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Moving to North Carolina, state funded therapies, mother of high functioning autistic child, bus lines throughout the Triangle, one car family, short commute to work, Chapel Hill, cost of living
We'll be relocating to the "triangle" over the summer, but our exact city/area is undetermined as of yet... I'm hoping to get more clarification to help us out. We currently live just outside of Houston, TX. I have a lot of questions, I'm sorry! I have tried searching the forums, but it's been tough to find answers. I am extremely analytical when it comes to money, and I'm trying to plan this as thoroughly as possible to make the transition as smooth as we can get it.
I am a stay at home Mom of a 4 year old with very high functioning autism and Asperger's, so schools are majorly important. Here we have programs in the public schools called PPCD (preschool program for children with disabilities), and our son has been active in state-funded therapies and schooling since he was 2. Is there anything like this there? He should mainstream into a regular kindergarten class, but I am trying to cover all of my bases in case all of the upcoming adjustments are too much all at once.
We are concerned about not knowing which areas are less-savory in terms of crime, run down housing, Section 8 type-neighborhoods/apartments. I'm not sure about NC, but here those areas are simply awful.
We will be trying to find a 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment for $700 or less. I am hoping with all my heart this will not be laughable. Here in our current suburbia that's the norm.
Are there bus lines throughout the triangle, even in nicer areas? What does bus fare cost? Are there park and ride places?
I have more questions but I think this is long enough for a first post. Thank you in advance for tolerating me!
There are many places here that might suit your family but does your spouse have employment lined up? The Triangle area is fairly large and I am sure you will want to minimize commute times.
He has definite employment, but the exact area where his transfer will be hasn't been determined (I believe they will be firing someone shortly before our move). We were told Cary, Durham, or Raleigh and to start looking for housing.
Traffic here is so bad there are no appropriate descriptive words. A 12 mile commute can take upwards of an hour and a half. How far apart are the cities, and what is the traffic like there?
We're getting the short end of the stick on location info for a few more months. We are a one-car family, which is why I asked about bus lines.
Please remember you will be moving to what is becoming, or is, a major metro area. Do yourself a favor and spend a reasonable amount of money on rent so you don't have to live in a horrible area with rough schools. You can probably find a $700 2 bed place, but $900 - 1400 is more like it. 10 years ago you could have gotten a nice 2 bed place for $650, but no more. Durham is where it sounds like you will be looking.
I'll put in my plug for Carrboro/Chapel Hill. We recently relocated here, mainly for quality of life issues. The Chapel Hill/Carrboro school system is very highly regarded in general, although I can't say much about your specific needs. Traffic does get a little hairy at times, but nothing compared to Houston. Even if your husband has to commute as far as Raleigh, it should only take 40-50 minutes. If he'll be working in Durham, the commute won't be bad at all, probably about 20-30 minutes.
Rents in Chapel Hill and Carrboro are definitely higher than other areas of the Triangle, which reflect the desirability of the two towns. We pay $1245 for a nice 3-bedroom/2-bath. This is probably about average to slightly above average rent when you take out housing obviously geared toward undergraduates.
As for other costs, I think they are pretty much the same across the region (food, insurance, etc) -- probably similar to what you pay in Houston.
Well, if we had that money to spend, we'd definitely do ourselves that favor. However, until we're able to get a grasp on how much more the taxes will be sucking from his paycheck, we need to play it extremely safe with regard to money. TX does not have state tax, and from my research NC does. That might hurt. We're a young family and not rolling in money just yet, so I like to err on the side of extreme financial responsbility, rather than potential ruin.
That being said, I'm also not looking to be in the ghetto, so if $700 is impossible, so be it. I'll just get a part-time job once we move there to make up the difference.
We're very minimalist people, so we're not looking for a huge apartment. We'll only be signing a 6-12 month lease wherever we go, because we'll know within that time period if we love it enough to make it our permanent home. At the end of 6 months we'll know whether we love it or hate it, and then we'll either start planning another move or start scoping out real estate.
I would also recommend the Cary/Morrisville area. It's right in the middle of Raleigh and Durham and also very convienent to Hwy40.
I lived in Westover Hills in Cary for 3 years and was impressed with the mgmt and quality of the home. I lived in the larger 1 bedroom and it was about 650/month. Those priced may have risen since then, I'm not sure. But it was a nice community with a great pool, fitness center,and playground. It's also in walking distance to restaurants, a larger gym, and other stores.
I would also recommend Morrisville - very close to Cary and not really a college town but a good location and affordable renting communities.
We'll be relocating to the "triangle" over the summer, but our exact city/area is undetermined as of yet... I'm hoping to get more clarification to help us out. We currently live just outside of Houston, TX. I have a lot of questions, I'm sorry! I have tried searching the forums, but it's been tough to find answers. I am extremely analytical when it comes to money, and I'm trying to plan this as thoroughly as possible to make the transition as smooth as we can get it.
I am a stay at home Mom of a 4 year old with very high functioning autism and Asperger's, so schools are majorly important. Here we have programs in the public schools called PPCD (preschool program for children with disabilities), and our son has been active in state-funded therapies and schooling since he was 2. Is there anything like this there? He should mainstream into a regular kindergarten class, but I am trying to cover all of my bases in case all of the upcoming adjustments are too much all at once.
We are concerned about not knowing which areas are less-savory in terms of crime, run down housing, Section 8 type-neighborhoods/apartments. I'm not sure about NC, but here those areas are simply awful.
We will be trying to find a 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment for $700 or less. I am hoping with all my heart this will not be laughable. Here in our current suburbia that's the norm.
Are there bus lines throughout the triangle, even in nicer areas? What does bus fare cost? Are there park and ride places?
I have more questions but I think this is long enough for a first post. Thank you in advance for tolerating me!
Rotabega,
You can get a rental at $700, 2BR, 1 or 1.5, or 2 bath. You need to know: Section 8 subsidized vouchers for 2 bedrooms typically are higher than that, so you will definitely see Section 8 renters in most neighborhoods in that range.
Check out the area well, as that rent could land you in some less than desirable circumstances.
Oh, THANK YOU so very much for your post, especially the link to the other thread.
Based on the replies thus far, it seems that $700 is laughable if we want to stay out of the ghetto, so I'll be getting a job when we arrive. I'm going to start investigating the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area and planning our $$ around that. Our son is the number one priority; we can adjust everything else accordingly.
I still welcome all other suggestions and/or commentary. Thanks for a great forum!
I'm moving to the area at the beginning of February and already visited back in September and was told by a friend who moved to the area last year to avoid SE Raleigh (not a good area to move to), the rest is OK. For rental prices, please visit the following links, I'm pretty sure you can find a 2/2 for less than $700 and is very nice neighborhoods.
Or just go to google and type apartments for rent in raleigh, nc and visit these sites. you'll be surprise at what you can find.
Hope this helps.
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Thank you in advance for tolerating me!
