NJ move to Clayton? (Raleigh, Durham: appointed, renting, amusement parks)

[bluetopaz1121]

Hello! My husband and I are hoping to get some information from anyone who has moved from NJ (we live in Ocean County) to Clayton NC. We are interested in moving soon, if we can sell our home here. Of our four children, we will only have one still in school by this time. He is 13 and very reluctant to move away from his friends.
Has anyone from NJ made this move? Do you have children who are the same age as my son, and if so, how did they adjust? Thank you in advance for any advice, information.

[findinghope]

we moved from NJ last year to orange county. i have heard of people from NJ being happy in Clayton and others HATE it. its a bit far out and people espcially from north jersey are not as happy there. yes you get more for your money, but you need to decide if its worth it to you. some dont mind living in a more rural area. most people move to Clayton because of the school issues in Wake county.
i saw a few subdivisions i liked in Clayton, but it would have been too far of a commute for hubby.
anyway, come down for a visit and take a look around. you will notice that everything here is more spaced apart, so that may influence where you will live and accordring to where you will work.

[JayP]

There are two families who are related (sisters) that live across from each other in my development. One of the lived in High Bridge? I might be wrong. But they love it here. It was hard on their older kid, but the younger ones don't seem to ming. By older I mean 16. It's true that you do get more for your money (provided you can sell your home).

We moved here from CT with our 3 year-old. Best more we ever made. My wife works in the school system and I work from home, so commuting isn't a huge deal, but I live closer to Smithfield and if I had a job in RTP, I'd be MUCH less happy. But it really depends on the area in Clayton you choose, what you want in a home, neighbors, etc.

[NCMommy2-4]

Now I am not from Ocean County NJ(my parents live in Lavalette 1/2 the year) but I am from Central NJ (Middlesex) and then I moved to Northern NJ (Hunterdon) before we made our recent (2 yrs ago) move to Willow Spring NC.. I hope I can answer your question without being off location too much.

Willow Spring is near Clayton.. about 15 -20 minutes. Clayton seems nice with new subdivsions popping up all over. I am sure if you can get in to a community setting friends will be easy to make. I have no clue about schools etc.

You could check out areas surrounding like Willow Springs/Spring. Nice area as well and depending on which Spring you pick you are in either Wake or Johnston County. I know there is a new subdiv in Willow Spring (Wake) called Rowland Meadows that has some kids about the age of your son. New area so they are all looking for friends just the same. We moved here with a 14 yr old so it was scary for him at first.. as we expected but he quickly met other kids and was very much welcomed.

You can also get involved with some local Church Youth Groups. Those are always fun for the teens and its a safe environment .. ya know what i mean? And no you don't have to be anything holier than though to belong in a youth group. My son was and is FAR from holy and he does fine with the groups. Its just a way to connect with proper supervision and as parents you don't have to worry as much.

Feel free to ask me anything on Private Mess. if you have a specific question relating to the area. I'd be happy to help and I understand how confusing it can be.

Good luck to you!

Linda

[ferrickhead28]

I have a couple of neighbors from NJ who moved to Clayton. They love it! They like the idea of being able to settle down in a nice, safe town and raise their kids in an outstanding school system. They say the weather is better, the people are more friendly and the cost of living overall is definately alot cheaper.

As far as the commute..I live in Clayton and I work in RTP. I actually dont mind the commute at all. I moved here from Raleigh. From Raleigh to my job took about 20 minutes. I moved to Clayton, added on an additional 15 minutes to my commute BUT to me, it was worth it. I love my house, it was very affordable, my "dream home" (I love it, you have no idea, lol), and my kid is doing incredible in school. To me (and I'm not saying this about everyone), it was a no-brainer. Taxes are cheaper, cost of living overall was cheaper (including groceries) so to me, it was just a better life.

Good luck!!!

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

I am from the Jersey Shore (Belmar Area) and while I don't live in Clayton I know of plenty of former Garden State folks who do. They seem to like it just fine.

Good Luck!

[saturnfan]

One neighbor moved from Raleigh to Clayton.

Moved back - commute was too much.

[Merion]

I grew up in Westfield NJ (Union County), but my husband and I raised our kids in Hunterdon County before moving to the Cleveland School area (next to Clayton where Rts. 40 and 42 intersect) two years ago. We really love it here. He works in Clayton and I commuted for a year to RTP every day and just dreaded that drive after awhile. I found a job in SE Raleigh so now it's 20 minutes door to door. We also have a 13 year old and an 11 year old. They were miserable for a short time after the move, but adjusted very quickly and have made more good friends here than they left in NJ. Sure, they still talk on the phone with old friends and our older daughter actually flew back to NJ over the holidays to stay with her "old" best friend for a few days, but she has new best friends now. We chose Johnston over Wake because of the instability of the school redistricting in Wake. We have not been disappointed. The schools in the Cleveland area are outstanding and our kids are excelling. We are VERY happy. Good luck with your research and decision. If I can help in any way, please let me know.

[giapn73]

Hi. My family and I moved from central jersey and we love it here. The area is much more family oriented than where we were in NJ. I am a teacher and happy with the schools. It is going to be an adjustment for your so no matter what age. At least many of the subdivisions are filled with kids.

Gia

[newmom5497]

Like Gia(hi Gia!) I also am a teacher from NJ who relocated to Clayton last summer. I am in the Cleveland area near 40/42 and teach at McGees Crossroads in Angier, which is about 10 minutes from my house on back country roads from Cleveland.

We LOVE it here, however we are from extreme southern NJ(Cumberland County...about 20 minutes from Ocean City, NJ) which is very rural, much like Johnston County. So there was not much of a change for us. But I think coming from Central and N. Jersey, it would be somewhat of a culture shock. No malls at all in Johnston County, and much of it is rural with cow and horse pastures every few miles(along with older homes and trailers). But it is being built up VERY quickly and there are lovely new developments here with homes prices anywhere from $150,000 to $400,000. So whether you want a modest new rancher, a tract home in a pool-community or a exlcusive McMansion, you'll find it here in Johnston County/Clayton.

But for $$$$ savings compared to NJ, you just can't beat it here(Oh--and did I mention the WEATHER?? No more snow shoveling or freezing toes. PLus our heating bills have been next to nothing this past winter...compared to $300 heating bills in Jersey for 5-6 months per year).

We bought a brand new home here within the past month(we've been renting since AUgust to get a feel for the area), just as nice or nicer than our home in NJ....for 1/2 the price and 1/4 the taxes. Along with 1/2 the auto insurance. My husband has decided to retire from constuction at age 42 because we were able to buy a nice, new home here with no mortgage at all..due to our profit from our NJ house.... and due to the overall low cost of living(compared to NJ). We'll be fine on just my teaching income.

We do miss family....but they all have been here 2x already(my parents, my in-laws, close friends) and a few plan on moving here within the year for the same reasons we moved($$$$) and because now they know somebody here..LOL. And its just 7 hours away on I-95 when we want to visit. We've made the drive after I've finished work/school at 4 p.m. a few times(Christmas, etc.)...and were in NJ by midnight. So its not a bad drive.

And if you think you'll miss the beach......non-crowded (compared to NJ beaches)Topsail beach/Wrightsville Beach are only a 2 hour drive down non-congested Route 40...we've made the drive a few times already this past summer for day trips. Oh yeah---and NO BEACH TAGS!! No, its not the 20 minute commute we had in Jersey to Ocean City.....but we also do not have to the fight traffic/parking etc that NJ beaches have in July.
The snowy mountains are also about 3 hours away...comparable to our drive to the Poconos when we lived in Jersey when we wanted to ski or tube.

A major airport(Raleigh-Durham) is only 1/2 hour away and Raleigh is SUCH a lovely big-city to visit for culture and nightlife(with NO BRIDGES/tolls....its very easy to get in/out of compared to Philly, NYC or Newark).
We also have many major amusement parks here(MyrtleBeach, Carowinds, Kings Dominion etc.), so we won't miss the boardwalks/Six Flags Great Adventure either for day trips this summer.

Our 10 year old daughter has had no adjustment problems at all and she attends the school where I work, which has worked out very nicely. She will attend the middle school across the parking lot next year....again, very convenient for me. Academically I have found she is a bit ahead of her peers here(especially in math) as I have found that they are somewhat behind here academically in the south(not a lot, but it has been somewhat noticable) compared to the school where I worked/our daughter went in Jersey. But even that has been GREAT for her self-esteems(she always struggled in math in Jersey...but now she is somewhat ahead). I have found the children here to be MUCH MORE well-behaved than in Jersey...and so mannerly.

It just has been an overall great move for us and we have not looked back at all.

GOOD LUCK with your decision!