Anybody (specially Indians) relocating from Fidelity- MA to NC (Raleigh: transplants, chapel)

[boston2006]

Me and my husband both work for Fidelity and they have given us the option if we were intrested to move to NC.We visited the place and have 60-40 about moving there. Couple of questions if anybody can help:

- We are planning to live in Cary/Morrisville, no offence to southerns but I would like my kids to keep the accent they currently speak with and am really concerned if kids pick up a southern accent in this area from schools. I believe its very urban location with people from all over the country but does it have lot of southern influence ?

- Is there lot of smoking in the town which is not 'very encouraging' for kids to notice.

- What's the max. commute in rush hours from Cary to RTP ?

- Does anybody know if Wake county property taxes are going up next year ?

- People say its cheaper living in NC - the houses prices are high in CAry, gas & groceries are same priced as MA, where do we save the money ?

Really appreciate if anybody has their experiences/thoughts on this.
I have no intention to hurt anybody's feelings with any of the above questions just trying to find understanding/answers to questions arising in our minds before we decide to make the move.

[RaleighRob]

Let's see...where to start.

For one...the entire Triangle metro area is a mix of southerners and non-southern transplants. Your kids will be exposed to southern accents and culture, whether you want them to or not. Don't fight it...it's not a bad thing!

Next, I will say NC is behind the rest of the country as far as kicking the smoking habit. You'll still find a few restaurants that are smoky, but suffice to say here in the Triangle, many many of them have banned it now. It's only a matter of time.

Cary/Morrisville, I would not call urban. Suburban is more accurate. Only Raleigh, Durham and maybe parts of Chapel Hill are really urban.

Cary does have some high house prices...that's been discussed here a good deal. Raleigh's a little bit cheaper, Durham is even better. Explore the whole region...there's more out there to choose from.

Commutes to RTP vary...Cary's is shorter than from Raleigh, but more than from Durham. It also depends on what side of RTP the office is on.

Schools in NC are run on a county-wide basis. No matter where in Wake County (for example) you live in, there will be students brought in from all parts of it. Southerners, transplants, city kids, rural kids...a big mix.

[Grass Is Greener]

Originally Posted by RaleighRob

Only Raleigh, Durham and maybe parts of Chapel Hill are really urban.

Not sure if I'd consider Raleigh "really urban". Lacks a good deal of public transportation (subway for example) and more residential buildings for me to consider it "really urban".

Originally Posted by RaleighRob

Commutes to RTP vary...Cary's is shorter than from Raleigh, but more than from Durham.

It depends which part of Cary. Northwest of Cary is much closer to RTP than some parts of Durham.

Originally Posted by boston2006

People say its cheaper living in NC

Housing is cheaper in NC. You can get a lot more house for your money here than in Boston. But most other expenses are about the same.

[citydweller]

I visited the area a few mos ago and met a few native Raleighites, both in their thirties. Neither of them had a southern accent to speak of and one actually sounded mid-western.

[im2005]

I live in Boston now, work in asset management, and would LOVE to return to the Triangle, where I lived a few years back. Can you fill me in on what types of jobs Fidelity is planning to relocate to the Triangle??? And what is their timeframe?

You won't regret a move down there. It is a fabulous area to live in.

[NYer]

oh dear. I have met tons of highly educated southerners, complete with accents. Good for them.
I have met some who have felt it necessary to tone their accents down. Lots of NYers & New Englanders do the same thing, of course.
You have to accept that if you move to a new area your kids will absorb a lot of the culture, & may even (gasp!) marry a native.

[lovemyguys]

We're Fidelity transplants. We chose to live in Holly Springs. There are a couple of Fidelity"ites" in our subdivision. The commute isn't bad at all. You have to understand the traffic here is NOT what you know as traffic in MA.

So far my kids don't say Y'all

Most family friendly restaurants are smoke free. That is a pet peeve of mine too

Originally Posted by boston2006

Me and my husband both work for Fidelity and they have given us the option if we were intrested to move to NC.We visited the place and have 60-40 about moving there. Couple of questions if anybody can help:

- We are planning to live in Cary/Morrisville, no offence to southerns but I would like my kids to keep the accent they currently speak with and am really concerned if kids pick up a southern accent in this area from schools. I believe its very urban location with people from all over the country but does it have lot of southern influence ?

- Is there lot of smoking in the town which is not 'very encouraging' for kids to notice.

- What's the max. commute in rush hours from Cary to RTP ?

- Does anybody know if Wake county property taxes are going up next year ?

- People say its cheaper living in NC - the houses prices are high in CAry, gas & groceries are same priced as MA, where do we save the money ?

Really appreciate if anybody has their experiences/thoughts on this.
I have no intention to hurt anybody's feelings with any of the above questions just trying to find understanding/answers to questions arising in our minds before we decide to make the move.

[PDXmom]

I have an Indian Friend here in Portland who has a brother that married another Indian Woman who grew up in Chapel Hill. Her father worked for the University. I met her on a visit here and she did not have a Southern Accent. She did still have a small Indian accent. I think she moved to NC in middle school.

HOWEVER, I do agree with other posters that it is likely that any child who moves to the Triange has a chance of picking up a Southern accent. My husband & I lost our accents when we moved to the West Coast. It was not intentional... it just happened. Our kids do not have any accents currently. But I fully expected them to pick one up.

I'm just curious about your concern about the Southern accent for your kids? Is more of a concern for when your children return to India? I only ask because I have a Korean Friend who teaches English in South Korea and She mentioned in South Korea they want "accent free" (including Northern, Austrialian, etc) teachers. They heavily recruit teachers from the west coast and Arizona ... areas they preceive as accent free. Just curious... not condeming. Wondering how the Southern Accent is preceived in the world.

Good luck to you in your decision!

[katgirl]

I was just wondering what sorts of jobs Fidelity has in the Raleigh office, and what the growth prospects look like? I currently live in TX and am considering relocating to the Raleigh area (that's a whole story in and of itself). I currently work for a large financial services firm as an investment advisor, although I have experience with DB plan servicing/administration with a prior employer. What about other investment firms in the area? Thanks!

[ducter]

Why is it an issue for the children to inherit an accent of where they live?
how to you plan to prevent it?

Do your children speak English? If so, an accent shoulndt make a difference to anyone.