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My family and I are relocating from Sacramento CA after the 1st of the year. We would like some feedback on communities/areas that offer the following:
- "newer" apartment complex
- downtown amenities
- good schools (pre-school and kindergarten)
- family-friendly
- relatively safe
- diverse areas
- pedestrian-friendly
- close to shopping
- short commute - job located in the N.C. State Centennial Campus Research Park
You may want to look at Oberlin Court. I have never lived there, but it seems to be a fairly new complex and geared more toward professionals than students. It is located in a nice neighborhood, close to Cameron Village shopping and would be a fairly easy commute to Centennial Campus.
Most apartments close to NCSU (and Centennial) are going to be student oriented. There are a handful of areas I'd probably concentrate on to be close to work.
1) Cameron Village vicinity - but there are not a lot of newer apartments in this general area. Oberlin Court is certainly worth a look. This is going to be the best bet in terms of diverse, walkable, shops, etc. You might also look around the corner of St Mary's and Wade.
2) Lake Johnson and towards Cary Crossroads and Waverly Place - there are some nice new apartments on Tryon Road. That would be a short commute and close to modern big box type shopping like Crossroads. Very different feel from the Cameron Village area and not nearly as walkable. Lake Johnson is a very nice place and has some apartments nearby (not that new though). No shops to walk through, but you have a beautiful lake with trails, paddle/sail/kayak boats, etc.
3) Downtown - I don't know specifically about apartments, but there are lots of condos that have been built in the last 10 years and you could probably find a nice rental.
I used to work on Centennial and really enjoyed the atmosphere over there.
Oberlin Court definitely gives you what you seek. The complex is more urban than most apts in the area and abuts a mid-century ranch neighborhood and is a block or two from a huge old school shopping area that is really upscale.
The commute to Centennial Campus is almost nothing. Centennial is just South of the main campus while Oberlin Ct/Cameron Village is just North of it. I think the commute should be between 5-10 minutes depending on traffic signals.
Good luck.
Get out of the area directly around the campus though. It is completely college living and I don't think that is what you are going for if you have kids.
You should also look in the Cameron Village area, towards Wake Ave and Glenwood Ave intersection. There are a few complexes there by Fletcher Park which is very nice for walks and playing in. Its convenient to Glenwood South for dining, NCSU for work and shopping around Cameron Village. It is also less college student filled than the other areas, but it is still a mix of college and young professionals.
Get out of the area directly around the campus though. It is completely college living and I don't think that is what you are going for if you have kids.
I disagree with this "blanket" statement. While many of the apartments South of campus are heavily student housing, the same isn't true for the areas North of it. There will still be some students on the North side but the population is definitely more mixed with families, professionals, etc. What were once rooming houses North of Hillsborough St. are now often re-established single family houses. In fact, the gentrification of that area has pushed many, many students to the South side of campus where they can afford to live. Also, remember that Cameron Village is practically spitting distance from the Bell Tower. So is the VERY fine Cameron Park neighborhood.
I think if someone were to just peruse the area, one would figure out the student/non-student demographic pretty quickly.
I disagree with this "blanket" statement. While many of the apartments South of campus are heavily student housing, the same isn't true for the areas North of it. There will still be some students on the North side but the population is definitely more mixed with families, professionals, etc. What were once rooming houses North of Hillsborough St. are now often re-established single family houses. In fact, the gentrification of that area has pushed many, many students to the South side of campus where they can afford to live. Also, remember that Cameron Village is practically spitting distance from the Bell Tower. So is the VERY fine Cameron Park neighborhood.
I think if someone were to just peruse the area, one would figure out the student/non-student demographic pretty quickly.
I guess your right, I often don't think of the north side of *main* campus, just the south. The problem with the north side is a lot of those roads are used for parking by students though, so your still in the thick of it so to speak... Also many people rent out to students here (I knew quite a lot). Its not a place I would choose to live but I know a lot of people would really like that area. For me I still consider this too close, cameron village is better. There are also a lot of established communities off of trailwood but...again its too close for my comfort. As soon as I graduated I wanted away and glad I did. Commuting to Centennial is often not bad at all. If you have to use 40E at all its against traffic and there are often no holdups at all, unlike going the other direction. This is what I currently do from Morrisville and its great.
I've looked at Oberlin Court and am thinking of living there when I move to Raleigh. It does not seem family-friendly. It's mostly young professionals.
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