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Seriously, I go to Paris all the time, and it's so difficult for me to find a real good Parisian restaurant with typical French food. With globalization you are more likely to find French restaurants in NC than in Paris. I am from Southeastern Europe (born and raised), lived in NYC for most of my life (even though I literally would stay in NYC 1 year and go away for 1 year with school and work and so forth, because I would reach my limit - could not stay longer than 1-2 consecutive years in NYC, too depressing!) I got married 2 yrs ago and recently moved to Cary, NC. There are advantages and disadvantages about this area just like everywhere else. But, I am less stressed here and that's all I care about personally. It's a very family-oriented environment as everyone else has mentioned. Raleigh downtown is less than 10 min drive and there are many activities for everyone. I lived in NYC and there were many activities but did not participate as much as it would take me 1-2 hrs with traffic to get to the city and come back and get a ticket for parking, so not worth it at all. Here there is free parking for everyone and I love it! And I certainly don't miss the tolls of a big city! They just raised the tolls in NYC and Verrazano Bridge is $10! Can you believe that??! Anyway, Europe has changed a lot and I love Paris, but it's not the same Paris it used to be in the 70's with Jean Paul Belmondo and Bebe, and so is NYC - it's not the same it used to be in 40's -50's. I personally believe that each city has its peak and those cities are past that. I know there is a French lady in Cary because she is a translator. Maybe she can teach your children professionally, who knows...As for your wife, she would either have to learn English so she can use both languages at work or she should work from home freelance. There are cafes here just like in Paris and restaurants with tables outside which remind me so much of Europe, but here I pay $1.60 for my coffee not EUR 4.80 for american coffee as I paid in Paris, which with the conversion rates in June including VAT turned out to be $10 for a cup of American coffee. The only thing I ate there was cheese and drank lots of wine which was really cheap even with the conversion rates. As far as good restaurants go I did not have the luck to eat something special, typically French. But was lucky to eat a good steak and fries at Versailles. I think you will like it here and if your wife keeps an open mind she will like it too. She would just need some time to get acquainted with the area and socialize with the right people compatible to her. Best of luck!
IMO, Charlotte would be better than RDU area for your requirements. If you choose Cary, perhaps your wife could look into Cary Academy - they offer several international languages including French. My daughter goes to school there and its a great community. Best wishes for successful move.
I hadn't heard of this school, thanks for the tip. From the website it does look attractive. Our kids are too young for now so we'll keep it in mind for later.
maybe we can switch, you come to Cary and I'll go to Paris. I was there a month ago, and love it more and more each time... :-)
Unfortunately living here is totally different than vacationing here. My first couple years were like an extended vacation and I loved it. But after the vacation-ness wears off, life here is difficult and in my opinion the quality of life in Paris is not good for families. It's great for kids / young adults though. When people start families, the ones who can work outside of Paris usually move out and that leaves the ones who have no choice but to stay in Paris. Which contributes to the unpleasantness. I can't tell you how many of my friends want to leave Paris, but they don't because there are few jobs outside of Paris (I work in IT).
Anyway, for vacation Paris is one of the best cities in the world.
Seriously, I go to Paris all the time, and it's so difficult for me to find a real good Parisian restaurant with typical French food. With globalization you are more likely to find French restaurants in NC than in Paris. I am from Southeastern Europe (born and raised), lived in NYC for most of my life (even though I literally would stay in NYC 1 year and go away for 1 year with school and work and so forth, because I would reach my limit - could not stay longer than 1-2 consecutive years in NYC, too depressing!) I got married 2 yrs ago and recently moved to Cary, NC. There are advantages and disadvantages about this area just like everywhere else. But, I am less stressed here and that's all I care about personally. It's a very family-oriented environment as everyone else has mentioned. Raleigh downtown is less than 10 min drive and there are many activities for everyone. I lived in NYC and there were many activities but did not participate as much as it would take me 1-2 hrs with traffic to get to the city and come back and get a ticket for parking, so not worth it at all. Here there is free parking for everyone and I love it! And I certainly don't miss the tolls of a big city! They just raised the tolls in NYC and Verrazano Bridge is $10! Can you believe that??! Anyway, Europe has changed a lot and I love Paris, but it's not the same Paris it used to be in the 70's with Jean Paul Belmondo and Bebe, and so is NYC - it's not the same it used to be in 40's -50's. I personally believe that each city has its peak and those cities are past that. I know there is a French lady in Cary because she is a translator. Maybe she can teach your children professionally, who knows...As for your wife, she would either have to learn English so she can use both languages at work or she should work from home freelance. There are cafes here just like in Paris and restaurants with tables outside which remind me so much of Europe, but here I pay $1.60 for my coffee not EUR 4.80 for american coffee as I paid in Paris, which with the conversion rates in June including VAT turned out to be $10 for a cup of American coffee. The only thing I ate there was cheese and drank lots of wine which was really cheap even with the conversion rates. As far as good restaurants go I did not have the luck to eat something special, typically French. But was lucky to eat a good steak and fries at Versailles. I think you will like it here and if your wife keeps an open mind she will like it too. She would just need some time to get acquainted with the area and socialize with the right people compatible to her. Best of luck!
Kate
Wow, pretty good assessment there and I agree with most of it. Paris is definitely past its peak. The quality of life is degenerating and the French that move out are replaced by immigrants for whom Paris is a huge improvement over their native countries. The French that can't move out (due to work or family) are "stuck" here.
It's good to hear that you like Cary and I'm sure we will too. I'm hoping my wife will decide to fill out the visa application. It's been sitting on her desk for a few weeks. It's a big step for her. She speaks fluent english and I think she'll have an easier time finding a job in the US than in France. Unemployment is high here and France is entering a recession (just as the US is probably starting to pull out of one). Here I feel like a novelty, people like to have an American on the team. I hope it'll be the same for her in the US.
Moving from Paris to Cary - Looking for experiences of other Europeans who've moved to North Carolina
We are currently living near Sete in the South of France and hope to move to North Carolina as soon as we can sell our property here. Both of us are American. It will be a bittersweet move as I know there is much I will miss about France. But it definitely is not the France of my youth.
It is encouraging to find that so many French people have chosen NC and that so many people living there feel positive about other cultures. As yet we have not focused on a city which makes it difficult for me to imagine us living there. The problem is that there are just so many nice places in NC to choose from.
Our only child is off exploring the world so we will be coming there with our two Poodles. I wish you and your wife much success in your new venture.
If the people on this board are a sample of the type of people one will meet there, you are indeed moving to a great place!
I am new to North Carolina, my husband and I moved here just 10 days ago. We chose Raleigh for many different reasons, but we really like how green everything is, and we are looking forward to discover more of our new area.
I am originally from France, near Lyon. My husband is from Massachusetts. I've been living in the US for about 3 years. It took me some time to feel adjusted, when everything around is new it gets confusing.. but then you get used to the changes quickly. I miss home sometimes, but to be honest, it is my family that I miss the most, not France. Of course, it would not hurt to find a real bakery around here (but maybe there is?).
Hey, just saw your post- hope you see this! My husband is from Lorraine (outside Nancy), & I'm originally from SC. We met & lived in Europe before relocating to the US- started out in Phoenix for Thunderbird graduate school, then ended up here (since 2001).
Before we moved, I was concerned about how my husband would be accepted here. He has of course experienced frustration, but overall he's quite happy here. There are a lot more international people here than I anticipated.
On food:
I saw someone recommend St Jacques- yes, fabulous! Much more refined than the French restuarant there previously (though also quite authentic). Better yet, the owner Lil is super nice & friendly.
In Cary, there is an authentic French bakery (La Farm)- OK, stupid name, but it's fabulous. The owner is in Les Compagnons du Devoir so he takes it very seriously. He came over here to co-open this bakery in 2001, & later married the American co-owner (Missy). All the ingredients & ovens are imported from France...even the bakers! As a member of the guild, Lionel brings over an apprentice every year. We spend a fortune there, gladly. La Farm Bakery While in France this summer, I was disappointed by the local bakery; La Farm is 10x better!
On school:
Our son Sebastien is 3, so we feel your pain! We have located a French immersion school in Durham that we will be visiting for the first time tomorrow night. It sounds good- crossing our fingers that it's as good as it sounds. International Montessori School [International Montessori School]When he ages out of that program, it will be challenging again. There is one public elementary school with French daily, but it's in downtown Raleigh (Wiley School). There are also IB magnet schools here which you should consider if you think you might relocate back to France while the kids are in school.
The best way for your wife to meet other internationals will be the Newcomers Club. There's one in Raleigh & Cary- not sure about Durham or Chapel Hill. Cary Newcomers Club, Inc. They have a sub-group only for internationals, which is how we initially made a lot of our friends (from Canada, Japan, England, etc). Unfortunately, most of them have returned home by now, but we still keep in touch.
Good luck! Feel free to contact me directly if you wish for more info/details.
I am new to North Carolina, my husband and I moved here just 10 days ago. We chose Raleigh for many different reasons, but we really like how green everything is, and we are looking forward to discover more of our new area.
I am originally from France, near Lyon. My husband is from Massachusetts. I've been living in the US for about 3 years. It took me some time to feel adjusted, when everything around is new it gets confusing.. but then you get used to the changes quickly. I miss home sometimes, but to be honest, it is my family that I miss the most, not France. Of course, it would not hurt to find a real bakery around here (but maybe there is?).
Wow, pretty good assessment there and I agree with most of it. Paris is definitely past its peak. The quality of life is degenerating and the French that move out are replaced by immigrants for whom Paris is a huge improvement over their native countries. The French that can't move out (due to work or family) are "stuck" here.
It's good to hear that you like Cary and I'm sure we will too. I'm hoping my wife will decide to fill out the visa application. It's been sitting on her desk for a few weeks. It's a big step for her. She speaks fluent english and I think she'll have an easier time finding a job in the US than in France. Unemployment is high here and France is entering a recession (just as the US is probably starting to pull out of one). Here I feel like a novelty, people like to have an American on the team. I hope it'll be the same for her in the US.
Thanks for your response. Maybe I was not lucky to find the traditional French restaurants, but most of them including the expensive ones had mostly typical American food. I suppose that is because they are targeting foreigners. So I was not pleased with that.
As for the coffee, my whole family drinks expresso. I grew up on American coffee, I cannot drink expresso. My husband does though. So, I either had to drink American coffee or wine. Wine was cheaper so I stuck to the latter :-)
I am certain you and your wife will enjoy it here.
Best,
Kate
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Moving from Paris to Cary - Looking for experiences of other Europeans who've moved to North Carolina
