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I tend to think Chapel Hill will give you more of a small city feel and Cary will be more of a suburb feel. I think that is the big difference.
Very good point. A lot of what those in CH dont like is the suburban feel of Cary. A lot of what those in Cary don't like is the small city feel of CH. Ask yourself, which do you prefer?
Very good point. A lot of what those in CH dont like is the suburban feel of Cary. A lot of what those in Cary don't like is the small city feel of CH. Ask yourself, which do you prefer?
I like both! That's why the decision is so hard. I think we will just make the decision based on the stabilty of the schools...Looks like we are going to look some more mid month in CH. Thanks everyone.
I live in Chapel Hill, and I like the old neighbourhood part of it that I live in with the houses further apart from each other, and the bigger yard; the schools took a part in our decision and the downtown area having a more European feel (we're British) - we have friends over in Cary that live in a bigger house and their neighbourhood has a more family make up than ours (turns out ours is made up of a lot of retired folk - but they like to let their hair down too )
Our politics don't differ too wildly, our kids both achieve good grades and are happy at school. Both sets of kids have had issues with other students mind.
On reflection I feel we miss out on the kids down our street playing and growing up together, and they feel they miss out on less competitive front yards and what shade their house is painted. - We all feel the pinch of our taxes, but they become just a regular outgoing and our budgets reflect that.
Good luck with your decision, and I hope you're happy in your new home.
I live in Chapel Hill, and I like the old neighbourhood part of it that I live in with the houses further apart from each other, and the bigger yard; the schools took a part in our decision and the downtown area having a more European feel (we're British) - we have friends over in Cary that live in a bigger house and their neighbourhood has a more family make up than ours (turns out ours is made up of a lot of retired folk - but they like to let their hair down too )
Our politics don't differ too wildly, our kids both achieve good grades and are happy at school. Both sets of kids have had issues with other students mind.
On reflection I feel we miss out on the kids down our street playing and growing up together, and they feel they miss out on less competitive front yards and what shade their house is painted. - We all feel the pinch of our taxes, but they become just a regular outgoing and our budgets reflect that.
Good luck with your decision, and I hope you're happy in your new home.
So would you say that there are not alot of school aged kids in CH (or just more so in Cary?) I appreciate your post. Thanks!
On reflection I feel we miss out on the kids down our street playing and growing up together, and they feel they miss out on less competitive front yards and what shade their house is painted. - We all feel the pinch of our taxes, but they become just a regular outgoing and our budgets reflect that.
Good luck with your decision, and I hope you're happy in your new home.
Although, if they chose somewhere like Timberlyne or Silver Creek or Meadowmont or Southern Village or a number of other places, they could still get that in CH. Or in Carrboro (same school system, OP), there is Wexford and Bolin Forest and a number of other places as well. We preferred an older neighborhood as well but the children-laden newer "transitional" home thing is in CH as well. Perhaps even the best of both worlds if you like the feel of CH but want the newer housing/kids everywhere thing.
So would you say that there are not alot of school aged kids in CH (or just more so in Cary?) I appreciate your post. Thanks!
I was just responding to that! There are TONS of kids in Chapel Hill--it is very child-friendly. There are some neighborhoods, especially those established in the late 60s/early 70s (there are a number of these) where you get older homes, old-growth trees, more land, etc. You also get many of the original residents. Those areas are just now turning over into the younger generation as the older residents downsize and move into retirement places. These areas are very pretty (in my opinion) but not crawling with kids. There are certainly kids there, but it's not crawling with them.
Then there are the newer neighborhoods of Chapel Hill, which are most definitely crawling with kids. They are the ones I mentioned in my last post (Southern Village, Meadowmont, Timberlyne Estates, Timberlyne (this one is actually older but still has tons of kids), and there are many more. Also in Carrboro there are Wexford, Bolin Forest, Spring Valley, Lake Hogan Farms, Cate's Farm, etc etc.
Basically there is a choice in CH--everywhere has kids but if you want the place crawling with kids then stick with the newer developments.
Also, just to give you a sense: there are 4-5 kindergarten classes (same for each other elementary grade) in each elementary school in CHapel Hill. These classes typically have 20-24 kids in them (2 teachers). That's 100 kids of each age group for each school. The schools in CH are, for the most part, neighborhood schools (there are a couple of areas where the kids don't go to the closest school but that's rare and easy to find out and still only a short drive as CH isn't that big). So what's that? In K-5, that means there are about 600 elementary school kids in each neighborhood district. That's a lot of kids!
- I'm sorry for the confusion, there are certainly kids here, but as a previous poster has suggested in the older homes (mine's a 1965) the younger families are now buying the homes from the older generation whose families have grown and gone, so the kids are often not always right next door like in newer homes. I do like it though that most people love it enough to never want to move away and it makes for a lovely community, our neighbours are very friendly and my daughters friends are not too far away.
I work in Meadowmont and that certainly has a similar feel to it to what I've seen of my friend's neighbourhood in Cary but with a much higher price tag and homes closer together. What I've seen of Southern Village is similar again but even further away from the town of Chapel Hill.
As for the old-growth trees - does anyone have a leaf blower?!
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Then there are the newer neighborhoods of Chapel Hill, which are most definitely crawling with kids. They are the ones I mentioned in my last post (Southern Village, Meadowmont, Timberlyne Estates, Timberlyne (this one is actually older but still has tons of kids), and there are many more. Also in Carrboro there are Wexford, Bolin Forest, Spring Valley, Lake Hogan Farms, Cate's Farm, etc etc.
Don't forget Springcrest and Parkside in Chapel Hill. Both those neighborhoods have a ton of kids.
Exit MA - where do you live in Cary? I would love to live within walking distance of all of those things and we are considering a move to the area. Thanks!
Exit MA - where do you live in Cary? I would love to live within walking distance of all of those things and we are considering a move to the area. Thanks!
Look at the map and find the intersections of Hwy55 & High House and High House & Davis Drive. I am between the two. It's a perfect location for me. It gives me great access to everything and many different routes to take. I never have to use I-40.
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