Anyone Move from Orlando to Raleigh-Durham ? (Cary, Chapel Hill: real estate, chapel, houses)

[Soup Not See]

My family is contemplating a move from Orlando to the Raleigh-Durham area.
We want more of a change in seasons and would be looking for a family-friendly neighborhood. I'd be interested in hearing from those who have made this move and also on comparisons in home prices, taxes, private schools, kids rec activities,
etc. Schools are most important to us as currently my child attends one of the best-rated private schools in Orlando.

Desirable home price range would be somewhere in the 400-500K range ...

All opinions welcome and thanks !

[NCGator]

I lived in the Orlando-area for a long time, but moved away about ten years ago now. I went back to visit my family often during that time until they finally moved up here themselves almost a year ago. I find the two areas very similar in many ways, although I find the pace here in Durham much nicer than down there. I-4 is crazy these days!

My parents and brother just made the move, and the only things they have missed are their friends, of course, and the higher-end shopping and obvious abundance of entertainment options. Things are certainly far from provincial here, but it is maybe a small step down in that way. They have enjoyed what they have gotten in exchange, though. They find things generally more pleasant. Though they were nervous about the cold, they found that they enjoyed having four distinct seasons.

I can't comment as far as the taxes since I moved away before I had to deal with them very much. I do know there are plenty of excellent private schools around. (By the way, I went to Trinity Prep!) I find this area to be very centered around "family-friendliness." There are tons of things to do with the kids. I haven't explored everything there is to do yet.

I've only lived in Durham for a little less than a year now, so I can't offer too much in the way of specific neighborhoods to look at outside of SW Durham. I do know that I love it here and that your budget will get you a nice house. Durham Academy and Duke School would be the obvious two to look at if you were to choose Durham.

[Soup Not See]

Thanks NCGator - we are a Lake Highland family and would be looking for an equivalent school in terms of academics. Folks have told us that Cary is also a very family-friendly town with lots of activities for kids. I assume there are private schools in Cary as well ( quick internet research found the Cary Academy ).

We plan on coming up for a week this summer to check everything out and speak to a realtor to find the appropriate neighborhood with lots of kids.

[annesg]

We lived in Orlando some years ago and then Tampa for 7 years. And one of the things I appreciate most here (Morrisville--sort of a central point between Cary/Durham/Raleigh) is the sense of community and the family-friendly vibe. People here seem truly dedicated to sensible growth, community volunteerism, and fostering an outdoorsy, high-tech, educationally savvy community. My kids went to private school in Tampa as well and I can honestly say that my kids have gotten an equivalent or stronger academic experience in Wake public schools--though our public elementary is pretty large and tends to have more of an institutional feel. Cary Academy is an excellent option in Cary and Durham has some great private schools, too (though Cary Academy starts in 6th grade). As a well-educated family (Ph.D. for me and MA for hubby) we have been impressed with the diversity of the area as well as the options for education for our kids.

I can't rave enough about all the parks and rec opportunities here. In Tampa it seemed like those resources were all behind gates of communities, only for those who lived there and could afford it. Here, we have numerous parks--you can even take sailing lessons on the cheap--and town of Cary has tons of rec opportunities, from drama classes for the kids to fitness classes for adults. You can fish, boat, hike, picnic at Bond PArk and many other parks. Even tiny Morrisville has its own soccer, baseball, basketball, etc. leagues for the kids and it's affordable and well run.

We also adore our neighborhood. We socialize frequently with our neighbors (having a bunch over on Monday!) and there's a very laid-back vibe here. In your range you should have no problem finding something nice, just depends on what exactly you want for that money in terms of lot size, square footage, etc. You can pretty easily get a 3000sf custom build in the new or newer age range.

One thing you will see less here is conspicuous consumption. I had someone tell me they heard that Cary was too materialistic, but when we were in Tampa is was common for the birthday parties we went to (for kids) to cost in the $700+ range, and even the home parties usually involved hired entertainment and such. Nothing wrong with that, it's just different here. Fewer Escalades and Hummers, less "bling" and such. Not that people don't have money, just that they don't flash it (or attempt to look as though they do).

These are obviously my perceptions from my lenses of experience. But though I desperately miss Sanibel Island, the year-round summers (I hate winter!) and the shopping (seems like there are not just fewer upscale shops here but fewer of everything, even Target and gas stations), I love it here. It was a major adjustment, but of all the places we've lived (we've lived all up and down the east coast) this area feels like it has the best combination of factors for quality of life for my family.

Hope that helps.

[Soup Not See]

Thanks Annesg for your wonderful response and apologies for this tardy post !

We have decided to come up to the Triangle July 4th weekend and I would certainly welcome some specifics as to where to look for homes. My wife and I have set down a set of criteria that we feel are most important to us and hopefully someone can point us in the right direction. As far as work, I am an independent systems contractor and can work from home most of the time. My wife stays home with my daughter and would be thrilled to have a community with a lot of moms in her situation.

Our list ...

1) Family friendly neighborhood with kids around my daughter's age (6) - I know this is tough to point out unless you actually live in the recommended neighborhood

2) ~3000-3500 square foot house for somewhere between 450-600K

3) Small lot with minimal lawn maintenance; I have worn myself out doing lawn and landscape work down here in the heat and would like to avoid any in the future; also no pool (community pool would be just fine)

4) Close proximity to private schools (5-10 min drive); we have no objection to public schools, just an aversion b/c of where we live now

5) Close proximity to supermarkets, restaurants, gas station, etc (5-10 mins)

6) A golf course community would be OK as I do golf, but it is not a requirement

Maybe all of this is wishful thinking, but we really would like to find the ideal situation for us.

Thanks in advance for any help at all in starting our search ...

[Bull City Rising]

Leftee,

I'm an Orlando refugee myself, and like NCGator a Trinity grad. (Who has some step-nephews at Lake Highland; it's a small world.)

I'd echo what's said about the area being less materialistic. My wife and I moved to Durham after 10 years in Boston and I knew I never wanted to move back to Winter Park where I grew up or anywhere in Orlando. There are also far more jobs available in the knowledge-based economy in the Triangle, from big high-tech companies in RTP to universities like Duke, NC State and UNC to biomedical and life sciences firm.

In general, I find the Triangle a much better-educated, more down-to-earth, more engaged place to live. Lots of community volunteerism and activism; lots of engagement; better traffic; and much less in the way of visual sprawl from unchecked strip malls and billboards. (As one example, almost 20 years after I left there's still the Enzian as the only arthouse cinema in all of Orlando; the much-smaller Triangle has several, with multiple times the total number of screens.)

Cary is reminiscent of Longwood to me, and Apex and some of the neighboring communities remind me of Lake Mary in the 90s when growth was overtaking the small town. Not my thing but you'd want to look at it, along with North Raleigh.

There really is not a good equivalent for Durham or Chapel Hill in central Florida. There are parts of Chapel Hill off Franklin St. near the university that are a Carolinian version of the neighborhoods around Rollins, with none of the Spanish architecture or lakes. Durham is a much more eclectic and diverse city than anything in Orlando, with no racial majority, a very citizen-activist community and very liberal.

I know Durham best and if you were looking at our city, I might recommend Hope Valley, a 1920s/30s era country club and Donald Ross-designed golf course with houses ranging from historic structures to newer construction. It's a close drive to Durham Academy, a very popular private school, and is also zoned for Jordan High, one of the best public high schools in the region (and home to a recent Intel Science Talent Search winner.) Durham is also home to the North Carolina School of Science & Math, a free public residential boarding school for top students in STEM fields that was the first of its kind in the country.

Good luck!

[Equitate]

Leftee- we'll be passing you on the road in July. We plan on being up there on the 6th of July.

We are pretty much looking for the same criteria as you are, but we probably want a bit more land than you do. From viewing real estate listings, N. Raleigh looks like it matches our criteria best, but we can't wait to visit all the areas up there to get a first hand view of them.

Bull City Rising- loved the Orlando town references, that helps paint a better picture for us.

[xylemphloem]

Hi Leftee,

If you're going to be checking out Durham on your visit and are open to new construction, you may want to add the Hills at Southpoint to your list. Closer to 15-20 min to Durham Academy and no golf course, but plenty of kids; Executive Collection is in your sf and price range with lots around .25 acres; community pool + tennis court; right near Southpoint Mall with affiliated retail. Once the final connector on the American Tobacco Trail goes in next year, you could easily ride a bike to the mall, Target, restaurants, etc in about 10-15 minutes. Direct your wife to TriangleMommies.com and she can connect with many SAHM's in the area (no matter where in the Triangle you choose to locate).

Good luck with your search!

[Soup Not See]

Thanks everyone for the kind replies ... I sure I'll have even more questions when we return from our trip. Sounds like Durham and Chapel Hill could be really good candidates for us and we're staying at the Carolina Inn to be close to both. We look forward to checking out the Durham Academy as well and hope it's somewhat equivalent academically to Laker Highland Prep here in Orlando.