Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Amberly is a large master planned community. It sits in the FAR northwestern corner of Cary and the property straddles the Wake/Chatham County border- you can live in Amberly and pay your county taxes to either Wake or Chatham even though your local taxes are always paid to the town of Cary, who provides water/sewer and services (garbage, recycling, etc.) to the entire neighborhood.
The two sub-sections of Amberly that would be the best fit for families IMO are Village Square and the Peninsula. The lifestyles that those sections of the SAME neighborhood offer could not be more different, though.
Village Square has nicely sized homes built by a custom builder group that are laid out in a quasi-urban manner-there are alley garages, the homes are VERY close together, and the lot sizes are quite small-in the range of .10 to.15. Village Square backs up to Weycroft, and is in the WAKE section of Amberly, so you are districted for Wake County Schools. Village square is within walking distance of the center of Amberly including the recreation center, and there are Townhomes mixed in with the single family housing.
The Peninsula has more of a traditional Custom neighborhood feel, with nicer topography, larger lot sizes, and the possibility of wooded backyards and basements. The builders are not the same ones as the Village Square group, but are respected as well. The Peninsula is in the CHATHAM section of Amberly, meaning that the assigned schools are managed by Chatham County.
It is my belief that if the Peninsula were in Wake County it would be a lot further along than it is at this point in time. It's beautiful. I think the Chatham factor is perceived as a negative for a couple of reasons-
Chatham Schools are generally not regarded as highly as Wake's, and it's a pretty long drive or bus ride to those schools. Chatham is a smaller, less populated, and less affluent county than Wake, with it's growth concentrated elsewhere in the county, meaning that construction of new schools closer to Amberly within Chatham is not really on the table in the short term.
I think people are simply confused about how one town can straddle two counties-the answer is that the town of Cary was able to annex in land outside the Wake border when Amberly was laid out. That annexation sparked a heated debate between the town and the two counties, and as a result future annexations from Chatham into Cary are less likely than they were before.
With all of that taken into consideration, though, residents of the Peninsula seem to be quite happy with their choice. Amberly's amenities are simply staggering-there is NOTHING like it anywhere else in the area. Peninsula residents either send their kids to Chatham Schools (with no ill effects) or to private schools. A home in the Peninsula is typically 10 to 20% less expensive than the same home inside Wake limits, which helps to offset schooling costs.
I really like the builders in the Village Square section. That is the same group from Bedford, right? It is a shame those builders don't have a section with more traditional lot sizes.
I ride through Amberly sometimes on my bike rides. I really like the Brownstones next to the pool. Really nice looking. Strange to see homes with elevators around here, though. The pool at Amberly is one of the most impressive things I've ever seen. I got pool envy looking at it. And I thought our neighborhood had a nice pool before seeing theirs.
The Del Webb 55+ neighborhood was pretty impressive. Wish my Mom would think about moving there when she retires.
Yes, there's 2 pools. The lap pool is almost always used by adults (but it's not adult only). We've lived in Village Square for almost 1 year and love it. Yes, the lots are small, but large enough to fence it in to give you some privacy. And as others have said, what do you need a big back yard for if you have all the features of the resident's club down the street? All the builders in Village Square seem to be very good as well (we haven't had a single major issue with our house). Feel free to PM me with any questions.
I really like the builders in the Village Square section. That is the same group from Bedford, right? It is a shame those builders don't have a section with more traditional lot sizes.
I ride through Amberly sometimes on my bike rides. I really like the Brownstones next to the pool. Really nice looking. Strange to see homes with elevators around here, though. The pool at Amberly is one of the most impressive things I've ever seen. I got pool envy looking at it. And I thought our neighborhood had a nice pool before seeing theirs.
The Del Webb 55+ neighborhood was pretty impressive. Wish my Mom would think about moving there when she retires.
My husband saw the brownstones (on the website) and really liked them. He is Mr. low maintenance - but I am used to houses! Brownstones look great and location is nice. I want space between my neighbors and a lawn.
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