Job offer in Durham (Raleigh, Cary: middle-class, appointed, renting)

[mommyesq]

I was offered a job in Durham on Friday and I am almost 100% ready to accept. The want me to start mid to late Feb and it would involve taking my son out of school to relocate and my family have discussed the pros and cons of that but would prefer to move together rather than piecemeal.

We are now thinking about housing options and I am not sure where to start. I would love to have quick access to my son's school in the case of emergencies so don't want to have a long commute from home to work so would prefer to live in Durham if I could.....both renting or purchasing are options.

M

[Exit MA Now]

If you feel you must live in Durham, then I suggest SW Durham near Southpoint. I would avoid Hillside High at all costs for schooling and ask for a transfer to Jordan High, if it will not already be the school in your district. Durhams schools are extremely hit or miss with quality and safety. Some good schools and some really bad ones. Just do a lot of research on them, but you should be able to find something that will be acceptable.

[Florabama]

Dont forget Wake cty schools are on block schedule. If it matters.

[mommyesq]

My son is only in 5th grade and will only have a few months left so my may concern will be a quality middle school - he is in a gifted and talented program now so schools with those programs are on my radar screen and I am aware of the application process, etc.

I also am not sure if I must live in Durham but what other locales would offer me a reasonable commute

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

Originally Posted by mommyesq

I also am not sure if I must live in Durham but what other locales would offer me a reasonable commute

Where in Durham is the potential job? I don't mean the actual employer, just the area. Is it in downtown Durham, or RTP or somewhere else in Durham?

That would help with the commute question.

[mommyesq]

The job is in the RTP.....thanks

[Bull City Rising]

Originally Posted by mommyesq

My son is only in 5th grade and will only have a few months left so my may concern will be a quality middle school - he is in a gifted and talented program now so schools with those programs are on my radar screen and I am aware of the application process, etc.

I also am not sure if I must live in Durham but what other locales would offer me a reasonable commute

There are a number of terrific school options -- public, charter/magnet, and private -- in the Durham area. Personally, I'm disappointed when folks suggest there are "only" a few good schools in town, or that some schools are better avoided. (Hillside, for instance, is one of four historically black high schools in the state -- it also houses the IB program and regularly sends top students to the Ivy League.)

A good source of information about Durham's school performance in comparison to other communities, as measured (very imperfectly) can be found at http://www.durham-nc.com/resources/p...ool_scores.pdf. Note that some of the variance in "top line" numbers comes from the greater socioeconomic diversity found in Durham.

Among middle schools, Pearson and Durham School of the Arts are both popular magnet middle schools; the latter is often considered one of the best schools in the city.

My wife and I initially chose Durham in part because of short commuting distance. Since moving here, we've visited Cary, Chapel Hill, Apex and Raleigh but Durham was the "right" and best fit for us -- we like living here better than we've liked anywhere else in the Triangle! My wife also commutes to RTP daily and it's a nice short trip.

SW Durham is a popular option, particularly if you're looking for a suburban-style lifestyle with close access to jobs, RTP and still a close drive to downtown. Central Durham in-town neighborhoods near Duke and downtown are very popular with young professionals and families and have a wonderful inventory of historic architecture. North Durham is a mix of working/middle-class and middle-class neighborhoods in close commuting distance to downtown, Duke and the hospitals in particular.

Generally speaking, I tend to find people moving to the Triangle who come from urban areas -- Manhattan, Boston-Cambridge, Cook County (IL), L.A., Phila. -- disproportionately choose Durham over Wake County.

IMO, Wake is more "suburban" (save for the core of Raleigh) and tends to be more of a fit for people who would choose, say, Long Island or Westchester County over Manhattan, either because of their preference to live in a subdivision-oriented area, or because they can't afford their chosen lifestyle in a city.

In addition, Durham and Chapel Hill tend to be more Democratic/liberal/progressive, Wake Co. more moderate, and Johnston Co. more conservative/"red" -- though these of course are aggregated impressions, and people of all political stripes can be found in each of the counties. (Durham voted 75/25 for Obama over McCain, for instance.) This can be a relevant factor for some looking to relocate.

You might want to check out the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau's information for relocators, or browse through a resource like Durham Magazine for more of a sense of the city.

I mention this background on the city because at City-Data, as in life, you'll find people who absolutely love where they live but who may not realize that others would like things that might be different than what they like.

Another poster and I might both hail "from Boston," but if one comes from the suburban hinterlands, and the other lives in one of the densest cities in the country right next to downtown Boston, you might imagine the two of us would have different impressions of what parts of the Triangle, or Durham, they like!

[mommyesq]

Thank you - thank you - thank you. I currently live in a small town in WI but grew up in NYC and so it sounds like Durham may be a better option for me.....Pearson was one of the middle schools on my list of must sees and as an African-American living in a non-diverse city I am looking to get the best bang for my buck on a number of levels for both me and my family.

[ANONYMOUS123]

To the Original Poster - I am an attorney practicing in RTP and my family and I moved to NW cary when we relocated here - the commute is actually a little better than from Durham (about 6-7 miles) - 10-20 minutes depending on traffic.

After a fair amount of research, the quality of schools pushed us here - if you want to send me a direct message, I'd be happy to speak to you about it some more.

[PDXmom]

Hi mommyesq,
I would recommend contacting Durham Public Schools about the magnet application process if you are interested in Pearsons, Durham School of the Arts, or Rogers Herr. (Rogers Herr is a year round magnet option). All the magnet schools select students via lottery. However, I believe students who go to elementary at Pearsons have first pick for Pearson Middle. And students who attend the year round elementary Pearsontown get first pick for Rogers Herr.

You mentioned you are moving in February. According to the DPS website
(http://www.dpsnc.net/programs-servic...ion%20deadline) you need to submit your application by January 30th for consideration for the 09/10 school year. There is a phone number listed on that link. I recommend giving them a call to find about about applying. I believe you have to have a Durham residents to apply. Check in with them on this.

There are also lots of young professionals and professionals with families down here in South Durham, which is close to RTP.

I would also recommend going to the DPS website and check out the middle schools. I personally find there is more informaton in the School Improvement Plans than test scores. Test scores (imo) mainly reflect a child's socio-economic status. The improvement plans give you a better look at the schools.

My oldest is in 3rd grade so I don't have direct middle school experience. I would start by looking at Githens, Brogden, and Sheppard and the magnet schools mentioned.

There are also several Charter schools in this area. Kestrel Heights (South Durham), Voyager Academy (North Durham), Woods Charter School (South Chapel Hill)... was recently named one of the top high schools in US... it's K-12). Durham and this has a lot of options.

Before we moved I emailed the PTA presidents of the schools that I was looking at... I got some good info and a good feel for the school. It helped me in my research.

Good luck!