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My husband runs his own biz, all he needs is a computer and a phone. So we can look pretty much anywhere. I would ideally be a stay at home mom until the kids have settled down. Raleigh was listed as one of the top 10 places to raise a family, seems economical enough and I REFUSE to go to Florida. I do understand that many Long Islanders have moved to NC, and that to me is appealing.
We were in the same position - DH can work from anywhere so why stick it out on LI???
We moved 18 months ago and are very happy with the move. The schools were in flux then, but maybe even more so now. Do some searching on threads here - search for Wake County schools or "wcpss". The county schools website is www.wcpss.net. Click on the newcomers tab at the top. You're going to be doing a lot of reading.
We moved from Garden City and our twins were going into 4th grade. They are way more stressed out here than they were in GC (unfortunately) and although their classes are bigger, we are getting much more out of the teachers than we did in NY. More attention to individual needs, more willing to help out even without legal documents saying they have to, etc etc. I do find the K-1 curriculum a bit behind NY, but they put the pedal to the metal after that.
Housing isn't quite as cheap as you may have been lead to believe, but you should be able to find what you want with good schools in your price range. Depends on if you want new (we didn't - we wanted land).
Good luck! Oh, and you will be able to read between the lines which people here really hate the idea of Yankees relocating here (although the reverse is OK, I guess) - just ignore them. Don't get mad or argue back - not worth it! There are plenty of very welcoming people here (including natives) They won't contribute anything to the conversation you are looking to have. I will say that if you are looking to re-create LI here with some fellow ex-pats - most of us are not interested in that. We truly want to get away from that mindset. BUt do take a visit, maybe over spring break, and see what you think!!!
OP, i strongly encourage you to heed the other posters' urging to do some searches for your questions. once you have a better grasp on the "basics", then we are happy to answer your specific questions about particular parts of the area, neighborhoods, schools, jobs, & the like.
Quote:
Originally Posted by twingles
Oh, and you will be able to read between the lines which people here really hate the idea of Yankees relocating here (although the reverse is OK, I guess) - just ignore them. Don't get mad or argue back - not worth it! There are plenty of very welcoming people here (including natives) They won't contribute anything to the conversation you are looking to have.
eh, i think the issue is more when someone posts about coming down because they heard/read it was great & have no idea of a plan in place. i think most have been nice enough to try to redirect them to doing some searches about the area, schools, neighborhoods, pricing, & the like & then posting specific questions. i think the OP & others will find (& some have found) that people are happy to give some direction when there are specific questions but it gets old to rinse/lather/repeat the same information when there are countless threads that already answer the general questions.
admittedly, i am not a pollyanna sort by nature, but i can be a welcoming person. it's jokingly referred to as the yankee vs. southerner mindset, but it's more about those who have been part of the uninformed jumping in wholeheartedly without looking & then complaining when they arrive that the jobs / schools / neighborhoods / pizza / driving are not to their liking.
Last edited by LoopDeLoop; 02-07-2012 at 10:21 AM..
If you love NYC so much, why are you considering moving so far away? Wouldn't somewhere in Pennsylvania or Maryland offer you an opportunity to lower your overall cost of living while still giving you the opportunity to return to the city more often then living over 600 miles would afford? Raleigh offers a pretty stark contrast to NYC...
This isn't a bad idea - when we were orginally looking to get off LI, we looked in Bucks County, PA. But then everyone in our family moved here so we came here.
I used to work for a company on Long Island and visited there frequently. Once you get out maybe 15-20 miles from the city, there are areas that kind of feel the same as around here in Raleigh. I would say LI is much more densely populated compared to here though.
So, I guess depending on where you live on LI, might have a lot of influence on whether or not you'll like it here. As others have suggested, try searching posts here for more information and come down for a long weekend visit.
Thanks for the info. We do plan on taking a road trip to check out the areas and real estate. I keep hearning about Heritage in Wake Forest and it sure does sound great.
We were in the same position - DH can work from anywhere so why stick it out on LI???
We moved 18 months ago and are very happy with the move. The schools were in flux then, but maybe even more so now. Do some searching on threads here - search for Wake County schools or "wcpss". The county schools website is www.wcpss.net. Click on the newcomers tab at the top. You're going to be doing a lot of reading.
We moved from Garden City and our twins were going into 4th grade. They are way more stressed out here than they were in GC (unfortunately) and although their classes are bigger, we are getting much more out of the teachers than we did in NY. More attention to individual needs, more willing to help out even without legal documents saying they have to, etc etc. I do find the K-1 curriculum a bit behind NY, but they put the pedal to the metal after that.
Housing isn't quite as cheap as you may have been lead to believe, but you should be able to find what you want with good schools in your price range. Depends on if you want new (we didn't - we wanted land).
Good luck! Oh, and you will be able to read between the lines which people here really hate the idea of Yankees relocating here (although the reverse is OK, I guess) - just ignore them. Don't get mad or argue back - not worth it! There are plenty of very welcoming people here (including natives) They won't contribute anything to the conversation you are looking to have. I will say that if you are looking to re-create LI here with some fellow ex-pats - most of us are not interested in that. We truly want to get away from that mindset. BUt do take a visit, maybe over spring break, and see what you think!!!
Thank you so much for all the help! I did read between the lines and could tell that some aren't very welcoming. I think part of my attraction is that some many YANKEES are moving there - sorry locals but you must adapt with the times...
Thanks for the info. We do plan on taking a road trip to check out the areas and real estate. I keep hearning about Heritage in Wake Forest and it sure does sound great.
There's a lot of areas like Wake Forest that are a little far out from Raleigh. Before gas prices started going up, there were a lot of developments being built further out as folks could get more house for the money. At the time, a little longer commute wasn't a bad trade-off. Fast forward to high gas prices, a lot of those areas have become somewhat undesirable and have taken a big hit in values, especially in neighborhoods with foreclosures. As a buyer, you'll need to hire a good real estate agent to give you a better feel for the area. There are some really good deals out there and mortgage rates are ridiculously low. Just be sure to spend some time here and make a good choice on where you want to live. It has been suggested many times to hold off on buying when first moving here and rent for maybe 6 months. That way you're not locked into an area that you might end up being unhappy in.
Thank you so much for all the help! I did read between the lines and could tell that some aren't very welcoming. I think part of my attraction is that some many YANKEES are moving there - sorry locals but you must adapt with the times...
Yankees having been moving down here since the 70s This really isn't a new phenomenon lol. My family moved down here from Jersey in the early 90s.
Thanks for the info. We do plan on taking a road trip to check out the areas and real estate. I keep hearning about Heritage in Wake Forest and it sure does sound great.
Heritage is a great neighborhood. chock full of transplants from all over who all seem to want that "family" lifestyle, since everyone wants it, it really works there. that said there are dozens of other neighborhoods all over wake county that are similar...search for neighborhoods with active swim/tennis clubs and you will find families with kids.
We lived in Manhattan and LI before coming here from New Orleans in 1989.
What we miss dearly is the bus and train public transit which is grossly lacking here.
The roads are almost uniformly unlighted and poorly designed despite high gas taxes.
If you need more vehicles here than LI, your savings may evaporate. State income tax is not as low as you'd expect.
Be sure to consider all aspects. Don't follow the magazines like a lemming.
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This really isn't a new phenomenon lol. My family moved down here from Jersey in the early 90s.
