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Thinking about possibly relocating to Cary from Pittsburgh. My husband is a software developer and there are tons of job opportunities for him. Combine that with the warmer weather and the fact that we would be able to afford a beautiful home for the fraction of the cost, it seems like a no brainer. After a quick google search, it's clear that this area is filled with relocated families.
I have to question whether it's too good to be true!
1) Do you find most residents love living there and plan on staying long-term?
2) Considering that this area has experienced fast growth, are there problems with overcrowded schools and roads?
3) Does this area have a unique character/ charm/ soul to it? Is it just development after development with a bunch of big-box retail thrown in, or is there a 'real' main street with mom and pop shops and sidewalks?
4) Do you find the people have an elitist attitude? I spoke to girl who moved here from Cary recently and while she said she liked the area, she also said she felt everyone was always trying to outdo their neighbors (i.e. better granite countertops, nicer car, bigger pool, etc). I realize this would really vary in different neighborhoods, just trying to get an overall vibe of this town
3. There is a "real main street," of the time when Cary was 3,000-4,000 residents. But few residents really care too much about that. Some Cary-ites live 10 miles away and never go there.
4. That is actually laughable. The young lady should be more discriminating in her associations.
3. There is a "real main street," of the time when Cary was 3,000-4,000 residents. But few residents really care too much about that. Some Cary-ites live 10 miles away and never go there.
As a visitor to Cary, I could have been anywhere in the USA. There were huge shopping centers like Tysons Corner Virginia, and lots of new developments. You may enjoy it however, compared to Pittsburgh.
1) Do you find most residents love living there and plan on staying long-term?
2) Considering that this area has experienced fast growth, are there problems with overcrowded schools and roads?
3) Does this area have a unique character/ charm/ soul to it? Is it just development after development with a bunch of big-box retail thrown in, or is there a 'real' main street with mom and pop shops and sidewalks?
4) Do you find the people have an elitist attitude? I spoke to girl who moved here from Cary recently and while she said she liked the area, she also said she felt everyone was always trying to outdo their neighbors (i.e. better granite countertops, nicer car, bigger pool, etc). I realize this would really vary in different neighborhoods, just trying to get an overall vibe of this town
Thanks in advance for your replies
=)
1) Yes, I think most people move here and stay here. It's such a nice area! We moved here in 2000, moved away for a year in 2011 and realized we missed it so we came back after a year. Just about everyone I know is a transplant and I rarely see anyone move away.
2) My kids are home schooled so I'm not sure about schools, but I haven't perceived any over-crowding issues form friends. Incidentally, home schooling is an amazing option here because the population is so well-educated and that trickles down into lots of opportunity for higher level classes for home schoolers. Some people say the roads are crowded. They may get that way eventually with the explosive growth, but I still haven't seen anything that I would call real traffic. I've lived in South Florida, Northern Virginia, Colorado, Houston, TX and here.
3) There are lots of little towns in and around the triangle with tons of small town charm. IMO, Cary and Morrisville (Morrisville much more so) are the most lacking in historic character. But there is a small downtown area in Cary and downtown Apex is awesome and just a short drive from Cary, 10 minutes or so depending on where you live. If you want to live in an area walkable to DT Cary, you can walk to the cultural arts center, the library, Asheworth Drug soda fountain and lunch counter and plenty of other little shops and restaurants on Academy Street. It's not a big area by any stretch but it is cute.
4) I have seen some of the elitism but I've also met more warm, friendly, down-to-earth people here than anywhere else I've lived/ The people here are one of the main attractions, IMO.
I don't think Cary is that different from most other places in the country - some people probably love it, some probably hate it and there are those in the middle most likely. This is a town of 100,000+ people, Im not sure anyone here can tell you what the individual citizens are thinking. And then there are the other towns here, Apex, Morrisville, Holly Springs and others which are pretty similar overall to Cary.
As Mike mentioned there is a small downtown area that they are trying to revitalize. Apex also has an older, quaint downtown area. Cary is huge, so it's probably not a focal point for most people.
Schools? You will need to search this forum for threads on the schools. Yes, the growth has been explosive and there are schools that are at their capacity, schools that have enrollment caps, etc etc. Educate yourself on these issues if you have kids. It's way too much to contain in one post, and it's also way too much to take in in one sitting.
Elitist attitude? People usually find what they seek. If you are the type of person that likes to play keep up with the joneses, you will certainly be drawn to that kind of interplay. If you're not into that, you won't be drawn into those discussions and will probably avoid the neighborhoods where you might intuit it goes on (it does, I've heard of it too). Again, no different from any other middle class to upper middle class suburb in America and I seriously doubt it stops at the border of Cary and Apex, or Cary and Morrisville.
You probably ought to come visit. Keep in mind, that the reasons that many people really like Cary are the same ones that cause others to really dislike it.
I mean, its tough to have tons and tons of New Construction and still have lots of Natural Charm. A lot of that comes as places age.
Where in Pittsburgh do you live? I have immediate family in the Pittsburgh area and in my opinion, the overall cost of living is higher in Cary, NC than in Pittsburgh. Be sure to consider things other than home price. Be sure you are comparing apples to apples when looking at home location. In general, PA has a better climate for education than NC. When it comes to weather though, NC wins every time
Cary and N. Raleigh (which is not a separate town from Raleigh) are very similar, as are parts of Apex, Wake Forest, etc. The main difference between living in Cary and living in N. Raleigh is that the town isn't at odds with itself the way Raleigh can sometimes be when it tries to balance the needs of downtown and "ITB" folks against the needs of the suburban types.
I'm in Cary, and what I love about it is my home, my neighborhood (and amenities), and the convenience of my location. I find myself downtown in Raleigh doing stuff more than many friends I have that live in N. Raleigh (I'm actually closer to all that than they are). Yet, inevitably, you hear Cary bashing and almost never hear N. Raleigh bashing. Talk about elitist attitudes.
If Cary didn't have downtown Raleigh or Durham nearby, then yes, it would not be a very interesting place by itself. But since that isn't the case, it certainly made sense for my family.
Schools crowding issues do pop up from time to time as the economy ebbs and flows and this area grows. We were certainly growing so fast for awhile that is was difficult to handle the influx. Nowadays a bigger issue is teacher flight, as a hostile governor and legislature have driven away many great teachers. I worry about that much more than the growth.
Where in Pittsburgh do you live? I have immediate family in the Pittsburgh area and in my opinion, the overall cost of living is higher in Cary, NC than in Pittsburgh. Be sure to consider things other than home price. Be sure you are comparing apples to apples when looking at home location. In general, PA has a better climate for education than NC. When it comes to weather though, NC wins every time
We are in Cranberry. Similarly, it is experiencing high growth and has many relocated families. True, Pittsburgh is considered to have a low COL, it seemed Cary was even more so. Our school district is slightly above average although some surrounding ones are rated very high.
4) Do you find the people have an elitist attitude? I spoke to girl who moved here from Cary recently and while she said she liked the area, she also said she felt everyone was always trying to outdo their neighbors (i.e. better granite countertops, nicer car, bigger pool, etc). I realize this would really vary in different neighborhoods, just trying to get an overall vibe of this town
Not sure about competing for materialistic things with your neighbors (as I dont own a home yet) but I do find people here a little unfriendly. Dont know if its more or less compared to where you are located right now. You definitely wont find the small town friendly atmosphere where people smile at you & say hello. Even in close quarters like elevators they will not acknowledge you. Maybe they are preoccupied or in a rush & not really ignoring you. When i visit neighboring towns like Apex, Clayton I find more friendly people there. Life in those towns is more laidback I think compared to here. I have got used to it by now. First few days I felt awkward but realized thats the culture here.
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