Possibly accepting a position in Chapel Hill (Raleigh, Durham: rentals, buying)

[artifact]

I have been following this forum for a little while as we have waited to hear the outcome of a few job interviews. I have been offered a tentative position in Chapel Hill. I wanted to run our options past the board here to make sure I am not missing anything obvious that would put my family in a better situation.

Right now we are leaning towards renting in the Chapel Hill area with the idea of buying in the next year or two. Chapel Hill is appealing for several reasons - proximity to work and good schools were the main things. The biggest negative I see is that it is not the least expensive area around - we would definitely be looking at buying on the lower end of the price scale in Chapel Hill.

So a few questions:

One thing we really liked about the Chapel Hill schools is the Dual language program they have. Are there other areas around that also have dual language programs? There is obviously no guarantee of getting into the program in Chapel Hill, but even if not in the program, the culture of the schools would hopefully be geared towards encouraging multiple languages. My wife's family is from Spain and our daughter, who will be starting kindergarden, is fluent in both English and Spanish already, so we want to encourage her to continue that.

I have also considered the areas in Orange County outside of Chapel Hill -Carrboro, but from what I have gathered from posts here the county schools do not have the same resources? My younger daughter will need extra help and when she turns three this summer we will be starting work on an IEP with her school district. Does anyone have experience/opinion/comments on working out IEPs with the various districts?

I have been following craigslist for the rentals - any good links to local rental resources? I would possibly consider a lease-to-own option, but it is not something I am actively seeking out. It looks like rents for a 3 BR are in the 900 to 1100 range - obviously the lower the better.

A different thing we may want will be a short-term furnished rental (short-term as in a week or two) while we look for something more permanent - suggestions of places to look for those? We just will not have the time or resources to make a separate trip.

Maybe the biggest issue for us at this point - this whole job search process has taken much longer than we hoped (not surprisingly) - my wife is expecting and we are now much closer to her due date than we were hoping (due in mid May). One option is to leave her behind to have the baby here, but preferably we all come together - obviously the sooner we do so the better. There are a few states in which doctors will basically not take someone this far along (e.g. Florida) has anyone gone through this situation moving to North Carolina? I am hoping it is not a big problem in NC, but want to be prepared for it just in case.

Any opinions/comments welcome and thanks ahead of time for them.

[frogandtoad]

Carrboro is still the same school system as Chapel Hill. It is technically the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School System. So no worries there!! In fact, Carrboro has a dual language program and there would be an excellent chance at your child getting in. There are 2 classes of the dual language at Carrboro, and ONLy those who live in the Carrboro district may apply for them. (vs for example, the Mandarin program at Glenwood which has only one class and anyone anywhere in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro district may apply). The whole school system is very international (MANY students and parents from abroad, from all over the world). Carrboro has the most native Spanish speakers, although the majority are from Guatemala and Mexcio, not Spain.

Orange County schools are definitely not the same as Chapel Hill-Carrboro.

My understanding is that as long as your wife has been going in for regular pre-natal visits and is insured, she should be able to have her baby in NC. A friend of mine went through that and did have a few OBs who weren't thrilled taking her on so late, but she did end up with a good one.

Sorry, I see you were saying you were looking outside CH-Carrboro. I read it initially that you were looking outside of CH, at Carrboro. So you already know it's one district. As for Orange County schools, some people do not like the high pressure they perceive in CH and prefer Orange County. So it's all what you're looking for. With dual language being important to you, I'd say stick w/CH-Carrboro. Personally I think CH-Carrboro is the best system, but that's based on what is important to me, and of course it differs for everyone.

[artifact]

Thanks - I should be clearer on that. I have been lumping Carrboro with Chapel Hill mentally because they are the same school district. I would certainly consider living in Carrboro if I can find a nice rental there - even with no first hand knowledge of the local traffic I can't imagine the commute "all the way" from Carrboro to Chapel Hill being all that bad. I think of the 4 schools that have Spanish dual-language, at least a couple are technically in Carrboro (F.P. Graham, Scroggs, McDougle, and Carrboro are the schools).

One thing we would like to try and do is rent in the same area we want to buy in so we are not changing schools later on - that may or may not be possible, and we may change our mind later, but we felt like it is a good way to start.

[fester600]

Do not be afraid to choose Durham. My wife and I have lived here since 2007 (after moving from Cary) and we could not be happier. You could search on some of my posts for more information or direct message me and I could give you more information.

We live in Southwest Durham. My wife commutes to UNC (Kenan-Flagler) and the commute is a breeze.

from:Herndon Rd & Scott King Rd, Durham, NC 27713 to:35.883209,-78.96904 to:US-501 & US-15 & NC-54, Chapel Hill, Orange, North Carolina - Google Maps

We do not have kids just yet, but the elementary school that we tired to (Creekside) is a great option.

Congrats on your job offer!
Matt

[melijane]

I can't answer aboutr Chapel Hill. But I moved here when I was 32 weeks pregnant and had no issue with finding a Dr. I used Atrium OB/GYN in Raleigh(by Rex Hospital) I don't think its very convenient from CH but I don't think you will have a problem