Triangle Area Town Rankings (Raleigh, Durham: home, neighborhoods, new construction)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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While I agree that ranking lists are not all they are cracked up to be, I think there is some validity to looking at where towns fall on the spectrum of crime, jobs, amenities, etc.
I could easily "rank" the towns around where I live if someone asked about the safest places, with the best schools, good housing choices, jobs and good choice of amenities. I would tell them that crime was more prevalent in "x" towns, that shopping was non-existent in "x" town and they'd be driving 30 min to get to anything, that schools were better in "x" towns, and "x" town had the best mix of all but was the most expensive RE.
We would be seeking the same if we were to move, minus the schools and possibly jobs (we work at home but may be interested in some part time work) - a vibrant, safe, convenient (full of amenities within a 15 min drive) area. All of these towns/cities appear to have homes within our budget, which is @ 300K, but some may be better suited than others.
Was hoping to get some local perspective, such as "Yes, North Raleigh is a better location for the mix you are seeking than NW Raleigh due to the greater amount of amenities close by", or "Wake Forest is vibrant and safe and the real estate is cheaper but it's really out of the way". I have seen comments from people on this board such as "Morrisville is the armpit of the Triangle", so sometimes only locals can bring a dose of reality to a "list".
Thanks to the poster who mentioned looking at towns west of Chapel Hill, as we would like to be @30 drive to our friends - any suggestions there? Convenience, low crime and lots of choices of RE in our budget with some new builds available, are our most important criteria. Right now we are 2 miles from a hospital, 2 miles from our vet, 2 miles from a grocery store, 2 miles from the UPS store, and @ 15 min to other shopping centers and the big box and other places we frequent (Lowes, Whole Foods, Barnes and Noble, Aldi, Home Goods, Office Depot, CVS, movie theatre) and 24hr vet, and @ 30 min to the airport, and enjoy that convenience.
While I agree that ranking lists are not all they are cracked up to be, I think there is some validity to looking at where towns fall on the spectrum of crime, jobs, amenities, etc.
I could easily "rank" the towns around where I live if someone asked about the safest places, with the best schools, good housing choices, jobs and good choice of amenities. I would tell them that crime was more prevalent in "x" towns, that shopping was non-existent in "x" town and they'd be driving 30 min to get to anything, that schools were better in "x" towns, and "x" town had the best mix of all but was the most expensive RE.
We would be seeking the same if we were to move, minus the schools and possibly jobs (we work at home but may be interested in some part time work) - a vibrant, safe, convenient (full of amenities within a 15 min drive) area. All of these towns/cities appear to have homes within our budget, which is @ 300K, but some may be better suited than others.
Was hoping to get some local perspective, such as "Yes, North Raleigh is a better location for the mix you are seeking than NW Raleigh due to the greater amount of amenities close by", or "Wake Forest is vibrant and safe and the real estate is cheaper but it's really out of the way". I have seen comments from people on this board such as "Morrisville is the armpit of the Triangle", so sometimes only locals can bring a dose of reality to a "list".
Thanks to the poster who mentioned looking at towns west of Chapel Hill, as we would like to be @30 drive to our friends - any suggestions there? Convenience, low crime and lots of choices of RE in our budget with some new builds available, are our most important criteria. Right now we are 2 miles from a hospital, 2 miles from our vet, 2 miles from a grocery store, 2 miles from the UPS store, and @ 15 min to other shopping centers and the big box and other places we frequent (Lowes, Whole Foods, Barnes and Noble, Aldi, Home Goods, Office Depot, CVS, movie theatre) and 24hr vet, and @ 30 min to the airport, and enjoy that convenience.
What would that budget be?
New Construction prices are pretty high around here now. If you are ok with going west of CH; check out Mebane. Growing town on the border of Orange and Alamance counties; about 20-25 minutes from Chapel Hill, 35-40 minutes to RTP and the same distance to Greensboro going the other way. Charming town with a lot of commercial development going on as well. A lot of people I work with (in Chapel Hill) own nice homes in Mebane. I've heard to stay on the Orange County side for better schools but not sure how valid that is.
Hillsborough is the obvious choice. There is great healthcare there (a new UNC healthcare center), cute historic downtown, and you're not far from the other places on your list.
Lemme see...
Wendell "outranks" Raleigh and Durham?
Morrisville "outranks" Apex?
I don't buy this for a minute. Not at all.
As with every ranking, the ranking is probably the least important detail (but the one people pay attention the most to). Each person has different priorities for the different categories, thus the weight they put on each category will be different. Looking at the stats to figure out how they figure out the ratings etc... is more important than an arbitrary "Wendell is better than Raleigh" statement.
As with every ranking, the ranking is probably the least important detail (but the one people pay attention the most to). Each person has different priorities for the different categories, thus the weight they put on each category will be different. Looking at the stats to figure out how they figure out the ratings etc... is more important than an arbitrary "Wendell is better than Raleigh" statement.
We moved to the Triangle in 1997 because of the very high rankings, and supporting information, in Places Rated Almanac.
It was the forerunner of the ubiquitous ratings flying around.
It was helpful, but over the last 8-10 years, aggregating stats and stories has become a pretty shallow commercial enterprise. Caveat Emptor.
IF anything, they're looking at statistics only. Morrisville for example is very convenient to RTP, the airport, amenities, etc. Crime is low, schools are good. It doesn't take into account airplanes screaming over your head, the fact that every subdivision has three feet in between houses, etc.
Again, this is why these lists are pointless. We should all make a pact not to post any of these stupid lists anymore
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