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I am about to retire and my wife and I are considering a move to Chapel Hill or Apex areas. For the past 13 years we have lived in Phoenix. We have a number of reasons to move. They are proximity to family on the east coast, healthcare (surprisingly below average here) and the desire to find a community in which we could be more active. In spite of the fact that I am about to retire we still want a single family home near to golf and shopping. I find the Preserve area most attractive for the golf and real estate taxes. I guess we are most concerned about the weather (colder winters, humidity, potential for severe weather with hurricanes and ice storms), traffic congestion especially in the Cary area and finding enough for two retired people to do in a college town. We moved to AZ from Philadelphia and we both miss going to the shore. We have been to Chapel Hill for a short visit and plan to return in April 2016. Any comments on best places to live, great things to do, your experience going to the shore from CH, weather and negatives about living in NC?
The first thing that comes to my mind is that you can be closer to the coast, pay lower taxes, and deal with less traffic by going southeast of Raleigh but that will put you further from shopping and you would find fewer gold courses.
I don't know that Chapel Hill and Apex feel very much alike. Have you spent much time in Apex?
Compared to Phoenix, the humidity will be noticeable. Hurricanes are not that common this far inland. Winters will be colder but are mild, overall. The ice stinks. We would much rather have the snow and snow is way easier to drive on than ice. But, there are really only a handful of days each year where the ice will hamstring you. If you are not forced to drive on it to go to work, you needn't worry.
If you like Chapel Hill, and it fits your criteria, that is great and you should enjoy it.
I live in The Preserve so if you have any specific questions about the neighborhood let me know. It's a very nice neighborhood of custom homes, but it's a little bit out in the country. We enjoy living there but it's not always the most convenient to shopping (though I guess it's all relative). For reference, here are the times to nearby shopping:
Closest grocery stores (Lowes Food, Harris Teeter)--11 minutes
Lowes Home Improvement--11 minutes
Walmart--12 minutes
Beaver Creek Shopping Center in Apex (Target, Kohls, others)--17 minutes
Southpoint Mall in Durham (Target, plus a full mall and shopping area)--20 minutes
This is all country road driving, not in-town streets with lots of traffic. (Except going to Beaver Creek in Apex, which isn't country roads, but is a 4-lane highway drive). If you live in the far back of the subdivision, you can add 3-5 minutes to all these times.
A great feature of The Preserve is its proximity to Jordan Lake and the activities there (beach, trails, etc.). The little beach area is a nice substitute for the shore; I like to joke that it's "something to tide you over" until you get back to the ocean. The closest of the true ocean beaches is probably Wrightsville Beach outside of Wilmington at about 2 hrs 15 minutes away. There's a wide variety of ages in the neighborhood, from young families to retirees. We're the former (at least I like to think I'm still relatively young), but my neighbor three doors down is retired and plays golf 6 days a week.
Cost of living is HIGHER. Food, real estate taxes, sales taxes, dentists, restaurant meals, alcohol, income taxes, water bill. This isn't so much because it's expensive here - it's because Phoenix metro is so unusually inexpensive,
The winters are hard to take, but since we're retired, we can just stay home if it's bad weather.
DH finds the humidity troublesome.
Night driving IS a problem. Small, country - like roads, poorly lit.
Street layout is a nightmare as compared to the grid structure we were used to. GPS - don't leave home without it.
By comparison, The Mexican food and Asian food suck l (exceot sushi, which is better here).
The Upside:
The people. We've got an incredibly busy social life here. Made friends easily, which was NEVER the case in AZ. (This is partially because of our choice of Community where we purchased.)
It's compact (unlike Phoenix metro's endless sprawl). We livein Brier Creek and the family joke is that no matter where we go in the Triangle, DH asks how long it will take us to get there. Answer: 25 minutes or less.
Great selection of indie movie theaters.
Downtown parking is cheap or free, making it palatable to go downtown (and it's "25 minutes or less" to get there. )
The trees, flowers, spring bulbs. Beautiful.
The healthcare. I THOUGHT it was good in Phoenix. Now I know better.
The people - again. Even strangers seem warmer, friendlier, kinder. Can't quite put my finger in it, but I can feel it. (Less so in Chapel Hill, which does have a sort of snootiness that reminds me of Scottsdale.)
The most important part of your decision IMHO won't be which town you move to. It will be which community you move into. Personally, The Preserve is lovely, but unless you are a homebody, it's not a location that's suitable for new seniors. We looked at it and said No Way, it's too far away from stuff as was far east Mesa.)
Specific questions? Ask away.
Last edited by Jkgourmet; 01-18-2016 at 08:56 AM..
I am about to retire and my wife and I are considering a move to Chapel Hill or Apex areas. For the past 13 years we have lived in Phoenix. We have a number of reasons to move. They are proximity to family on the east coast, healthcare (surprisingly below average here) and the desire to find a community in which we could be more active. In spite of the fact that I am about to retire we still want a single family home near to golf and shopping. I find the Preserve area most attractive for the golf and real estate taxes. I guess we are most concerned about the weather (colder winters, humidity, potential for severe weather with hurricanes and ice storms), traffic congestion especially in the Cary area and finding enough for two retired people to do in a college town. We moved to AZ from Philadelphia and we both miss going to the shore. We have been to Chapel Hill for a short visit and plan to return in April 2016. Any comments on best places to live, great things to do, your experience going to the shore from CH, weather and negatives about living in NC?
Winters for an AZ native can be a little rough, however only for a couple of months. Springs here are to die for.
Summers are hot hazy humid and buggy and that weather lasts from May till September. As far as an area, I have always liked Old Hope Valley (great if you do not have any school aged children) in Durham. It is close to 40, Chapel Hill, SouthPoint, Jordan Lake and shopping. Membership at the HVCC is around $22K and $200 a month. Nice older area if you are into that kind of thing.
Thanks to all for your help. I typed a reply already but don't see it so will type again. Not sure about the weather. As you know usually nice and sunny here. I seems that it is rainy or cloudy there about 1 out of 3 days. Is that true? Thanks for the info about the neighborhoods. Spoke to someone else who moved to Cary recently. He recommended Chapel Hill, Cary or Apex but we are open to any place. I have noticed that there is a big range in taxes, so that may a factor in our choice. We do want a neighborhood where there is a range of ages, the neighbors are welcoming and we can get involved. Currently we live in a gated community with a difficult HOA. About 1/2 of the owners are "snowbirds" and are here only 2-4 weeks/year. Would appreciate any recommendations for good, honest real estate agent. Finally my wife is concerned about the insects. Here we have an exterminator for the scorpions. Will we need an exterminator there? I am sure there will be more questions. Thanks, again.
It is certainly cloudy often enough and you will see much more rain. Honestly, I feel more days than not look as if it may rain, even if it doesn't. We don't have nearly as many snowbirds but they do exist. Not so many scorpions but she will see some insects. You will want regular pest control. That won't prevent them all from showing up but should keep most of them out of your house. I would hope that any realtor would be honest with you, as it is a basic principle and a tenet we should all practice.
We have four seasons here with occasional cloudy weather. Only a few days of snow or ice, not too much. You can just stay inside on those days. Lots of rain.
Chapel Hill is a college town for sure. Cary is more mixed and you will be closer to shopping. There is a country club in NW Raleigh / Brier Creek with a golf course, tennis, etc.
Thanks to all for your help. I typed a reply already but don't see it so will type again. Not sure about the weather. As you know usually nice and sunny here. I seems that it is rainy or cloudy there about 1 out of 3 days. Is that true? Thanks for the info about the neighborhoods. Spoke to someone else who moved to Cary recently. He recommended Chapel Hill, Cary or Apex but we are open to any place. I have noticed that there is a big range in taxes, so that may a factor in our choice. We do want a neighborhood where there is a range of ages, the neighbors are welcoming and we can get involved. Currently we live in a gated community with a difficult HOA. About 1/2 of the owners are "snowbirds" and are here only 2-4 weeks/year. Would appreciate any recommendations for good, honest real estate agent. Finally my wife is concerned about the insects. Here we have an exterminator for the scorpions. Will we need an exterminator there? I am sure there will be more questions. Thanks, again.
The Triangle has lots of sunny days. In fact you can plan anything for any day for an outside activity and be assured that it will be sunny. On very hot days in the Summer you will get afternoon thunderstorms, however they are random. Falls are like late Summer, long and warm and lasting into November (December this year). Winters are short and are usually over by the end of February and during the Winter, it is not uncommon for 60+ or 70F days. Springs are my favorite time of the year. You can play golf year round, but not everyday in the Winter. There are a few cold spells but they are short and temps go back in the 50's quickly. Snow is something people talk about and when it happens it is usually always gone by the next day, so it is more of an event than anything else. The Triangle, depending on where you live is around 2.5 hrs to the beaches in NC. There is a 4 lane road (40) all the way to coast.
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