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That's a long and detailed post, and I will just reply a bit to the parts on weather and cultural activities.
Davidwh has been here less than a full year, it seems, and I would say to him, please don't take this winter as the norm. Yes, in the seven years I've been here it does snow and ice up, but not every winter, and not for long. It's not the relentless cold and ice you can get in the northern part of the US. When I moved here from the NY metro area, I delighted in sending friends pictures of me in sandals in January and February on days when it hit the 60s. Several recent years by this time in February some trees would be in bloom...Another factor is that there's more light -- the sun is higher and in winter that makes a huge difference especially psychologically. There seems to be much less wind and that means that wind chill is not a major factor.
Also, with COVID, so many things have been closed. The local symphony is quite good and I have had a subscription. We are retired, and older, so we haven't dared to go back to DPAC, but it is open now. In normal times, there have always been enough (classical and choral) concerts to keep us occupied, and there are numerous programs at UNC and Duke on various international/ political/ human rights issues. We all hope those programs will start up again soon.
Thank you- this is all good to hear. I know people who live in NC and my husband has coworkers in the Triangle and Leland areas, and I've heard that about the weather being worse than typical this winter. When we went down last April to look at condos and things were blooming but back home everything was still dead looking... let's just say going home was hard. Even more so after we spent a gorgeous Christmas walking the beach.
OP I have lived in Ithaca (in college) and we all know it is gorgeous. Now we live in Greenville, SC, and when we first moved here I had to pinch myself at the realization that we only had to drive maybe 1.5 hours to be in the Blue Ridge Mountains. However, if you want to walk here close to town, there is one nature park, and then some nice landscaped parks, along with a paved greenway trail. Raleigh, OTOH, has an extensive network of greenways, in addition to numerous nature parks and preserves in Raleigh and the surrounding towns. Duke Gardens is lovely, as if the botanical garden in Chapel Hill. My son likes to walk, not hike, and we miss having the variety of places to go. And I was just remarking today that we loved being able to enjoy the outdoors in the winter. You will enjoy the trails at Falls Lake, where there are pretty vistas all year. And it sounds like you don't mind driving a distance. If you miss truly beautiful scenery, you can drive 3-4 hours and enjoy the mountains. As far as culture, there is quite enough to satisfy most people.
Thanks (go Big Red! ) We're not necessarily looking for mountains to hike, greenways and parks are lovely for us and our little pup.
Talking with my husband about housing prices and other housing market related things, and we're wondering about whether we'd be better off building instead of buying. I know that the cost of construction is up, but it may be an easier way to get into a house that meets our needs without the issues related to being outbid on offers or having to decide about contingiences like inspections. We built our first house years ago, and while the process was stressful, there were definitely upsides. We're in a better position now than we were then- more informed than as first-time buyers in our 20's, more financially resourced, less pressure because we're not racing the construction completion against an expiring apartment lease. I've been sort of toying with the idea, husband hasn't been as keen on it, but thinking more about the hassles of buying an existing home- and the potential expenses related to losing due diligence money or getting stuck with someone else's as-is problems makes it more appealing to build. I may start a new thread at some point seeking opinions about some of the homebuilders in the area- I know from a quick search there are a lot of new construction communities to explore.
I don't intend to say the Triangle or North Carolina in general are awful. For many people, it would be a great move. I'm just trying to tell the poster that, after reading what she likes about where she lives now, in my opinion it would be hard to find what she likes about Ithaca repeated here. Some things, sure, and milder winters (but let's talk again in August) and health care. As for Chapel Hill and Carrboro, I'm sure many people like the place. And I mean no disrespect at all to UNC; it's a great school. Chapel Hill is probably a great place to go to college or graduate school. But for someone looking for the college town atmosphere, I just don't see it.
Talking with my husband about housing prices and other housing market related things, and we're wondering about whether we'd be better off building instead of buying. I know that the cost of construction is up, but it may be an easier way to get into a house that meets our needs without the issues related to being outbid on offers or having to decide about contingiences like inspections. We built our first house years ago, and while the process was stressful, there were definitely upsides. We're in a better position now than we were then- more informed than as first-time buyers in our 20's, more financially resourced, less pressure because we're not racing the construction completion against an expiring apartment lease. I've been sort of toying with the idea, husband hasn't been as keen on it, but thinking more about the hassles of buying an existing home- and the potential expenses related to losing due diligence money or getting stuck with someone else's as-is problems makes it more appealing to build. I may start a new thread at some point seeking opinions about some of the homebuilders in the area- I know from a quick search there are a lot of new construction communities to explore.
I don't intend to say the Triangle or North Carolina in general are awful. For many people, it would be a great move. I'm just trying to tell the poster that, after reading what she likes about where she lives now, in my opinion it would be hard to find what she likes about Ithaca repeated here. Some things, sure, and milder winters (but let's talk again in August) and health care. As for Chapel Hill and Carrboro, I'm sure many people like the place. And I mean no disrespect at all to UNC; it's a great school. Chapel Hill is probably a great place to go to college or graduate school. But for someone looking for the college town atmosphere, I just don't see it.
Thanks for the clarification. I'm sure we're not going to find something as wonderful as Ithaca, but the closer we can get to the things we love about it, the better.
Chapel Hill is probably a great place to go to college or graduate school. But for someone looking for the college town atmosphere, I just don't see it.
But you seem to be out in left field on that. I mean don't take my word for it, but go do a search on "best college towns" or something and you will see that Chapel Hill is usually ranked higher than Ithaca, probably because of the weather. I really don't understand what you say about it not being a college town. The police close down the whole downtown when the basketball team or football team wins big. Everybody wears Carolina Blue. It's very much a college town. Does it have waterfalls and jaw-dropping scenery like Ithaca? Not really, but it's very much loved for being a beautiful college town and "the Southern part of Heaven". The New York Times seemed to like our area a few years ago:
But you seem to be out in left field on that. I mean don't take my word for it, but go do a search on "best college towns" or something and you will see that Chapel Hill is usually ranked higher than Ithaca, probably because of the weather. I really don't understand what you say about it not being a college town. The police close down the whole downtown when the basketball team or football team wins big. Everybody wears Carolina Blue. It's very much a college town. Does it have waterfalls and jaw-dropping scenery like Ithaca? Not really, but it's very much loved for being a beautiful college town and "the Southern part of Heaven". The New York Times seemed to like our area a few years ago:
There are plenty of frustrated critiques one can make with regards to Chapel Hill that would be fair....
Saying it "isn't a true college town" is not one of them. Period. lol
OP with regards to new construction. It certainly gives you more flexibility in timing/ability to choose what is most important to you in a home; but affordability-wise especially if you are still looking to stay under $300k......I think you'd be in an even more precarious situation.
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) We're not necessarily looking for mountains to hike, greenways and parks are lovely for us and our little pup.
