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Hello.
Can someone please advise me about the neighborhoods that would be convenient to the Merck facility? By convenient, I have in mind a 10-15 minute commute.
All I see is a golf-course community and I expect that will drive housing costs to the roof and there does not appear to be much in the way of grocers, shopping or physicians offices etc that are nearby.
I'm also interested in learning about the community college system in the area. I've seen "tech schools", but have in mind a broader scope of classes than tech training.
Most of the tech school have pretty good liberal arts faculty. Many if not all offer two-year AA transfer degrees and have articulation agreements with the four-year state schools. Other posters can tell you more about this I am sure . . ..
What you're seeing with the golf course is Treyburn. It is actually a pretty good deal with some very nice housing stock for reasonable prices given it's overall upscale appearance. This is due in part to its relative isolation in far northern Durham, though it is quite convenient to Merck. It is a bit of a drive (approx. 10 min) to shopping/dining/etc...
There are some other nice areas in NW durham near the Eno River State Park. Neighborhoods off of Umstead Rd, Cole Mill Rd and Rose of Sharon Rd may be worth considering. A few names: Willowhaven, Whitehall, River's Edge, Eno Forest, Fieldstone on the Eno, Buckwater Creek, etc... These are zoned to some of the best schools in Durham, are closer to shopping and town, but would still only be 10-15 minutes from Merck.
Thank you....having neighborhood names is extremely helpful.
Are children from these neighborhoods bussed to school, and if so, do you know how long they ride? Also, are there any community college outlets in or near these places?
The elementary school that Treyburn is zoned (Little River) for is right next to the development. A bus does pick up the students, up but the ride is minimal. The current middle school (Chewning) does not have a good reputation, and most of the parents I know with middle schoolers choose to go private or to the charter school Voyager Acadmey -- either of these options would require you to provide transportation.
Durham Technical Community College's Nothern Durham Center is right next to Little River.
The "commute" to Merck is less than 5 minutes. You may also want to check out the town of Hillsborough including developments along St. Marys Road (Hardscrable Plantation, Churton Grove, Grand Oaks Estates). It may stretch your commute time to 20 minutes, but it is a easy drive. However, aside from Churton Grove, which has a shopping plaza right outside of the development, you are going to have the similar rural feeling that you get with the area around Treyburn. Some (like me) enjoy that kind of enviroment, but it doesn't appeal to everyone.
However, aside from Churton Grove, which has a shopping plaza right outside of the development, you are going to have the similar rural feeling that you get with the area around Treyburn. Some (like me) enjoy that kind of enviroment, but it doesn't appeal to everyone.
Churton Grove is also only about a mile from a small and historic, but busy downtown with restaurants, shops, an organic market, and festivals throughout the year. Also in Hillsborough you'll be near many amenities like doctors offices, yoga/massage studios, parks/Eno River, Triangle SportsPlex - Hillsborough, NC etc., that the Bahama/far north Durham area just doesn't offer. Durham Tech has a campus out there as well and UNC is building a hospital across the street. I LOVE both areas since I grew up halfway between each, but for convenience, I'd choose Hillsborough.
And like Sweatpea mentioned, the commute would still only be about 20 minutes. And that's on country roads, so it's an enjoyable ride. Hardscrabble would put you midway to both areas.
Thank you....having neighborhood names is extremely helpful.
Are children from these neighborhoods bussed to school, and if so, do you know how long they ride? Also, are there any community college outlets in or near these places?
Durham is based on neighborhood schools, so bus times are minimal. Most of the neighborhoods in the Cole Mill/Umstead/Rose of Sharon area are zoned to Easley or Hillandale, so they're pretty close to the schools. Brogden is genearlly considered the best of the northern Durham middle schools and is a few miles further away, but still not far. Riverside is the better of the northern Durham high schools and is located right on Rose of Sharon Rd.
If you provide some more info on what you're looking for (size/price/surroundings/etc...) I can help you narrow down the list of possible neighborhoods.
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