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My family and I currently live in Denver, CO. We moved here about 5 years ago from Florida and absolutely love it out West. However, with an 18-month old and one on the way, living away from family is a bit difficult. Also, the amount of people moving here from areas like California are driving the housing market absolutely sky-high.
We spend a majority of our time hiking, rock climbing, biking and playing soccer (my wife and I played in college and still play competitively, today). We're both 28 years old and work as laboratory scientists.
We are highly considering moving back East, but not to Florida-
We fell in love with the mountains and don't want to give that up. We miss the ocean, but want the mountains close. We want quiet, but not boring. We want to be surrounded by a similar demographic. We want to be within an 8-hr drive to family. We want to buy a home for a fair price. We want to be able to enjoy a similar outdoor lifestyle as we do now.
North Carolina (specifically Apex/Cary) seems to fit the bill.
We visited recently and enjoyed the little town of Apex. We liked the simple, quaint feel of it and were astonished at how much $225-275k could buy you (our eventual budget). We also liked that UNC and Duke were near by (for soccer and similar demographic). We loved that we can go to Jordan/Falls Lake in a short drive and be either at the beach or mountains in a few hours.
The only thing we didn't care for was how much it seemed like it would grow (urban sprawl). I know I'm a hypocrite, seeing as we want to move there, but what is it going to look like in 2-3 years? Are they handling the growth well? Are we going to get there and have it turn into another Denver, with ridiculous housing prices/large, new homes with no yards and bumper-to-bumper traffic?
I know those are weird questions and I'm sure locals/natives are rolling their eyes at me, but I want to plan the right move for my family to settle down. I'd just like to move to a place where people are proud of their community and want to stay and make it a better place.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your view) all areas within the "Triangle" area are subject to urban sprawl. This area consistently ranks in the top area to live, and has many good jobs in the area.
I moved to Holly Springs (just south of Apex) 9 years ago and the town today looks nothing like it did when I moved here. I moved here because it wasn't Cary, I liked being away from everything, yet close enough at the same time.
As for your concerns, I don't see the ridiculous home prices being an issue as there is plenty of room to grow. This isn't like Florida where it's already "maxed out". There are some new developments that have very small properties, like you say. And yes the traffic can get nasty during the morning and evening commute, depending on where you live, but outside of those times (say weekends) you will have no problems getting around.
My advice is to take your time and look and feel out the neighborhood that you like best. Schools, in my opinion, are a non-issue as I believe all of the public schools in this area are fair.
Just about any town in the Triangle area has what you're looking for in the way of outdoor activities. And if the particular town you're interested in doesn't have what you're looking for, it's probably a short drive to a town that does.
Cary is more uppidy and quite expensive. If you have the green to drop, go with Cary. Otherwise Greensboro is awesome and more affordable with basically the same/similar amenities.
I've spent a lot of time in Greensboro.. its modern but not so urban, more space/land to move around in..
Regarding outdoors I would say we are kinda a spring and fall area you have to have particular gumption to tolerate the heat and mosquitos for your outdoor activities
Cary is more uppidy and quite expensive. If you have the green to drop, go with Cary. Otherwise Greensboro is awesome and more affordable with basically the same/similar amenities.
I've spent a lot of time in Greensboro.. its modern but not so urban, more space/land to move around in..
Define "uppidy". If you mean "uppity", I beg to differ.
I've heard that for years and when I moved here I never understood what was "uppity" about Cary. Granted I moved from the Palm Beach area where it actually was uppity, but I'm thinking that around here it's a local thing. Maybe Cary was the first of the local towns to expand with larger houses, causing a local feeling of being uppity, but I think that perhaps only the natives (and those who live in Cary) believe that there is something uppity about it.
The OP indicated they were from FL, so if it was the South Florida area I'm sure they'll know what I'm talking about!
Like I said, look around, there are alot of great towns in this area.
"Uppidity" and "expensive" are so subjective, it's hard to use than in a constructive way.
We've been relocated all over the East Coast, and we haven't found much difference among all the suburb areas. Downtown's have different feels, but a new suburb is pretty much a new suburb. I think they come in a kit from IKEA :-)
My suggestion would be to focus on employment first, and location second. I have never been relocated to a place yet where I couldn't find a housing situation to fit our family needs. The greater Raleigh area has enough housing diversity where you will find something that fits whatever your needs.
You find nice people and pricks (uppity?) no matter where you go, and I think it has a whole lot more to do with who you are and the people you associate with, then about where you live.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your view) all areas within the "Triangle" area are subject to urban sprawl. This area consistently ranks in the top area to live, and has many good jobs in the area.
I moved to Holly Springs (just south of Apex) 9 years ago and the town today looks nothing like it did when I moved here. I moved here because it wasn't Cary, I liked being away from everything, yet close enough at the same time.
As for your concerns, I don't see the ridiculous home prices being an issue as there is plenty of room to grow. This isn't like Florida where it's already "maxed out". There are some new developments that have very small properties, like you say. And yes the traffic can get nasty during the morning and evening commute, depending on where you live, but outside of those times (say weekends) you will have no problems getting around.
My advice is to take your time and look and feel out the neighborhood that you like best. Schools, in my opinion, are a non-issue as I believe all of the public schools in this area are fair.
Just about any town in the Triangle area has what you're looking for in the way of outdoor activities. And if the particular town you're interested in doesn't have what you're looking for, it's probably a short drive to a town that does.
Good luck!
Great advice! I'll have to look into Holly Springs as well. I see you were from Palm Beach...I grew up near Fort Lauderdale, so I DO know what you're talking about!
It's not that I'm upset about urban sprawl. I understand that if it didn't happen, I couldn't move there if the population grew without additional housing. I just hope it's an area with a structured growth plan, I guess. I hope for the small-town feel with large-town amenities near by.
"Uppidity" and "expensive" are so subjective, it's hard to use than in a constructive way.
We've been relocated all over the East Coast, and we haven't found much difference among all the suburb areas. Downtown's have different feels, but a new suburb is pretty much a new suburb. I think they come in a kit from IKEA :-)
My suggestion would be to focus on employment first, and location second. I have never been relocated to a place yet where I couldn't find a housing situation to fit our family needs. The greater Raleigh area has enough housing diversity where you will find something that fits whatever your needs.
You find nice people and pricks (uppity?) no matter where you go, and I think it has a whole lot more to do with who you are and the people you associate with, then about where you live.
That's a very valid point. It's just annoying that I've moved to Denver not too long ago and have already seen the housing market inflate dramatically and the trailheads become more and more packed with people. Whenever I get frustrated, I think of the natives!
I guess it will just be trying to be a part of the community and voting how things are built and at what pace.
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