Wake Forest Subdivisions - Fairlake? (Raleigh, Durham: for sale, apartment, houses)

[meg&warren]

Hello everyone! We are new to the forum, but I've read a lot of the posts. My husband and I are moving to Wake Forest in October of this year. My husband will actually be starting a job in Henderson which is about 45 minutes away depending on which side of Wake Forest you are on. So ideally we want to be closer to the Franklin Co line to lessen his commute, while still remaining in the Wake school system. At least the good thing about his commute is that he will be going the opposite way of traffic.

We live in Ohio right now, but we were in Raleigh this past weekend unexpectedly and did a little house hunting with our realtor. We were looking at some subdivisions and would like to get some opinions. We looked at areas like Fairlake off of Purnell which seeemed very nice. We also looked at Twin Creeks.


What I really want to know - are these areas good for kids? Our son will be just turning 5 when we move and we have another little boy that will born in a few weeks. I know the areas didn't have sidewalks or a pool. I just want to know if it is easy to meet other families and socialize? We've been stuck in a crappy/scary apartment for the last two years while hubby finished his residency and we really want a place where we can make friends, along with our children. Because we are back in Ohio we really can't investigate the neighborhoods further and we are wanting to make an offer fairly soon. Thanks and I look forward to getting to know everyone!

[Zoya]

Originally Posted by meg&warren

Hello everyone! We are new to the forum, but I've read a lot of the posts. My husband and I are moving to Wake Forest in October of this year. My husband will actually be starting a job in Henderson which is about 45 minutes away depending on which side of Wake Forest you are on. So ideally we want to be closer to the Franklin Co line to lessen his commute, while still remaining in the Wake school system. At least the good thing about his commute is that he will be going the opposite way of traffic.

We live in Ohio right now, but we were in Raleigh this past weekend unexpectedly and did a little house hunting with our realtor. We were looking at some subdivisions and would like to get some opinions. We looked at areas like Fairlake off of Purnell which seeemed very nice. We also looked at Twin Creeks.


What I really want to know - are these areas good for kids? Our son will be just turning 5 when we move and we have another little boy that will born in a few weeks. I know the areas didn't have sidewalks or a pool. I just want to know if it is easy to meet other families and socialize? We've been stuck in a crappy/scary apartment for the last two years while hubby finished his residency and we really want a place where we can make friends, along with our children. Because we are back in Ohio we really can't investigate the neighborhoods further and we are wanting to make an offer fairly soon. Thanks and I look forward to getting to know everyone!

I have friends that live there, they love it, it seems very friendly. Our kids are older, so I don't know how things are for the little ones. Our friends were a bit upset with being re-districted to Wakefield High school (it's not a bad school, just has a rather extreme rich v. everyone else social strata thing going on compared to other schools that they wanted to avoid).

Really, you'd be okay commuting from pretty much anywhere in Wake Forest proper to Henderson really (my husband makes the commute to Henderson as well)...and if you are looking at homes in the Fairlake price range....you aren't going to find a crappy neighborhood. This is not like many areas of Ohio (we are orginally from there as well) that there are only a few 'good' sections in an area.

Good look at the hospital in Henderson....it's a city with issues....and many of them show up there.

[candj]

My husband and I have lived in Fairlake for the last 2 years. It is a wonderful, friendly neighborhood. Our children are older, but I know many families with little ones and I am sure your child would have no problem finding friends. We don't have a community pool, but many families use the YMCA in Wakefield which has an outdoor pool. All residents have access to the lake, but not for swimming. There are at least 3 houses for sale in Fairlake and another 2 on Matherly Drive which backs onto Fairlake. Send me a direct message if you want more information.

[meg&warren]

Thank you both for your replies. Wake Forest seems like such a nice area and I know my family will enjoy living there. I'm originally from NC on the east coast and I've always wanted to move to the Raleigh Durham area. I'm ready to get away from Ohio winters!!

I'm glad to hear there is a YMCA close by. Any good ideas for preschools in the area?

Thanks!

[leighbhe]

Originally Posted by meg&warren

Thank you both for your replies. Wake Forest seems like such a nice area and I know my family will enjoy living there. I'm originally from NC on the east coast and I've always wanted to move to the Raleigh Durham area. I'm ready to get away from Ohio winters!!

I'm glad to hear there is a YMCA close by. Any good ideas for preschools in the area?

Thanks!

I have a friend in fairlake (actually a couple of them) and they definitely like it), they have lived there for a number of years. there is a neighborhood bunco group, etc. My sister lives in twin creeks (phase three) and they have been there for 3 years. They love it. Both neighborhoods are conveniently located to the "stuff" in wake forest (target, etc). In twin creeks there is a town of wake forest park system walking trail that runs through the neighborhood and is going to connect to the park they are finishing across the street. that park will have 3.5 miles of trails, and is the location where they are going to have town events (like the six sundays in spring, etc).

there are a few preshools in wake forest (I am referring to part time, usually church based). My kids attend wake forest presbyterian preschool, then there is hope lutheran (closer to the heritage neighborhood), the baptist church (downtown wake forest), the Y, and I think there are a couple of other places.

Leigh

[mecha51]

I live around the corner from Fairlake. I walk my dogs down by the lake all the time. Been here 3 years with my wife and new baby daughter. We love it. Tons of kids. Very family friendly area. I think you and your family would like it very much.

[dansdrive]

Have friends that live in Fairlake and really like it. Very nice neighborhood when you drive through, lot of nice homes with great curb appeal and the community is old enough so people got large lots with mature trees. Harder and harder to find that these days. Looked their when we were looking but nothing available that meet our needs at the time plus we wanted to be South of rt 98 and West of US 1.

Out of Fairview north entrance and its a right onto Purnell and a left on US 1 and Henderson here you come!

As for the school Zoya makes a good point about the Wakefield High School. But I think it will be no different when the new Heritage High School will open this September. But with a 5 year old who knows what high school he would go to by high school time.

Also, if your not into a subdivision there is a nice home on the corner of Purnell and Bud Smith that a few years ago you could not touch what they are asking now IMHO.

Good luck with the move and anywhere in the Fairlake area of Wake Forest Zip code is a good deal!

[meg&warren]

Thank you everybody for your replies!!! I'm glad to hear the good reviews for Fairlake. Dansdrive - when you said the Heritage High School was opening up in September, did you mean you think the Fairlake area might be redistricted again? You make a good point though - with my kiddos being so little who knows what High School they'll end up going to. I've heard that Wake County tends to redistrict a lot. Thanks!

[Zoya]

Originally Posted by meg&warren

Thank you everybody for your replies!!! I'm glad to hear the good reviews for Fairlake. Dansdrive - when you said the Heritage High School was opening up in September, did you mean you think the Fairlake area might be redistricted again? You make a good point though - with my kiddos being so little who knows what High School they'll end up going to. I've heard that Wake County tends to redistrict a lot. Thanks!

They've already district-ed for the opening, so no, Fairlake will not being going to Heritage High. You can look at the base schools for any given address at the WCPSS web site. They also include the three year plan as well.

I believe what the other poster was make reference that Heritage will be as economically stratified as Wakefield. I don't know that I agree with that, but it we'll have to see. Wakefield seems to be more into the kids driving BMWs, only having the right short of clothes and clique-ish then many other high schools in the area. Their favorite 'taunt' at Wake Forest is to call us 'shoeless' because there are actually poor people that live n Wake Forest! LOL!

[meg&warren]

Yikes!! We certainly don't want our kids to go to a "stuck-up" school! We are pretty middle class and down to earth people. Hopefully things will either change by then or the area will be redistricted again. With our boys being so far off from going to high school (1 who is 4 1/2 and 1 not even born yet), I guess I shouldn't worry too much about it now, because even if we were in an ideal high school that can always change in 10 years I suppose. But it still makes me uneasy to think they would go to a school that had a big rich/poor divide.