What would you do? Fayetteville or Apex/Holly Spring/ Fuquay Varina (Raleigh: rent, new house)

[cassymove]

Hi,

I would like to start by letting you know that I read previous threads about Fayetteville, but I'm still not sure what to do.

My family is relocating from NY to NC where my spouse found a well paid job (in Fayetteville). RTP will be more suitable for me to find a job as I am in the health research field.

We visited Fayetteville and Wake county before and, like most people, we really liked Wake county better, especially the Cary/Apex,.. area. We know that Fayetteville doesn't have a good reputation, but we noticed that there are also nice neighborhoods there. We have a child in elementary school and a good school district is important to us, even though we won't mind paying for a private school if we have no other choice.

We are planing to buy a house 8 months to 1 year after arrival, and I'm currently working on a project and will not be looking for a job until 6 months after arrival.

The following are the options we have and I would like to have your input/suggestions:

1- Since I'm not seeking for a job right away, we can rent in a good neighborhood in Fayetteville so that my husband can have a short commute to work while it lasts. Meanwhile, we will start shopping for a house (preferably in Cary, Apex, Holly Spring, or Fuquay-Varina). This means we will move into the new house only at the end of school year, due to our child being in a school in Fayetteville.

2- We can just start renting in Wake County. The closest to Fayetteville the better, meaning Fuquay-V is the best option. I guess the traffic is not too bad (let me know), and it'll take no more than 80 minutes to get to Fayetteville. In this case we will be able to move to the new house (same area as above) anytime during the year since it will be easier to drive the kid to and from school in the county.

3-We can rent and later buy a house in a nice neighborhood in Fayetteville. In this case I will have to commute to the RTP area and get used to it Are there people commuting from Fayetteville to the RTP area? Is it a thing?

Sorry for the long message. Please let me know which option you would pick if it was you in that situation and why. We (mainly me) can't seem to stick to one option. I keep changing my mind.

Thanks!

[poppydog]

Well, any of it could work. Another option would be to look in Pinehurst/Southern Pines. Not close to Raleigh, but it's a nice community. Might work for you.

There are nice neighborhoods and pretty good schools in Fayetteville, but I wouldn't want to live there again. I grew up there and I have friends who moved away for college and then moved back and have good paying jobs, etc., and seem to like it okay, but it's not for me.

One thing to think about is your spouse's well-paid job in Fayetteville — what are the chances that he could transition into well-paid job in the Triangle in the future? If you think that might be a possibility, why not just start out in the Triangle? Holly Springs or Fuquay would work.

You could also look at Clayton in Johnston County. It's a pretty popular community for relocators and would offer a reasonable commute to Fayetteville depending on where in Fayetteville you are going. Garner could work too because it's so close to hop on I-40 and that would put you closer to Raleigh. I'm checking the commute times on google maps right now and Garner is as short a time as anything at 1:02.

[twingles]

Not sure where in NY you're from but Fayetteville is going to be some culture shock.

Commuting from there to RTP is not gonna happen, I don't care if you're used to a long commute or not.

Split the difference and live in southern Wake or JoCo (Clayton).

[somebodyfromnc]

Originally Posted by poppydog

Well, any of it could work. Another option would be to look in Pinehurst/Southern Pines. Not close to Raleigh, but it's a nice community. Might work for you.

There are nice neighborhoods and pretty good schools in Fayetteville, but I wouldn't want to live there again. I grew up there and I have friends who moved away for college and then moved back and have good paying jobs, etc., and seem to like it okay, but it's not for me.

One thing to think about is your spouse's well-paid job in Fayetteville — what are the chances that he could transition into well-paid job in the Triangle in the future? If you think that might be a possibility, why not just start out in the Triangle? Holly Springs or Fuquay would work.

You could also look at Clayton in Johnston County. It's a pretty popular community for relocators and would offer a reasonable commute to Fayetteville depending on where in Fayetteville you are going. Garner could work too because it's so close to hop on I-40 and that would put you closer to Raleigh. I'm checking the commute times on google maps right now and Garner is as short a time as anything at 1:02.

Pinehurst isn't really any closer to Fayetteville than Fuquay would be. Especially with traffic, there's a lot of traffic heading from Aberdeen/Southern Pines/Pinehurst as well as Raeford and other areas into Fayetteville, whereas most of the traffic from FV is headed toward Raleigh/Durham.

[poppydog]

Well you could do the option where you rent in Fayetteville for a year. Then who knows, maybe he'll get a great offer in the Triangle at the end of the year. I think moving a child at the end of the school year is not too bad.

[cassymove]

Originally Posted by poppydog

Well, any of it could work. Another option would be to look in Pinehurst/Southern Pines. Not close to Raleigh, but it's a nice community. Might work for you.

There are nice neighborhoods and pretty good schools in Fayetteville, but I wouldn't want to live there again. I grew up there and I have friends who moved away for college and then moved back and have good paying jobs, etc., and seem to like it okay, but it's not for me.

One thing to think about is your spouse's well-paid job in Fayetteville — what are the chances that he could transition into well-paid job in the Triangle in the future? If you think that might be a possibility, why not just start out in the Triangle? Holly Springs or Fuquay would work.

You could also look at Clayton in Johnston County. It's a pretty popular community for relocators and would offer a reasonable commute to Fayetteville depending on where in Fayetteville you are going. Garner could work too because it's so close to hop on I-40 and that would put you closer to Raleigh. I'm checking the commute times on google maps right now and Garner is as short a time as anything at 1:02.

Thank you very much for the suggestions we'll definitely look into Pinehurst and Clayton. It's possible for him to get about the same pay in the Triangle in the future. He just wanted to enjoy a short commute while it lasts thus, the first option. He's very flexible. We'll see.

[cassymove]

Originally Posted by twingles

Not sure where in NY you're from but Fayetteville is going to be some culture shock.

Commuting from there to RTP is not gonna happen, I don't care if you're used to a long commute or not.

Split the difference and live in southern Wake or JoCo (Clayton).

We live in NYC and as much as we love all the good things the city offers, we tend to prefer small towns. They are more family friendly. We can always visit NYC for some occasional good times and go back home to breathe fresh air.
I lived for about 8 months in a small town before having kids and I enjoyed the feel, so did my husband even though he was just visiting at that time. So the culture shock will be manageable. We'll get used to it.
Hmmm I see that commute to RTP is definitely not going to happen.
Thank you for the suggestion. I appreciate your input.

[cassymove]

Originally Posted by somebodyfromnc

Pinehurst isn't really any closer to Fayetteville than Fuquay would be. Especially with traffic, there's a lot of traffic heading from Aberdeen/Southern Pines/Pinehurst as well as Raeford and other areas into Fayetteville, whereas most of the traffic from FV is headed toward Raleigh/Durham.

Thank you for this information.

[cassymove]

Originally Posted by poppydog

Well you could do the option where you rent in Fayetteville for a year. Then who knows, maybe he'll get a great offer in the Triangle at the end of the year. I think moving a child at the end of the school year is not too bad.

Thank you for replying. He'll be at that job for a minimum of 2 years. Hopefully he finds something equally good in the Triangle soon.

[BoSox 15]

Since you asked what would "I" do...I would look at the Fuquay/Angier area. Easy access (401) to Fayetteville and easy access (401 to 55 to 540) to RTP.