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My husband and I are visiting this weekend to narrow down the areas we are going to want to live in when we move in a few months. I don't want to drive around aimlessly, any suggestions to get the real "feel" for an area? We will be checking out Cary, Holly Springs, Apex, Fuquay and Morrisville.
Cary, Apex and Morrisville are going to blur into one big amorphous, area save for a few distinguishable streets. Holly Springs and Fuquay are going to look a bit like twin towns as well. What I think you're missing is old Raleigh and North Raleigh. I would suggest you drive north on Creedmor Road to Highway 98 and poke around there a bit. Drive from there down Creedmoor and take a left onto Glenwood (that's the intersection where you'll see Crabtree Valley Mall) and head through Five Points into Raleigh and drive through a few of those neighborhoods as well.
We set almost the same exact initial target area and were happily surprised by North Raleigh. We also would have given serious consideration to ITB (Raleigh proper) if I wasn't so hung up on a big yard.
IMO, one of the biggest influencers will be "where do you need to drive to every day?", so if you have jobs lined up, it really trumps a lot of other stuff. If you are working in RTP, it's a very different answer than if you're working in DT Raleigh (or DT Durham, or Clayton, or commuting to Ft. Bragg, or all the way up in Henderson, or etc....)
i think they actually work from home (can't keep up with all the relocators!) so commuting to work won't matter.
I think you should drive around and see what activities you like to do instead of focusing on neighborhoods, enjoy your visit before you focus on house hunting.
I don't want to drive around aimlessly, any suggestions to get the real "feel" for an area? We will be checking out Cary, Holly Springs, Apex, Fuquay and Morrisville.
Visit the Crossroads Plaza in Cary to see traffic at its worst. You really need to see if you can deal with that much money, cars and people in the same place. It remind me of Tysons Corner in Northern Virginia. Then pick out a housing development in your price range, and drive through it to see if you would want to live there. If it is warm enough on Saturday, see if there are people out on the streets socializing or jogging.
Drive on Highway 54 through Morrisville. There are places along the train tracks where the old south is still there: with small old bungalows with front porches. They are being replaced by mid-rise apartments. Morrisville blends into Cary as far as suburban developments go.
Visit Apex's small downtown. It is still small and cute. Get an ice cream cone if it is warm enough.
Drive down to Holly Springs and Fuquay and see if you prefer the more rural towns. Try to find a local, non-chain place for a pulled pork barbecue lunch, especially on a Sunday morning after church lets out. If there are lines out the door, it is a good place.
I see you have already received many comments on Fuquay. I have an in-law living in a golf course community, and he likes it. He works from home part of the time, so he doesn't have to commute into Raleigh all the time. I suggest picking out a development you can afford, and see whether you would like living there.
Last edited by goldenage1; 01-11-2016 at 08:26 AM..
My question for the OP is whether they are looking for the "old South" or whether they are looking for a cheaper version of Bethesda, Maryland or Vienna, Virginia. They should be aware that the old South is rapidly disappearing.
I used to live in Silver Spring, MD, and we retired here to a small coastal town. I guess my prejudices are obvious, but I could not tolerate the congestion of living in Cary or Morrisville, even if I had school kids to consider. I would look at Pittsboro or Hillsboro for a more small town atmosphere if I had to be in the Triangle.
Visit the Crossroads Plaza in Cary to see traffic at its worst.
Inside the shopping center - yes, but the area around it is not bad, especially compared to Capital Blvd. Even around Christmas was not bad in the Crossroads area this year. I am guessing it is due to more on-line shopping.
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