Do you believe in the Triangle, NC? (Charlotte, Raleigh: apartment, vacation)

[Snowpea]

The Triangle area appears on the 'best place to live' lists. Then people look to find the 'best' place within the Triangle. I see many posts on this forum narrowing down the Triangle in order to find a home. Preferences for certain counties/cities/towns/villages and neighborhoods/sub-divisions/streets are shared. The 'best' is of course subjective.

It is great that so many residents love their particular corner of the Triangle. I think the loyalty and personal investment is admirable. Still, I was wondering how many people are open to the Triangle as a whole. Are relocators enthused about having several cities to explore? Once settled in the area do residents stick to their own side of the Triangle? Do natives sneer at the 'other cities' and the 'upstart towns' or are they happy when something good comes in their general direction if not their immediate vicinity?

What are the perspectives of:

Lifelong Residents (how many decades?)
Long-time Residents (how many decades?)
Not-so-newcomers (moved here 2 to 10 years)
Recent Newcomers (moved here less than 2 years ago)
Potential Relocators

Me: Not-so-newcomer
I live in Cary but I list my location as Triangle, NC because I really do love being part of a fairly big (and getting bigger) metropolitan area. I am a nervous, newish driver but I am a great navigator. My husband and I love to explore the area. I have favorite places in Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Pittsboro, Durham, Morrisville, Cary, Raleigh etc. I know there is sprawl. I know that there is a degree of sameness in the suburban areas. I do believe that the different communities will become more distinctive over time.

[cooperwx]

Me: Potential Relocator

I am concentrating my search on North Raleigh, inside of 540, for pretty good schools and short (<10 mile) commute to work. I'd love to live in a neighborhood where you could walk to a grocery store, and maybe even elementary school and church. Those neighborhoods don't really exist where I am now. Also the job market is tremendous and the number of high-quality colleges in the Triangle is a huge asset to the area.

I am VERY concerned about the seemingly uncontrolled growth and sprawl in the Triangle. Also, I value the culture where I am now and worry there's not enough of that in Raleigh since most of the city is so new. I worry that the area is not forward thinking enough with their transportation plans and that eventually traffic congestion will cause the Triangle to drop right off the 'best place to live' lists.

[leighbhe]

Me: Lifelong Resident, 3 plus decades

I have lived all over the triangle, chapel hill, raleigh, durham, holly springs, apex and wake forest.

I remember when cary, wake forest, holly springs and apex were trees/forests and people wondered why others lived there! They were farm land.

My perspective on the sprawl.........In many ways a little sad. I love that people want to move here, and I love the area, but when I see trees being completely demolished for a subdivision with 500k dollar homes and three trees per lot it doesn't seem like the place I grew up in.

That being said, I do think growth is important, I just wish some towns paid more attention to how they have grown. That they didn't see the mighty dollar as the means to an end.

I think the triangle, in general, has always been a place that "housed" many different types of people, and encouraged that. Because there are such wonderful universities here we attract interesting students and professors from all over the world. I like that. I don't like that people who are moving here, and even many of the residents themselves tend to build up places that already have good schools, no crime, etc. I think anyone who moves here as well as us "long time residents" should be concerned with all areas in the triangle and what can be done to improve them and the schools. Durham is always a place that people tend to shy away from because they say the crime is higher and the school are worse than wake county. Although statistically that is true, why wouldn't everyone who lives in the triangle be concerned enough to make some changes in durham? Durham has a rich history, and has been a wonderful town that has supported many many professors and students at duke and nc central to name two of the larger univerisities. Yet, the same problems that happened in durham 30 years ago are still happening and as the triangle grows it seems like this town deserves some attention from eveyone.


My point being, yes is great that people chose to move here because of the cost of living, the life style, etc but I would hope that they would also become involved in making all of the triangle a nice, safe, comfortable, place to live with excellent schools.

Okay, now I am officially off of my soapbox.

Leigh

[autumngal]

Me= just over 14 years but until I hit the big 15 I still say 10,


I live in S. Granville, and have 2 other counties knocking on my door. So we are forever jumping counties, and Durham is just a hop over also. We specifically picked this region as it gives us easy access North, South, East or West. No we do not sneer at other areas, lol! And I very much enjoy being able to go thru so many areas. And feel welcome whichever part I go forth in.
I look at the whole state of NC and do not particularly single out the Triangle
from the whole picture. From the moment I came I remember everyone embracing everyone and if you were from anywhere in NC, well you were welcome and not a problem at all.
But now I am concerned a bit as to the amount of out of state people moving here on such a huge level that unbeknowns to them they are somewhat
isolating looking at NC State as the big picture and concentrating so much on particular areas. I see people on the these posts also trying to be so helpful, and are also caught up in their own happiness that their replies are giving somewhat distorted views of the area, helping to paint the ideal area for someone who is questioning about it from out of state.
And I am not quite sure what is it you mean the communities will become more distinctive over time. If you would be so kind, can you please elaborate on that a little more?

[Snowpea]

Originally Posted by autumngal

I look at the whole state of NC and do not particularly single out the Triangle from the whole picture.
...
And I am not quite sure what is it you mean the communities will become more distinctive over time. If you would be so kind, can you please elaborate on that a little more?

I singled out the Triangle solely because we are on the 'Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary: The Triangle Area' forum. I am a daytripper/weekends away kind of girl. In the five years I've been living here I have been to Asheville, Boone/Blowing Rock, Charlotte, Asheboro, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, Southern Pines/Pinehurst, Fayetteville, Manteo/Outer Banks, New Bern, Wilmington etc. More besides but these are the first ten locales that come to mind. I've also been on vacations to the neighboring states of Virginia and Tennessee. Not South Carolina though (no slight intended as I will visit when I get the chance).

I find all these places I have visited to be 'distinctive'. Sometimes I read on the city-data and elsewhere how Charlotte is the next Atlanta and how Raleigh is the next Charlotte. In this particular sub-forum I have read how Apex is the next Cary, how Holly Springs is the next Apex, how Fuquay-Varina is the next Holly Springs etc. Are these smaller clones or younger siblings that will grow up to be very distinctive? I hope for the latter. The Triangle area is evolving. There are growing pains. There are also growing pleasures in my opinion.

*I did want to answer your question Autumngal but I do not want to monopolize this thread. I love to learn how other people think and feel.

[Indigoblue]

I'll be a recent newcomer on Monday (when we close on our Durham house), but have visited friends and family in Apex and Cary once a year or so for the past several years.

Before I ever went to look for houses I was a Cary snob. I had read all about Cary on the internet, and wanted to be near its malls, strip malls, and parks. My husband had lived there and in Apex in the past and said it felt like "home" to him. A big deal since we both traveled a lot growing up. I had decided Cary was THE place to live - as just about everything you read would have you believe. They made it sound like your quality of life would plummet if you even stepped a foot out of the city

Then I began to do lots and lots of reading and realizing that Cary was really mostly a bedroom community, and that there were many interesting things to do and see throughout the triangle area.

Durham intrigued me b/c of it's closeness to my husband's work and lower house prices (we're first time homebuyers). But two realtors tried to steer me away from it. The one we eventually looked at houses with had a comfortable familiarity with the entire triangle area and was of the opinion that we should look where we felt we would be comfortable. I looked into Durham schools, and was happy with what I found out about the ones in the SW area. Durham also has many very very interesting magnet schools, and a very liberal transfer policy (you don't have to give a reason for moving to a different school as long as there is space and you apply by a certain date). I also was happy to discover that there was an upscale mall (Streets at Southpoint) in the area

I'm excited about the fact that I'm going to be smack in the middle of everything and can quickly jump on 751 to go down to Cary and beyond, or on 54 or 40 to hit Chapel Hill or Raleigh
I'm excited that we're going to be

[MaimounaKande]

I am a newcomer (one year). I'll be honest: I am partial to Chapel Hill, particularly over places like Cary and Apex and the other places I consider suburban sprawl. I was not open to them once driving through. Please don't flame me for that comment--I am just answering honestly.

I also like Raleigh inside the beltline and parts of Durham.

When we were deciding between ITB Raleigh and Chapel Hill, a friend of my husband's (who lives ITB) said to us: "It really doesn't matter where you buy. You will think you've chosen the best spot no matter which you choose." We do, but I also think he's right: had we chosen ITB, I think I would have thought THAT was the best spot.

Most people I know (which are mainly people w/young kids) do stick to their part of the Triangle, but probably a large part of that is just life...not b/c there isn't plenty to do elsewhere, but when you have kids to pick up and drop off, and their sports, and piano lessons, and a little "down time"....you realize you've stayed pretty close to home. At least I do, and my friends do...

[scorp200]

Definite near future relocator here --

As a single person who likes cities and nature I'm really picky about where I will live - so I was not open to the Triangle as a whole. I knew Cary was unquestionably out as I really, really hate the suburbs (growing up in them was enough for me). Give me an area others might consider sketchy over the suburbs any day. Now having said that, I've just returned from my apartment finding trip and I did feel for the most part like all of it was the suburbs, just a pretty one. I hope I get over it quickly but I'm moving from a city I absolutely love and would never leave if it weren't for the job situation and home prices (St. Petersburg, FL).

I'll like Durham, but I don't think this is going to be a forever move for me. I could be wrong, but I'm really emotional about leaving Florida. In the Triangle I would probably only live in West Durham, Chapel Hill, or Carrboro...didn't check out Raleigh at all but I'd probably like ITB Raleigh.

I found a really cute apartment that almost seems like a mountain retreat - it's in a suburban area, but doesn't feel like it when you get inside the complex - 10 min to Duke, 20 to Chapel Hill, 20 to work, so that I like!

[jellybiscuit]

Originally Posted by Snowpea

I do believe that the different communities will become more distinctive over time.

I believe just the opposite. Everything is simply more of the same.

Raleigh is about as bland as possible, and is not improving for the better. If your idea of a good place to live is plenty of roads to get stuck in traffic on, or a lot of big-box stores, then you're in luck.

Me? I'm looking for a better place.

[edit] Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Pittsboro and even Durham are better options. At least they have some personality to them. Even then though, the prices of any "interesting" location have increased so much that there will be no more influx of the people who made them that way.

Typical Raleigh style is to follow the artists around. Let them make an area popular then buy up all the land and commercialize it.

[PDXmom]

Originally Posted by jellybiscuit

Typical Raleigh style is to follow the artists around. Let them make an area popular then buy up all the land and commercialize it.

Unfortunately, this is not unique to Raleigh but instead a national trend. And there are truely too many lovely little towns I've see this happen too.