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My dh & I were looking at homes in Twin Lakes near McKrimmon Parkway & we thought the noise from the planes was a bit much. It wasn't *that* bad tho. We were in a neighborhood in N. Raleigh near Leesville Rd. & the planes were flying really low. That freaked me out mostly because I wasn't expecting it. I think I'd prefer a little noise over low flying aircraft.
I'd actually prefer the low flying planes on occassion versus the constant flying plane w/constant noise but again, you'll get used to it.
There is a phone number for RDU Noise Control and you can call that number, give them the address you are considering and they will tell you exactly when the planes are at their noiseiest. They will also tell you if the planes are taking off or landing. Then you have the information to make an educated decision. You can then go at that time and see for YOURSELF if it bothers you.
I can't speak to the noise in Morrisville, but my last house was in the 60db noise contour in NW Raleigh. Usually the noise was not an issue. However, every now and then we would get a low flying plane. It was enough to stop conversations outdoors. It was always worse when raining, as the planes on approach tend to come in lower. My wife and I would occasionally joke that we could wave to the passengers in the plane on approach.
Only you can decide whether the amount of noise you are comfortable with. My only advise is after visiting a property and getting a feel for the noise, if it bothers you, don't buy - you won't be happy, and you really should be happy when buying a home. The noise I mentioned above? It was never an issue for me or for my wife. But YMMV.
We lived in an apartment complex just south of Providence Place. It was at the intersection of 54 and Weston Parkway. You can use google maps to see how far that is from where you want to buy and how far that is from the airport. From the looks of it, you would be within 2 miles of the end of the runway.
After living in Morrisville for a few months, my wife and I decided that the airplane noise was so excessive that we wouldn't even consider buying a house in Morrisville. There were even some parts of Cary that were too noisy for us. Our "line in the sand" was at least 5 miles from the airport, which put us at least west of 55 and at least south of High House. But as others have said, only you can determine what is excessive and what is tolerable.
Another thing to consider. . . . you see those train tracks within 500 yards of Providence Place? A nice big freight train rolls through there a few times a day (including early mornings and weekends). Morrisville isn't a rich city like Cary, so many of it's RR crossings need to be updated. The train always blows it's horn at the crossings.
Another thing to consider. . . . you see those train tracks within 500 yards of Providence Place? A nice big freight train rolls through there a few times a day (including early mornings and weekends). Morrisville isn't a rich city like Cary, so many of it's RR crossings need to be updated. The train always blows it's horn at the crossings.
I can vouch for this being a pain in the you-know-where. We sold our house here in MA in anticipation of a move to NC which has not yet come to fruition. So we rented another house in our same town (to avoid having the kids change schools). It's a nice house--much larger than our old one and the rent is less than our mortgage. It's in a great neighborhood and it's convenient to the town center, etc.
The only problem is the train. We have a set of train tracks running through town on which freight trains run. In our old house, we would hear the train whistle at night (from a distance--the entire town can hear that whistle) but it was kind of comforting since it was faint. Our new house is about 5 blocks over from the train tracks. The train rolls through about 4x between midnight and 6AM. I didn't think it would be an issue but that whistle. Oh. my. God. Some engineers are very considerate and blow a soft "toot". Some engineers think it's their moral duty to lean on that thing with all their might. Also, freight trains are longer, and run slower than commuter trains. I don't even want to think about what's inside those cars! Sometimes the house shakes.
I'm a sound sleeper so I don't hear the trains at night, and I'm out of the house before the last train comes by in the AM. But my husband is being adversely affected. It's driving him nuts. Thank goodness they don't run on Friday, Saturday or Sunday nights!
Just wanted to add my train perspective. If/when we ever get to NC, we will be NOWHERE NEAR the railroad tracks!
My aunt lived next to the elevated white Plains Rd subway line in Bronx, NY. Every 15 minutes in the late hours, a train would come screeching along the trestle with a high metallic pitch on the curves.
Took one night to have no issue sleeping all night without being bothered.
Now, one night we had a hotel room on the approach path to the airport in San Diego. Since this was a one night stay, we were really bothered.
The "noise control" idea sounds great since many airports use different paths at different times.
You need to decide and, of course, the price should reflect the noise pollution.
We just moved out of Morrisville and are glad to be away from the airplane noise. We were outside a lot and heard it constantly not to mention hearing it inside as well. I can't say that there is much I will miss about Morrisville.
There are so many places that are being built in the triangle moving near the airport is well kinda dumb, In my humble opinion.
Some people do feel this way, and those that do should definitely not buy in the area. But, based on home sales and home appreciation, many see the convenience of living near their work location, shopping, and so on as outweighing the airplane noise.
Plots/diagrams are included in the '04 and '05 Technical Reports. There is even a phone number for the RDU Noise Officer on the Homeowner Info tab to which you may direct specific questions.
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RDU Aircraft Noise Program web site
