantage of it. This however, goes for ANYWHERE in the countryYou move I imagine with school-aged kids. Thus, I personally really didnt like the school in North Carolina.

The ONLY thing I noticed to be slightly behind, which I doubt will last long, was the technology. The computer system seemed to be outdated, and slow compared to what I've seen in the North. The schools are overcrowded but I give the officials GREAT credit for dealing with it the best ways they can. The quality of education was comparable if not better in some ways to that of the Northeast.

Another personal story, was we were unaware that our wooded lot would be cut down for the septic tank. I understand that is bound to happen however much to our surprise in June we found a run down trailer in the backyard as our great scenery. Amazing what a few trees can do, but still, very tough to get to used to. Of course, they were very nice people, and we had no problems, its just not the prettiest of pictures to view.

I am not saying dont move, because like I said its not because we didnt like it that we are moving back to Jersey. However, if you do your homework it will make you A LOT happier in the end. It looks GREAT on paper, but its a matter of finding the PERFECT place. Theres A LOT to do in Johnston/Wake County. Its just a matter of living near it. Also, be careful.

While many people are friendly, some of them I encountered as well as my parents and family, in Clayton especially, the areas we live in, didnt like the fact that so many yankees were moving in. I tottally can understand why they feel that way, however, in other areas they may have been more welcoming. Keep in mind what you want in an area, and you shall find it. The triangle has something for everyone if you look. Unfourtantely, we didnt look hard enough and weren't pleased with where we wound up.

Just thought I'd share a post with some advice.

[AmyK]

I really appreciate hearing about your experiences and perspective. We are being relocated to near Raleigh (RTP) and my kids are near your age (they're 15 and 16 now). We're waiting until this school year ends to move so that they can get all their credits and not lose any ground in the change from traditional to block-scheduled school... so they'll start next school year in 10th and 11th grades. We've narrowed down our school choices to Apex or Green Hope high schools in Wake County. Do you have any specific advice or suggestions for us? Or have heard anything about those schools in particular? Thanks!

[viggiaro]

I am also moving down with my 13 year old twin boys. We are looking at Cary..much more built up than other areas. My boys will be entering junior high, at Panther Creek most likely, but I may just pop for pvt schooling, as they have some ADD/ADHD neesds (fletcher acadamey at 13K per year is not too overpriced, and from my visit there, a nice schoo).

We will miss the beach also, but am being told the beach is 2-2.5 hours away (which is exactly how far LBI is from where we live in NY)

[NC little foot]

Joe, are you coming back to the Jersey Shore? How fast things changed for you guy's. How long did the realtor say is the turn around for the house in Clayton? I'll e-mail you later

[I'minformed2]

Originally Posted by viggiaro

I am also moving down with my 13 year old twin boys. We are looking at Cary..much more built up than other areas. My boys will be entering junior high, at Panther Creek most likely, but I may just pop for pvt schooling, as they have some ADD/ADHD neesds (fletcher acadamey at 13K per year is not too overpriced, and from my visit there, a nice schoo).

We will miss the beach also, but am being told the beach is 2-2.5 hours away (which is exactly how far LBI is from where we live in NY)

Panther creek isn't a Junior High School, it's a high school. Right now it has only 9th and 10th graders but will eventually have all 4 years. Junior High (called middle school) is 6th through 8th grade in Wake County.

[A&N]

RJ315, thanks for the HS insider's viewpoint. This is valuable info for a parent. I PM'd you a question re: my son's future education - Thanks!

A&N

[NCHomeFinder]

Wow, what a great post - abolutely, where you are coming from affects how you will feel about a new area. Anytime I have clients relocating from urban areas, either California, the Northeast, or Florida, and they are interested in areas like Clayton, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, sometimes even Wake Forest, Apex or Cary, I express concern that they will experience the same "culture shock" that you have. Whenever possible, bring your kids with you and let them tour the school, and practice driving your daily routes during rush hour and other times of day to get a feel for what daily life will be like. 10 minutes just to get to a main road for a gallon of milk can feel like forever to some people, and feels like nothing to others. Some people tell me they're perfectly happy with an hour commute, but my husband complains that his is 25 minutes.
Good luck to you selling your house in Clayton, and best wishes for your senior year!

[Carolina_native]

Isnt the whole point of moving to NC is for the 'culture shock?'

So many people move here citing the same reasons as radiojoe and his family, its interesting to see what their true definition of change is, the change they are looking for. Some find it and some dont.

[NCHomeFinder]

Originally Posted by Carolina_native

Isnt the whole point of moving to NC is for the 'culture shock?'

So many people move here citing the same reasons as radiojoe and his family, its interesting to see what their true definition of change is, the change they are looking for. Some find it and some dont.

I agree - moving to a new place is already a big change, and when you're excited about it, it's easy to dismiss little things (like 10 minutes to a main road). When your daily routine is altered so much, it can be too much change, and it's too bad, because there are other places in this area where they may have found what they were looking for. Or not. As has been said, looking at towns online and checking commutes on google maps, even coming for a quick visit doesn't necessarily give you a good idea of what your daily life will be like. When we were relocating, I thought the houses in Clayton and Fuquay Varina looked great, and I actually tried to convince my poor husband that a 45 minute to an hour commute to rtp during rush hour couldn't be that bad, could it? Then, we came for a visit, drove it, and promptly bought a house in North Raleigh. (And he still complains about his commute. ) That, and I need my shopping very close by. Very close. lots of shopping.

[cakeprincess]

As a mother of 3rd grader, I felt it was the best choice I've made for my son by purchasing a home in Clayton. Yes, you might say that anybody can experienced a "culture shock". I, for one, had a minor "culture shock", but it faded quickly. Back in Florida, I'm used to walking with my son to school, shops near my home, and flat land. My son have no kids to play with in our old neighborhood. Nothing at all. Now, here in Clayton, my son got TONS of friends for first time! I'm so happy for him that he can go out and play with other kids. It made me so happy, too.

The home we're at now, I had to drive my car to drop my son at his school, which is alittle far (10 mins. drive), shopping is 15-20 minutes away, and of course, the land is hilly. All of these, we already adjusted it pretty well.

Clayton is rural, but not for long. In about 2 years, things will be changed: more houses are being developed, more stores are being built, roads are expanding - both addition and more road width. Highway 550 is being built right now and from what I was told, the commute will be faster by using the new highway.

There are plenty of jobs you can find near Clayton, Garner, Smithfield, Fuquay-Varina, Knightdale, and more. As for school system, they are wonderful (I'm talking about elementary level here) and their computers are up to date. I also was told that there will be two new schools in Clayton - Riverdell Middle and High School - in about 5 years.

We chose Clayton for many positive reasons. Like the first poster said, do your research and visit the area throughly. Job location is important so you'll know how far it will take you.

Good luck