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My husband has been offered a job in rtp with his company. We currently live on long island (ny), and my husband works in Manhattan. We have visited nc in the cary area for a while because we have friends there. We love cary but we only have 160,000 to spend on a house, and we would consider a townhome if we have to. Our question is outside of the normal areas, which are raliegh, cary, morrisville, where else is a suitable place to live without a horrendous commute? We don't have children yet but plan to in the near future so the schools are important to us. We have heard that clayton is not that bad of a drive, is this true and is clayton very country?
I would consider Clayton "country," especially if you're coming from the NYC area. It would be tough to find something in Cary at that price point, although not impossible. I'd look in Apex and Holly Springs as well. You can get much more for your money the further outside of RTP you go. A commute from Apex is probably about 20 minutes and a commute from Holly Springs about 30. Also, if schools are important to you, I can't say enough good things about Holly Springs schools. We're not having the huge amount of redistricting problems as the rest of Wake County since the town is so small.
clayton is the other side of raleigh for a commute to rtp. you may want to look in durham or brier creek, both of which are close to rtp - carrboro, too.
clayton is the other side of raleigh for a commute to rtp. you may want to look in durham or brier creek, both of which are close to rtp - carrboro, too.
Brier creek is in Raleigh right? Carrboro, what is this town like? It is developed, how far of a commute is it to RTP?
carrboro is close to Chapel Hill. It's a bit more ecclectic than Chapel Hill (more granola). Brier Creek is north of the Airport, yes, it's technically Raleigh, but as far North and west in Raleigh as you can get.
You may like Durham and can get a lot more house for the money than in Brier Creek. Perhaps the Southpoint area or the new developments in NE Durham - Brightleaf at the Park, Grove Park, Ravenstone. We live in Grove Park so if you are interested I can tell you more. Many nice single-family homes with 3-4 bd for your price range. We are about 10-15 minutes from Brier Creek so have access to the shops etc. I doubt you would even get a small townhome in Brier Creek for your price range. There are lots to do in Durham and yet doesn't have a crowded feel. The commute from Clayton to RTP would be rough - about 45 min-1hr and in traffic, especially if you were doing it every day. There are parts of Durham that have a reputation but his should not be applied to the whole of Durham; we love it here. The pockets to avoid tend to be around central / E-central Durham, but they are just that, pockets. A good realtor familiar with the Durham area will definitely help you avoid these parts.
You may like Durham and can get a lot more house for the money than in Brier Creek. Perhaps the Southpoint area or the new developments in NE Durham - Brightleaf at the Park, Grove Park, Ravenstone. We live in Grove Park so if you are interested I can tell you more. Many nice single-family homes with 3-4 bd for your price range. We are about 10-15 minutes from Brier Creek so have access to the shops etc. I doubt you would even get a small townhome in Brier Creek for your price range. There are lots to do in Durham and yet doesn't have a crowded feel. The commute from Clayton to RTP would be rough - about 45 min-1hr and in traffic, especially if you were doing it every day. There are parts of Durham that have a reputation but his should not be applied to the whole of Durham; we love it here. The pockets to avoid tend to be around central / E-central Durham, but they are just that, pockets. A good realtor familiar with the Durham area will definitely help you avoid these parts.
Is the Southpoint area, where the Southpoint Mall is? I've been there and it looks like a very nice area. How are Durham Schools? What zip code would that area be in? Is Grove Park a town, or is it just a development, and what zip is that in?
Yes, the Southpoint area is around the mall and is nice, we looked there before buying where we did. The main reason we chose Grove Park was the golf course. Durham schools are hit and miss; some are good, some not so good. The best person to answer these questions is Bull City Rising if he's around. he has some interesting stats on the schools. I will say that, since you don't have children yet, the schools around here change quickly (that goes for other areas and not just Durham) so the situation now would likely be different in 5 years. Especially where we are in Grove Park. Grove Park is a neighborhood that has homes on a golf course (Grove Park Linkside) and homes on a lake (Grove Park Lakeside). We live on linkside, have a backyard view of the fairway and our house was $165K. The elementary school is OK; middle / senior not so much. However, due to the new developments there are new schools springing up that are going to be servicing these new neighborhoods which are targeted to RTP workers. Grove Park has a pool, tennis courts, volleyball court, clubhouse which are covered by the HOA dues. We are expecting our first child (children actually!) right now and I am still not really thinking about schools. We have access to excellent day cares in RTP which is all I care about right now! I will say that the RTP commute from Grove Park can be 10-20 minutes depending upon the location in the Park. Traffic is busy but not horrendous.
Southpoint would be 27713, Grove Park, Ravenstone and Brightleaf at the Park are 27703.
As you can see by the responses already, there are a lot of choices. Since you don't have kids yet and school will not be an issue for a few years I highly recommend you rent (somewhere close to your jobs) for at least a year while you get your bearings about the pluses and minuses of living in each area. After living here for a while I think you will have a much easier time identifying areas that may best suite your lifestyle that also fit your budget. Good Luck!
If 30-45 minutes is OK, then Sanford may be a good option. Small town/city vibe with mid-sized city features/services Definitely affordable and well within your budget depending on what you are looking for.
Al
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