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So, we (my husband and I) have decided to move to the Raleigh Durham area. We are getting ourselves so crazy deciding on which town would be the best for us.....so we have decided to come to you all .
We are in our 40's and 3 kids (one which will be coming with us, other two on their own already ). Our youngest daughter is going into 3rd grade. So GOOD schools are a priority!
I will be working for my NY company from home, so no worries for work for me. My husband is an IT guy, and a photographer....so I am sure he will be able to find work. Of course will will not be moving without him having a job.
We are looking for a smaller town, we are being overrun by people here...lol (I would love to have a real town to drive to and walk around...we have a town here on Long Island called Sayville, would live here but it costs way too much).
Would love to buy most of our groceries from a local market, but not necessary.
Looking for an average house 3/4 bedroom, 2 bath, etc....but would LOVE to have some breathing room (3/4 acre or more)
I really like what I have been seeing in Cary, but I think the house prices are a little out of our range and not so much to choose from (that have 3/4 acre)
We are coming from Suffolk County, LI New York.
We like the outdoors.....moved to Florida for a year and a half......I couldn't take the heat, bugs, snakes, wild boars in my back yard.....YIKES
Have you been to the area to look around? (Otherwise, how do you know it's where you want to be? ). If you have, what areas did you like? If not, that needs to happen before anyone can tell you "____ is the best place for you". The Triangle is a spread-out area with a lot of different "kinds" of areas but it's not as if they are concentrated by zip code. So you will find the same kind of neighborhood in many different spots in the area, so we can't just say "Oh, you sound like you'd fit in perfectly at ____". Is your husband going to try to find a job before moving? Knowing his commute would give you a narrower region to consider than "the whole Triangle". There aren't really many "small towns" left in the Triangle area (speaking of being overrun with people--have you seen the area's population growth the last couple of Censuses?) though most of NC is small towns. Farmer's markets are everywhere though.
But nothing you read online can replace visiting and scouting for yourself. How would you answer a question from someone who asked "What part of LI should I move to?"
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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The picturesque towns of Long Island don't really exist here - especially those on the water. You might like Apex which has a very small, quaint downtown, good schools, and cheaper than Cary I believe. On the western edge of the Triangle is a town called Hillsborough which probably has one of the more livable quaint "downtowns" here, not including the city of Raleigh or Durham. The schools aren't rated as highly as the better ones in Wake County and it does have a big of a rural, country feel (at least it does to this transplanted Northeasterner). Wake Forest, on the northern side of the Triangle, is supposed to have a pretty nice downtown, but I've never been there, so I cannot comment. It would be cheaper than Cary as well and probably have bigger lots. While Chapel Hill has a walkable, liveable downtown, it is overrun with college students, so it's not my cup of tea as a place to hang out. Carrboro has a small downtown, but I find it to be pretty dumpy looking and trends toward younger people.
Are you moving for the weather and slower pace of life?
----Wake Forest, on the northern side of the Triangle, is supposed to have a pretty nice downtown, but I've never been there, so I cannot comment.-----
We do. Some wonderful shops, a micro brewery, several restaurants....a short drive to a wonderful little bowling alley and more restaurants.
I think it's useful to explore all the communities in the area, and then, once your husband has a job? Move to the one that you like best that has good schools for your child and offers your husband a favorable commute.
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One day this summer, we are going to take a drive over there and check it out!
Just make sure it is not a Sunday! I forgot that down here (as opposed to up north where everything is open SUndays) many places are closed. there were a couple shops we wanted to stop in and they were closed.
WF downtown is really cute-and they have a coffee shop that also has ice cream if you have kids along. Come to think of it, maybe it was a wine place that had coffee and ice cream? Of course they had a big posterboard outside advertising the ice cream and the kiddo begged to go in, only to be told they were out of cones till the next day!
We've only been to downtown WF twice, but thought it was great.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
9,781 posts, read 15,813,087 times
Reputation: 10894
Quote:
Originally Posted by goodbyesnow
Just make sure it is not a Sunday! I forgot that down here (as opposed to up north where everything is open SUndays) many places are closed. there were a couple shops we wanted to stop in and they were closed.
WF downtown is really cute-and they have a coffee shop that also has ice cream if you have kids along. Come to think of it, maybe it was a wine place that had coffee and ice cream? Of course they had a big posterboard outside advertising the ice cream and the kiddo begged to go in, only to be told they were out of cones till the next day!
We've only been to downtown WF twice, but thought it was great.
And the antique shops have some cool treasures!!
Thanks for the tip! I wouldn't have thought of that!
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). Our youngest daughter is going into 3rd grade. So GOOD schools are a priority!
). If you have, what areas did you like? If not, that needs to happen before anyone can tell you "____ is the best place for you". The Triangle is a spread-out area with a lot of different "kinds" of areas but it's not as if they are concentrated by zip code. So you will find the same kind of neighborhood in many different spots in the area, so we can't just say "Oh, you sound like you'd fit in perfectly at ____". Is your husband going to try to find a job before moving? Knowing his commute would give you a narrower region to consider than "the whole Triangle". There aren't really many "small towns" left in the Triangle area (speaking of being overrun with people--have you seen the area's population growth the last couple of Censuses?) though most of NC is small towns. Farmer's markets are everywhere though.
