Relocating from KC to Raleigh (Durham, Cary: best cities, renting, chapel)

[KC to NC]

Thank God for this forum! Any help any of you can provide would be awesome! I've had little time to read through the many postings to find the info I need particular to my situation so I decided to post my own thread.

We found out two weeks ago that we will be relocating from Kansas City to Raleigh for my husband's job. He starts next Monday and will work in Morrisville. We have three children - a 4 year old and twins that will be two in a couple of months. Any advice on the best subdivision areas (or ones that are known as the popular ones for young families) in Morrisville, Cary or Raleigh for us to consider would be much appreciated. Here is a list of our must haves:
-Spending between $240 - 290,000 (depending on what we sell our house for)
-Want four bedrooms or possibly three with a bonus area to use as a play room (don't know how you all survive without finished basements - I hear they are rare there)
-Ability to fence back yard if it isn't fenced
-Other young families over 35 years old
-Children in neighborhood
-Good schools (elementary close by as we will most likely move in another five years)
-Close to good shopping (grocery, love Target, drug store, etc)
-Hoping to find a good Preschool & Parents Day Out program close by so that mommy can have a break twice a week for a few hours.
-Love going to the library with the little ones
-Safe neighborhood as I love to run

Any advice would be much appreciated. I am coming in a couple of weeks for a 4 day trip to find our house. I've read other threads that recommend renting first. I wish we could do that. I would hate to buy a house and then realize there were much better areas or subdivisions that we overlooked.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

[Redrover]

Check your PMs, I sent you a message.

[leighbhe]

In the morrisville area (cary as well) you are probably going to pay more per square foot than in apex or sections of cary that are not close to morrisville. In that area though, breckenridge may have some homes toward the top end of your price range. Walden Creek as well, but at the high end of your range.

I think finding all of the other things you are looking for will not be a problem in cary/apex/ or any of the other parts of the triangle. There are many great schools, parks, libraries, neighborhoods, etc.

I would also recommend checking out the trianglemommies.com website. I am a member there and they have active playgroups, mom's night out, and a very active forum for the members that will help answer many of your questions regarding kids and the area.

Hope this helps
Leigh

[NCHomeFinder]

Your 4 year old will be starting school before you know it, so you can check the schools out at www.wcpss.net. Do a search on this forum about year-round schools, since that continues to be a hot issue in Wake County. The schools here are excellent, but due to the growth, there have been overcrowding issues that have forced some schools to be converted to mandatory year round.

Personally, when my daughter started kindergarten last year, we chose year round over our traditional base school, but definitely look in to it.
You can check school scores at www.ncreportcards.com, or greatschools.net.

Good luck!

[KC to NC]

Why is Morrisville more per square foot? Is it a desirable area for families to live in? I noticed that both Raleigh and Cary rated #4 & #5 on the best cities to live in on CNN. I heard Cary is very similar to Overland Park here in Kansas City (on the Kansas side, not Missouri).

Thank you so much for all of your advice. I look forward to checking out the web sites you all recommended!

[leighbhe]

Originally Posted by KC to NC

Why is Morrisville more per square foot? Is it a desirable area for families to live in? I noticed that both Raleigh and Cary rated #4 & #5 on the best cities to live in on CNN. I heard Cary is very similar to Overland Park here in Kansas City (on the Kansas side, not Missouri).

Thank you so much for all of your advice. I look forward to checking out the web sites you all recommended!

Back in the day (I have lived here since I was 3) cary and morrisville were country.......now, morrisville is the closest place you can live (in wake county) to research triangle park (RTP). MANY many people who relocate here are doing it for jobs in and around RTP, so, the areas in cary near RTP and now morrisville are more expensive, smaller lots (simply because the morrisville itself is tiny, so they are trying to fit a lot of homes in a small space), but has the convenience of being close to RTP and the airport, so people are not having long commutes. For many people who are moving from places where housing is more expensive they seem to like the convenience of the morrisville/cary area.

Hope this helps
Leigh

[Martha Garbarino]

Raleigh-Durham-Cary area is a great place to live! I lived in Chapel Hill for 20 years and worked in these areas. It has grown a lot, but has a lot to offer for jobs, schools, entertainment, sports. UNC, NC State, Duke... There is always something going on.



Good luck!

M. Garbarino