Possible move to Raleigh area/ with children - need advice (Durham: chapel, new home)

[lazinhe]

May be moving to Raleigh area w/n a year; have two children, so school is important. Having lived in Alabama, we are ready to find a friendly place with good schools, safe areas, kid friendly, neighborhoods w/ at least an acre of land or more. We just want to experience friendliness again and have options for eating out and entertainment. Just want to live in a friendly area where constant references to religion, not being from the south, and judgement isn't always happening on a daily basis.

Can someone tell me some happy, safe and friendly areas to raise a family and make it a permanent home.

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

Too many to list. What kind of home are you looking for? Where will you work? What kind of commute do you want? Want is your price point?

[lazinhe]

traditional 450k-650k; home office travel throughout SE (spouse), I work in college counseling/admissions wants easy commute - primary concern is great schools for our kids, no reassignments, safe neighborhoods w/ large lots and privacy

[lunadesign]

Originally Posted by lazinhe

traditional 450k-650k; home office travel throughout SE (spouse), I work in college counseling/admissions wants easy commute - primary concern is great schools for our kids, no reassignments, safe neighborhoods w/ large lots and privacy

You won't have trouble with any house price point here, you can find anything right now as there is quite a surplus. If you want a larger lot (over .25 acre) and a new home, you'll have to look outside Cary. Larger lots in the Fuquay and Holly Springs area.

As far as reassignments go, if you move to Wake County you stand to be reassigned every 2 to 3 years. That's just the way it is here as there are no neighborhood schools. We've been here 2 1/2 years and have been reassigned once already. There are others on this board who have never been reassigned, but that is not the norm. They practice "bussing" here so more likely then not you will experience reassignments at some point. Thoughts on the Wake Co, Public School system vary tremendously - just search this forum and you'll find a wealth of info. Are the schools "great", I would say no. Are they good? Probably better than most at the elementary level. But it depends where you're moving from, too. Just make sure to do your research before you move and don't rely on Money magazine!

[leighbhe]

You may have difficulty finding large lots, no reassignments, and an easy commute to the universities while living in wake county. The reassignment issue is probably going to continue, and I never recommend anyone purchase a home for the "school" that is designated for that area.

So, off the top of my head, I would suggest chapel hill area. Excellent schools, Older established neighborhoods (usually with bigger lots), easy commute to the four major universities (carolina, duke, state and nc central), plus many other smaller universities in raleigh. Living in wake county (let's say the northern part of the county that tends to have larger lots), you are going to have closer to 30-45 minute commute to the universities..

Just my thoughts!

Leigh

[mjohnson185]

I think that you would really like Neuse Colony in Clayton. Most of the houses are on an acre or more, they are in your price range, the schools are great and since it's not Wake County...no reassignments. The neighborhood borders the neuse river and there are miles of walking trails, nature preserves, and multiple lakes in the neighborhood. A lot of the houses have a water view. It's only a 20 minute drive to Raleigh and it's outside city limits so your property taxes are lower. They have a neighborhood website if you google Neuse Colony. Oh, and it is a gated community. I would also recommend Willow Springs 27592 (zip). The property taxes are dirt cheap. Some parts of willow springs go to Clayton schools and some parts go to Wake schools. It's considered Wake County and is a 20 minute drive to Raleigh. It's pretty out there with lots of farms and rolling hills. I would also recommend the Pittsboro or Northern Chatham County. The northern part of Chatham County is actually labeled as Chapel Hill (27517) and these schools are great as well. There are some so so schools in Pittsboro, but the 27517 schools are great and the taxes are only .73/100. You can look directly in the city limits of Chapel Hill for some of the best schools, but you might not find an acre and property taxes are out the roof in the city limits of Chapel Hill.

[monkeyhead1]

I am not sure how the schools are where you live, however, I have heard nightmare stories in the Wake County public schools (supposedly the best ones around). We have a rising kindergartner and are contemplating moving out of state for fear of the reassignment issues and overgrowth. Just some thoughts to think about. It is a great place to live otherwise - very transient and all kinds of people.

[NCgirl]

Originally Posted by monkeyhead1

I am not sure how the schools are where you live, however, I have heard nightmare stories in the Wake County public schools (supposedly the best ones around). We have a rising kindergartner and are contemplating moving out of state for fear of the reassignment issues and overgrowth. Just some thoughts to think about. It is a great place to live otherwise - very transient and all kinds of people.

There are 114 other school districts in NC. IIRC, none have a reassignment policy like WCPSS.

[mdp_az]

Check out northern Durham (city and county), western & northern Orange County, and northern Chatham County.