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I was recently hired for a great company in Raleigh. My family and i have never been other than the 2 days we spent there for the interview. I must say the people are very friendly and the town we visited (Cary) was very nice. We are moving from the suburbs of Northern VA and I worked in DC. So with that being said we are trying to figure out the best location for High Schools and elementary schools, upper middle class homes for rental price range of $1300 to $1800 (nice diverse surrounding communities), fitness centers, etc... Any information would be more than what we have now so we would greatly appreciate any input that we receive. Being from the DC metropolitan area the commute is not an issue and i would be willing to drive 45 minutes to work for an area that is worth coming home to. We are truly excited about relocating and cant wait to get some feedback. Thanks in advance and see you soon.
Where is your new job? How big does your house need to be? I will say that your rental budget may be on the low side depending on how big and new you want this house to be, but you should be able to find something in your budget.
I'm assuming you need more than 1 bedroom since you asked about schools. My daughter was paying approx $1200 for a one bedroom apartment in a very nice area a couple of years ago so I think it may be difficult to find a single family home in an upper class neighborhood for the amount you listed. You may be able to find some townhomes in some decent areas for this price range though.
If we knew whereabouts your job will be located that would be helpful.
If the job is in Cary, you'll want to consider Cary for living. Budget may be a bit low. Long commutes are not common here simply because they are generally unnecessary. If Cary does not fit your budget then you'll want to look in Apex, maybe Holly Springs, but again it depends on where the job is. Around here you don't have to live in an "upper middle class" neighborhood to get a safe area with good schools. You don't need to say the name of the company, but the general location in Cary would be helpful.
First let me say thank you all for your replies. They have been very helpful.
My job located on East Tyron Road, RaleighNC.
We have 2 children and 2 dogs as well.
I am very happy to hear that long commutes are not necessary to find good schools and neighborhoods, that is truly a plus.
Cary seemed very very nice, We are planning to drive down and visit a few more areas. We have googled surrounding areas such as Holly springs and Apex and they seem to be in line with what we are looking for.
We will definitely change our mindset and our school/home search with the information that you all have provided.
Again thank you all for the information and we are looking forward to living in Raleigh.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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Hi,
I moved to the Triangle from Northern Virginia (Vienna) 6 years ago. Traffic is much less of an issue than in NoVA, and housing prices are cheaper but rising. It's very suburban here - pretty comparable to NoVA suburbs outside the beltway. In general, with a few exceptions, the suburbs are similar to each other and are made up of subdivisions and shopping centers. You will need cars to get around pretty much everywhere. No Metro or expansive mass transit here.
Like NoVa and anywhere else, the farther away you live from the jobs centers, the less expensive it is (of course school ratings play a big part, too). Unlike NoVa, you can live pretty far out and still have a reasonable commute time (and although traffic is getting worse, it won't be at NoVA levels probably ever). To get an idea, Wake County is similar in population to Fairfax County but has twice the land area, so congestion is about half of Fairfax. The Wake County school system is also similar in size to FCPS, and individual schools also similarly vary in performance overall (as measured by test scores).
If you are coming from suburban parts of NoVA, looking to escape the congestion and high cost of the DC metro to live a peaceful suburban life with two kids, a dog, and a minivan, which it sounds like you are, you should be happy here.
There are parts of Holly Springs and even Fuquay Varina where you can get more house for your money, and the commute to that area of Raleigh won't be too bad. Cary could work for you too, but I think it's going to be more expensive. Are you planning to buy eventually or sticking with renting?
The suburbs here are all more similar than not. Most people have no idea when they've crossed from Cary to Apex to Holly Springs and so on.
First let me say thank you all for your replies. They have been very helpful.
My job located on East Tyron Road, RaleighNC.
We have 2 children and 2 dogs as well.
I am very happy to hear that long commutes are not necessary to find good schools and neighborhoods, that is truly a plus.
Cary seemed very very nice, We are planning to drive down and visit a few more areas. We have googled surrounding areas such as Holly springs and Apex and they seem to be in line with what we are looking for.
We will definitely change our mindset and our school/home search with the information that you all have provided.
Again thank you all for the information and we are looking forward to living in Raleigh.
The biggest problem you have is 2 dogs... this area is very unfriendly to renters with pets.
The biggest problem you have is 2 dogs... this area is very unfriendly to renters with pets.
I know, how dare landlords protect their investment.
I don't think "the area" is any more "unfriendly" to renters with pets than anywhere else.
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