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We are from Miami and are considering relocating to NC. We are in our forties and have two daughters: 14 and 3. We have been reading about Raleigh and Chapel Hill and decided to go for a visit to get a "first impression".
What would be the places to go visit that will give us a good feel for life in Raleigh or life in Chapel Hill? a good idea of what to expect if we move over?
Some things are made for tourists and some only locals know. What would be those things for the locals that we should try to see?
We intend to buy a house between $350-500K. Which areas would be good to go see?
We relo'd to the Triangle in the Spring of 2002 with our two young boys at the time. Quality of life and a quality public education for our boys were our top two objectives. Hands down the Chapel Hill schools are the best public schools in the Triangle. After looking at North Durham (Treyburn--beautiful community), all over N. Raleigh, NE Raleigh/Wakefield Plantation, Cary (too many beautiful golf course communities to mention), Brier Creek (it was just getting started back then!), we settled in Southern Village in Chapel Hill. I'd also suggest Meadowmont in CH, but be careful, as parts of Meadowmont attend Durham schools, and part attend CHCSS.
The other thing to keep in mind is that I believe Wake Cty still implements a busing (one 's' or two?) policy. So even though you might find a lovely home/community with an excellent elementary school in your backyard, I don't think you can be assured that your children will attend it, as they may be bussed (I'll try two this time) across town in order to meet the school board's idea of socio-economic balance.
In Chapel Hill, definitely take a nice walk/drive down Franklin Street. Also stop by 'A Southern Season', a nice upscale gourmet food store in CH. CH has a real nice college vibe to it, if you like that kinda thing.
Just keep in mind that homes in the Chapel Hill & Carrboro school district cost significantly more than homes elsewhere. It can be quite a shock if you aren't prepared for it.
When will you be visiting? What sort of things interest your family? Do you enjoy sports and outdoor activities? The arts? Tell us more about what interests you family & we can give you more tailored options.
Yes, the primary reason why you'll pay more for CH is because of the schools (as well as the proximity to the university of course).
That being said, $500k will get you a nice home in CH. It will get you a nicer home elsewhere, but it's all relative to your priorities. For us, public education was #1.
Yes, the priorities for us are also quality of life and public education.
We will be visiting at the end of March to spend a long weekend with the girls there. We bought tkts for "Go, Diego, Go!" at the Progress Energy Center in Raleigh and we will start from there.
We need to find out where we should stay to be close to what we should be seeing. We definitely want to go from Raleigh to Chapel Hill. We will most probably drive from Miami to NC -- we can see more and have more flexibility (no "time to get to the airport" struggle). So we will leave on Thursday and come back some time Monday.
We enjoy the outdoors (I love the mountains!), going for a picnic, bike ride, or even just a walk. A nice community with neighbors with similar life style/interests, where we can find activities for the family, peace and quiet, a house with a good backyard and also that has easy access to theaters, good (casual) restaurants, and a little of the "big city" life -- if we want to go there.
We're also from Miami and are looking to relocate this summer. We'll be heading up for a long weekend over spring break. We are interested in the same sort of neighborhoods you are. Interested in hearing your feedback.
From what I detailed in my previous post, would there be any locations that we should not miss and definetely go see?
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