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what do you all think of the area, esp. as per related to raising a family and how pretty the area is and how laidback the people are? are there cute bungalows and such in Cary (we currently live in a part of Maryland with lots of cute bungalows, etc.)
Thanks :-)
We don't live in Cary, but we were there a few weeks ago to check it out. I grew up in the DC area and I can tell you that the people in the Raleigh area are COMPLETELY nicer then the people in the DC area. It's really no contest. In the DC area, people concentrate on their jobs, they work long hours and have long commutes and are usually very grumpy...obviously not all of them, but generally, I've found that to be true. We found people in NC to be extremely friendly, and also found the area to be very family-friendly.
Traffic, compared to DC, is a walk in the park. The Raleigh area is growing and I hear traffic has gotten worse in the past few years and it's sure to continue. But really, by DC standards, it's very easy to deal with.
There are older neighborhoods in the area with cute bungalows. But I think Cary is more on the new side, at least from what we saw (and I think we saw most of Cary). I would compare Cary to, perhaps the newer sections of Manasas (can't think of any MD comparisons). It's clusters of housing developments with strip malls in between - pretty much your basic suburb. It's very pretty, I think, though many don't like it's "beigeness." Housing is much more affordable then the DC area.
If you're looking for an area with older-type houses, I'd look in North Raleigh. We looked at the area around Crabtree Mall and it reminded me a lot of the Bethesda area, with older brick homes, large lots, huge trees, etc.
I really think, if you're comparing the DC area to the Raleigh area in relation to raising a family, Raleigh wins hands-down. You're not sitting on beltway for 3 hours a day and can actually spend time with your kids. I will say that my one concern is what seemed to me like not a very big variety of things to do with kids - no zoo, no amusement parks, no aquarium, etc. DC has a fabulous variety of family activities. But I think that, when we want to do things like that, we'll just plan weekend trips up to DC since it's an easy 3.5 hour drive.
Cary (the newer part near research triangle park area) is much more like the parts of northern virginia that have exploded in the past 5 years...........think big houses, smaller lots, shopping centers with grocery, etc about every 5 miles or closer. Lots of continuity, many people love and it is a very convenient area. I know my friends in centreville, va bought a home 10 years ago for about 300k, now they could sell it for 750k, but in order to buy anything bigger, they would have to spend over a million..................so, cary isn't that bad yet, but it certainly doesn't boast the large lots and trees that everyone seems to want.
Different sections of raleigh would give you more the bungalow look, lots of brick!!!!
We're moving to Cary from Alexandria, VA later this month. After looking at lots of different areas in the Triangle - we just felt the most comfortable with the neighborhoods in Cary. People seem to knock Cary as an overpriced, snooty, McMansion area of the Triangle. But honestly - if you're coming from the excess of the DC area - Cary seems quaint and inviting.
You might not find your cute bungalows in Cary - but there are lots of nice places to look.
Thanks everyone for the replies...and lots of kids in the area (ours are 5 and 1)....and Moms to meet and get to know? what made you all move from DC, just out of curiousity...I have lived in this area my entire life and have close friends and family here (though most in Virginia--Falls Church, Reston, Herndon and Berryville)..I see them maybe 1x month but if Raleigh isnt that far I could still see them that often....
have made new friends here in Maryland but have been here only 3 years so imagine I can easily do that all over again in NC, esp. with the little one going to preschool at age 3....do the preschools have waiting lists there and LONG lines to enroll, etc.?
Thanks everyone for the replies...and lots of kids in the area (ours are 5 and 1)....and Moms to meet and get to know? what made you all move from DC, just out of curiousity...I have lived in this area my entire life and have close friends and family here (though most in Virginia--Falls Church, Reston, Herndon and Berryville)..I see them maybe 1x month but if Raleigh isnt that far I could still see them that often....
have made new friends here in Maryland but have been here only 3 years so imagine I can easily do that all over again in NC, esp. with the little one going to preschool at age 3....do the preschools have waiting lists there and LONG lines to enroll, etc.?
Thanks!
I moved from cary to wake forest, and didn't know anyone here (about 45 minutes away for me) and I met a lot of moms in two ways: through my children's preschool (mine are almost 5 and 3) and through the trianglemommies.com group. there are subgroups based on where you live, and you have playgroups, parents night out, etc. It is a very active online forum, etc. Look around the site and that may answer some questions for you.
Hi,
I am planning to move to Cary, I have been told only snooty people live in Cary. I am not snooty and I do not have a lot of money ,I just want good schools and a nice environment for my children. Is Cary a mistake?
concern.
I'm a Northern Virginia native who was living in Morrisville when unexpected family issues called me back to the DC area a bit over a year ago. Firstly, I have to say that I ran into so many people from the DC area while living down there. All of them moved for the same reasons, to escape the cost, the overcrowding, and the traffic, to own a bigger home and to enjoy a milder winter. I think in those respects, Raleigh lives up to it's hype, but I have to admit that I wasn't too fond of the area when I lived there and I didn't like the way a lot of the growth was occurring. It's breakneck growth and it seems to me that the infrastructure just isn't keeping up and that in 10 years or so, the situation in regards to many quality-of-life issues, particularly traffic, will be just as bad as Northern Virginia.
With that said, the people are definitely more laid-back in the area, a large part no doubt due to not spending 90 minutes commuting on an I-66 type of road. Cary to me and a lot of the areas around it pretty much resembles much of the outer Beltway as others have pointed out. It's sort of generic freshly-carved suburbia. Actually, in some regards, that general area reminds me of Ashburn where I live now in that it'sm mostly new and very well-manicured and the homes are nice and there are kids running around and such. It seems like a good place to raise a family.
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