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Young family with 2 kids planning to settle down in a family friendly neighborhood with access to good schools. Thinking about Farragut, TN or Cary, NC or DC suburbs. Any suggestions will be highly appreciated.
DC suburbs are super expensive, but the closest to a metropolitan city. I think it just depends on your budget and what you're looking for. Where are you moving from?
That is a broad question. Almost all the Triangle area is family friendly with good schools. What amenities you are looking for, where you are going to be employed, and how much you have to spend will help everyone you narrow down the choices.
How can anyone possibly narrow that down for you? Do you think that there is a large number of people with experience in all three cities to compare for you - especially with NO other information???
I'm also very much confused by the question... Don't know much about TN but NC and DC don't even compare. I'd suggest to do some research in the respective forums and then come back with more specific questions and more details on what your parameters and goals are exactly.
Hi,
I grew up in Knoxville, went to college and lived in the D.C. area for over a decade, and lived one year in Raleigh. TN and NC are very similar in feel, with different flavors of sports team preferences. I would happily return to either place if there were job options available - career options are somewhat limited in my field. DC area (VA and MD suburbs) is massive and has a wide range of inner city to sprawling farmland options available. Lots of jobs, long commutes, great restaurants and a faster pace in DC; I do not want to move back there. My sister lives in Cary now and prefers it to Knoxville.
Good luck!
I lived in Knoxville for about 10 years, and I really miss it. I like Raleigh, but the mountains were very nice. The cost of living seemed a little lower (more affordable) in the Knoxville area. We were able to buy a decent (small!) starter home on half an acre in a pretty and safe wooded area for around $60K. It's family friendly. The zoo is fun! They're doing a LOT with outdoor activities now--building parks, extended accessibility of equipment like boats and bikes, etc.--and their mayor is a strong advocate. It's not as big as Raleigh (population wise, under 200K), so its easy to live there (no long lines, overcrowded parks, less traffic, etc.).
That said, there are more job opportunities, by far, in Raleigh, and there's shopping and restaurants (which people seem to love). I like the proximity to the beach, and we're still pretty close to the mountains. The Farmer's Market is amazing, and you can hit up some kind of festival or show downtown just about every weekend. Proximity to so many awesome universities means that there's a lot to do, culture wise, and a lot of educational opportunities. Lots of concerts and free museums. My family has gotten top-notch medical care here, not so say that Knoxville's doctors were bad, but there's a marked difference here.
I've only visited DC, but a friend lives in a suburb, and his 1-bedroom apartment rent is higher than our 4-bedroom house on 2 acres outside Raleigh.
A lot depends on what you need out of a location: job, commute, housing, medical facilities.
Good luck!
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