ITB Family Life (Raleigh, Cary, Tryon: real estate market, apartment, townhome)

[colete00]

Ok. This is a bit of a curveball, but after exploring ITB Hayes Barton, Anderson Heights, University Park, Brighton I am in LOVE and we are reconsidering the idea of staying interior rather than in Cary. It feels much more natural to me.

I really want to understand the family life here.

My Kids are 9(boy) & 13 (girl)

Considering Schools
Olds, Lacy, Root - Davis, Martin - Needham Broughton

A few questions ...
1. Where are little league games, is it per city of Raleigh or do neighborhoods have teams?
2. What about flag football?
3. What about golf lessons, I understand Broughton has a golf team, but any place to take golf lessons or clinics?
4. Is there a children's theater here for theater clinics and shows?
5. Is there a favorite neighborhood park?
6. Are there pools where the kids can meet their friends a swim? or good family gyms w/ pools? Not interested in CCC.
6. Do people generally stay ITB and raise their kids or do they often move to the burbs once the kids are a bit older?
7. What are you favorite streets & neighborhoods? We like social happy families.


Our background. I am from Atlanta, my husband is from New England. We have lived in several states and lived 2 years in Korea. Currently we live in a fun SUPER SOCAL old section of Scottsdale. Lots of kids in yards, wine on patios, stop and chat while walking the dog kind of place. We are all excited about this move, but I am feeling the weight of displacing my family and I want to find the right nest for us.

I appreciate your help. thank you.

[art322]

We live ITB and love it. Plenty of kids around and there are parks all over the place. Social probably depends on neighbors and varies. Our street has block parties and one neighbor organizes food trucks every couple months. I have teens and we definitely don’t plan to leave. We can’t wait to take full advantage of being so close to downtown as empty nesters. You’ll be fine ITB or Cary, this area is great for families and people want the same things you’re looking for, choose the area that speaks to you more as you can’t go wrong.

[Corgi Dad]

We lived ITB for 30+ years and loved it. There's a lot of real estate ITB but I've always ITB as being the northwestern portion of the city generally between Wade Avenue and Glenwood Ave. Another area to consider is Budleigh, which is sort of an extension of Hayes Barton.

We have no children so I can't comment on activities for them, but the three most desirable schools are Lacy, Martin, and Broughton.

[farebluenc]

I'd also look at houses zoned to Joyner Elementary. I think that's where most houses in Anderson Heights are zoned for. Country Club Hills is zoned for Root. I'm pretty sure Root and Joyner goes into Oberlin Middle School. Oberlin Middle is a great school, so I'd make sure to consider it in addition to Martin.

Are you still concerned about having lots of children in your neighborhood? Most of these neighborhoods are a mix of young families, retirees and in-between.

Have you actually visited the area yet?

Where is Brighton? Are there pool clubs ITB? I looked on google and it seems like most of the neighborhood pool clubs are in North Raleigh. Do people go to the YMCA?

[BoBromhal]

I've got no idea what Brighton is either, and I'm surely familiar.

Did you mean what's listed as "Bolton" or "Bedford Heights" on Google maps?

ITB is *basically*:

Folks born and raised ITB that stay or move back ITB
Folks from $$ real estate markets that value the "old house" or "old neighborhood" feel.
Young pre-kid folks that want to be "downtown"

If you're from ATL, you'll probably feel "at home".

There is a public pool next to Martin Middle School. There's a few pool clubs not far OTB in 27609. Many folks join the University Club (right across the 440 Beltline from Meredith College; low-cost) and some folks join North Hills Club (lots of tennis and 2 huge pools)

[Francois]

4. Is there a children's theater here for theater clinics and shows?

Yes! Most of the community theaters in the area have Youth programs (in non-COVID times), but I'd definitely recommend Raleigh Little Theatre, one of Raleigh's gems since the 1930s. I've performed in adult productions, but they have a very active Youth program who perform a few shows a year, too, and the main stage.

There is a public pool next to Martin Middle School. There's a few pool clubs not far OTB in 27609. Many folks join the University Club (right across the 440 Beltline from Meredith College; low-cost) and some folks join North Hills Club (lots of tennis and 2 huge pools)

I believe there is still an aquatic center at Pullen Park, that is either public, or has an inexpensive membership fee.

[colete00]

Thank you!!! I am feeling in by so good about this!

[BoBromhal]

indeed, Pullen still has an aquatic center. As does the Alexander Y, but I wouldn't call that a kids' place ... at least not when I've seen it

As for sports teams, they are aplenty, especially soccer and rec basketball. I don't know that I've seen "neighborhood sports teams" ala the "Hayes Barton Tigers".

Golf lessons - yes those are available. Lonnie Poole Golf has them, and clinics for ladies/beginners/youths. The University Club advertises lessons available. There are several public/semi-private courses that have ranges and lessons/teaching pros are available ... but other than Lonnie Poole and RGA (just south of Beltline by 1/2 mile off Tryon) they are further afield.

[Dire Wolf]

Originally Posted by BoBromhal

ITB is *basically*:

Folks born and raised ITB that stay or move back ITB
Folks from $$ real estate markets that value the "old house" or "old neighborhood" feel.
Young pre-kid folks that want to be "downtown"

ITB also is a pretty attractive place to put down roots if you came to the Triangle for college and stuck around. People that move here for work so often gravitate to the suburbs, but those that bounced around from dorm to apartment for a few years got to appreciate ITB life before they started a career (much like those born and raised here). I kinda regret not sticking it with roommates a couple more years to save up for an ITB house instead of hightailing it to the cheaper suburbs, but I definitely knew many that stuck around and are still in Five Points or Mordecai or wherever decades later.

[RaleighSentinel]

My family has lived in this area for well over a decade. I was raised in suburban Atlanta and my spouse in Los Angeles. We’ve lived in a number of major cities before moving here. We have two kids who were born here of similar ages and genders to yours. I’ll try to answer your questions from my experience.

1. Where are little league games, is it per city of Raleigh or do neighborhoods have teams? The City of Raleigh has a great Parks & Rec organization. They run youth programs in Soccer, Lacrosse, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Flag Football, Volleyball, Basketball, and Cheerleading, and usually have events in both Spring and Fall, some in Winter, and lots of city run Summer Camps. These are situated at the various parks and community centers throughout the city. They often get split based on age. For example, Spring baseball may have 7-8 year olds competing at one park, 9-10 at another. It is a great way for the kids to meet others who may not go to their school, but also see their school friends there as well. This is in addition to any school based teams (middle/high school) or try-out travel teams. We have friends’ kids in all of these. The parks and community centers here are excellent.
2. What about flag football? Yep, Parks and Rec. Fall&Spring, and a weeklong Summer camp. Martin Middle has it as an Elective, as well as a regular Football team in 7th/8th Grades..
3. What about golf lessons, I understand Broughton has a golf team, but any place to take golf lessons or clinics?Yep, Bo covered that. We actually used to have an after school clinic at our elementary school pre-COVID.
4. Is there a children's theater here for theater clinics and shows? The Raleigh Little Theater is a gem. It has clinics and shows for both kids and Adults. It also has Summer Camps (COVID permitting). Edit to add: Martin Middle is a Gifted and Talented Magnet, but if you live in the catchment area, it is your base school as well. It has an AMAZING Arts Program, including Theater Productions.
5. Is there a favorite neighborhood park? There are literally so many. We can walk to several, including ones with big rec centers and ball fields like Jaycee, and more neighborhood based ones like Isabella Cannon which is kid central for hanging out. The parks are the lifeblood of ITB childhoods.
6. Are there pools where the kids can meet their friends a swim? or good family gyms w/ pools? Not interested in CCC. We heavily utilize the city pools and the kids always see friends there. Each has different amenities, so we often rotate through them. Ridge Roas is popular for us, but sometimes we go to Lake Johnson. These are outdoor and open Memorial Day to Labor Day generally. In the off season we go to Pullen Aquatic Center.
6. Do people generally stay ITB and raise their kids or do they often move to the burbs once the kids are a bit older?Before getting married and buying this 70+ year old house, I lived in a new construction townhome a few blocks from here. I’m not some rabid urbanite, but had no desire to move to suburban Cary, even if it would have cut my RTP commute. That is certainly a personal preference, so everyone will have a different view. I grew up in suburbia, and wanted different for my family—more exposure to different races, ethnicities, socioeconomic levels, age ranges, and ways of thinking as well as the ability to walk (if I wanted to—we still love our cars) to nearby amenities—which I found in University Park. I still have a good amount of fenced yard and wooded privacy, plus access to parks and greenways. I WFH now and my spouse works at a nearby hospital, so our commutes are minimal.
7. What are you favorite streets & neighborhoods? We like social happy families. I’m in University Park. If I had to pick a typical family street, it would probably be Van Dyke. It’s NUTS on Halloween.

All the schools you mentioned are great places to learn. Olds is smaller than Lacy in enrollment and has been around since the 1920’s. It is a true “Neighborhood School” and is pretty diverse. It has one of the highest Academically or Intellectually Gifted % in the county. Both do also pull from some lower socioeconomic neighborhoods in East Raleigh, which may contrast with suburban schools west of the city. Martin as mentioned is an Gifted and Talented Magnet, so you get base kids as well as kids from all over the county. The number of electives is mind-boggling to me, from Visual Arts to Music (Band, Orchestra, Chorus) to Dance to Theatre to Languages and oodles of STEM, Language Arts, and Social Studies electives. Broughton is our base HS, but Enloe is a potential magnet choice (it has great Arts programs). Both are diverse and routinely send kids to elite schools. Raleigh Charter is also a lottery option. It is routinely ranked one of the top public schools in the nation. Plenty of private schools to choose from as well. We know families in our neighborhood from all these different educational options.