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Hey, how you been doing? I see you are fixin to come down this way and I want to say welcome. I don't know where yall want to live as far as population. Chapel Hill and Cary has a lot of people and traffic packed in and it seems like that's where the rich folks live. But you can probably find good schools for your young'uns. If you want laid back you might want to look out my way. Garner, Clayton, Willow Springs. I lived here all my life and its a good place to live, but a lot more crowded than it was in the 60's and 70's. But just have your realtor take you all over the place so you can decide what you like.
People here are real friendly. Some people used to have a hissy fit about foreigners coming from up north, but you don't hardly see that too much anymore. Most yankees I met are cool. Yankee isn't derogatory btw, just a word for people up north. But if you never lived near the south there are a few things you need to learn. We do things a little slower here, people talk slower cause we aint in no hurry. And don't make fun of accents because we think its the northerners that have accents lol Theres a lot of bugs in the summer but they don't bother you much. There's still a few good places left to fish if you plan to teach your young'uns how to fish.
You will learn as you go when you get here. I hope you like it here. Make sure you get some nabs and a cocola, or a RC cola, and try our fried chicken, it cant be beat. Sundays are fried chicken and home made biscuit days. Oh, never tell anyone you use can biscuits if you use them that is.
Welcome to North Carolina!
Something funny to read about the south, half of it aint true.
In that case investigate the schools. The more we looked the more concerned we were with Wake schools. Very foreign and political model that seems to punish more than help the kids. CH you definitely get more for your money but it isn't the cheapest part of NC. However it is a beautiful part of NC. It is a college town and some see that as a good (like me) environment and some not so good. With Duke, UNC (hospitals and colleges) as well as the RTP your kids will get somes real academic stimulation with their classmates. The parents drive their kids a bit in this area. Also a foodie town and about as 'progressive' as the south gets. Get ready for 'hellos' and 'yes maam' and 'yes sir'... us Yankees not so used to the southern politeness.... I like it. Cary is known as the Containment Area for Relocated Yankees... I thought it was great and the homes were new and handsome, but taxes (new construction) were too high and I couldn't stomach the randomness of the schools and the schedules
Cary is pretty big area, and while known as the Containment Area for Relocated Yankees, I've found that the further northwest you go in Cary, the more recent the move from Yankee origins. And I'm confused about the comment you made about taxes. The tax rate in Chapel Hill is definitely higher than in Cary.
The school situation isn't really "random". Not saying it's perfect (far from it), but a lot of people here (who have no experience in the WCPSS) have a tendency to make it seem like they just put all the students' names in a hat every year and randomly draw names to assign to schools. I have one child in elementary school and one in middle school. My oldest went all the way through elementary school without being reassigned. In fact, we moved about a mile away into another school's "base" area when she was in 3rd grade, and they allowed me to keep her at her previous school as long as I provided transportation. My youngest was at that same school from K-2nd grade, and I just switched her to our official "base" school when my oldest started middle school. I live smack in the middle of the area that people say gets reassigned a lot. What I've experienced is a lot of "talk" about reassignment, but it tends to get sorted out before the official assignment plan is released, and not much changes. An example of that is I've heard that there are no reassignments for the 14-15 school year, but the next year will be a big reassignment year. Yes, it can be unnerving and cause anxiety -- for the parents. My kids have no idea any of this goes on. It's not something they need to worry about.
I'm just wondering - how come nobody inquired as to where they would be working? Isn't that like a critical issue? (It was the #1 issue in Phoenix Metro, where we lived until I retired. And I don't see why it doesn't apply to this area also.)
I'm just wondering - how come nobody inquired as to where they would be working? Isn't that like a critical issue? (It was the #1 issue in Phoenix Metro, where we lived until I retired. And I don't see why it doesn't apply to this area also.)
I can't speak for anyone else, but I like to pretend that folks have looked at a map and figured out how far they want to commute. I know that's probably not true, but let me live in my own little fantasy world for a while. Please.
Yes, you should learn the terminology if you're considering moving
RTP = Research Triangle Park = a particular area of businesses, not where anybody lives. The area in general is known as simply "The Triangle", after the triangle formed by Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. "Research Triangle (Park)" is the large cluster of companies (zip code) that has fueled so much growth here, but it is not the name of the area overall
And yes, I was about to ask where OP would be working, since that will make a huge difference as far as commute. You wouldn't want to live in Chapel Hill if you worked in East Raleigh, probably.
First and foremost welcome! Driving around Saturday and Sunday is far different than riding around Monday through Friday....traffic wise. Major roads are busy in prime time work hours, 7 - 9AM and 5- 7 PM. Saturday and Sunday's they are nice!
As far as where to go and what to see. That truly will depend on where you work, want to work, and how far to want to live from your work. Next is schools. Wake County is a growing place which means they out grow their available schools at a rapid rate. Hence, new schools are constantly being built in the county. You are from NY so you have community school districts. Here we have a county school system. Kids are moved around often to balance a number of social, community, and yes sometimes Political reasons. So pick your school wisely, its hard to do on a weekend trip.
There is a large variety of housing to pick from as well as amenities. It all depends on your financial situation, likes and dislikes, work requirements, and school requirements. But I am sure you can find something here that meets your requirements.
I work as a physical therapist. Thankfully I have pretty good opportunities for work all over the country so I am looking for an area to live and then find work in that area. I think we are going to roam around Raleigh, Garner, Cary on Saturday and head out to Chapel Hill, Carborro and Hillsborough on Sunday. I have been in touch with a realtor and some friends from the area who will help me. Thanks to all who offered helpful advice.
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