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My wife and I have lived in Atlanta (and surrounding cities) for the past 15 years. We are planing to move to Raleigh, North Carolina sometime in June of 2012. From 2008-2010 I was convinced Charlotte was the place. But recently many people (and websites) have convinced me Raleigh is much safer for my family.
Asides from a long story, my questions can only be answered by you wonderful people (I couldn't find an answer to my various questions on youtube).
1. In Georgia every inch of land was being dug up for some massive sub-division of homes or for a business. Is this also happening in Raleigh?
I ask because the constant construction causes serious traffic problem in Georgia. At times traveling between 7am-9am, 11-2pm & 3pm-7pm would be a real nightmare.
2. In Georgia, Jimmy Carter Boulevard & Buford Highway are area's where there's a thriving international community (and great prices on authentic Asian clothing ). As well as various Asian, Hispanic & African owned stores.
What part(s) of Raleigh is similar in there ethnic diversity?
3. In Georgia, Publix & Kroger (Grocery stores) were at each others throat. They would be located on the same street (at times across the street from each other).
What are the major Grocery chains in Raleigh?
4. What is the Sales tax in Raleigh on food (meaning produce, fish, etc..)?
5. The Cold doesn't bother my wife and I (we're from the North) but our daughters have Eczema, so it's really hard on them being in cold weather.
How long is the Cold seasons in Raleigh?
6. I understand no school district is perfect, but are the schools decent?
My wife is big on education, what can you tell us about the schooling in Raleigh?
As well as anything else you can tell us.
We plan on moving to the South Western part of The belt line (I'm learning the terminology) around Exit 101B on the I-440.
First, there is a subforum for the Triangle (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) area that this belongs in, not General NC. Assuming it will be moved...
What is drawing you to Raleigh besides "You heard it was better than X"? Do you have a job offer? Know anybody in the area? Ever even visited? Surely you would visit the Triangle and see whether it is even "for you" before deciding to move somewhere? Besides Raleigh, the Triangle is a whole metro, so are you dead-set on Raleigh proper or could it be Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, etc? For example, you ask about ethnic diversity, which is greater in Durham, Chapel Hill, and parts of Cary/Morrisville than Raleigh itself for the most part.
Can you tell us what parts of your move are "non-negotiable" (perhaps where your job will be, must have X, Y, Z, etc?) and whether ONLY Raleigh is in consideration or other places, too? That will help people offer advice. Also, whether you've ever visited here and what specifically drew you to the area besides "we heard it was ____", because hearsay is never a good reason to move somewhere you haven't seen in person (you can ask some of the hundreds who flocked here 4 years ago because "they heard it was Great!!!!!" who are now either moved back or trying to)?
First, there is a subforum for the Triangle (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) area that this belongs in, not General NC. Assuming it will be moved...
What is drawing you to Raleigh besides "You heard it was better than X"? Do you have a job offer? Know anybody in the area? Ever even visited? Surely you would visit the Triangle and see whether it is even "for you" before deciding to move somewhere? Besides Raleigh, the Triangle is a whole metro, so are you dead-set on Raleigh proper or could it be Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, etc? For example, you ask about ethnic diversity, which is greater in Durham, Chapel Hill, and parts of Cary/Morrisville than Raleigh itself for the most part.
Can you tell us what parts of your move are "non-negotiable" (perhaps where your job will be, must have X, Y, Z, etc?) and whether ONLY Raleigh is in consideration or other places, too? That will help people offer advice. Also, whether you've ever visited here and what specifically drew you to the area besides "we heard it was ____", because hearsay is never a good reason to move somewhere you haven't seen in person (you can ask some of the hundreds who flocked here 4 years ago because "they heard it was Great!!!!!" who are now either moved back or trying to)?
I'm drawn to it because of the cost of living is much lower than New york (where I live currently).
I do not have a job offer. I'm moving down there by myself once I get a place & my wife finishes school in NY then she & our children will move down. So I've got a 1.5 year window to get things situated (meaning a house to rent or a 3 bedroom apartment to rent, a steady job (or two in this economy) and my kids doctors, etc. taken care of.
I do not know anybody in the area.
I'm visiting there this June.
Yes dead set on Raleigh because my wife's company is down there. So all she has to do is transfer. It'll be a 20 minute drive from the area I'm looking at to her job.
Which city is more is more diverse would be nice, but which ever it is, will normally have shops owned by various cultures. My wife and I currently like to shop in areas that have much diversity because the prices are negotiable. For example, I talked the lady that owns a Japanese clothing store to take $40 off the price of a blouse (Originally $140), because she was impressed that I've been learning Japanese since 2008. And My Mechanic is from Trinidad and for every person I send to him (that gets a tune-up or brakes changed, etc.) he'll take another $50 off my next service.
The location (SouthWestern area outside I-440) is non-negotiable.
Durham was a consideration, but my wife did not like how the schools test scores were so low compared to Raleigh.
No I didn't move here because of rumors. Honestly, I've put in over 100 hours of research on NC over a period of 2008-2010 and now January of 2011-currently. I've seen the prices of homes & such literally go up over the years from my data. I'm a Capricorn, and if you've ever meat a Capricorn, you'll know that my zodiac since Never does anything without through thought & investigation (almost to the point of obsession). I lived in GA for 15 years. Everyday I met someone that heard it was great and moved down there. Only to be disappointed & ready to move back home.
Plenty of times I've been asked "how could you stay down here?" by fellow New Yorkers.
Lastly, I will let it be know why so many Northerners are moving down South. Currently in NY (as of this very moment) a 3 bedroom apartment will cost you $2,500 a month (the cheapest roach motel place you can find). In Georgia a 3 bedroom will cost $850 a month. In Raleigh about $800. In NY a 3 bedroom house is $3,200+ mortgage (that was built in 1940 or something). In GA $3,200 gets you a home built in 2005+ and has at-least 5 bedrooms. Just having a roof over my head (and two kids that deserve to have a backyard to play in) is the reason I'm moving back down south.
I am a Capricorn. I didn't do one ounce of research before moving down. Someone said, "Raleigh is a good place to move" at a party, and I moved here a few short months later with 2 kids, 2 dogs, and 2 lovebirds. It was 1993, and I didn't get on the Internet until the following year. I knew no one. Back then, there were jobs, and that was the only important thing to me at the time.
Here there
aren't Chinatowns or Little Italies or anything like that. I don't think there is much haggling for anything anywhere except if you count people selling each other furniture on Craigslist. I don't even think they haggle much at the flea market at the NC fairgrounds.
It is diverse, but people and ethnic businesses are somewhat scattered.
Supermarkets are Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Lowes, Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Trader Joe's, and Aldi's. There are local produce deliveries from independent small farms in the area; we just signed up for TheProduceBox.com. There is also a farmers market -- not large by NYC standards but very popular.
Many of us want Wegmans, but there is no Wegmans here.
January and February, I think, are coldest months. I'm sure you can easily find actual data online on one of the big weather sites or on a Raleigh TV or newspaper site: wral.com or newsobserver.com.
More than enough has been written about it on this board. Use the Advanced Search.
If you compare the Triangle now with the Triangle of 20 or 30 or more years ago, yes, the area is being gobbled up by homes and businesses. But I don't think it's as bad as Georgia -- but I don't know. Here, they are usually but not always smaller subdivisons, not giant ones.
Please don't say "on THE I-440." Just say on the beltline. If you search for "Newcomers Guide to the Triangle" on this board, you'll see a post I wrote a while ago with similar advice as well as followup comments, some who disagreed with me. Which is fine.
Last edited by lovebrentwood; 04-23-2011 at 08:19 PM..
that you for all the advice. I will do the searches now.
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). As well as various Asian, Hispanic & African owned stores. 
It was 1993, and I didn't get on the Internet until the following year. I knew no one. Back then, there were jobs, and that was the only important thing to me at the time.
