Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If the commute is already stressing some residents out, imagine how stressed they'll be years from now as the population continues to increase. The traffic will only get worse!
When we lived up in Maryland my wife's commute to work was 1.5 hours each way. It was the price we had to pay if we wanted to live in a neighborhood were we wouldn't fear being pistol whipped and robbed walking from our front door to our mail box. 30 minute commute times for Wake Forest residents are laughable given the town's tranquil nature.
When I saw this, I burst into laughter and assumed that it was a satire. I have lived in Wake Forest area for 14 years and honestly it is an extremely low stress lifestyle. While I do agree that exceptionally long commute times can increase stress, I hardly think that the difference in 20 minutes and 30 minutes is going to send someone off the rails. Most of the people I know either work from home or work in North Raleigh with a few commuting to RTP. While I do hear a lot of complaints about the traffic on Rogers Road (especially during school carpool), I don't hear people regularly complaining about their commutes or unable to do things due to their commutes. In fact, the joke in my neighborhood (Heritage) is that most people rarely leave the bubble of Wake Forest because most everything we need is right here. I do think that if you have to drive to RTP every day on peak hours that it isn't the best choice. I did that commute for 2 years and my husband for 5 years and honestly I didn't mind, but the traffic has gotten worse.
I do think that the survey is very flawed. I don't think you can make a judgement like this without interviewing people and assessing stress level of the actual residents. Basing something like this on just statistics without seeing the intangibles are in action doesn't make any sense.
One of the things that makes Wake Forest very low stress is the sense of community. Honestly, it is one of the warmest and caring places I have lived where people really look out for each other in an almost old fashioned sort of way. A recent example is the four teens who were in the accident last week - the outpouring of support has been amazing, including a local hotel donating hotel rooms, many businesses providing food for the reception and even a local landscape company cutting the grass and pressure washing the house. Not to mention the meal train that strangers have volunteered as well as friends for the next couple of months and the $12K that was raised in a matter of days to help with expenses. And even when it comes to small things - my kid skinning his knee while we are on a bike ride and by the time I get to him someone I don't even know has put a bandaid on it and ice. Or my car breaking down and strangers stopping to help. When my father in law died, there was such a sense of support and love from people who have known him for 40 years (he has lived here since the 70's) and our newer friends.
So while I do acknowledge that commute times can impact your life, I think that for people who don't commute to RTP that WF is a very low stress lifestyle and a great place to live.
I am totally stressed out here in Holly Springs, NOT. Love this place.
Couldn't agree more zinner.
To be fair, however, I work from home and do not commute. That said, My reference point is NY traffic. When I have been in traffic here, I end up comparing it to traffic up north and the difference is HUGE so I don't stress. I can say unequivocally that commuting times/traffic were a HUGE stressor in NY life. First job out of college was a two hour commute (door to door) each way! Don't know how I did it.
The stress in Holly Springs is caused by people driving 40-45mph in the LEFT lane of the Bypass!! I hate that!
We bought our house (closer to FV than HS, but we have a HS address) in 1989. When the bypass opened, it cut 10 minutes off our commute time. Now, the traffic has gotten much worse. Hubby was working in RTP when we bought. (We were a long distance call to our family in Apex and to his work.) But, we could afford this house better than the ones in Apex. His job was moved to Creedmoor, but we couldn't afford to move. Less than a year later, he was laid off. Got a job in Youngsville. Still couldn't afford to move. Laid off again about a year later. Now he's in Perimeter Park (Morrisville), so he's commuting down 55 again. We've come full circle. Still can't afford to move!
Are we stressed? Not really. I'm not that happy at being in the middle of nowhere. Most of our family and friends are in W. Raleigh and Garner. We have access to food and shopping that we didn't have when we moved here, so that's definitely less stressful. My only complaint is the idiot drivers on the bypass!
According to this nice interactive map Wake Foresters and Holly Springians have close to the same average commute times, right in the 29-30 min range. Not really much longer than your typical Raleigh or Durhamite (depending on where exactly one lives in Raleigh or Durham).
According to this nice interactive map Wake Foresters and Holly Springians have close to the same average commute times, right in the 29-30 min range. Not really much longer than your typical Raleigh or Durhamite (depending on where exactly one lives in Raleigh or Durham).
This is a great map and shows that the average difference between Cary and WF isn't that much,. 9 minutes each way. Reading this board one would think that everyone in WF has a ridiculous commute compared to everyone else in the Triangle.
if you are driving from US1-A and Rogers Rd to RTP, your commute is significantly longer than someone driving to RTP from High House/Maynard. These are both major crossroads/entryways into the residential areas.
Cary-RTP is 15 minutes and 12 miles
Wake Forest - RTP is 30 minutes and 24 miles
are there points in between on either city that make a difference? Of course. I'm just attempting "mid-points".
Ha! You want stress, move to Orange County in CA! Holly Springs...not so much.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Still can't afford to move! 
