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We are relocating to NC from Ohio whenever our house sells . My husband is already down there at his new job in Durham. I have 2 kids: 6yo boy and 3yo girl. We really liked Heritage and looked at about 15 homes there. My son really loves the pools Anyway, my husband has been looking at neighborhoods on his weekends off and found Brighton Forest in Fuquay Varina and really liked the wooded lots and what house you could get for your money. Our price range is 350000 to 430000. Does anyone have any opinions on the 2 neighborhoods? Are the schools in Fuquay as good as Wake Forest? Is Fuquay really far out there from everything? We want a neighborhood with a lot of kids. If there are any other neighborhoods out there that people like please let me know. We prefer a house 5 years old and less. Thanks for all your opinions!
I think these two neighborhoods are going to have very different feels. It'll really depend on what you're looking for.
People will disagree with me, but I really don't think there's much difference in schools. According to Great Schools.net, Heritage Elementary is a 10 overall and West Lake Elem is a 9. They're both in Wake County, and honestly, the student populations can change from year to year depending on redistricting, and I know West Lake's "character" has changed a bit since I've lived here as they've had a couple of principal changes - I think one retired, and I know the last one was selected to open a new school this year (West Lake has a new principal this year and I haven't heard anything about him/her). I'm sure other schools' "personalities" change with administrative changes too.
Brighton Forest is on the northern tip of Fuquay (and has an Apex address, I think), and is less than 20 min from both Crossroads in Cary (tons of restaurants/big box) and from Downtown Raleigh. Not sure how the commutes would compare, but it might not be much different from Heritage to RTP - your husband could try driving each at rush hour sometime to see how traffic affects things.
I think Brighton Forest is beautiful, good house for the money, etc. It really comes down to which "feel" you prefer.
Location: Splitting time between Charlotte and Raleigh (work)
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OP, I have only seen one of the two you are asking about to this point.
Brighten Forest appeals to me, but I am looking for something $50k to $100k less for the same type thing. I love the woodsy feel and the nice sized lots. The architecture is really attractive. Problem is the price range. Is it really worth the price they ask?
Not sure how the commutes would compare, but it might not be much different from Heritage to RTP - your husband could try driving each at rush hour sometime to see how traffic affects things.
That is a great suggestion and a "must do" in my book when trying to compare neighborhoods in two different parts of the county. It may or may not make a world of difference.
Thank you for the input. I agree with the commute. My husband says he doesn't mind a long commute, but when we were leaving Heritage and going down Capital 1, the traffic going into Wake Forest looked brutal.
Thank you for the input. I agree with the commute. My husband says he doesn't mind a long commute, but when we were leaving Heritage and going down Capital 1, the traffic going into Wake Forest looked brutal.
And that's why we lovingly call it Capital Punishment.
I haven't seen Brighton; but if you're looking for lots of kids and a house <5 years old Heritage will certainly fit your needs. Very active and fun community.
We moved from the southern wake county area (ten ten road), so apex/cary to wake forest, simply because of a commute issue. The commute is to rtp, miami blvd, and it was brutal from our cary house. It was always backed up on US 1 , and was bumper to bumper getting into the park. The distance was not a problem, it was the traffic! We moved to the west side of wake forest (west of capital blvd) and although mileage wise we added about 8 miles, the commute is only 30 minutes, no traffic. We can go the back way (numerous ways to go) without having to use capital or 540.
Living in heritage would add time to the commute, and you could do it not going on capital, but using 401 to 540, although that may get backed up as well. For us, moving to wake forest definitely helped the quality of life, as the commute now is decompression time, not getting irritated at terrible drivers time.
I would definitely suggest doing the commute first before you make a decision. We did that and it really helped.
Thank you for the input. I agree with the commute. My husband says he doesn't mind a long commute, but when we were leaving Heritage and going down Capital 1, the traffic going into Wake Forest looked brutal.
Where does your husband work in Durham? I drive there every day from Wake Forest...I don't consider it a bad commute...but I go a back way and avoid Capital unless I am taking my daughter to school (she goes to a magnet school downtown).
I would prefer Heritage. F-V, while there is nothing wrong with it, and the schools are good, is very far out for most things if you ask me. Heritage is close to many things that will keep your kids happy and engaged...which is important as they get older.
Traffic is not that bad...and while F-V proper won't be that bad....you will still deal with rush hour if you work anywhere out of there.
Where in Ohio are you from? I grew up on the Islands.
My husband works at the Durham VA hospital. At his previous job he had a 30min commute and didn't mind it. We just haven't found a neighborhood we really like closer to Durham yet.We live in Medina, Ohio which is about 30min south of Cleveland. I like that where we live now is only a 5-10min drive to grocery stores, Target, and malls. One thing I won't miss is the snow!! Our winters are getting longer and longer it seems.I really liked Heritage. I haven't been to the Fuquay area so I am not sure if I would like it more. I just don't want to be too far away from things.
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. My husband is already down there at his new job in Durham. I have 2 kids: 6yo boy and 3yo girl. We really liked Heritage and looked at about 15 homes there. My son really loves the pools 
Anyway, my husband has been looking at neighborhoods on his weekends off and found Brighton Forest in Fuquay Varina and really liked the wooded lots and what house you could get for your money. Our price range is 350000 to 430000. Does anyone have any opinions on the 2 neighborhoods? Are the schools in Fuquay as good as Wake Forest? Is Fuquay really far out there from everything? We want a neighborhood with a lot of kids. If there are any other neighborhoods out there that people like please let me know. We prefer a house 5 years old and less. Thanks for all your opinions!
