relocation (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill: rent, chapel, homes)

[Mae03]

I live in New York City all my life. I want to relocate and buy my first home in Raleigh. I am married and I have a ten year old son. I don't know anything about Raleigh I am looking for a safe neighborhood and a good school for my son. And the boys and girl club for after school activity. And I also don't want to live to far from the downtown area because I would be looking for a job as an Administrative Assistant. Can someone out there please help if you know an area if it truly exist out there.

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

Originally Posted by Mae03

I live in New York City all my life. I want to relocate and buy my first home in Raleigh. I am married and I have a ten year old son. I don't know anything about Raleigh I am looking for a safe neighborhood and a good school for my son. And the boys and girl club for after school activity. And I also don't want to live to far from the downtown area because I would be looking for a job as an Administrative Assistant. Can someone out there please help if you know an area if it truly exist out there.

Mae,

Since you say you don't know anything about Raleigh, I would suggest that you try and visit for a weekend so you can get a feel for the area. The Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill) is quite expansive and the many different parts offer a wide range of employment and housing options. Your housing choices include everything from downtown living, to older well established neighborhoods on the outskirts of downtown areas, to new construction out in the suburbs. All of these come with varying price tags of course! Where you find a job and your price range will obviously be a big factor in determining where you want to live. Downtown Raleigh is a great place to work, but it is by no means your only option. There are many businesses and office buildings scattered throughout areas outside of the downtown districts of both Raleigh and Durham. In addition to that there is the Research Triangle Park. It is a 7,000 Acre Corporate park that is the home to over a 140 companies. Many of the jobs are computer and science related, but I'm sure there are plenty of administrative jobs as well. You can read more about RTP at:
http://www.rtp.org/. There are also three major universities in the area that offer multiple employment opportunities: NC State in Raleigh, Duke University in Durham, and UNC Chapel Hill.

Below I have attached a map from the RTP.org website that shows you where RTP is situated as well as shows the university locations and surrounding area. So as you can see....there are many options here.

My suggestion is come for a visit and see if you like it here, then focus on finding a job. The area you find the job in will help you narrow down areas where it would make the most sense to live. Many people come to the area and rent for the first 6 months to a year before they buy....this way they have time to get a better idea of the areas to live that work best for them. I hope this info was useful to you. Good luck with your research!

Map from RTP.org showing RTP and surrounding areas

[RaleighRob]

Mordecai, Oakdale, Longview and Woodcrest are neighborhoods I can think of that are just outside of downtown, but are also very close to the Boys Club & Girls Club (which are on Raleigh Blvd).

[MikeJaquish]

I would add to Rob's list, Method, Trailwood Hills, Lockwood.
In town Raleigh tends to be expensive and these tend to be starter neighborhoods and you can find homes in the low $100,000 range. Your financial status will dictate the neighborhood you can afford, of course.
If you are looking to invest more, we can expand the search dramatically.

[Mae03]

Thank you everyone who replied everyone was a big help.