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I agree with much of what the OP said. The huge population influx from the Northeast and its resultant housing boom have pretty much squeezed a lot of the character out of this area.
Last edited by SunnyKayak; 05-06-2009 at 10:30 AM..
Reason: flaming - use dm instead
I agree with much of what the OP said. The huge population influx from the Northeast and its resultant housing boom have pretty much squeezed a lot of the character out of this area.
The thing I wonder is when will it stop? The same thing is happening in Knoxville: Tons of people from the Northeast moving in, buying up all the lakefront property, buying Mcmansions, etc etc. Of course I think blame deserves to go to city planners whom aren't thinking ahead. But at the current pace, they'll move onto Louville, KY, Chattanooga, TN, and so on until the whole Southeast is an extension of the Northeast. I suppose that's what you get when a huge chunk of the population lives in one region and shifts to another.
I dunno...we live in a non-McMansion neighborhood in Cary in a house we bought for under $200k earlier this year, and there isn't a luxury car on the block. And we love it.
And the traffic around us is orders of magnitude better than it was in the Bay Area where we came from. But that's just our experience.
Last edited by SFspiderman; 05-06-2009 at 11:09 AM..
So in summary, I kind of felt that the reasons that so many people that I read on here, from places like MA, NJ, NY and so on list as being reasons they want to move to Raleigh/Duraham have more or less evaporated. The area is not what I would call exactly a steal price wise nor culturally interesting. I'm sensitive to Southern culture since I am a Southerner, and to me much of what was a Southern city is long-gone. If you are a Northerner looking to escape the North, I don't believe you'll find the area to be all that different from where you're moving from simply because so many of you have moved down and brought the North with you, with all of its expense, problems, and so on. Give Raleigh another 5-10 years and it'll be very similiar to anywhere up North, along with all of its problems, expense, and enivitable corrupt government.
This bears reposting.
You can only pour so many thousands upon thousands from New Jersey and LonGiiiiland into an area before the very things people left there trying to get away from, begin popping up in the new area (traffic, cost of living, less gentility and "Southern manners"). How long before our roads are just like the Joisey Toinpike or the LI Expressway?
I agree with much of what the OP said. The huge population influx from the Northeast and its resultant housing boom have pretty much squeezed a lot of the character out of this area.
This will be the same end to any place that has decent wages and a low cost of living.
People jump on it, and flock. Im not from the North East, I actually just live 3 hours away in Norfolk, VA, but Raleigh is one of the most likely candidates for me to go.
I probably will end up living in a vinyl jungle, since theyre often more affordable then older more distinct homes. Additionally, it appears a number of the older houses in the area are on septic systems, which I dont want any part of.
Im really not trying to squeeze the character out of anything, Im simply looking for a place where I can actually afford four walls and maybe a garage and a yard. That isnt where I live now, and its certainly not in the northeast.
You can only pour so many thousands upon thousands from New Jersey and LonGiiiiland into an area before the very things people left there trying to get away from, begin popping up in the new area (traffic, cost of living, less gentility and "Southern manners"). How long before our roads are just like the Joisey Toinpike or the LI Expressway?
They will likely pack up, and move on to the next flavor of the month.
Remember Arizona? Florida? These two states were dirt cheap through the 80's and in to the 90's. People started flocking there, especially established people from the upper midwest and NE looking for higher standards of living.
Now what? Well, people are moving from Florida and Arizona, and those states have all but been destroyed by high cost of living and over building.
This actually happened in Charlotte already. People went flocking there for good jobs and low cost of living. Now its overpriced and has huge unemployment and people running for the hills.
I think, any place that can combine desireable location, good jobs, and low cost of living, is going to meet the exact same fate.
To me personally, this is a distressing observation of the area and its future that silverbox made. I was seriously considering moving to Durham but then I would be part of the problem.
Im really not trying to squeeze the character out of anything, Im simply looking for a place where I can actually afford four walls and maybe a garage and a yard. That isnt where I live now, and its certainly not in the northeast.
I get what you're saying and don't blame you for thinking as such. I think a lot of people these days are making decisions to move somewhere based heavily on affordability versus local and regional character. To be honest, I did see quite a few areas with what I'd call somewhat boring, older 1970's brick houses well within the range of affordabilty. These were far better as far than the Mcmansions, but that's not saying that much.
What I'm getting at is that perhaps when people make decisions on moving somewhere, there should be more thought put into what that area is like. I think much of the problem with higher growth areas like Raleigh is that home builders these days have huge amounts of financial clout. Thee guys have lost billions of billions of dollars over the past few years... yet they are still around and buying up land. They make as much as 200% over the cost to build. They are in the business of making homes as cheap as possible. The result is generic. I have no intrest in becoming what amounts to an ant stuffed into a colony.
Honestly, the more I see these cities that get touted as "great places to live", I can't help but wonder if its really a carefully orchestrated PR campaign co-developed by home builders, banks, and local politicians whom are too happy to get the tax increase benefits. Once these "great places to live" places are filled and the cost of living overrides that distinction, they'll move onto the next small metro and repeat.
I am a transplant and I didn't move here for anything you said. I lived in a state with a high cost of living, but high wages, little to no tax and a lot of sprawling wilderness. I moved because I got tired of the climate. When I came to Durham in 2007 it felt like home, so I decided I could afford to take a $25,000 a year pay cut and move here. I have not regretting my decision in the least. I don't think I will be living in a McMansion, but I have been told I will live in a nice neighborhood. I currently live in North Durham in an apartment and I can honestly say it is very quiet and the only time I hear sirens is when someone in the assisted living community up the street has to be taken to the hospital. You can find what you're looking for if you take time to look for it. Maybe Greensboro is a better fit for you. If you move somewhere because it feels like you belong, and not because you're chasing something, you'll find that you'll be much happier. Which makes me wonder why you're looking to move here anyway. Are you chasing decent wages and lower cost of living, like the very people you have an issue with?
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