North Raleigh (Hickory, Creedmoor: for sale, apartments, HOA)

[GoBlue223]

We are looking at homes in North Raleigh and are doing a lot of house hunting online right now since we live in South Florida. We hear that there are areas of North Raleigh that are not as developed but we are not which areas those are. We are looking around North Ridge Country Club and up to around the intersection of Durant Road and Falls of the Neuse. Is anybody familiar with this area? We would love more information about area and the neighborhoods! Thanks!

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

Originally Posted by GoBlue223

We are looking at homes in North Raleigh and are doing a lot of house hunting online right now since we live in South Florida. We hear that there are areas of North Raleigh that are not as developed but we are not which areas those are. We are looking around North Ridge Country Club and up to around the intersection of Durant Road and Falls of the Neuse. Is anybody familiar with this area? We would love more information about area and the neighborhoods! Thanks!

I am familiar with the area you described. I'm not sure what criteria you use to determine how developed and area is, but the area along Falls of Neuse you mentioned is fairly developed. It's a nice area, not a concrete jungle, but it is developed. I like the area just fine (I live just north of Durant Road off Falls of Neuse). The only thing that I find as a negative is that the morning commute down Falls of Neuse to I-540 from North of Durant Road can be crowded and slow. Aside from that, it is a great area. In general I like most of North Raleigh but my favorite parts are between Falls of Neuse on the East and Glenwood Avenue to the West. You will find the area around Falls Lake to be the least developed since there are strict environmental regulations that limit the amount and type pf development there to protect the drinking water supply. For that reason there is more protected forest land up that way and most of the homes up that way are on larger lots and are typically more upscale.

Good Luck with your search!

[rfb]

Do you want a less developed area, or one that is a little more suburban? If you are west of Falls of Neuse Rd. and east of Leesville Rd., then the area north of I-540 is less developed, while the area south of I-540 is suburban. This is, as NRG points out, due to zoning regulations in the Falls Lake watershed that limits housing density and commercial buildings in the area north of I-540. Once you move east of Falls of Neuse, this separation pretty much ends, and there are suburband developments both north and south of I-540.

There are places in the Falls Lake watershed are being developed. Most of the new(er) neighborhoods tend to have large and expensive homes on large (> 1 acre on average) lots. There are also older neighborhoods, which also have large lots and nice, sometimes large, homes as well, but are a little less expensive depending on the specific neighborhood.

[GoBlue223]

We've come across some nice looking hims in the Riverside subdivision in North Raleigh. Ultimately we are looking for more developed areas. How does this area relate to some of the other areas? We're still trying to figure out the North Raleigh "pockets"

[saturnfan]

The area around the golf club is beautiful but high priced. Have seen for sale signs but it would take Powerball to put me in there.

If your budget permits, explore the area on and off Hunting Ridge Rd especially if you're into golf.

I once lived there (in an apt) and the neighborhood was great. Even a direct CAT bus to downtown Raleigh.

[rfb]

Originally Posted by GoBlue223

We've come across some nice looking hims in the Riverside subdivision in North Raleigh.

I'm not personally familiar with Riverside, but there was a previous thread on the neighborhood. Take a look at
Riverside Subdivision in Raleigh for some more information on the neighborhood.

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by saturnfan

The area around the golf club is beautiful but high priced. Have seen for sale signs but it would take Powerball to put me in there.

If your budget permits, explore the area on and off Hunting Ridge Rd especially if you're into golf.

I once lived there (in an apt) and the neighborhood was great. Even a direct CAT bus to downtown Raleigh.

Unrenovated homes NOT on the golf course are still pretty reasonable in North Ridge. In fact, I think there's some real value to be had there. Of course, unrenovated means that you'll either have to live with outdated kitchens, baths and finishes or plop down some money to bring them up to date. While most lots are probably in the 1/3 acre range, you can also find some larger lots in North Ridge.
In the end, North Ridge is somewhat under the radar in comparison to many other areas but it will always have a certain panache about it since it's built around a country club with 36 holes of golf. While it's a tiny bit East of the areas most favored in N. Raleigh by members of this forum, it is South of I-540, Near lots of shopping and has easy access to downtown via Falls of Neuse Rd. and Atlantic Ave. It's also close fairly close to North Hills, Triangle Town Center Mall and 540.
If you want to be even closer to downtown in North Raleigh and are looking for a more modest (less than say 2500 SF) house, you can also check out Hickory Hills and Quail Hollow. Both are a couple of miles south of North Ridge near the intersection of Falls of Neuse and Millbrook Rds. These neighborhoods were built in the same time period and many of the "smaller" home plans in North Ridge were also built there. The big difference is the country club.

[saturnfan]

You are very correct.

Great value in the neighborhoods you mention along with convenience and low crime.

The older areas most likely have no HOA to intrude on your property rights, a big plus in some cases.

Ignoring the "in demand" spots like Brier Creek and Wakefield can save you big bucks.

[Sayantsi]

North of 540 between Creedmoor and Falls of Nuese Roads is pretty much nature's half acre. The subdivisions are all older, larger lots, there are only detached homes, no apartments, and no commercial. Once you hit Falls, you hit the development, but anything to the west is largely wooded - you have to be careful about hitting deer at night, for example.