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Chapelle, just curious if you have actually applied and been accepted to the Catholic schools that you want your kids to attend? I know you have mentioned Catholic schools several times.
I have friends who could not get in due to waiting lists as the current members of the parish are accepted first, looking at their record of "time, talent and treasure" contributed to their church here. Then church members of other parishes were considered next for openings.
Maybe this has changed in the last several years with enrollments but you may want to be sure you are happy with the neighborhood schools you are assigned to just in case. Best of luck in your search.
I just helped some lovely folks from Long Island buy a home in Chatham County they fell in love with and plan to move into next month when they relocate. The entire time I was showing them around they ASKED how things are done/what things are like here. If it was "better" here...they would get very excited and say "oh man back in NY it was xyz!"......if it was "better" in NY they said "ah ok well that will take getting used to".
What an awesome attitude to have! I'm very excited to be their Welcome to NC go-to for a while!
If you’ve lived somewhere for any extended period of time, that’s going to be the measuring stick to compare everything to since that’s what you know best. I love living in Raleigh but there are definitely some things about Boston that I miss and will mention if it ever comes up in a conversation. I’m sure native Raleigh people would do the same if they moved to New York.
They hang out in a friend's basement and listen to the same Black Sabbath album over and over again.
Oh wait...that may have been me. Never mind.
And me.
Seriously, OP, I live in a small neighborhood in Cary. We have like, less than 50 houses in here and no community pool.
I rarely ever see a kid outside, no matter the time of year. We do have kids here, too.
My kids are older, and they tended to stay inside in summer even when they were younger... if they want to do something, they tend to do it at a destination... classes, planned activities, etc.
I do occasionally see kids outside playing in their yards, walking the dogs, etc.
But, it's not kids running around outdoors so much in my neighborhood.
Observation: the larger the homes, the fewer kids you tend to see roaming the neighborhood without any obvious purpose (like walking a dog or exercising).
I guess those houses have more rec rooms and spaces to get the kids out from underfoot. The whole "throw the kids out the door because they're too loud and I cannot get anything done" (which I think was common in our generation) was largely because houses tended to be smaller and it was easier for us to annoy the adults with our presence 24/7.
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If you’ve lived somewhere for any extended period of time, that’s going to be the measuring stick to compare everything to since that’s what you know best. I love living in Raleigh but there are definitely some things about Boston that I miss and will mention if it ever comes up in a conversation. I’m sure native Raleigh people would do the same if they moved to New York.
Oh, absolutely!
I think the big difference is that most people who are natives of the Triangle, if they moved to New York, would probably be quiet about it. Which, to people from here, is considered polite. To people from New York, this is "not telling it like it is" or something.
Just a cultural difference. No one way is the right way. I am from here, so I tend to prefer the "being polite" method. Unless someone ASKS me which way I prefer a given thing or if I like one way over another as relates to a location, I won't say anything.
But, I realize that from a New Yorker's perspective, the "tell it like it is" method would be better perceived, even if it's me telling them their hamburgers aren't as good as "the ones back home."
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housebuilder, where in West Cary? Once i get my pharmacy license we will start to narrow down the subdivisions we like. One of the important things on my list is that there are kids around!!
My neighborhood has changed alot. When I first moved here 13 years ago, about 6 kids from different houses would come over all of the time. Now, there are no kids for my children to play or hang out with. I have to schedule tons of playdates, which is OK, but if we move, I want to move into a subdivision where they can have friends to pal around with on the block. How would I figure that out if I am all of the way here in NY? I don't know how many more times we will get over there before we start looking to buy. I would imagine it won't be easy to figure out, unless we go knocking on doors! LOL
Redzin - well put!! i am very blunt LOL. Although I don't like the crowded NYC life (I live on Long Island, but the first town in, Floral Park, which is starting to look like Queens now), I still like seeing people milling around. It makes the neighborhood feel lived in. My family and I are always outside, except when its super hot. My older two sit on the swings at dusk and talk for hours, my younger one runs around playing with her dragons, we ride our bikes around the block, etc. I know everyone on my block because we are always walking around and bumping into everyone and they are always passing by our house while walking their dogs!
shamrock, thanks for the heads up. My husband already asked St michaels and St catherine's admin and they all had room in the classes, none but one was full. this was in the springtime. i would imagine it hasn't changed just yet. Cardinal gibbons, however, is a concern for sure. But i am hoping that if there is no room there that St thomas moore hs will have a slot.
There are kids literally everywhere in Cary. So many that I would never recommend someone without kids move to Cary.
You're never going to get a true feel for a neighborhood until you've lived in it for a while. We live on a culdesac and when we first moved into our house there were many kids out there playing almost every day. Now there's rarely any, because they're older and they're into different things and likely have more activities away from home as others have said.
Kids are freaking loaded up with activities these days, especially in this area it seems. Gone are the days of just hanging around the neighborhood and playing. Now everyone's in competitive sports and other activities that take up boatloads of time. I don't agree with or understand it myself, but it's the way it is. As long as the kids are happy I guess, but I can't help to think some kids would rather just be kids.
There are kids literally everywhere in Cary. So many that I would never recommend someone without kids move to Cary.
You're never going to get a true feel for a neighborhood until you've lived in it for a while. We live on a culdesac and when we first moved into our house there were many kids out there playing almost every day. Now there's rarely any, because they're older and they're into different things and likely have more activities away from home as others have said.
Kids are freaking loaded up with activities these days, especially in this area it seems. Gone are the days of just hanging around the neighborhood and playing. Now everyone's in competitive sports and other activities that take up boatloads of time. I don't agree with or understand it myself, but it's the way it is. As long as the kids are happy I guess.
Agree with this. And picking a neighborhood based on what you see as far as kids (I know that's not your only criteria) is a fools errand as you cannot know if you will like the kids, their parents, or how things can change.
I posted recently about the shenanigans on the other side of my neighborhood....one of my friends loved it because she wanted all the kids there to be her daughter's core group of friends....I said to my husband at the time "never gonna happen"...kids go in all different directions....one will become the class goth, one the class ****, one the jock, one the drama queen, one the pot head and so on. Now they're in HS and guess what.....I should play the lottery. Two of the families have moved away to different Cary nabes (including said friend whose child was the source of much drama) and one got sent to a Christian school to clean up her act.
All this to say - find a house you like in a neighborhood that is a good commute and close to your school and the rest will fall into place. Particularly if you are doing Catholic school that's where you kids' friends will be anyway.
PS We moved here from Garden City....people here are open and willing to make friends but you're talking about a similar situation to GC where people are very provincial, rarely leave the borders if they can help it and half of them grew up in the town or are married to someone who did. It's just not comparable here.
There are kids literally everywhere in Cary. So many that I would never recommend someone without kids move to Cary.
You're never going to get a true feel for a neighborhood until you've lived in it for a while. We live on a culdesac and when we first moved into our house there were many kids out there playing almost every day. Now there's rarely any, because they're older and they're into different things and likely have more activities away from home as others have said.
Kids are freaking loaded up with activities these days, especially in this area it seems. Gone are the days of just hanging around the neighborhood and playing. Now everyone's in competitive sports and other activities that take up boatloads of time. I don't agree with or understand it myself, but it's the way it is. As long as the kids are happy I guess.
Yeah it's pretty crazy all these planned activities. I had so much freedom as a kid. We did whatever and went wherever. I rode my bike everywhere. We lived in neighborhoods that didn't have houses touching themselves and the streets were much less busy. I used to go crawl around construction zones when the workers went home, these days I'd be arrested for it! No cell phones to track us either. Wow what a different world we live in these days.
Interesting.....Coach Lantern Lane is the next street over from one of my client's whose house I go to occasionally for picking things up or dropping things off. That neighborhood is crawling with kids so much so that I barely go over 2 miles an hour as I am so worried about kids chasing their balls into the street, or running in front of my car, etc. The last time I was there I think there was probably 12-15 kids all playing on or next to the street! Plus numerous parents, people mowing, etc.
Kids' friends are largely not based on what neighborhood they live in around here (and I suspect most places now) these days.
Schools draw from a large area; many neighborhoods being divided into several zones and/or having different options (year round vs traditional etc)....kids make friends in social circles outside of the neighborhood...and that can be a good thing in the long run. Opens them up to more experiences and getting to know more people.
Kids meet through after school programs/clubs, sports leagues, family-friends etc. Not just who lives around the block. Obviously it's great to have friends in close proximity; but that's not the only source for socialization these days.
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