wake or johnston county schools?? (Raleigh, Cary: relocate, estate, hoa)

[coakley]

If you were moving in to the raleigh area and were going to work in raleigh but had four kids that needed a good education, where would you choose to live, in wake or johnston county? I've heard bad things about the restructuring in wake with kids being moved from school to school, is that also happening in Johnston Co?? Also it seems that there are more inexpesively priced homes in the Johnston neighborhoods. Any suggestions of towns that you would definitely look into?? Towns to definitely stay away from? Any neighhborhoods that you love or hate?? How would the commute to wake med be from say smithfield or angier?? Thanx all, just sittin out ANOTHER snowy day in NH.........

[newmom5497]

I honestly think that whether it be Wake, Johnston or anywhere else is all depends on the school itself. There are great schools that get raves in both Johnston and Wake counties...and schools that get horrible reviews in both counties for one reason or another. Greatschools.com gives parent-reviews and a rating scale(test scores, parent satisfaction, teacher-student ratios etc.) on all schools so when you narrow down your school/neighborhood choices it is a good resource.

As usual, it all depends on your situation. What do you want to spend on a house? We have found houses are much cheaper in Johnston County than in Wake. Are you OK with being more rural(Johnston) than suburban(Wake)? Are you prepared for redistricting/year-round schooling(Wake). How far of a commute do you want to/from work?

I am more familiar with Johnston County than Wake so I can only offer advice on Johnston. I teach here and am very happy with the rural-country school where I work(our daughter attends school there also). But we came from rural southern NJ, so the transition as far as "atmosphere" out here in Johnston County was not that big of a deal for us. But it may be to people who are used to more of a suburban feel(i.e. a Dunken Donuts or shopping mall every 5 miles..you don't have that in most of Johnston County. Actually Johnston county has NO indoor shopping mall at all...you have to go to Wake Co.).

You mentioned Smithfield and Angier...these areas are somewhat rural so if trailers on country roads offend you, you may want to steer clear of those areas.(HOWEVER...both areas also have very nice, NEWER developments also...but you may have to pass semi run-down trailers/trailer-parks to get there). Smithfield is a good 40 minutes from Raleigh, however it is VERY convenient to I95 and has some awesome outlet shopping and a quaint downtown area with a nice river-walk area...it also has its more "seedy" areas also.
In Johnston County, Clayton seems to be the area of choice for Northerners looking to relocate and still have the feel of suburbia...however parts of Clayton also are very rural. BUt it is very convenient to Raleigh(20-25 minutes) and still has the "stepford" type developments with the communty pools/church/bike paths etc. that you find moreso in Wake Co.
You can find a very nice new 4 Br house with a bonus room in Johnston County for under $250,000....sometimes even under $200,000. If you want a house with some land/acreage(for horses, 4-wheelers, etc.), again Johnston County might be moreso for you than Wake.

I wanted to be within 10 minutes of my teaching job and also in a area country-"ish", however closeby to Lowes/dining/I-40 etc....and the Cleveland area of Clayton in Johnston County fit the bill for us. We found a new house under $200k in a new development that has houses anywhere from $200-$275,000(mostly all new construction).

It took about 6 months of online research, along with actually living here about 6 months(we rented) for us to get a good feel for the area and ultimatly decide where we wanted to live and where we wanted our child to go to school. I suggest the same for anyone contemplating a move to the area...LIVE HERE FIRST(rent) before buying a house. Those 6-12 months of renting were invaluable to us.

GOOD LUCK!

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

Originally Posted by newmom5497

I honestly think that whether it be Wake, Johnston or anywhere else is all depends on the school itself. There are great schools that get raves in both Johnston and Wake counties...and schools that get horrible reviews in both counties for one reason or another. Greatschools.com gives parent-reviews and a rating scale(test scores, parent satisfaction, teacher-student ratios etc.) on all schools so when you narrow down your school/neighborhood choices it is a good resource.

As usual, it all depends on your situation. What do you want to spend on a house? We have found houses are much cheaper in Johnston County than in Wake. Are you OK with being more rural(Johnston) than suburban(Wake)? Are you prepared for redistricting/year-round schooling(Wake). How far of a commute do you want to/from work?

I am more familiar with Johnston County than Wake so I can only offer advice on Johnston. I teach here and am very happy with the rural-country school where I work(our daughter attends school there also). But we came from rural southern NJ, so the transition as far as "atmosphere" out here in Johnston County was not that big of a deal for us. But it may be to people who are used to more of a suburban feel(i.e. a Dunken Donuts or shopping mall every 5 miles..you don't have that in most of Johnston County. Actually Johnston county has NO indoor shopping mall at all...you have to go to Wake Co.).

You mentioned Smithfield and Angier...these areas are somewhat rural so if trailers on country roads offend you, you may want to steer clear of those areas.(HOWEVER...both areas also have very nice, NEWER developments also...but you may have to pass semi run-down trailers/trailer-parks to get there). Smithfield is a good 40 minutes from Raleigh, however it is VERY convenient to I95 and has some awesome outlet shopping and a quaint downtown area with a nice river-walk area...it also has its more "seedy" areas also.
In Johnston County, Clayton seems to be the area of choice for Northerners looking to relocate and still have the feel of suburbia...however parts of Clayton also are very rural. BUt it is very convenient to Raleigh(20-25 minutes) and still has the "stepford" type developments with the communty pools/church/bike paths etc. that you find moreso in Wake Co.
You can find a very nice new 4 Br house with a bonus room in Johnston County for under $250,000....sometimes even under $200,000. If you want a house with some land/acreage(for horses, 4-wheelers, etc.), again Johnston County might be moreso for you than Wake.

I wanted to be within 10 minutes of my teaching job and also in a area country-"ish", however closeby to Lowes/dining/I-40 etc....and the Cleveland area of Clayton in Johnston County fit the bill for us. We found a new house under $200k in a new development that has houses anywhere from $200-$275,000(mostly all new construction).

It took about 6 months of online research, along with actually living here about 6 months(we rented) for us to get a good feel for the area and ultimatly decide where we wanted to live and where we wanted our child to go to school. I suggest the same for anyone contemplating a move to the area...LIVE HERE FIRST(rent) before buying a house. Those 6-12 months of renting were invaluable to us.

GOOD LUCK!

This is hands down the best answer I have ever seen in response to the Wake vs. Johnston County school comparison question.

Fantastic!

[hts]

neither. chapel hill schools.

[coakley]

I've seen several properties in clayton that appear very nice and well priced. Are there any newer developments that ARE more of a rural type setting, (ie more land than 0.10 acres) The area we come from is rural but has lots of nearby amenities as well. I commute about an hour to boston from southern NH now so anything less than that is a bonus. Our biggest concern is for the kids schooling and getting into a neighborhood that isn't very restrictive with their deeds... Any suggestions???

[hts]

Does Wake Cty still bus? I don't know about Johnston Cty, but when we looked to relo to the Triangle in early 2002 (right after 9/11) from Northern VA, we looked all over Cary, the new (at the time) Toll Bros community in West Raleigh by the airport, and a number of N. Raleigh neighborhoods. Looked all the way up at Wakefield Plantation. Very nice subdivisions with quality amenities and lots of young families, but then two things happened. One, I learned that your kids could be bussed way across the county in order to meet the Wake County school board's goals for socio-and economic diversity, so that excellent elementary school in your backyard may not be the one your children attend, and two, we learned about CHCCS's reputation for academic excellence. Hadn't even considered CH before then. You surely pay for the privilege, but if you truly are concerned about a high quality public education for your kids, I think you owe it to yourself to check out Chapel Hill. We bought in Southern Village. Doesn't sound like it'd be a fit for you, but I'm sure there are houses outside of subdivisions/HOA's that might accomodate your needs as well.

[newmom5497]

Thanks North Raleigh Guy! I read this board often and I value your compliment.

I also want to add that I was not trying to knock either county(we love the entire area of Raleigh--Johnston and Wake), but I was just trying to give some objective/honest observations from a new-comer to the area.

[newmom5497]

coakley--I think you will be pleasantly surprised with most developments in Johnston County. Mostly all have 1/4- 1/2 acre lots...with some having almost an acre.

Not sure of your price-range but to start I would look into the Glen Laurel area of Clayton(nice rolling hill type lots)..I think homes there range from 250-400k. If thats a bit high, look in the Cleveland or southern areas of Clayton: Hunters Mill, Jordan Ridge, Island Creek, Sommerset Place(price range $200-275k).
The Forest Oaks subdivision(technically Smithfield, but closer to McGees Crossroads/Rt. 40) is very nice with 3/4 acre+ wooded lots and very nice homes. Price range about $250-$325 with well-built homes and a nice walking path that leads to a river...worth checking out. Its off Route 210. Other subdivisions off Rt. 210 between Smithfield and Rts. 40/50 would be Lakewood Estates and Dell Meadows(Price range $190-240k). A country feel yet close to Rt. 40/Food Lion etc.(10 minutes).

There are also MANY subdivision with nice sized lots in the Willow Springs/Angier area....somewhat rural yet close to Rte. 40/50(about 25 minutes to Raleigh. Fairground Pointe comes to mind and also Summer Ridge. Waverly Point is also very nice (Near Angier but technically a S. Raleigh address...still in Johnston County).

GOOD LUCK!

If you want the name of an excellent buyers agent, PM me.

[JQ Public]

I'd choose Wake. Johnston has just started to grow, I'm sure it'll get much worse just as far as redistricting and growing pains.

[jamieshel88]

Although it is true that Johnston County is just starting to grow, I do not believe they use the free/reduced lunches to balance the schools the way Wake does so I personally do not think that the redistricting will happen the same way. Right now it seems they build a new school and they zone for it but the kids in the same general area go to that school. I am sure there are still unhappy parents but it isn't based on keeping the free/reduced lunches spread out amongst the schools.