Relocating, and Overwhelmed (Raleigh, Wilson, Apex: apartment, crime, hotel)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Hi everyone! First off, I appreciate your patience and I want to assure you I am scouring the threads to see if similar questions and concerns to my own have already been answered. That being said, I thought I'd throw this out there too:
We're most likely relocating over the summer to the area, and I'm completely in the dark. I've been scouring the internet for information (I've only visited the outer banks for a wedding, so I have no personal knowledge of the area) and trying to look at towns and schools, and... I think my brain melted right out of my ears.
I have a middle school aged child and a high schooler. I'm desperately trying to figure out the school system and find a good place for them (the youngest is a math/computer geek, quiet type of boy. The oldest is a theater, singing, honor roll high achiever, cheerleader, soccer player type of girl. Opposite needs, minus the scholastic part.) We're trying to find a school that will meet their needs, and a community that is safe and friendly.
We live in a very rural area in Vermont now, and we're willing to move to another rural area or into a neighborhood if that is what it takes to find a nice community to be a part of. The school and the community are equally important (we've lived here for over a decade, and people are NOT nice up here. I would just love to live in a place where people actually smile every now and then at each other. Just that would be a huge improvement! Vermont hates outsiders, and anyone who isn't third generation is an outsider. I'm fearful of moving to another community like that.) Obviously, any city in NC compared with the rural area here has a much higher crime rating, so I'm trying to contrast NC areas with one another...
Other people who have been relocated by the same company seem to all commute from around the Wake Forest area all the way out to Wilson, NC. So, I've been looking there, Rolesville, and Youngsville just came up too, but the crime was reported as higher and I saw some posts elsewhere citing other issues?
Any suggestions or opinions? Areas you feel are better than others? Better schools, friendlier communities, lower crime, etc? I'm also looking at the homes in some areas and noticing they have been on the market for years, which is a little unnerving too (if it's one, you think it's likely the property. But if it's a bunch of them, then the area becomes suspect.)
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through this, and any suggestions you may have! I really appreciate it!
Have you considered living in Wilson? I work with someone who lives there and commutes to RTP every day. He and his wife love living there with their two daughters and won't entertain the thought of relocating to Wake County.
Have you considered living in Wilson? I work with someone who lives there and commutes to RTP every day. He and his wife love living there with their two daughters and won't entertain the thought of relocating to Wake County.
Is he a transplant or a native?
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The commute will be out to Wilson. My husband is from the midwest, and I'm originally from Colorado.
We did look at Wilson, but I was warned off because of the schools and that if we had to relocate again in about 5 years (all maybe kind of stuff, we could just as easily end up in NC permanently) that the house market was tough there.
I have clients that work in Wilson and both moved to Heritage (neighborhood) in Wake Forest. The commute is between 45 min. to an hour but they chose that over living in Wilson.
Your criteria sounds like Wake Forest would work. Youngsville tends to be more rural but you do get more land for your money. The schools in Youngsville will most likely concern you.
There are many n'hoods in Wake Forest that would work for you.
You might also consider Knightdale and Zebulon but you'll want to check out the schools, depending on the area.
I did the move here from the Midwest (Chicago) four years ago and it is overwhelming. I had only been to NC once prior to the move and that was for a week stay in a hotel while our floors were being redone for listing our house there. After that, we moved to an apartment in North Raleigh for about 4 months while we looked around, visited various neighborhoods and surrounding towns. It's quite a bit of work in the beginning but it really is a beautiful area.
If I could do it all over again, I think I would have taken more time looking for the right community. We live in Apex and it's nice. Most of the people are friendly and it's convenient to many areas. My subdivision, in particular, is not a good fit personality wise and that's hard to know until you live somewhere. I like the kids' school and they love it and we've made friends here. One thing none of us were prepared for was the pollen. We all struggled our first few years here and I've met others who have never adjusted after decades of being here.
So, breathe. It's a nice place and you'll find something to fit your needs. Be patient with yourself and the journey.
Oh, there is a sticky at the top of this page that provides some cool answers to questions we all had when we started our trek here. Hopefully, something in here helps you too!
If I could do it all over again, I think I would have taken more time looking for the right community. We live in Apex and it's nice. Most of the people are friendly and it's convenient to many areas. My subdivision, in particular, is not a good fit personality wise and that's hard to know until you live somewhere. I like the kids' school and they love it and we've made friends here. One thing none of us were prepared for was the pollen. We all struggled our first few years here and I've met others who have never adjusted after decades of being here.
Can I ask why the fit wasn't good, personality-wise?
This is part of what makes me nervous. For example, I was raised to introduce myself to my neighbors when I moved somewhere, or if someone moved in. When we moved here (vermont) I walked over to my neighbors next door (who were outside puttering around, similar age to us) with my toddler daughter and I introduced myself "Hi, I'm *, your neighbor moving in next door!" And they literally replied "Hi, I'm * and my husband and I were born and raised here, so we have plenty of family and don't need anymore friends." And that was it. I thanked her politely, and then beat a path back home quickly.
That pretty much sums up the area here and people's attitudes, and the sentiment was repeated over and over again. I later found out that's how the locals here pretty much treat everyone. I'm actually very shy, but friendly, so it was a huge blow to reach out and encounter that.
So, personality-wise I'm a rather shy artist, and my husband is an outgoing engineer (and soccer fanatic.) That's probably how we ended up with a shy child and another that's a total extrovert. I grew up with friendly neighbors and communities that welcomed people (always exceptions to that, but in general) and it's been hard here. I don't want to make the same mistake and spend another 15 years like this.
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