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Drove around durham, apex, morrisville, cary, garner, north hills mostly scouting homes and communities. Didn't get to wake forest or knightdale and wasn't interested in exploring places further out at the moment
Today in particular we visited some groceries stores to get another data point for any difference in COL. Thank goodness for costco. Found that compare food had some latin food in particular colombian so my wife totally geeked out. Never have seen a whole sugar cane in a grocery store. I concluded raleigh is about 20% cheaper overall than anchorage when taking into account housing, transport, medical, grocery and goods. My engineering salary will be about 10% less so I'd say thats still a net positive on disposable income. A little bummed that there isn't much in terms of multifamily homes here (i.e 4 plexes, duplexes and such) so i guess ill be paying my own mortgage down here but understandable considering there is so much land for building
There is tons of land in NC so I'm not in a super rush to buy a home but it will certainly happen once i move, rent and learn more about the areas from day to day living. Likely will get an apartment in cary area. New construction in garner is attractive but you better really make best friends with the folks in your housing development because you won't quite be in the "mix" of things so not sure if friends will travel out there for your house gatherings. The homes we saw in garner werent quite in the self contained communities like we saw in cary.
I will say that compared to anchorage the home quality you get for the money is jawdropping and outstanding. I have never witnessed a place grow before my eyes but everywhere we pulled up to look at real estate we saw construction workers breaking ground on new developments it really was incredible and encouraging to see
Driving was a breeze, drivers are sane for the most part id say 1% or so are just off the wall nuts while everyone else is normal.
People were very nice everywhere we went so the city definitely lived up to its reputation in that respect
The triangle area in general is definitely more built up in terms of shopping area and self contained communites than i expected, this is not the backwoods NC anymore. Nice mix of rural and modern. North hills little outdoor mall with ruth chris steakhouse, theater and hotel definitely gave me houston type vibes. The impression i get is the area is tolerant of other races and cultures. I get the feeling its a good place for opportunities for black and brown folk.
Of course with covid and a curfew things arent quite as "alive" as i heard locals describe but i can imagine how "fun" the city is during normal times. Wife and i definitely wont be bored
Overall impressed and excited to relocate. NC has the edge over texas in my book
Quote:
Originally Posted by HatchChile
So where did you guys go? What did you see? Tell us about your first impressions. Still sold on NC? Still thinking of TX?
Thanks, OP! It's nice to read someone else's impressions. I live in Durham and do not venture out to Raleigh that often (went to some events/museum of art before Covid). I have been living in the area for about 1.5 years, and so far really like it. It's definitely growing and growing really fast.
Durham is the place for your wife to check out some Hispanic/Latin food and stores. About 14% of Durham's population is Hispanic so we have lots of choices when it comes to that. We also have places like El Futuro -- not that she needs that -- but just pointing out Durham's dedication for diversity and to help its immigrant population.
Also, UNC being one of the first public universities in the nation, and Duke being around since 1838 -- I do not think "backwoods" has ever been a word of choice to describe the area. So, heads up - you may upset folks with your assumptions.
Safe travels back to AK and good luck with your move!
Thank you.will look into el futuro services always pays to network and be connected
Great to know about durham and the latino population thank you. I guess backwoods may have been a bit extreme i meant to say that i see why raleigh is really on the map these days and it certainly lives up to the hype as a desirable place to live and raise a family at least from my perspective. I'm sure folks coming from big cities in NJ, NY, FL, cali probably hold different perspectives. I see raleigh has just about everything a major metro area would have just lacking amusement park, an ikea and maybe a few other things lol. We are fans of vegas and enjoy playing blackjack so I'd love to see that casino near charlotte get built as well but hey I'm from anchorage so i can ask for too much
We would be closer to atlantic city so i guess we can go check that out sometime
Once we qualify for the in state tuition my wife is considering enrolling in the 21 month radiology associate program at Wake technical community college
Quote:
Originally Posted by HatchChile
Thanks, OP! It's nice to read someone else's impressions. I live in Durham and do not venture out to Raleigh that often (went to some events/museum of art before Covid). I have been living in the area for about 1.5 years, and so far really like it. It's definitely growing and growing really fast.
Durham is the place for your wife to check out some Hispanic/Latin food and stores. About 14% of Durham's population is Hispanic so we have lots of choices when it comes to that. We also have places like El Futuro -- not that she needs that -- but just pointing out Durham's dedication for diversity and to help its immigrant population.
Also, UNC being one of the first public universities in the nation, and Duke being around since 1838 -- I do not think "backwoods" has ever been a word of choice to describe the area. So, heads up - you may upset folks with your assumptions.
Safe travels back to AK and good luck with your move!
Last edited by alaska1986; 01-08-2021 at 07:33 AM..
Drove around durham, apex, morrisville, cary, garner, north hills mostly scouting homes and communities. Didn't get to wake forest or knightdale and wasn't interested in exploring places further out at the moment
Today in particular we visited some groceries stores to get another data point for any difference in COL. Thank goodness for costco. Found that compare food had some latin food in particular colombian so my wife totally geeked out. Never have seen a whole sugar cane in a grocery store. I concluded raleigh is about 20% cheaper overall than anchorage when taking into account housing, transport, medical, grocery and goods. My engineering salary will be about 10% less so I'd say thats still a net positive on disposable income. A little bummed that there isn't much in terms of multifamily homes here (i.e 4 plexes, duplexes and such) so i guess ill be paying my own mortgage down here but understandable considering there is so much land for building
There is tons of land in NC so I'm not in a super rush to buy a home but it will certainly happen once i move, rent and learn more about the areas from day to day living. Likely will get an apartment in cary area. New construction in garner is attractive but you better really make best friends with the folks in your housing development because you won't quite be in the "mix" of things so not sure if friends will travel out there for your house gatherings. The homes we saw in garner werent quite in the self contained communities like we saw in cary.
I will say that compared to anchorage the home quality you get for the money is jawdropping and outstanding. I have never witnessed a place grow before my eyes but everywhere we pulled up to look at real estate we saw construction workers breaking ground on new developments it really was incredible and encouraging to see
Driving was a breeze, drivers are sane for the most part id say 1% or so are just off the wall nuts while everyone else is normal.
People were very nice everywhere we went so the city definitely lived up to its reputation in that respect
The triangle area in general is definitely more built up in terms of shopping area and self contained communites than i expected, this is not the backwoods NC anymore. Nice mix of rural and modern. North hills little outdoor mall with ruth chris steakhouse, theater and hotel definitely gave me houston type vibes. The impression i get is the area is tolerant of other races and cultures. I get the feeling its a good place for opportunities for black and brown folk.
Of course with covid and a curfew things arent quite as "alive" as i heard locals describe but i can imagine how "fun" the city is during normal times. Wife and i definitely wont be bored
Overall impressed and excited to relocate. NC has the edge over texas in my book
As another minority i'd say you're correct. I grew up here, moved to the NJ/PA area in 2000, then to CA in 2004. Since i've been back in Raleigh i've seen dramatic changes. Never would I have thought that I'd be making more living in NC than in Silicon Valley or NJ/PA, but as a consultant who works all over, the rates i'm seeing are on par or even higher. The lower COL and not having to travel helps with the disposable income.
The racial aspect has changed a lot because you have so many transplants (over 50% of the metro population I think) in this area now that are not tolerant of "backwoods" thinking and behaviors. I really do think you and your wife will be better than OK living here.
I mean this was a very personal statement based on my limited datapoints. I have been to houston many times for O&G job related purposes. Texas is huge so its hard to generalize. I mean being a licensed electrical engineer with 12 yrs experience i could make a good salary in dallas/ft worth or houston once i networked and convinced then to hire an out of towner but i just feel like there is more character in a place like raleigh/durham, its great place to raise a family and like i said opportunities for minorities abound if you are willing to work for them.
I mean as far as urban growth in america you really cant go wrong with texas but NC will see alot of that urban growth as well.
Its hard to compare the behemoth of big cities like dallas/forth worth and houston to raleigh/durham and charlotte, if big city vibes are what you desire and affordable living then i can't see how some places in texas wouldn't be on your list but i know for us coming from anchorage its a big jump
Its all about what you desire in your stage of life
Quote:
Originally Posted by Repatriot
Interesting to read as I am here and have been leaning towards a move to TX when I can find a job there.
Ah yeah, just about anywhere will seem cheap compared to Alaska!
Re: casinos, even after the Cherokee casino is completed, it'll still usually be faster to go to Maryland. Either one would be a fun weekend trip, though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by alaska1986
A little bummed that there isn't much in terms of multifamily homes here (i.e 4 plexes, duplexes and such) so i guess ill be paying my own mortgage down here
If you're interested in a duplex, many single-family houses can legally add a secondary unit that can be rented out separately; the rules and terminology vary between jurisdictions. Raleigh calls them "accessory dwelling units," Cary "utility dwelling units," and Apex and Morrisville "accessory apartments."
Thanks for the intel on casinos and secondary units I will consider that!
Quote:
Originally Posted by paytonc
Ah yeah, just about anywhere will seem cheap compared to Alaska!
Re: casinos, even after the Cherokee casino is completed, it'll still usually be faster to go to Maryland. Either one would be a fun weekend trip, though.
If you're interested in a duplex, many single-family houses can legally add a secondary unit that can be rented out separately; the rules and terminology vary between jurisdictions. Raleigh calls them "accessory dwelling units," Cary "utility dwelling units," and Apex and Morrisville "accessory apartments."
Thanks for the intel on casinos and secondary units I will consider that!
There aren't that many multi-family units because this area has never been densely populated. There was no need for duplexes or triplexes when land/water has never been an issue. ADUs are a bit gray area here. I'm not sure if they passed any concrete laws lately but for a while things weren't that clear even with Airbnbs. I find NC to be bureaucratic when it comes to things like that (it could be an east coast thing I don't know). Especially coming from out West I think it's ridiculous to have that many HOAs or housing related rules. Everything is planned and sometime there is no room for uniqueness or creativity.
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