Chapel Hill and / or Cary Info. (Raleigh, Durham: 2015, house, transfer to)

[Dusky21]

I have an opportunity to transfer to a position in Chapel Hill from St. Louis. I know next to nothing about the the Raleigh / Durham area. I've been reading a lot on here but if people could give me a good idea of what to expect, and where to look for housing.

A little background, I grew up outside Atlanta, and went to school in Athens at UGA. Seems that Raleigh and Atlanta are somewhat similar. I currently live in St. Louis. I like the idea of a small "city" thats closer to the bigger city. Im not a huge fan of strip malls and box stores. Budget for a house would be around $300K. Its just my wife and I and we are in our early 30's. We dont have any kids, but that will likely be changing within a year or so.

We are very outdoor oriented people. I do a lot of mountain biking and hiking. Also, like to have a place where I could take my dogs swimming, a nice river or lake. We like going out to dinner and exploring breweries and such.

That being said, any ideas as to where to live? I'd like to keep my commute under 30 minutes with traffic. Also, whats the job scene like in the Chapel Hill area? Are there a lot of jobs? I will have a job squared away, but my wife will need one. She does pretty basic executive admin. type work. That being said, I feel like we need to be in a place where she could commute under 30 min. to the Raleigh, Chapel Hill, or Durham area if need be. On a map, NW Cary looks ideal, but from what I've read it sounds like Suburbia hell, which I'd like to avoid.

I've been told we would like it best to stay in the Chapel Hill area, however, we dont want to end up living in a house with college kids as our neighbors. My wife is not a huge fan of living in a college town. Is CH mostly college kids or is there some sort of balance between the college and older families?

Anyhow, any information you could provide would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by Dusky21

On a map, NW Cary looks ideal, but from what I've read it sounds like Suburbia hell, which I'd like to avoid.

You might like Hillsborough on the western edge of the Triangle. It is still close enough to Chapel Hill and Durham for commuting, but it is a small, historic town. It will allow you to get away to the mountains for better hiking opportunities.

Please search the forum for suggestions on finding a place for dogs to swim: https://www.city-data.com/forum/ralei...ng-places.html .

[twingles]

Durham might be a good fit. You're probably going to like older areas - by suburbia hell I am guessing you mean all the new subdivisions - older Cary would be a better fit for you but the commute would likely be too long.

I've only been to Atlanta once but it did not strike me as being similar to Raleigh.

This whole area may be more suburban than you like TBH. But your likes are a good fit.

[RedZin]

Most of the Triangle is "suburbia hell."

I think that twingles had good suggestions. Try DT Durham or CH/Carrboro.

[hey_guy]

outdoor activities are harder than you think I.E. travel 3 hrs to the mtn or beach it's not like there is much 'in town'.

i would suggest south durham for living

[adamwmcknight]

Originally Posted by twingles

Durham might be a good fit. You're probably going to like older areas - by suburbia hell I am guessing you mean all the new subdivisions - older Cary would be a better fit for you but the commute would likely be too long.

I've only been to Atlanta once but it did not strike me as being similar to Raleigh.

This whole area may be more suburban than you like TBH. But your likes are a good fit.

I don't personally feel Atlanta and Raleigh are very similar. As to StL, some suburbs of Raleigh may be similar to some suburbs but I think they differ a fair bit as well. Traffic in Raleigh is probably closer to StL than ATL.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by twingles

Durham might be a good fit. You're probably going to like older areas -

The Eno River State Park in Durham is a great option for local hikes. It has 28 mile of trails through hilly terrain. It follows the river, but not I'm sure if it deep enough for a dog to swim.

[Dusky21]

Thanks for the info. In regards to my definition of suburbia hell - Im thinking lots of box stores, chain restaurants, and the cookie cutter neighborhoods. I like slightly older homes that have trees and some privacy. Really want to avoid new neighborhoods that are clear cut, with only planted trees where you look out your windows and see 5-6 of your neighbors kitchens!

I guess by saying it was similar to Atlanta, I was referring more to the style of the homes and suburbs of Atlanta then the actual city.

Also, what are the people like? One of the threads I read was saying that people in the Cary / CH areas are very snooty and judgemental based on your neighborhood and home size. May have been a single opinion but was curious as to what yalls thoughts were.

[poppydog]

Originally Posted by Dusky21

Thanks for the info. In regards to my definition of suburbia hell - Im thinking lots of box stores, chain restaurants, and the cookie cutter neighborhoods. .

That is definitely NOT Chapel Hill, but could describe many other parts of the Triangle. Chapel Hill really is a quintessential college town, not that different from Athens.

Is your wife worried about living next to rowdy college students partying all night? Because that's rarely a problem in neighborhoods for real grown ups. I'm sure that happens a bit at the more college student-oriented neighborhoods, but it doesn't sound like you'd be looking for that type of area.

I love living in Chapel Hill but I'd love Athens, too. (I have a great friend who moved from Athens to Chapel Hill/Carrboro.) Did you spend any time in Athens after college away from campus? I think student and townie experiences are pretty different. Families and adults who live in either area aren't playing quarters at the bar every weekend, y'know? We've got a lot of other stuff going on.

I think being in a college town brings a lot of vibrance to the area. There are great performances that the university brings in (https://www.carolinaperformingarts.org) and great clubs and bars and fantastic nationally lauded restaurants. I like the buzz around big game weekends, too, even though I rarely go to a game. And there's plenty of mundane day to day, too, PTA, grocery shopping, but lots of opportunities to get involved in the community.

I would not want to commute from Cary to Chapel Hill, but I'm sure plenty of people do it both ways. Most of the people who are drawn to Cary are attracted to the family-friendly nature of it and really are looking for all the pluses of suburbia.

How about you tell us what you DO want and we'll tell you what areas might fit you.

You might also check out this NYTimes piece (especially the video) on 36 hrs in Chapel Hill and Carrboro: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/tr...boro.html?_r=0
I think it gives a good feel for the area and you may be more intrigued or just want to cross it off your list.

[hey_guy]

Chapel hill is snooty from a homeowners perspective (college kids don't care) it's why they restrict development and its full of people who target living there just for "best schools" same problem with Cary

I'm your age about (30) and have lived here for 10 yrs now and am from nc and am telling you

If you like urban: downtown Durham
If you like suburban: south Durham
If you like rural: Chatham county/ Pittsboro

I did my masters at Unc and lived in Carrboro and migrated further into Durham over the years it's exactly what the locals in our age / career bracket do


We are getting heavily transplanted by folks from NY NJ and PA and Cary and chapel hill are top of their list and they get online and congratulate each other