Why is Johnston County growing faster than Granville County, etc. (Raleigh: apartments, townhomes)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Franklin Co. doesn't have the money to build a big, new water and sewer infrastructure so that limits how many new neighborhoods can be built.
They would have to tax the county residents a lot more than present, and current rates are more than Wake.
I would think the Falls watershed and only having dangerous, two lane, NC50 also aren't helping growth to the North.
Raleigh became it's own draw after being named the best place to live in America in 1993 or 1994. That changed everything and thrust it into notoriety.
I wouldn't have ever guessed the growth in Southern Wake would be so strong.
I've always wondered how the New Yorkers adjusted to Clayton, which was very NC rural at one time, but I've never heard any complaints about the cultural divide.
My Franklin is the biggest holdout in getting Raleigh-fied, i.e. more sophisticated.
The traffic is quite bad on I-40 South of Raleigh, and it looks to be the next big area for growth.
I wonder if newcomers are happy with all the road construction to accommodate them.
I can say that once you leave Durham going N on 85, there ain't much. There's no destination, and not much in between, until you get to Richmond. When I40 opened from Raleigh to ILM, Clayton at exit 312 was on the way. When "Raleigh" goes on vacation, most of them go east to Morehead City area or Wilmington area (through Clayton either way).
I'm wondering if one of the main reasons Johnston County would be attractive is for people who enjoy going to the beach, and being able to do so much easier without feeling like they need to spend the night to make it worth it.
I wouldn't call Johnston County a beach community by any stretch, but if someone is looking at two areas with a longer commute because of having more affordable housing, an hour and forty five minutes to get to the ocean is more attractive than two and a half hours to two hours and forty five minutes. Shortening that drive by up to two hours round-trip makes it much more attractive for a day trip. Granville County might be a little closer to the mountains, but it doesn't seem close enough to make a huge difference in its desirability.
I feel like Granville and Franklin are in the same boat, for the most part. Both counties are to the north of the Triangle and are predominately rural, with pockets of growth closer to Wake or Durham. Youngsville seems to be growing faster than Creedmoor and Butner, but there is a little bit of growth in southern Granville.
Oxford shares a connection with Durham via highway 15 and Louisburg shares a connection with Raleigh via 401, but both towns are even further out and I'm sure it'll take longer for them to grow.
I'm wondering if one of the main reasons Johnston County would be attractive is for people who enjoy going to the beach, and being able to do so much easier without feeling like they need to spend the night to make it worth it.
I wouldn't call Johnston County a beach community by any stretch, but if someone is looking at two areas with a longer commute because of having more affordable housing, an hour and forty five minutes to get to the ocean is more attractive than two and a half hours to two hours and forty five minutes. Shortening that drive by up to two hours round-trip makes it much more attractive for a day trip. Granville County might be a little closer to the mountains, but it doesn't seem close enough to make a huge difference in its desirability.
That was definitely the case for us. My husband's office is in N. Garner. We looked an areas that would give him no more than a 30 minute commute.
Clayton was appealing because the commute and housing are reasonable, we have family in VA and SC, and love the beach. It's 8 miles to 40 and 6 miles when they open 540. We have gone on at least 6 day trips to the coast since we moved here last summer.
We thought we might like to move closer to the coast after retirement but if it stays a fairly easy drive, we really like it here.
I've always wondered how the New Yorkers adjusted to Clayton, which was very NC rural at one time, but I've never heard any complaints about the cultural divide.
I think that on the whole, they get exactly what they were looking for. More space, better winters, lower COL...They are farther out from many amenities but you have to remember that the NYC metro is enormous; if something is 4 miles away it could be the same 20 minutes that something 14 miles away is here. ANd if they aren't able or interested in taking advantage of some things offered by an NYC size metro...It isn't a big deal at the end of the day.
We bought in the Clayton/Garner area last year because you get so much more for your money.
We paid 310K for a brand new 3,000 SQ FT house with a three car garage on acre of land.
Closer to Raleigh or north of the city that same 310K would only buy a 30 year old ranch house with 2,000 SQ FT and needed 100K of upgrades (and higher taxes).
Some people I work with have paid over 300K for a tiny townhouse with 1-car garage closer to downtown. I don’t understand that logic.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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Originally Posted by Shawn S
We bought in the Clayton/Garner area last year because you get so much more for your money.
We paid 310K for a brand new 3,000 SQ FT house with a three car garage on acre of land.
Closer to Raleigh or north of the city that same 310K would only buy a 30 year old ranch house with 2,000 SQ FT and needed 100K of upgrades (and higher taxes). Some people I work with have paid over 300K for a tiny townhouse with 1-car garage closer to downtown. I don’t understand that logic.
Some people value shorter commutes. Some people value walkability/more urban living. Some people value highly-rated schools. Some people value large homes and more land. Depending on what you value most will affect where you buy.
A project had been scheduled to widen 50 between 540 and 98, but it was postponed because of NCDOT's financial difficulty. I suspect it will be done within 10 years. There hasn't been any serious talk of widening 50 north of 98.
Any thoughts on the possibility of the East End Connecter impacting growth in Butner/Creedmoor? When that stretch of highway opens, a drive from southern Granville to RTP will probably take less than 30 minutes or so. There's also a good chunk of undeveloped land in eastern Durham Co (Gorman) that could be impacted, as well.
Also, does anyone know if Smithfield is growing? I know Clayton is booming but I haven't been to Smithfield in years.
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