How to find good school districts and family oriented neighborhoods (Raleigh: real estate, waterparks)

[Miai]

Likely re-locating family from Chicago suburb to Raleigh area, possibly Cary. We are moving from an area tailored toward families, sports, outdoor activities, waterparks, good schools, arts, etc. Want the same in NC. Just starting to research schools, etc. In IL we have park districts which provide sports, community centers, activities, etc for our families. Is there anything similar in NC Raleigh area to provide sense of community and access to activities similar to what we are leaving behind? Also looking for community with elementary school aged children and hopefully some stay-at-home moms.

[lamishra]

Both the city of Raleigh and the Town of Cary have their own parks and recs programs which offer youth and adult sports and recreational classes. You can go to both of the websites for program brochures.
There are plenty of family oriented neighborhoods in both Raleigh and Cary with a mixture of SAHM's and WAHM's. A lot of it depends on where you want to live and what price range you are looking for. I would recommend contacting a real estate agent to help you narrow down areas in both places based on what you want in a home and neighborhood facilities.

As for schools, both Raleigh and Cary are in the same school district which falls under WCPSS. There are many threads on city-data which discuss schools in Wake County and you would be well advised to read up on how the WCPSS works and how they assign children to schools.

[Miai]

Thank you for the insight, we have just begun our research. I have been online researching schools, seems confusing. We would be looking in the up to $400,000 range. Without family in the area we are definitely looking for friendly family neighborhood with similarly aged children and good school. A pool community would not hurt, but that can be misleading too. We have contacted a realtor, but there is a lot a realtor can't/won't tell you, as we have learned here in IL. Lessons learned ..we will be more educated going into the process in NC, which is why I am seeking feedback. Trader Joe's and Whole foods in NC, I see, good to know! Stay at home mom for now, but not forever. Can anyone tell me, is kindergarden 1/2 day or full day in Cary/Raleigh? Our school district is just now making the switch to full-day. Comments?

[lamishra]

KG is full day in NC, but also not required. Compulsory attendace starts in 1st grade.

[welovedurham]

Originally Posted by lamishra

KG is full day in NC, but also not required. Compulsory attendace starts in 1st grade.

Compulsory attendance actually starts at age 7 years, at which point the typical entry point would be 1st grade.

[conjc]

we live in cary park and it seems to fit the bill for you. and there are two good close elem. schools. Ask your potential neighbors where their children go.

[convergent]

We just moved here from NC and were amazed at the warm welcome we got from our neighbors... nothing like any place we lived in NY. I think that is typical of the area from what I've heard. As others have said, you need to research the school situation. Its not the same here as it was in NY. In NY, the school district (and therefore the actual school) is tied to the neighborhood and rarely (if ever) changes. In Wake County, most of the neighborhoods including Cary and Raleigh are part of the Wake County public school system and they "re-assign" neighborhoods to different schools frequently... so buying a house, you have not assurance that the school its assigned to will stay that way. The neighborhood we bought a house in just got reassigned from a more rural school, to one that's more of a city school, and added quite a bus ride. Wake tries to balance the schools so they have no problem bussing kids all over the place to accomplish that goal. We planned to send our kids to a private school coming in so it wasn't really a big factor in our decision to by the house here.

[Dire Wolf]

In general, if you look at where the good schools are, you'll find where the good neighborhoods are. There are good schools and good neighborhoods in many parts of the Triangle. There are some really nice neighborhoods and parks (and greenways) in Cary, N. Raleigh, and Apex. Some of the newer to develop towns may lag behind in terms of parks and greenways, but as they mature the situation usually gets better (and I'm sure some of them have nice parks I don't know about).

[NCBoyMommy]

Originally Posted by Miai

Likely re-locating family from Chicago suburb to Raleigh area, possibly Cary. We are moving from an area tailored toward families, sports, outdoor activities, waterparks, good schools, arts, etc. Want the same in NC. Just starting to research schools, etc. In IL we have park districts which provide sports, community centers, activities, etc for our families. Is there anything similar in NC Raleigh area to provide sense of community and access to activities similar to what we are leaving behind? Also looking for community with elementary school aged children and hopefully some stay-at-home moms.

It may be too far for your husband to commute depending on where he will be working but you might also want to check out Heritage in Wake Forest.

[findingmesomeday]

Now where in the world did I get the idea that there was a national compulsory age for starting school (age 6)?