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I received an offer from a company in RTP. Now, my wife and I have a decision on whether we jump on it and make the move.
We visited the area last week and I thought I would share some observations. I listed some bullet points below about my thoughts of the area. I would love some feedback, the positives AND negatives.
* A GPS system is absolutely necessary if you are new to Raleigh (west side) . The roads were probably laid out depending where the horse decided to go.
* Cary is interesting. I like the wide roads cutting thru town. It was easy to get thru to one side of town to the other without too much delay in lights, traffic, etc. My wife thought Cary was a tad bit pretentious. Plus, why make all the buildings look the same, even McDonalds? Makes the town look quite Maoism to me.
* People drive waaay to fast. Signaling to turn is nonexistent. I guess the locals think that turn signals are only for Mardi Gras or something.
* Trees. Trees, treees, and trees. Lots of them. They are pretty to look at and are great to dampen the traffic noise. However, it is very hard to locate anything such as grocery stores, department stores, etc. I guess you have to know the area. Again, GPS will be my best friend.
* It is hot and humid. I live in a semi arid area so it was a little overwheming for me. The plus side is that my skin just soaked up the moisture and I found I could breathe much easier. The locals seemed to complain that it was especially hot during our visit. Either there was a slight heat wave or the folks just complain daily about the weather.
* Having Wrightsville beach 2 hours away is great! It is drop dead gourgeous there. It is not too big or small. Beautiful coast line.
* Amenities. This might be a tree issue but I just didn't see too many malls, stores, or shopping areas. Perhaps Raleigh is just not big enough to support multiple choices that I am accustom to.
Again, we love to hear some respponses. My wife and I are evaluating all things trying to formulate a life changing decision.
where did you stay during your visit? it's pretty difficult to miss Southpoint, Brier Creek, Crabtree, Crossroads Plaza, Beaver Crossing, Triangle Town Center, Cary Town Center, etc; unless you were out in the boonies
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark836
* Amenities. This might be a tree issue but I just didn't see too many malls, stores, or shopping areas. Perhaps Raleigh is just not big enough to support multiple choices that I am accustom to.
Where do you currently live? It would be helpful to know what you're used to now.
There are plenty of options when moving to the Triangle. My wife and I surveyed much of the area and decided that South Durham was best for us (right next to Southpoint mall). We can drive to the mall, Target, and tons of restaurants in less than 5 minutes, plus we have four grocery stores in the same area (Super Target, Kroger, and two Harris Teeters), not to mention a 15 minute drive to the airport, Brier Creek, or Chapel Hill.
As for the weather, people here don't normally complain, but it has been unusually hot these past couple of weeks. I can't even imagine how hot the summer will be this year!
The trees were an issue for us when we first moved, too. We have learned to live with it and now know where everything is and how to get there. Google maps and GPS were our friends for about 6 months, too. We still use them when leaving our comfort area, tho.
I think you need to take a couple of weekends to check out some places here. Raleigh is very spread out and while you may not have seen shopping, etc....it is here...you need to focus on specific areas. Most people that work at RTP do not live right at RTP, instead they live in surrounding towns. I will summarize four places you might want to check out, and by the way I'm not a big Cary fan either...you can get way more house for your money elsewhere:
1. North Hills area. They even have a website. More urban feel and about a 20 minute drive to RTP in traffic. Multiple shops, housing, and apartments. Crabtree Valley mall is near as well making mall shopping very convienent. Proposed to be the new "second downtown" Raleigh. The homes in the older neighborhoods surrounding it are being updated and a lot of younger career minded folks moving to that area. They even have a two story grocery store. A lot of trendy restaurants there and events such as concerts and farmers market. There is a great website to check out. It is very central to most parts of Raleigh.
2. Apex. The highway 540 is being extended to Apex and when it's done, it will make driving to RTP very easy. Apex will grow even more once it's done because of the ease in getting to RTP. The road is already being worked on. Right now there can be traffic jams getting to and from RTP. Apex has shopping and is about 15 to 20 minutes from Crabtree Valley Mall and is about 10 minutes from Cary.
3. Holly Springs. Holly Springs is just past Apex and will have access to the new 540 once it's completed. That area will skyrocket once the road is built.
4. Wake Forest. About a 25 minute drive to RTP depending on the traffic, add or subtract some minutes. Wake Forest is growing too and it is a great area with an actual downtown. The downtown is not bustling, but it is quaint with coffee shops, farmers market, and shopping. There are plenty of parks and rectreation in this area including the falls lake area. Nearest mall is Triangle Town center (15 minutes away), but it's not nearly as nice as crabtree valley mall in it's offerings. We are 5 minutes from grocery, movies, shopping, restaurants here in south Wake Forest.
-As far as the heat in humidity...it is here during the summer months making at least 2 months hot, but after that the weather is mild and enjoyable.
-Wrightsville beach in my opinion does not even come close to the beauty of the outer banks or "the point" at Emerald Isle. Emerald Isle is ony 2 1/2 hours away from here.
-If you move here you will be only 3 1/2 hours away from Boone, NC which is near the Pisgah National Forest with tons of outdoor activities, hiking, wilderness areas, rivers and waterfalls, and don't forget the swimming holes!
-If you are only driving around RTP or Cary, you are right...you will see a lot of trees and it's hard to find "stuff". They planned it that way. All the other surrounding towns are not planned that way so you will easily see shopping and restaurants driving down the road in Apex, Holly Springs, North Hills, and Wake Forest.
We moved here a year ago this week. Yes, a GPS is a must when you first get here. It kept this small-town girl from being too intimated about getting out and about--I always knew I could get myself back home with it (unless you accidentally hit "home" instead of "apartment"....like hubby did late one night. He found himself headed back to IL because "home" had been programmed in way back then and he didn't realize it).
I stopped using the GPS about 3-4 months into our stay because I was becoming too dependent on it. I now just refresh my memory with bing maps before heading out somewhere. Of course, the GPS is still in the glove box should I need it.
I think it's a beautiful area and LOVE the trees. We moved from the seemingly almost tree-less midwest, so this was a welcome thing. Yet, I had the same comment as you--that they hide the stores! But, you'll eventually learn where the places are that you wish to frequent, so that's not a problem in the end.
I don't much like the traffic, but after a year it doesn't bother me like it did last summer. As for the driving fast and bad drivers--I think it's mostly the transplants to the area that helped create the problem.
Yes, it's hot--it's the humid south. I miss our old midwest summers, that's for sure, but the winters are much better.
We've been renting in Cary for the last year. We wanted to learn the Triangle area before settling on a permanent location, and we'll be moving to our new house next week--sort of "out in the country", away from the traffic. Hubby will have a longer drive than currently, but we love our new location (19 miles away from his office in RTP).
You'll get used to the traffic. You will learn the area once you get here. There are plenty of nice big malls. All you have to decide is do you want the new job, etc.? But yes, you'll have to deal with the heat--that's about the only thing you can't change.
If you don't find Cary appealing (and many people don't, myself included), I would look into parts of Durham. Most parts of Durham would offer an easy commute to RTP and provide the amenities you're seeking (malls, restaurants - some of the Triangle's best, etc.) Cary is pretty much lacking when it comes to shopping and eating.
This summer is shaping up to be a hot and humid one, more so than most years (or so I'm told - this is my fourth summer in the area). You definitely can get used to the humidity and grow to like it even.
Drivers here are generally ignorant, although most of the U.S. has plenty of drivers who should not really be behind the wheel. Still, the diversity of driving styles due to all the transplants, lax DMV standards and poorly marked roads in places make for an interesting situation at times. You'll get used to it.
When I first visited the area I was wondering where all the store were too! I drove up and down Cary Parkway and Maynard Rd. It was like driving in one big circle! I never got over to Walnut Street or 55!
I live in Cary and I'm not pretentious I don't even belong to the Preston Country Club. I hang out with the common folk at the YMCA pool.
I don't have a GPS either! Within three weeks I had the main roads figured out. I'm from the Boston area -- the land of spaghetti roads. I thought this was a piece of cake (minus lack of signage for stores).
Not enough shopping malls / strip malls and too many trees?? I'm not getting something.
I had similar thoughts.
I sense a certain disconnect between this area and what the original poster wants ... lots of good posts here pointing out some of the pluses in this region, but this just doesn't seem like a fit to me.
Maybe a tad more information on what you would like to see - besides fewer trees to block the view of the mall :-)
Frank
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I don't even belong to the Preston Country Club. I hang out with the common folk at the YMCA pool. 
