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My family and I are thinking of relocating to the Triangle Area from Chicago. I have visited before for work and I am in love with the terrain and access to nature. However, I am not very knowledgeable about the different neighborhoods/towns, so looking for a little advice on what would be the best fit (and I apologize in advance if this exact inquiry has come up before - sometimes it's a little breathtaking to search through all the C-D forums!).
About us, we are a young(ish) early-40s couple with a very loud, active 3-year-old. We are first and foremost looking for a very family-friendly area, with easy access to parks and activities. We love the walkability of Chicago, but definitely not expecting that in North Carolina. However, if there are more walkable areas of Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill-Cary, we would probably prioritize that over big yards and space. We are also hoping to get into a good school system, but not sure how much of a limiting factor that would be (a good but not great school system would be fine in our book). Lastly, we are white-collar professionals, so prefer to be around others of the same demographics - nothing judgmental, we just always seem to have more in common culturally with other professionals. Our budget for a house would be somewhere in the $500K-$750K range, which doesn't seem like an obstacle for the area.
Based on our initial research, Cary definitely looks like it has potential - I guess one big question is how much of a community vibe does it have rather than just a vanilla suburbia vibe.
Where do you expect your job(s) to be? The entire area is family friendly suburbia, including most of Raleigh. Your price range means you are unlikely to have to commit to a long commute, which most people here don't find acceptable.
I'm sure if you've done a search of this forum, you know there is only one school district in Wake County, it's Wake County Public Schools. Chapel Hill has a town based school district of the type you may be more familiar with.
Cary is a town of 160K people and growing, so I'd say there is more than one "vibe" going on here, much of it can be down to the subdivision level. We've lived here for 10 years and have no regrets but it's probably got more than less in common with the other suburbs around here; the farther out you go the more in touch you will be with the area's rural roots. But if I blindfolded you in CAry and dropped you down in another suburb here it'd take you awhile to figure out which one you're in.
Thanks for the feedback! We both work remote so no commute for us. I didn’t realize there is only one school district. Is there any difference in opinions on Wake County vs Chapel Hill schools?
Both my wife and I lived in Chicago for grad school and are familiar with the area there. Been here in the Raleigh for quite a while now, with two Elementary aged kids. We live in the University Park neighborhood in Raleigh near NC State. It is a reasonably walkable/bikeable neighborhood, close to shopping and amenities, and we walk to school most days. Schools are almost uniformly good here in the Triangle area. Diversity can vary—our base school is very diverse, pulling from all demographics, but also supported by a large number of active professional, governmental, and university faculty families. The neighborhood is very wooded and close to greenway trails, downtown, and neighborhood parks. If you are looking for a more urban (but still somewhat suburban in land use) area, your budget could work here. It would get you a SFH with some yard, and easy access to green space and proximity to all the things you need for everyday life.
Location: River's Edge Inn, Todd NC, and Lorgues France
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Did you live In Chicago or in Chicagoland (the suburbs) ?
If it is the later, then you won't have as much of an adjustment.
I lived in Chicago for seventeen years and when I moved I missed very much ---
the neighborhoods
the food
the museums
the lake
the professional sports teams
the public transportation
If none of that mans anything to you then you will fit into a place like Cary just fine.
Thanks for the feedback! We both work remote so no commute for us. I didn’t realize there is only one school district. Is there any difference in opinions on Wake County vs Chapel Hill schools?
Dude you have not searched any threads here if you do not know about the school district issue. Hit that search button and grab a snack - there's way too much to tell in a couple of paragraphs.
Here's a good artlice on what a lot of newcomers will be facing with 24 capped elementary schools on the table for next year:
Did you live In Chicago or in Chicagoland (the suburbs) ?
If it is the later, then you won't have as much of an adjustment.
I lived in Chicago for seventeen years and when I moved I missed very much ---
the neighborhoods
the food
the museums
the lake
the professional sports teams
the public transportation
If none of that mans anything to you then you will fit into a place like Cary just fine.
We live in the city pretty close to downtown. But honestly not looking for that much density again. A nice mix between urban and suburban would be perfect. I’m thinking having parks and maybe a few stores or restaurants to walk to, but not bumping into 10 people every time you step out the door, if that makes sense.
Your budget will be good here, but please read a LOT on non-refundable due diligence $ before coming. You have to be ready to buy a house completely as is or you lose that $.
Don't trust the school listings that you see on realtor.com, go on wake county school website to verify what schools are assigned to that house for this year and next. Schools are overcrowded and they are opening new ones.
Stuff here is going for way over asking price. I own a home, but I like to watch the market as I was previously considering an upgrade. I saw a house listed at $675k in Apex close for $32k over that asking price. Selling for over asking used to be more in the under $400k (lower-middle) price points, but now it's in the higher ones too.
I'm not telling you not to come, but please be well aware of how the market is here too.
Dude you have not searched any threads here if you do not know about the school district issue. Hit that search button and grab a snack - there's way too much to tell in a couple of paragraphs.
Here's a good artlice on what a lot of newcomers will be facing with 24 capped elementary schools on the table for next year:
Thanks. We plan to send our kid to private school for the time being. It sounds like the school system needs time to catch up to the population growth.
We live in the city pretty close to downtown. But honestly not looking for that much density again. A nice mix between urban and suburban would be perfect. I’m thinking having parks and maybe a few stores or restaurants to walk to, but not bumping into 10 people every time you step out the door, if that makes sense.
NC cities are very suburban in nature. Basically giant suburbs surrounding a (relatively) tiny urban core. Areas like you describe exist, but are not common, are very small, and not easy to find.
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