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I have been frequenting this site for the past week and see more and more of people who are considering moving to Raleigh. I am just curious for the reason, if any in particular! My story is that I was born in Gastonia, NC and moved to Cape Coral, FL when my parents divorced. Now that I am married and starting a family, I want what NC, particularly Cary has to offer for young families (from what I have read). Anyone in the same boat as me? and anyone have any suggestions of what I should check out while I am there visiting?
We are moving "technically" because my husband is getting relocated htere from chicago. However, its mostly due to me PUSHING for us to move back to the southeast where I grew up. We have young kids and I dont love the idea of raising them in a big city or even en a nearby suburb. I just cant take the winters here. So finally I pushed hard enough and he got an offer for a job here and we jumped. We are coming on friday to look for a new home since we sold ours here turbo-fast. Hope we can find our dream home in 48 hours...LOL.
I have family here, housing is cheaper, trees are more plentiful and the land is rolling and pretty. Also close to good public schools and colleges and the BEACH and MOUNTAINS. (Not to mention that now that we are near my parents we can possibly take a vacations sans the kids once in a blue moon)
We relocated here because we had no choice - we were expecting #2, I had given notice at my job, and the company my husband worked for in Tampa closed its doors. yikes! As an engineer, he got a job in RTP that started in October, and I followed with our belongings a week before Christmas - and less than three weeks before our son was born!
We didn't want to move here. We loved Florida, family, life-long friends, SEC football...
Now, we'll never move back. We love it here - the weather, the people, the relaxed atmosphere, the traffic... all better here. The schools are better, too, by a long shot, having taught in both.
Now I get to help other people move here - welcome to NC!
For us, we're making the move (from HI) to plan for our future. We have a nice home, family and friends here, but would likely end up working for another 30 years until we can retire. Not a very appealing prospect in the long run. While it's nice here...actually WONDERFUL (i spent the day at the beach w/ my kids and nieces), we don't get to do fun stuff like that often enough. Darn thing called "work" keeps getting in the way. Lots of people here are like that. Ask how many of them have recently spent a day at the beach...you'd be surprised!
I think a lot of folks on this forum are kinda in the same boat. Their current work/lifestyle is too hectic and really not conducive to having a healthy family life. What's the use of working so hard if you can't even enjoy it? Much less, not spend time w/ your family? If the children are spending more time at daycare or at school, or you don't get to spend some relaxing/enjoyable "down time" with your significant other, something is definitely wrong.
NC looks like a very good option for us. Cost of living is definitely waaay less. Housing options look great, and the schools are very appealing. There's been a few posts in this forum about residents expressing their concerns about the place being overun by newbie transplants who think $350K for a house is cheap. You know what? Compared to what we're used to now...that IS dirt cheap! We could sell our house and use the profits to buy a home outright. That prospect definitely excites us! We could put all that money aside for future planning. Maybe we don't have to work for another 30 years. How about we cut that in half? That would be great! Maybe we could move back...and make some room for others.
Visiting the area in a couple of weeks. Hopefully it works out and we fall in love w/ the place, and make the commitment to move. If not, our other options aren't that bad either.
Leaving family and friends, and going way out of your "comfort zone" is a tough decision, but we think it's a good move that will put us in a much more favorable position in the near future.
But working in the sense that if I don't, I'll lose my house or have to drastically change my lifestyle (downsize big-time). Or that you'll have to put in OT to earn vacation money. Or that you spend more time w/ your colleagues than you do w/ your family. Or that you'll have to work w/ people that you really don't care for. Or do something that you're not even remotely passionate about.
I'd like to be in a place where I can work when, where and how often...at my discretion. Not talking about being self-employed, but where WORK is not the driving force of your everyday life. Pretty much rearranging my priorities. A vibrant career is great, and that IS what I am striving for. But at the same time, I wanna enjoy my life. I wanna enjoy quality time w/ my family. I wanna have a lifestlye where "I have to work" becomes the mantra/excuse to everything that I don't get to do.
My wife and I work. My brothers and sisters work. But they don't spend enough time w/ their kids. My dad is nearing 70, and he still works because they STILL have a mortgage (and the rest of my siblings still living at home). I am making it a point to not go in that direction.
We moved out of FL because of the school systems, more specifically, the special ed programs. My son has Autism and putting him in a special ed program down there was akin to putting him in a black hole. Now, almost 2 years later, he is doing great in his school. And now, like NCHomeFinder, I'm helping people come to this great state as well.
To get away from my husband's ex-wife...Sadly I'm not kidding. The litigous attacks on our family are unrelentless. It all has dovetailed with my husband's employer relocating some of its operations to Raleigh. He could work to remain where we are, but instead is looking to be one of the pioneers that goes. So...Raleigh here we come!
I have been frequenting this site for the past week and see more and more of people who are considering moving to Raleigh. I am just curious for the reason, if any in particular! My story is that I was born in Gastonia, NC and moved to Cape Coral, FL when my parents divorced. Now that I am married and starting a family, I want what NC, particularly Cary has to offer for young families (from what I have read). Anyone in the same boat as me? and anyone have any suggestions of what I should check out while I am there visiting?
We did the same thing, we moved from Central east Florida to start a family after years in South and Central Florida. We ended up in NW Raleigh because we liked it better than Cary. Cary had a nice greenway system and a lot of appeal. We also looked at schools and since the reassignment and year round issues are so disturbing we opted to be near a private school in North Raleigh.
Depending on your iunterests, check out the YMCAs, get a mao of the cty greenway system and also experience some of the traffic to and from where you think you may want to live and work ( RTP, Weston, etc). ALso watch out for airport flight traffic noise when looking at homes. The airport authority will send you a map with the noise levels in different areas and they will also tell you exactly what to expect now and in the future for an exact address location if you call them. It was very helpful for us.
This area is much better than Florida for raising a family. Good Luck.
But working in the sense that if I don't, I'll lose my house or have to drastically change my lifestyle (downsize big-time). Or that you'll have to put in OT to earn vacation money. Or that you spend more time w/ your colleagues than you do w/ your family. Or that you'll have to work w/ people that you really don't care for. Or do something that you're not even remotely passionate about.
Does that make sense?
Hi2NC wow!! That sure makes sense to me. You just wrote what echoes my sentiments about life as well. I am not opposed to working OT(or working hard) but my profession is also somewhat unique. I am an RN used to working 36 hours per week(3 twelve hour days). So working OT for me is still only working 4 days per week. Having 3 days a week with my spouse and child is an experience that I can't put a price tag on.
I love being a nurse and would never return to a schedule where I HAD to work 5 days a week and then hours beyond that in order to make OT money! I have a lot respect for people who do that. But they sure pay a price in the form of a lot less time available for family/friends/recreation/hobbies etc. It's real tough to live a balanced life when all you mostly do is work!!!
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and anyone have any suggestions of what I should check out while I am there visiting?
As an engineer, he got a job in RTP that started in October, and I followed with our belongings a week before Christmas - and less than three weeks before our son was born!
