Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Hey all - this is my first post; looking forward to your replies.
I'm headed to CH this weekend from NJ to investigate if relocation is really a good idea for our family. I have been talking with a realtor (Andrea Owens at Remax), and she is planning to take us to the following subdivisions:
Larkspur
Claremont
Winmore
Lake Hogan Woods
Southern Village
Any feedback on the "vibes" of each of these areas? We are a family of 6, with 4 children (One 6 year old and 4 year old triplets), so we need a family friendly spot close to good schools.
Definitely consider Southern Village -- when we moved from NJ back to NC, we looked at several neighborhoods and chose Southern Village. LHF, SV, and larkspur are all completed neighborhoods, so may get a different feel than with Claremont or Winmore. For SV, the elementary school (and daycare) are in the neighborhood as well -- it is great to see the parents walking their kids to school. What size home and what price range are you looking for -- feel free to PM me at anytime.
BTW, relocation to this area from NJ is a great idea. We lived in Skillman and while we really enjoyed the area, nothing beats the CH area -- NC in general is a great place to raise a family. IF you are coming this weekend, you will notice the drastic difference in weather!
Any feedback on the "vibes" of each of these areas? We are a family of 6, with 4 children (One 6 year old and 4 year old triplets), so we need a family friendly spot close to good schools.
Yikes -- triplets!
What sort of thing are you looking for? When we moved here, we looked at Lake Hogan Farms & S. Village (among others), and they are very different types of communities.
We want a house that fits all of us (so at least 4 bedrooms and a bonus room for playing), new-ish, with a fairly good sized yard in a development that has a neighborhood feel. Lots of kids around, not too ritzy, but nice. It would be great if there were parks/open spaces near by, or even part of the development. And we'd like a community pool so that summer time can be spent outside and meeting people.
Also, my husband will be traveling, so we'll need somewhat easy access the the airport.
Most of all we just want to reduce our stress and slow down our pace. The area we live is lovely, but it's intense, and everyone is keeping up with everyone else. It's too much!
Where did you move from?
You have narrowed it down to some very nice neighborhoods. I think if I was in your shoes I would seriously consider Southern Village. The other neighborhoods have wonderful homes but they are not a PUD (Planned Urban Development) like SV. In Southern Village you'll have the school, the parks, the pool, restaurants, medical offices, Weaver Street Market, concerts and activities on the village green, a movie and outdoor movies in the spring and summer. Plus there are so many families with young children there.
Larkspur is a very nice community built by Zinn. It's small - less than 70 houses. Other than the entrance, it has no through streets that connect to anything else, so traffic is light. It's in a good location for commuting via I-40. Zinn builds beautiful houses.
Claremont is another Zinn development. Similar styles to Larkspur, although a tick up in prices. It's a bit larger too, giving it nicer amenities.
Winmore is another new development off Homestead. It offers a bit of mixed-use development, but nothing on the scale of Southern Village or Meadowmont.
Lake Hogan Farms is a well-established development in Carrboro. Parts of it are quite pricey. It's big and rambling overall. And it's the furthest out on Homestead.
One tip. Homestead Road is becoming increasingly busy with all the new developments. And who knows what impact Carolina North will have on it. (UNC has a small sliver of land extending up from the Carolina North property to Homestead Road at Weaver Dairy Road Extension.) Overall it's a very nice area, and good for commuting via I-40.
Southern Village is a lovely community with lots of different types of housing. The central village is nice and has a good atmosphere. Not necessarily the best location for commuting to RTP - getting to and from I-40 during rush hours can be a headache.
Someone also mentioned Meadowmont, on NC54. Another nice mixed use development, but not quite as charming as Southern Village. And 54 is undergoing a lot of development.
Winmore is another new development off Homestead. It offers a bit of mixed-use development, but nothing on the scale of Southern Village or Meadowmont.
Lake Hogan Farms is a well-established development in Carrboro. Parts of it are quite pricey. It's big and rambling overall. And it's the furthest out on Homestead.
Someone also mentioned Meadowmont, on NC54. Another nice mixed use development, but not quite as charming as Southern Village. And 54 is undergoing a lot of development.
Lake Hogan Farms actually isn't the farthest out. Wexford is out beyond that, and you might be able to find something there as well, although as others said, it might be tough w/the square footage you want and your budget. You never know in this market though. Lots of kids in there.
Southern Village vs. Meadowmont. Well, take a look at both. I prefer Meadowmont by a landslide mainly b/c I think most of the homes in SV look cheap (just my opinion!) and the homes in Meadowmont seem much more solid and better looking (TO ME). The downtowns in both are nice if that's the kind of thing you're looking for. Prices have come down in both lately, although they are both probably more expensive than some of the other options suggested.
You could likely find most of what you are looking for in Southern Village.
Personally I much prefer Southern Village to Meadowmont. Southern Village in my opinion has well constructed nicer looking homes than Meadowmont but neither development will give you much in the way of a yard.
Southern Village is much nicer for families with small children, more of a village feel, the school within the neighborhood is more centrally located than the one is Meadowmont.
Both have community pools and clubhouses but I think the overall "vibe" in Southern Village is much nicer than that at Meadowmont.
Prices won't be cheap in either development but I think the homes in Meadowmont are even more over priced than those in Southern Village.
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