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My wife and I are trying to get out of Austin sometime in the next 12 months or so (somewhat job dependent), and are looking to RDU, New Orleans, Albuquerque, or San Juan.
We have loved our run in Austin (going on 20 years now), but the city has moved past the things that made us fall in love with it.
In fact, there are some things we just flat-out dislike now (you don't really want to get me started), thus our eyes to the horizon.
There are numerous threads in the past about ATX to RDU moves, and I've read them. Thank you for those that have shared.
But it's been over a year since any of them have been added to.
What's your take on the Austin to RDU move? Are you happy? What do you miss besides Tex-Mex?
We're particular about what we like and where we're looking next. We want a location that feels like Austin did 15-20 years ago. e.g. Reasonable traffic (rush hour is understandable, weekends are not), being able to actually get into your favorite restaurants, fresh produce and seafood availability, local culture in the arts and music (and not giant festivals that are overcrowded and overhyped).
For those that know Austin, we have split our years between midtown (Hyde Park Annex) and Cuernavaca (Austin Lake Hills). We have loved many things about both locations. We were raised in Houston and north of Miami, respectively, but have collectively spent time living in Savannah, Atlanta, Houston, Austin, Miami, Brooklyn, and Kansas City. Some of those were short stints, but we've seen a few places.
We need a yard, but it doesn't have to be huge. Enough for three medium dogs to play and for a garden. And we need a 3/2/2 with at least 1,800sf (preferably with some storage capacity).
Am I going to get sticker shock with real estate? Taxes? Do I need to expect to earn more and get taxed more?
What is the most difficult thing I need to watch out for if I move in?
How cold is it there in the winter, from a Central Texan's perspective?
Thanks for being patient with us as we have just begun our research and narrowing of choices.
We moved from Austin in late Sept. We also had been in Austin about 20 yrs and had been thinking about relocating for a couple years but weren't sure where we wanted to end up. We wanted somewhere that had 4 seasons rather than the 3 seasons Austin has (hot, unbearably hot, chaos). In Austin I worked with a couple ex-Raleighites (Raleighers?) who had good things to say, so we visited in July. We liked what we saw.
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What's your take on the Austin to RDU move? Are you happy?
Raleigh is a bit like Austin in that there is a large university influence (although not quite as dominant as UT is over Austin) and it is a state capital (although from what I've seen that isn't quite as big an influence as in Austin where it seem like you couldn't throw a rock without hitting a lobbyist/lawyer. I'm sure they're here, but I haven't turned over the right rock to see them scatter).
Raleigh proper does seem to be a bit like Austin was 20 years ago when Lake Travis was actually outside of town. The metro population here is about the same as metro Austin (Table of United States Combined Statistical Areas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), but I honestly don't know where all those people are. Raleigh seems so much smaller than Austin. Maybe all the trees here help hide alot of the sprawl, but running errands on weekends is a breeze. In Austin we had to be sure to have all our shopping done and get off the streets by noon on weekends. Here, not so much. I don't work in RTP, so I rarely see heavy traffic even during rush hour. I have been on 440 when it was backed up, but it did seem to move, not like the Mopac or I35 parking lot.
There is a good greenway system, 64 miles worth, running through Raleigh and the sections I've been on are not nearly as congested as Town Lake or even Shoal Creek. I can ride my bike without stopping every 50 feet.
Since you mentioned fresh produce, the farmers market in Raleigh is a real honest to God farmers market that is primarily populated with actual farmers selling actual produce. Not like Austin "farmers markets" that are about 20-30 booths, 15-20 of which are vendors selling handwoven goat cheese or whatever.
We haven't had to wait at a restaurant yet, but we might not be going to the right places.
I'm not the best to ask about culture and arts. There must be something here, but I can't vouche for it.
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What do you miss besides Tex-Mex?
First and formost HEB. Central/South Texans should appreciate what they have in HEB. Groceries here are more expensive (standard price for a Red Pepper is $2.50), and it can be tricky knowing what to buy where without getting ripped off. All of the groceries here make you keep those annoying membership cards to get the sale price. Also the Costco here sucks compared to Austin - less selection and we've experience a few idiot employees.
Another thing I miss is streets that are navigable by bicycle. The greenway is great, but getting to it by bike can be impossible. Riding through residential streets is fine, but most of the connector roads have no shoulder much less a bike lane. Many don't even have a sidewalk.
I know this wouldn't affect most people, but I also miss minor league hockey. You would think a hockey fan would be happy to move to city with an NHL team, but with NHL you pay 3x as much to sit 3x as far away and have to wait 10x as long to get out of the parking lot after the game. Texas Stars games were great - $25 got me on the blue line close enough for the players to hear what I was politely suggesting they do and getting out parking was a breeze.
The Tex-Mex isn't as bad as I expected. We've tried a couple places and they were adequate. Nothing I'd highly recomend, but they weren't bad.
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Am I going to get sticker shock with real estate?
I don't think so. More likely you will be pleasently surprised. It may depend on where exactly you look and whether it's new or old construction, but in general I think you get more for the money here. We are still looking for a house, but what we have seen beats what we could afford in Austin.
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Taxes? Do I need to expect to earn more and get taxed more?
I'm still working this one out. I'm not used to state income tax, but somehow my takehome hasn't been affected as much as I was expecting. I know I could do the math, but I really need to get through a full year tax return before I could compare. Property taxes are roughly 1/2 what they are in Austin. Sales tax is 0.5% lower here, but there is a 2% tax on food.
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What is the most difficult thing I need to watch out for if I move in?
I haven't found out yet. I'll let you know once I've been burned.
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How cold is it there in the winter, from a Central Texan's perspective?
I haven't been through a full winter yet and supposedly this December has been unusually cold. I've been fine with it, but then part of the decision to leave Austin was to have a proper but tolerable winter (we might have gone for suburban Boston/NH except for the intensity of the winters). The snow we just had was nice to see and the roads were surprisingly fine on Monday. I was quite impreased with how well the major roads were after the snow melting and refreezing. I guess this brine stuff they put down works. Austin would've been shut down for at least 2 days.
Hope this helps.
Last edited by slim2none; 12-30-2010 at 03:57 PM..
I love what I'm hearing so far. We have been drawn to Durham already, but are still trying to navigate neighborhoods remotely.
As much as we'd like to be in Old Durham, it's looking likely that, much like Central Austin, we aren't going to be able to get what we want for the price we're willing and able to pay. The good news is that, as far as I can tell, the weird clique-ish enclaves we have in Austin seem to be a little less severe in regard to hard boundaries in Durham.
I'm still searching, but trying to find an older home (although even new construction in the tri-city area is considerably more tasteful than the junk we get here) with character, room for our family, close to the action (keeping in mind that action for us has changed from live music clubs more to parks, markets, a favorite pub or two, and good local restaurants - we ain't getting younger and with two kids you take what you can get).
Understanding that I'm still trying to not bother folks with repetitive neighborhood questions, if you have any areas that you think we might should look at in Raleigh or Durham, please fire away. I'm using Moderator cut: no realtor recommendations allowed, per the TOS right now if that helps with what they define the areas as. We've determined that most of Chapel Hill is too expensive for us, and that despite some very, very cool stuff in Hillsborough (large treed lots and nice homes), it's probably a tough too far away to keep us satisfied.
Out of curiosity, what kind of fishing and hiking is available nearby, and how long does it take to get to a good beach and some good fresh coastal seafood? It's gotta be closer than we are to Rockport.
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 12-30-2010 at 05:31 PM..
Reason: No realtor recommendations allowed
A little over 2 hrs to the nearest beach and the beach itself is much nicer than any beach in TX north of South Pardre. I don't know about the fishing. Saw lots of people with poles, but they were'nt doing any reeling.
There is a good bit of hiking in the immediate area. It is nice but it is alot of walking through trees that all look the same after awhile. More trees but less rocky, hilly, cool looking stuff than Austin. The mountains are a bit over 3 hrs away and are quite nice and can be more dramatic than what you get in the hill country.
By the way, check out the rest of my earlier response. I accidently hit 'enter' and submitted before I was through. I added on, so you may not have seen the stuff at the end
A little over 2 hrs to the nearest beach and the beach itself is much nicer than any beach in TX north of South Pardre. I don't know about the fishing. Saw lots of people with poles, but they were'nt doing any reeling.
There is a good bit of hiking in the immediate area. It is nice but it is alot of walking through trees that all look the same after awhile. More trees but less rocky, hilly, cool looking stuff than Austin. The mountains are a bit over 3 hrs away and are quite nice and can be more dramatic than what you get in the hill country.
By the way, check out the rest of my earlier response. I accidently hit 'enter' and submitted before I was through. I added on, so you may not have seen the stuff at the end
Thanks again, s2n!
Beach sounds great. My wife was thrilled to hear that. We like both North and South Padre, but coming from SE Florida, she knows what a good beach is.
In particular, the traffic and population sparsity (real or perceived) is very encouraging.
I can't say I find the area much like Austin but then I'm out here in Holly Springs so I rarely get further in than Cary--which I don't think you would like since it definitely lacks that Austin vibe.
I completely agree that I did not appreciate HEB for what it was. I often popped into Target because it was easier to do all my shopping but the their grocery prices were so low because of HEB. I personally haven't found any grocery store to compare to the large HEB's especially when you consider the prices along with selection. Groceries are much higher.
I've found utilities to be higher but that could depend on if you had city utilities or were in a MUD district like we were when we lived in the Austin area. I too noticed the state tax wasn't quite as bad as I expected, however, I'm hoping that doesn't mean we owe when I do our taxes next month! Across the board things are higher. Housing is higher but again, depends on where you lived in Austin as some areas were quite pricey. One note, we "shopped" online to get an idea before we decided to make the move. I was unhappy to find that not only did we spend more for a house (we came from SA having moved there from Austin 8 yrs before--however we were in Stone Oak there) but the quality for the more expensive house was less. We went from brick/stucco to some sort of fiberboard (not Hardy Plank). I think in the higher price ranges and homes not built during the 90's boom it would probably even out. I just wish I'd known before we committed to the move.
It is absolutely beautiful here and the snow was really fun for my S. Texas kids. It's still around on the shady side of our street. As to Tex-Mex eat as much as possible because you're not finding it here. My husband did, however, locate a place to buy brisket in Carrboro--he'll be making that drive tomorrow!
I can't post the name of the search site, but these are the options they give me on cities/'hoods.
I notice that Carrboro is excluded from the list, which seems odd to me.
Any suggestions based on what you've read so far?
Angier
Apex
Bahama/Hillsborough
Bear Creek
Benson
Bonlee
Broadway
Buies Creek
Bullock
Bunn
Bunnlevel
Cameron
Cary
Cary/Holly Springs/Fuquay Varina
Cary/Morrisville/Apex
Castalia
Cedar Grove
Centerville
Chapel Hill
Clayton
Coats
Creedmoor
Dunn
Durham - American Village Area
Durham - Central
Durham - Club Blvd. Area
Durham - Duke University
Durham - East
Durham - East Club Blvd. Area
Durham - East/Gorman Area
Durham - East/Hwy
Durham - Lowes Grove/RTP
Durham - Miami Blvd/RTP
Durham - North
Durham - Other
Durham - Pickett Road Area
Durham - South
Durham - Southwest
Erwin
Four Oaks
Franklinton
Fuquay Varina
Fuquay Varina/Willow Springs/Holly Springs
Garner
Goldston
Henderson
Hillsborough
Holly Springs
Hurdle Mills
Kenly
Knightdale
Lillington
Louisburg
Mebane
Micro
Middlesex
Moncure
New Hill
Oxford
Pine Level
Pittsboro
Princeton
Raleigh - Center
Raleigh - NC State Area
Raleigh - North
Raleigh - Northeast
Raleigh - Other
Raleigh - Rock Service Station to
Raleigh - Southeast
Rolesville/Wake Forest
Rougemont
Sanford
Selma
Siler City
Smithfield
Spring Hope
Spring Lake
Staley
Stem
Stovall
Wake Forest
Wendell
Willow Springs
Wilson Mills
Youngsville
Zebulon
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 12-30-2010 at 06:34 PM..
Reason: No discussion of mod activity, per the Terms of Service.
I can't say I find the area much like Austin but then I'm out here in Holly Springs so I rarely get further in than Cary--which I don't think you would like since it definitely lacks that Austin vibe.
I completely agree that I did not appreciate HEB for what it was. I often popped into Target because it was easier to do all my shopping but the their grocery prices were so low because of HEB. I personally haven't found any grocery store to compare to the large HEB's especially when you consider the prices along with selection. Groceries are much higher.
I've found utilities to be higher but that could depend on if you had city utilities or were in a MUD district like we were when we lived in the Austin area. I too noticed the state tax wasn't quite as bad as I expected, however, I'm hoping that doesn't mean we owe when I do our taxes next month! Across the board things are higher. Housing is higher but again, depends on where you lived in Austin as some areas were quite pricey. One note, we "shopped" online to get an idea before we decided to make the move. I was unhappy to find that not only did we spend more for a house (we came from SA having moved there from Austin 8 yrs before--however we were in Stone Oak there) but the quality for the more expensive house was less. We went from brick/stucco to some sort of fiberboard (not Hardy Plank). I think in the higher price ranges and homes not built during the 90's boom it would probably even out. I just wish I'd known before we committed to the move.
It is absolutely beautiful here and the snow was really fun for my S. Texas kids. It's still around on the shady side of our street. As to Tex-Mex eat as much as possible because you're not finding it here. My husband did, however, locate a place to buy brisket in Carrboro--he'll be making that drive tomorrow!
Thanks for the additional info, ddeel!
We are in a MUD district now and it's dirt cheap water. Still Austin Energy, though, which is about to jack up rates. We don't find any of our utilities oppressive here, for sure. Only property taxes, which still account for an extremely large portion of our mortgage.
For what little it's worth, we're probably looking in the $250-300K range for housing (partly will depend on what we get here, which should be in between those numbers), which would be at least a 3/2/2 with at least 1800sf, at least a 1/4-acre (dogs and garden) and a nice/very nice kitchen (my wife is a gourmet cook). Dunno if that narrows housing ideas for anyone that's been so kind thus far. We are far from averse to doing major remodels, as we've done that twice now.
Talking with my wife now about an initial scouting trip. We can't decide whether to do it sooner (to get an idea of what winter is about), or later, when it's more convenient for us.
Southwest round trip are actually fairly reasonable to and fro.
We are a little more excited about this area than most of the others we have peeked into.
I agree with the vibe here not being similar to Austin's. I don't recall smelling any patchouli since I've been here. I liked the Austin vibe 20 years ago, but more recently it all seemed a bit put on. One of my favorite bumper stickers I saw was "Keep College Station Normal". I'm not sure that there is a Raleigh vibe. Maybe it's down to earth.
As far as neighborhoods go I can only address Raleigh. Is commute to work not a concern? I work on the east of town, so Durham/Chappel Hill wouldn't work for me. A friend in Austin who had lived in Raleigh told me that if you look at the Raleigh map as a clock you probably wouldn't want to live between one o'clock and six o'clock. From what I've seen I agree.
There is also a realtor who posts on here under his real name which you can google and find his website. He has some really well done info on neighborhoods with links to available listings in those neighborhoods.
We are primarily looking in 27612, 27609, 27615 and the lower reaches of 27613. This would let me be 15-25 minutes from work. If I ever changed jobs (which I don't foresee) I would probably end up working in RTP which would still be within 25 minutes. 27612 and 27609 in particular are mainly older construction on decent size lots with lots of trees. Lots of 60's and 70's split level ranch which we're not into, but there are many houses with some character as well. If you are close to the 440 beltway you are about 10-15 minutes from downtown. I guess the closest thing I can compare it to in Austin is the northern part of Shoal Creek around Anderson Lane, maybe it's a bit lower end than that, but not by much. Your price range and requirements should not be a problem is this area, but probably would be tough to get in that part of Austin. In general the further north you go the newer the houses are. Our price range is pretty much the same and we are confident we can find something with close to 1/2 acre lot. Just try not to go for one we want. If you want a split level ranch that would be great.
We are also considering 27607 and northern part of 27606, but haven't looked too much there. The area around Lake Johnson seemed pretty nice. We're not big fans of Cary - a bit too nuevo suburban like Round Rock or Cedar Park. If Cary has a vibe it might be 'Stepford'.
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 12-30-2010 at 07:44 PM..
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