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Thanks Bull City. As soon as someone tells me to stay away from something I'm sure to be attracted (probably b/c I'm an artist and open to other ways of seeing things). I guess I asked about Durham b/c I really want to be near my son in Cary... I see so many nice things about Cary, but quite honestly, I didn't grow up in a suburb in NewEngl, and when in college lived in Back Bay and old neighborhoods, and am most comfortable in older surroundings (the one I grew up and am attracted to still was a jumble of single houses, double deckers, triple...on tree lined streets and bus lines with deli's and ethnic stores and small markets and easy access to libraries, etc. In my older years I'm not at all sure I want to be in a suburban area, as it's so spread out, so much driving, and sometimes can have such a homogenous look to the neighborhoods.
I hear where you're coming from. My wife and I lived ten years in Cambridge and I got my MBA at Boston University, so very familiar with the Back Bay/Comm Ave/Fenway area.
If this is what you're looking for, I'd definitely suggest you look at Durham, as well as Chapel Hill and Carrboro. The part of Raleigh "inside the beltline" (ITB) around Cameron Village would also be worth checking out.
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Originally Posted by newenglandgirl
But one problem about the quirky older houses is energy efficiency. Here in NE they leak like a sieve and eat up heat and electricity like crazy. Even with wood heat the $$$ go up in smoke.
So, while I'm at it...how cold, generally does it get in this part of NC?
I'm coming in early July to see just how HOT it gets...you guys must be pretty gutsy to be able to thrive in the heat & humidity . Besides air conditioning, which I've never had, what tips do you have for not suffocating on hot summer nights?
Great questions. We're in (as I mentioned) an old house that's 1,500 sq. ft.
Year round, our electric and heating bills are usually $75-125 total -- higher than we would have in a newer energy efficient home. Worst case, we had a $250 gas bill one REALLY cold month.
However the siding repair and reglazing work we're doing should make a difference. So did replacing a door to our basement and adding a storm door to the front of the house, and we're getting our storm windows re-installed. We expect this will make a difference.
A range of older houses have been retrofitted with insulation and the like, so energy efficiency will vary structure by structure.
I grew up in a house in *Orlando* without air conditioning, so my tolerance for hot summer nights make be greater than some folks'! However, one thing I like about NC relative to Fla. is that the nights cool down nicely even in summer... often down in the 60s/70s.
Generally I find there's only 2-4 *really* hot weeks in any summer (by hot I mean 90+ day in, day after day.)
My wife the New Hampsterite still gets hot in the summer all day, though, so YMMV.
I have a friend that lives in Trinity in Durham in a really expensive house and has heard gunshots from her own yard. She's only been there 2 years. I think there are some really great little bungalows there, but you will notice that Durham posts it's public crime records on the county website. The friend that lives in Trinity says you can't leave anything in the front yard or it will be gone, but she says she wouldn't leave anything there no matter where she lives. We were looking at Durham when we bought our house 3 years ago and decided against it since we were shocked that every house we were interested in had a great number of crime incedents within a mile radius. Most were theft or burglary, but some were murders and rape. One or two crimes in a mile radius was okay, but 15 t 20 incedents was way too much. You may not find this in the South part of Durham, but we were looking in the historic district near Trinity.
how do you find crime stats in a specific neighborhood--the PD?
I've read a lot of your posts and think you'd be TERRIFIC working for the Raleigh/Cary chambers of commerce. Your passion for the area always shines through. Did you grow up there, or move from somewhere else???
Thanks. You are so nice.
We moved from MA. MA was completely dying, at least outside Boston. We could not take the awful winters, always wanted to be further south and the employment opportunities are far better here than where we lived in MA. There was no one reason why we moved, but added together it was a no brainer. We quit good paying jobs at companies we had spent years at. Over 20 for my wife and 13 for me. We sold our house, said goodbye to family and moved here with no jobs and full of excitement. It was the best move we ever made. NC has been heaven on earth for us and we feel like we fell into a pot of gold everyday. I wish everyone else could feel the joy we feel in our lives.
In a supposedly nice area, you hear gunshots and you are alright with that?
This helps make the situation very clear. The people that insist Durham is just as safe as anywhere else and they have no fear whatsoever, yet hear gunshots around their house probably do not speak for people that have an issue with elevated crime rates. There is NO WAY I would live somewhere I hear gunshots unless it was from hunters and even then I would not want to be too close to it.
To the OP, here is the Durham Crime Mapper website. You can find the house you want and then check the map to see how much crime is around it. I would advise you NOT to buy in an area where the background noise is neighborhood gunshots, but that's just me. Call me crazy.
We moved from MA. MA was completely dying, at least outside Boston. We could not take the awful winters, always wanted to be further south and the employment opportunities are far better here than where we lived in MA. There was no one reason why we moved, but added together it was a no brainer. We quit good paying jobs at companies we had spent years at. Over 20 for my wife and 13 for me. We sold our house, said goodbye to family and moved here with no jobs and full of excitement. It was the best move we ever made. NC has been heaven on earth for us and we feel like we fell into a pot of gold everyday. I wish everyone else could feel the joy we feel in our lives.
Well I'm still online reading the posts in the fastest growing thread I have ever seen. They talk about NewYorkers being feisty...you Raleigh-Durhamites beat all! I picture you whapping the ball back and forth over the net.
I'm so exhausted from reading your arguments I'm going to bed.
And moving to Maine.
As several have already stated here, crime stats don't lie. Just watch the news. Almost every headlining story about a murder, shooting, robbery, etc. takes place in Durham. Fact is, different people will like or dislike certain things about an area. You won't please anyone. So anybody considering moving to Durham, or anywhere else for that matter, should do their homework. Read the statistics, visit the area, then decide on your own if it meets your individual needs.
You are aware that there were more murders in Raleigh than Durham last year (31 versus 24) right?
You are aware that there were more murders in Raleigh than Durham last year (31 versus 24) right?
Raleigh has 150k more residents than Derm. That is like 40% larger. Raleigh had a 23% higher number of murders. I have not seen an FBI ranking of safest cities this year, but generally Derm ranks below Raleigh on this list. City-Data's stats ranked Raleigh way ahead of Durham for percentage of violent crime per capita. That said, I do enjoying visiting many areas in Derm. I think that Hope Valley is one of the prettiest neighborhoods around. 9th streets is cool. Duke Forest I could go on and on. I just like Raleigh a whole lot better. To each his own.
Last edited by uncletupelo; 06-15-2009 at 08:58 PM..
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. Besides air conditioning, which I've never had, what tips do you have for not suffocating on hot summer nights?
Did you grow up there, or move from somewhere else???
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