Is Anything Wrong with North Raleigh (Durham, Cary: chapel, custom home, neighborhoods)

[bmurrie]

Hey All,

So my family is considering relocating to the triangle area, and have evaluated the three cities and their varies components. While all have their merits, North Raleigh looks great due mainly to price but also amenities, okay schools, etc. However, the couple of people I know in town seem to look down on it, presumably because it's too homogeneous and cookie cutter. However, when I look at school demographics it looks somewhat diverse and the houses seem a bit older with big lots and not cookie cutter. Am I missing something? Thanks for all your help.

[NYC2RDU]

The only area larger and more ambiguous than North Raleigh in the Triangle is Wake County. What part of North Raleigh are you referring too?

I live in North Raleigh west of Creedmoor Road and there ain't a thing cookie cutter or homogeneous about my neck of the woods.

[hey_guy]

big lots is relative friend

if they're big to you that's all that matters

[adamwmcknight]

Most people will not denigrate N Raleigh, as a general area, but certainly there are points of frustration. To what are they comparing it? What is most important to them may not be the same as what is most important to you.

[bmurrie]

Thanks so far, everyone. In terms of lot size, I mean bigger than a 1/4 acre. The folks I've spoken to are comparing N Raleigh to other parts of the triangle area (namely Durham and Chapel Hill). In terms of what part I'm referring to, I suppose the areas either slightly north or south of 540 between Hwy 1 and Hwy 70.

[Jkgourmet]

If you are comparing North Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill - I'd be a lot more concerned with issues of commute to work, school systems and budget than 'homogenous, cookie cutter' comments.

In other words (to be blunt): Do what's best for your family and stop listening to remarks from others.

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by bmurrie

Thanks so far, everyone. In terms of lot size, I mean bigger than a 1/4 acre. The folks I've spoken to are comparing N Raleigh to other parts of the triangle area (namely Durham and Chapel Hill). In terms of what part I'm referring to, I suppose the areas either slightly north or south of 540 between Hwy 1 and Hwy 70.

Wow. People from Durham and Chapel Hill looking down on north Raleigh? Who'da thunk?

If you like what you see along the 540 corridor (either north or south of it), there's certainly nothing wrong with it. Keep in mind that the area between Leesville Rd and US70 along 540 might be intermittently loud due to airport proximity. Personally, I'd say that the sweet spot along 540 in north Raleigh would be between Ray Rd and Falls of Neuse. There are definitely a lot of mature neighborhoods in that corridor that offer larger lots and more custom homes that aren't option A, B or C of the same floor plan.

[greenie72]

We are also focusing on North Raleigh, specifically the area between Leesville Road / 540 / Atlantic Avenue / 440

Granted, we only spent a couple of days driving around the area, but I didn't find it overly cookie cutter, myself. Sure there are subdivisions with similar houses, but you'll find that in a lot of different areas besides North Raleigh.

I agree that stereotypes or negativity without merit wouldn't deter me from considering an area I liked. People have all sorts of reasons to criticize, sometimes they're not good reasons though.

I'm also looking for a larger lot - half acre and above - and was happy to see options up there. Some of the homes were older than other areas but coming from someplace where 1950's homes are the norm, 1970s and above is a step up!

[Thr3stripe]

Originally Posted by bmurrie

Hey All,

So my family is considering relocating to the triangle area, and have evaluated the three cities and their varies components. While all have their merits, North Raleigh looks great due mainly to price but also amenities, okay schools, etc. However, the couple of people I know in town seem to look down on it, presumably because it's too homogeneous and cookie cutter. However, when I look at school demographics it looks somewhat diverse and the houses seem a bit older with big lots and not cookie cutter. Am I missing something? Thanks for all your help.

North Raleigh is an awfully big area to generalize about. The area outside of I540 is greatly different than most of the areas between 440 and 540. Between 440 and 540, the areas can be dramatically different too... pockets around Capital Blvd are a whole lot different than those between say Leesville and Six Forks. And so on.

Bottom line is, when your acquaintances "look down on it" , their frame of reference may be much different than the area in which you're looking. There are a lot of different areas with different attributes. The last thing I'd ever call it would be cookie-cutter.

In my opinion, there needs to be separate distinctions for the different areas of North Raleigh. Folks from work ask where I live. I say "North Raleigh". They say, "oh like near Ravenscroft?" or "near Wake Forest?". I'm like 8 miles from either. The next more specific designation I can give them is the name of my subdivision, and that's almost certainly never recognized by someone who lives in say Cary or Garner. So I'm stuck with a descriptor that's about 65 square miles in area (North Raleigh), or one that's not even 1/2 of a square mile in area (my subdivision).

[Atony]

I wouldn't take it seriously. I live in downtown Durham and have made jokes about the "cookie cutter surburbia" in say North Raleigh or Cary. It is all in good fun, go with what works best for you and your family.