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My husband has just been told he is going to be relocated to Cary, NC (near RTP, but not in it) next spring. We're going down next week to just take a look around and get an idea of the area and where we would like to live. We'll only be in town for around 24 hours, but I want to get a good feel for the place.
Can anyone suggest where we should visit/walk around/drive past?
We're both in our late 20s, and looking to start a family in the next few years. Also, my husband really wants to live somewhere that is walking or biking distance from shops and restaurants.
Congrats ... most of us like it here !
Are you looking to buy a home? Rough price range? Other likes/dislikes?
Lots of help is available here but a little more guidance might be better based on your quick trip.
If you want to see bars, go to Glenwood South district of Raleigh
If you want to see shopping/malls go to Southpoint in Durham
If you want to see homes just drive all around your husband's future office in Cary...Cary is mostly residential
If you want to try the BBQ go to The Pit in downtown Raleigh or Allen and Sons in Chapel Hill
If you want to see the universities, go to UNC Chapel Hill or Duke in Durham
If you want to see a park/hiking/trails, go to Umstead Park next to RDU
I do not know the ins and outs of Cary, but I am sure plenty on here can suggest the best neighborhoods for walk/drive to shops. The triangle is not a GREAT live/work/shop region, but there are options.
Frank: We'll be looking to buy a home (under $300,000 for a 3-4 bedroom), but we're probably going to rent first, since we won't be able to get back to the area again until we move (very scary!). As for likes/dislikes, we've always lived in large cities in the past (we live in London right now), and while we're excited to be somewhere with breathing room, we still want to feel like we can get places without taking a long drive (or preferably a drive at all!). Does Cary have a town center or main street? Is there anywhere in easy commuting distance that would?
Frank: We'll be looking to buy a home (under $300,000 for a 3-4 bedroom), but we're probably going to rent first, since we won't be able to get back to the area again until we move (very scary!). As for likes/dislikes, we've always lived in large cities in the past (we live in London right now), and while we're excited to be somewhere with breathing room, we still want to feel like we can get places without taking a long drive (or preferably a drive at all!). Does Cary have a town center or main street? Is there anywhere in easy commuting distance that would?
Cary is a little odd in that the newer, generally more desirable development is on the outskirts of town. Central Cary has the older, smaller homes and most people don't really care for the Cary Towne Center or Cary Crossroads, the two major shopping centers in town.
I hear a lot more praise for Beaver Creek Commons in Apex, and in Apex you'd get more for your 300k budget.
Again, others have far more info on Cary/Apex than I do and can help guide you, but I will say that it will be slightly tougher to maximize your $$ in Cary proper than it would be in some of the surrounding areas/towns.
Frank: We'll be looking to buy a home (under $300,000 for a 3-4 bedroom), but we're probably going to rent first, since we won't be able to get back to the area again until we move (very scary!). As for likes/dislikes, we've always lived in large cities in the past (we live in London right now), and while we're excited to be somewhere with breathing room, we still want to feel like we can get places without taking a long drive (or preferably a drive at all!). Does Cary have a town center or main street? Is there anywhere in easy commuting distance that would?
Well good luck with the move! We're a late 20's couple (27) who moved from London to Raleigh (working in RTP) about 18 months ago. Feel free to drop me a line if there's anything you need help with or have some queries - we've lived your side of it!
Frank: We'll be looking to buy a home (under $300,000 for a 3-4 bedroom), but we're probably going to rent first, since we won't be able to get back to the area again until we move (very scary!). As for likes/dislikes, we've always lived in large cities in the past (we live in London right now), and while we're excited to be somewhere with breathing room, we still want to feel like we can get places without taking a long drive (or preferably a drive at all!). Does Cary have a town center or main street? Is there anywhere in easy commuting distance that would?
Cary's downtown center is the town center of a sleepy town of 4,000, i.e., Cary of 1970.
The suburban sprawl growth to a current population of 120,000+ has been accompanied by establishment of myriad surburban shopping plazas with subdivisions around them.
Cary has been working on a downtown revitalization over the last few years, but has lost traction as the capital funds for some projects were pulled from the town budget for the next year.
But, there is significant residential revitalization happening near downtown Cary, as it is being recognized for a great location and becoming ever more desirable.
You can walk or bike to quite a selection of conveniences, retail and services in downtown Cary, but they are scattered a little. Some are in the old downtown, including the Post Office, library, elementary schools, pharmacies, some shops and restaurants, Town Hall, professional offices, etc.
Some are just a little hike down Kildaire Farm Road, and that opens up a very nice selection. But it gets you into the start of sprawl, the early surburban growth of Cary.
Your cap of $300,000 and under will easily get you a single family home, 3 to 4 bedrooms, in a good location.
The northern semi-downtown areas of Durham (Ninth Street, Old North/Old West Durham) are nice, good access to 147 and thus I-40, lots of walkable shops; walking and biking is quite common up that way. Commute to Cary would be against the overall traffic flow, so not that bad. Ninth Street is also the main drag at Duke, so lots of activity, events, etc. around.
I presume there is an analogous section in Raleigh, but I can't think where it might be.
There are some planned mixed-use developments in new South Durham and Chapel Hill, I believe, but I don't know where those would be. Chapel Hill in particular is a physically long trip to Cary.
If you want to walk or bike to places, Cary/Morrisville is not the place to be, with the possible exception of the newest stuff in Morrisville on NC55. I lived in downtown Cary at one time, it is almost a dead zone; you are locked in to a car. Downtown also closes after business hours, which might not be a good combination since you mention your husband has a job.
Diane,
Moving from London? Yep, a cultural change or two when you get to Cary. At least you won't have to worry about "minding the gap" for a bit.
I think your idea about renting for a short time makes a lot of sense. We have friends who moved here from the UK and they spent six months looking for the house they wanted. In the interim, the town of Apex is probably worth exploring as it borders Cary. Here's an example of a rental community in Apex:
Judging by what you've mentioned as "wants", I would recommend downtown Durham. Cary's "downtown" is super small, and there's not a lot of walking/biking access to restaurants, groceries, etc... (know they have a couple of restaurants, but...). Apex is very cute, but it's predominantly composed of suburban sprawl.
Durham gets a lot of flack for crime, etc., but I think it's the neatest town/city around - and since you're coming from a far larger metropolitan area, in your 20's, etc., think you would be less bothered by the negative criticism. There's loads of culture, mom & pop restaurants and shopping, parks, Durham Bulls, community activism, and neat old neighborhoods in walking/biking distance to things - a really interesting place. And the commute to RTP isn't as bad as it is from other areas - thinking specifically of Cary, Apex, and Raleigh.
If you're looking at renting until you get settled, we have several friends who have been renting at West Village for years and years and continue to love it. It's juxtaposed between several "hot" areas of downtown Durham, so within walking/biking distance to lots and lots of things. Good luck!
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