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My partner and live in Florida. We recently visited Asheville, NC and LOVED it. We are contemplating a move up north now. We are self-employed and would open a business wherever we move, but we don't feel Asheville is the perfect fit. So I am researching other cities where we'd be within driving distance for a day trip to the mountains.
Raleigh is on my radar and I hope we can visit maybe in the early 2017. One reason we don't like Florida is we hate the pretty much year round hot and humid weather which keeps us indoors. We like to hike. I know NC isn't exactly cool in the summer, but it's still cooler longer in the spring and fall than Florida. I am wondering what type of trails Raleigh has nearby for hiking and biking (in the city, or within a 30 minute drive)? Are there any gentle rolling hills there? We'd like something more than just boring flatness, like in Florida. I understand for real mountains we'll have to drive several hours west.
In reading these forums I saw people suggest staying "in the belt line" for hip, walkable areas. We definitely like neighborhoods with character that have local businesses. Are there any areas in Raleigh that are like this outside of the belt line that we should check out? What are the areas with maybe more crime that we need to avoid?
I know Durham might fit some of these descriptions, but I'm specifically looking more at Raleigh. Feel free to give Durham advice too, but we are definitely looking more at Raleigh.
Oh yes, how is public transportation in Raleigh? I'm not sure we can live in the belt line, our budget for a home is under 150K. If we lived outside, could we take public transportation for a night on the town?
Raleigh and Cary are full of greenways, and have a very large number of very active cyclists. As for Hiking, Umstead Park is nestled between Raleigh, Cary, and Durham. Its full of hiking and biking trails, some of them challenging, it also has camping and allows horeback riding on some trails. On either side of he area are two long greenway trails, the 30+ mile Neuse River Trail on the East Side, and the 28 mile American Tobacco Trail on the West side. The NC Mtn to Sea trail also passes through the area.
Under 150K will be a challenge in the area, thought it depends on what your looking for. Older Townhomes or Condo's may work, but for single family homes, you would have to get a little bit out in the country or find a fixer upper. Clayton is not bad, its not far from Raleigh, and the Neuse River Trail actually starts there. Its in a different county though, so it is much more affordable.
Public transportation exists in the form of bus service throughout the region.
You can also check out Duke Forest
(new hope creek in Duke Forest)
Lots of bikers start at Lake Crabtree, bike the greenway to Umstead State Park or start from North Cary Park, take the greenway there to Lake Crabtree and then continue riding the natural trails of Lake Crabtree country park.
A good hike in Umstead State Park is going to the sycamore dam, every park ranger I spoke to kept directing me to the small spill over underneath the bridge of big lake(Umstead has Reedy lake on the Cary side and then Sycamore and Big Lake), when what I wanted to go to was this:
(just on a side note this dude's channel is informative when finding naturey spots in the triangle area, granted some times my attention span just isn't high enough to watch his vids completely through but he has help me find some spots)
Not amazingly large but way larger than the spill over underneath big lake and much harder of a hike to get to.
Raleigh and the surrounding area isn't Asheville but it does have a lot of decent places to hike, bike, walk, run, jog, etc.
Just adding since the Neuse river trail was mentioned, the neuse river is also a good place to go tubing.
Awesome, thanks everyone! Wow, those are beautiful images. If we were just a 30 minute or so drive from that, we'd be stoked.
When I search realtor.com I see a reasonable amount of homes until 150K, mostly in the southeast area of Raleigh (inside and outside the belt line). Is the southeastern area okay, or is it sketchy/crime laden?
Awesome, thanks everyone! Wow, those are beautiful images. If we were just a 30 minute or so drive from that, we'd be stoked.
When I search realtor.com I see a reasonable amount of homes until 150K, mostly in the southeast area of Raleigh (inside and outside the belt line). Is the southeastern area okay, or is it sketchy/crime laden?
I would avoid Southeast Raleigh...... (to keep it simple)
Oh yes, how is public transportation in Raleigh? I'm not sure we can live in the belt line, our budget for a home is under 150K. If we lived outside, could we take public transportation for a night on the town?
Uber/Lyft are your best bets depending on how far you have to travel.
Uber/Lyft are your best bets depending on how far you have to travel.
Depends if the transit bond gets passed expanding service to longer hours. Currently, there is no bus service other than the GoRaleigh #1 route past 10 PM on weekends (or even weekdays) which is definitely not helpful for anyone who wants to go downtown and take transit.
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