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[quote=mlhm5;22806263]Stay away from Durham Schools.
Are you kidding? My advice is to stay away from the Wake County Schools. They are a mess and nobody even knows where their kids are going to attend. I have two kids that recently graduated from Durham schools and are both now attending great colleges. My third is in a Durham charter school and doing great. Yes some of the Durham schools aren't great just like every other county has not great schools along with good schools. But to say you wouldn't send your dog there is absurd.
janecj-- Thank you for this post as #1 you could be completely correct that we missed much of the amenities of ITB Raleigh on our trip down there a couple weeks ago. However, let me restate something I mentioned in the previous thread about our situation which is that we LOVED IT! We did love the houses, neighborhoods, Lilly's , Market Restaurant, etc.
All I was trying to get at was that despite being in "town" its still not HIGHLY urban (which is completely fine!). Your walkscore link completely illustrates my point. The neighborhood in Alexandria we live in has a walkscore of 73 which is essentially the tops of all of Raleigh (equal to Central Raleigh @ 75) so that's where our perspective is coming from. Our neighborhood feels like a nestled suburb to us but according to walkscore you'd think we lived in a high-rise in downtown Raleigh.
Incidentally I think that's just about perfect for us. We loved how vibrant Raleigh was without being too big or overwhelming. All things being equal, I think we'll try to find a place ITB first but my instincts tell me that making a compromise to neighborhoods just outside the beltline (OTB?, NotITB?) gives us more financial freedom without the sacrifices of being "stranded" in suburbia.
I completely understand. It is very subjective on how people view things. I lived in South Florida for years and to me, the traffic here is not bad. I also lived in California and the Midwest. To me, this area is the best of both worlds. Again, that is just my opinion and how I rate it after all the places I lived. I'm sure you will find what is right for you.
The answer shouldn't be difficult at all. How often do you do things in the city? We for instance eat out one night per week and one lunch on the weekend. Sometimes we eat in the city and sometimes we eat in the suburbs. Other than that we are homebodies. Why on earth would people in our situation pay more to live closer to the city? On the other hand younger people tend to go out more often. Sometimes every night. If you are young and into a lot of cultural things, along with clubs, why on earth would you live in the suburbs to have to drive into the city every day?
It comes down to how many times will you feel the need to be in the city. Two times a week or less would keep me in the suburbs. Four times a week or more would make me want to move closer to the city. Three times a week would make me flip a coin and forever wonder if it came up right.
I don't want to start a city vs. suburb fight but let me just say that it is WAY more complicated than that. I think for people who live in the city it has much more to it than how often you like to go out. In fact I'd argue that it has little to do with that. There are obviously economic or convenience reasons to choose to live near/in a city but there are many other reasons to do so. Some small examples would be that most of the businesses in our neighborhood are locally owned small businesses. Many of the civic or interest groups all meet at the local public house (St. Elmo's Coffee Shop) to do business of the community. These things make us feel so much more connected with our community and that is what we like about it. You basically cannot get that experience in a suburb.
However, I think this desire is something like a personality type more than anything. When my friends who live in the outer suburbs and I chat we both sit there and wonder "why on earth would he live there?!?!?"
Anyway, thanks for your input and while I think its not that simple for us, I'm glad its that simple for you!
Last edited by FamOf5FromDC; 02-01-2012 at 09:04 PM..
I am a fan of the city living and local business scene. That being said, even if you end up living in the suburbs you will be glad to know you will still have opportunities to support local businesses. I live in North Raleigh suburbia but I almost never eat, drink, see movies, or get coffee at chains. I have scoped out a frequent locally owned places that use other local goods right here in the burbs. Yes, there are a lot of chains too, but if you do some digging you can find homegrown options too which is nice. This area is very attractive to people looking to open their own business which I find very attractive
After living in Manhattan, Los Angeles, and New Orleans, I laugh when asked how we compare Raleigh to a real city.
Raleigh is a suburb and family friendly but is a city in name only.
With fuel prices possibly heading to $5/gallon, the stupidity of suburban sprawl will take its toll. No real public transit compared to many other cities such as NYC and DC. Roads here are poorly designed, unlighted trash that are never really improved in an intelligent way.
We've been in North Raleigh 22 years, but have never experienced the disgusting I-40 commute.
Be sure you like this place before you commit. There is good and bad comparing Raleigh to a "real" city.
After living in Manhattan, Los Angeles, and New Orleans, I laugh when asked how we compare Raleigh to a real city.
Raleigh is a suburb and family friendly but is a city in name only.
With fuel prices possibly heading to $5/gallon, the stupidity of suburban sprawl will take its toll. No real public transit compared to many other cities such as NYC and DC. Roads here are poorly designed, unlighted trash that are never really improved in an intelligent way.
We've been in North Raleigh 22 years, but have never experienced the disgusting I-40 commute.
Be sure you like this place before you commit. There is good and bad comparing Raleigh to a "real" city.
Hope you find a great location.
You bring up a good point. It seems like Raleigh isn't very well positioned for supporting mass transit as you mention the 5 dollar gas future should be pretty clear as being on the horizon. I know there is debate down there about trains, etc so there is no need to rehash that, but I didn't notice the roads being bad or poorly designed. How do you mean?
Thanks!
Can Durham schools possibly be this bad? What's up with your dog being "too good" for Durham schools?
My cousin is a real estate agent in Durham and has lived there 50 years and she has the same opinion. When you go to High School that's were the problems are.
so first of all, raleigh will never be like Alexandria...however, my family has lived in 7 other states in downtowns, and in the way out country, new urbanism neighborhoods and straight up 80's suburban hoods... we found the lifestyle that we prefer is walkability, which is something you appear to want too.
Check out the neighborhoods directly next to cameron village,
in addition to cameron village you are walking distance to NCSU's campus, Hillsborough St(where the students hang), and less than a mile from downtown...
and of course the high school is next to cameron village too, so my kids walk to school!
I don't want to start a city vs. suburb fight but let me just say that it is WAY more complicated than that. I think for people who live in the city it has much more to it than how often you like to go out. In fact I'd argue that it has little to do with that. There are obviously economic or convenience reasons to choose to live near/in a city but there are many other reasons to do so. Some small examples would be that most of the businesses in our neighborhood are locally owned small businesses. Many of the civic or interest groups all meet at the local public house (St. Elmo's Coffee Shop) to do business of the community. These things make us feel so much more connected with our community and that is what we like about it. You basically cannot get that experience in a suburb.
Anyway, thanks for your input and while I think its not that simple for us, I'm glad its that simple for you!
You can find this in quantity in downtown Apex. Apex is a suburb.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saturnfan
After living in Manhattan, Los Angeles, and New Orleans, I laugh when asked how we compare Raleigh to a real city.
Raleigh is a suburb and family friendly but is a city in name only.
With fuel prices possibly heading to $5/gallon, the stupidity of suburban sprawl will take its toll. No real public transit compared to many other cities such as NYC and DC. Roads here are poorly designed, unlighted trash that are never really improved in an intelligent way.
We've been in North Raleigh 22 years, but have never experienced the disgusting I-40 commute.
Be sure you like this place before you commit. There is good and bad comparing Raleigh to a "real" city.
Hope you find a great location.
What part of I-40 are you referring to? I drive I-40 twice a day and it's easy as can be.
so first of all, raleigh will never be like Alexandria...however, my family has lived in 7 other states in downtowns, and in the way out country, new urbanism neighborhoods and straight up 80's suburban hoods... we found the lifestyle that we prefer is walkability, which is something you appear to want too.
Check out the neighborhoods directly next to cameron village,
in addition to cameron village you are walking distance to NCSU's campus, Hillsborough St(where the students hang), and less than a mile from downtown...
and of course the high school is next to cameron village too, so my kids walk to school!
I read each post in this thread and decided to chime in. Keep in mind that this is coming from the perspective of a 40 something without kids...
First of all, I agree that one shouldn't rule out the Cameron Village area. It's simply one of the best areas in the Triangle. However, it does come with a price and a 4 bedroom home in the 400s isn't going to be around every corner waiting for you. But, should the OP find a home there I think they'd be pleasantly surprised by what the area has to offer. Other than CV itself, that general location puts one in walking distance to Raleigh's premier park "Pullen Park" and all it has to offer for kids including an indoor pool complex, a historic carosel, a train ride, paddle boats, picnic areas, etc. The Glenwood South entertainment district is also walkable to CV...I know, I do it all the time but in reverse (my Raleigh home is in Glenwood South). From Glenwood South, one can pick up the free RLine as others have mentioned. For small kids, Raleigh offers a kids museum and the assortment of state museums that one might expect in a state capital city. The new nature research center is poised to open this year and that just adds to the list of places to go. A REAL IMax theater is also DT. While not a major urban center... (I digress but why do so many people feel it's necessary to point out that Raleigh is not NYC, etc...DUH!) ...DT Raleigh is not lacking in things to do. A bevy of street festivals and outdoor events are on the calendar each year. And, despite what some might think and express here, there are lots of places to go out on weekends and weekdays for adults.
I wonder when reading all the posts here and on other threads from people who didn't move downtown because it "wasn't happening enough for them", what might have been if they did. I actually like being the person who builds the foundation of what is to come and I think that DT Raleigh has proven its potential in the last ten years. I have been a resident of DT since 1996 when many people thought I was stupid for buying my first DT condo. In any case, as the recession wanes and financing becomes available again for development, DT Raleigh is about to explode with new residents. Several new urban housing complexes are on the way with a few of them already under construction. There's even a sizeable infill midrise going up in Cameron Village. In any case, just those current projects will bring new residents to the DT area.
BTW, some of Raleigh's best schools are in or near DT Raleigh. This includes the international studies elementary on St. Mary's, the middle school at Moore Square and Broughton & Enloe high schools to the west and east of DT proper.
The biggest challenge for the OP is going to be costs. Frankly, for a city its size, Raleigh doesn't have a large stock of older housing in walkable areas. It was simply too small of a city when that was the model we built in America. Most of Raleigh's limits is post 1960 and most of that is probably post 1980. This has driven the costs up on the older stock as the competition for those types of neighborhoods is strong. The prices have come down in the national housing crisis and there might be some deals out there but it will certainly be more expensive than suburban parts of the city. I agree with others that the North Hills area would probably be my next recommendation but it's clearly more "post war" suburban than the areas around Cameron Village. One of the differences can only be felt on foot or by bike and that's the scale of roads. Crossing Six Forks Rd on foot is a completely different experience than crossing Oberlin. While certainly better than Six Forks, crossing Lassiter Mill is different than crossing Clark Ave. next to Cameron Village. It's just a different feeling that harkens back to a time when people mattered more to planning decisions.
Last edited by rnc2mbfl; 02-02-2012 at 05:27 PM..
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, Market Restaurant, etc. 
