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Oh, forgot....You would really need to look at the map too. Some towns around Raleigh are far distance from I-40...which would make your commute even longer. For example, I now live in Apex and it takes me 40 minutes to get to Chapel Hill to work. Another coworker of mine lives right off of I-40 in North Raleigh and it takes her exactly 40 minutes to get to work in Chapel Hill. You would need to position yourself within 5 minutes of I-40 if you must have Raleigh and will be commuting to Greensboro. Traffic during rush hour is a killer...so much so that my husband has a 7:30 to 4:00 M-F job just to miss the traffic. The traffic that I'm talking about would be the traffic you would be hitting from Greensboro. It's only people driving from Raleigh to Chapel Hill in the mornings and vise versa in the evenings that have a little relief.
Hey everybody. This guy knows what he's in for regarding the commute. He's not unfamiliar with the Triangle and grew up in Greensboro. Since he went to UNC, he is undoubtedly familiar with the lion's share of the commute.
I have lived in Houston and can tell you that nothing about any commute in NC can even come close to being as horrible as commuting there is. I am pretty sure that's his perspective too.
Oh, forgot....You would really need to look at the map too. Some towns around Raleigh are far distance from I-40...which would make your commute even longer. For example, I now live in Apex and it takes me 40 minutes to get to Chapel Hill to work. Another coworker of mine lives right off of I-40 in North Raleigh and it takes her exactly 40 minutes to get to work in Chapel Hill. You would need to position yourself within 5 minutes of I-40 if you must have Raleigh and will be commuting to Greensboro. Traffic during rush hour is a killer...so much so that my husband has a 7:30 to 4:00 M-F job just to miss the traffic. The traffic that I'm talking about would be the traffic you would be hitting from Greensboro. It's only people driving from Raleigh to Chapel Hill in the mornings and vise versa in the evenings that have a little relief.
I agree that the commute would be best mitigated by living near commuting highways. I didn't say Interstate because I wonder if taking US-70 from NW Raleigh to I-85 S. in Durham could be better than fighting through RTP traffic on I-40. It's just a hunch because I really don't have any experience with it. If it's an option, then it opens up NW Wake County as a possibility. There are tons of people here who could tell you about the Brier Creek and other areas that are near US70 W.
I'd think that, when commuting to Greensboro, you'd leave pretty early to help your parents on those days. If that's the case, you might not hit Triangle traffic. If you were on the road by 6:30 AM, I think you'd miss most of the traffic and really only have to deal with rush hour when you got to Greensboro. On the back end, if you left at 5:30 PM from Greensboro, you'd also miss the nastiest evening rush (5-6:30) coming back to Raleigh.
I'm surprised that the OP thinks that Raleigh has so much more happening than Greensboro or the Triad in general. Raleigh isn't Houston. There isn't really a WHOLE lot more here than there would be in the Triad.
And besides, boring is in the eye of the beholder.
there is a big difference between a big city commute of 90 minutes and a between city commute of 90 minutes. i think you'll see what i mean as soon as you tryi it for a few weeks (i used to commute in dallas 60+ minutes each way). as far as raleigh goes, i think the poster that mentioned brier creek was dead on. if you're committed to raleigh, that is a central location with lots to offer. if you're open, you might also consider sw durham. it doesn't have the luster of the raleigh designation, but its a great area for young families, and there's still more values to be found in the area.
I think you should be looking at the Chapel Hill area. It depends on if you are looking at townhouses or single family homes. I work in Chapel Hill and have several coworkers that live in greensboro and commute from there. If you want East Chapel Hill High (one of the best in the state) you are looking at living in a pricy area. You could get a townhouse in Chapel Hill for that price, but it would be rare to find a single family home in the East chapil hill high district for that price. You might find one at Colony Woods subdivision, 1/2 the sub is Durham schools and 1/2 is East chapel hill high. It takes my coworkers one hour to get from greensboro to Chapel hill. Chapel Hill has excellent food, nightlife, and is only 10 minutes from Southpoint Mall (which is really nice). There is really a lot that Chapel Hill offers and it's not just a bunch of undergrads that live there. There a lot, in fact tons of people in their 20's either working in Chapel Hill or in grad school there. You would be meeting people like yourself easily.
If you want more house for your money and lower property taxes, try North Chatham county. It would only add about 10 more minutes to your commute. It is still near all that goes on in Chapel Hill and you get more house for your money there. The schools are still excellent in North Chatham. You could try Governors Lake Towns. A cute subdivision with pool, grocery...everything near by.
My third suggestion would be to live in Pittsboro or still in Chatham county, but near Chapel Hill. Still, a much closer commute from Raleigh. Crime is very low in Chapel Hill, Pittsboro, and Chatham County in general. Briar Chapel is a new development inbetween Pittsboro and Chapel Hill. It will be huge and you can find a single family home within your price range. 24 miles of walking trails, magnet school right in the subdivision, huge pool, fitness center, lots of amenites. The only person I know of personally that have bought there are one of our docs at the hospital. There will be tons of young professionals that will live in briar chapel due to the fact that living in Chapel Hill has out priced many of them. Briar Chapel presents itself as a really neat community that's still somewhat affordable. Keep in mind though-it's a totally new community and you never know with the new economy whether or not to feel uneasy with new communities right now. There was one brand new community in Apex that was abandoned halfway through.
To summerize, you will get WAY more house and a nicer house at that if you stay near Greenboro in towns like Mebane and Burlington. If you must be near bustling activity, have great schools, low crime, great food, and shopping...live in or near Chapel Hill. My friends that live in Raleigh come to Chapel Hill a good bit for the nightlife and food. I think you would thank yourself later because your commute would not be as bad.
Wow, thank you so much for the insight.
I really liked Chapel Hill when I went to school there.
I am a die-hard Tar Heel hoops fan.
I liked the town, the campus, and the people.
It's a little small for my taste, but still very nice.
We are looking for a newer single family home with at least 3 bedrooms and I have a feeling that we would not be able to afford anything in Chapel Hill for our price.
I guess growing up in the Triad, it got old for me and I would want to live in the Triangle just for a change of pace.
How far is it from Mebane to Raleigh BTW?
Hey everybody. This guy knows what he's in for regarding the commute. He's not unfamiliar with the Triangle and grew up in Greensboro. Since he went to UNC, he is undoubtedly familiar with the lion's share of the commute.
I have lived in Houston and can tell you that nothing about any commute in NC can even come close to being as horrible as commuting there is. I am pretty sure that's his perspective too.
That's basically what I've been trying to get across.
I can't imagine having to drive an hour and a half a couple of days out of the week b/w G-boro and Raleigh is any worse than having to drive an hour plus everyday here in Houston.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rnc2mbfl
I agree that the commute would be best mitigated by living near commuting highways. I didn't say Interstate because I wonder if taking US-70 from NW Raleigh to I-85 S. in Durham could be better than fighting through RTP traffic on I-40. It's just a hunch because I really don't have any experience with it. If it's an option, then it opens up NW Wake County as a possibility. There are tons of people here who could tell you about the Brier Creek and other areas that are near US70 W.
I'd think that, when commuting to Greensboro, you'd leave pretty early to help your parents on those days. If that's the case, you might not hit Triangle traffic. If you were on the road by 6:30 AM, I think you'd miss most of the traffic and really only have to deal with rush hour when you got to Greensboro. On the back end, if you left at 5:30 PM from Greensboro, you'd also miss the nastiest evening rush (5-6:30) coming back to Raleigh.
I sure hope you car has good gas mileage!
I'm an early bird (I wake up here in Houston at 6am everyday to go to work) so getting up early is no biggie for me.
And yes, I do have a car (Toyota) with good gas mileage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by skaternum
I'm surprised that the OP thinks that Raleigh has so much more happening than Greensboro or the Triad in general. Raleigh isn't Houston. There isn't really a WHOLE lot more here than there would be in the Triad.
And besides, boring is in the eye of the beholder.
I know Raleigh isn't Houston but it just seems there's more to do in the Triangle than there is to do in the Triad.
I grew up in the Triad and have been everywhere there is to go and done just about all there is to do there.
The boredom there was a big reason I moved down here to Houston in the first place.
They don't call it "Greensboring" for nothing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BranFlakes
there is a big difference between a big city commute of 90 minutes and a between city commute of 90 minutes. i think you'll see what i mean as soon as you tryi it for a few weeks (i used to commute in dallas 60+ minutes each way). as far as raleigh goes, i think the poster that mentioned brier creek was dead on. if you're committed to raleigh, that is a central location with lots to offer. if you're open, you might also consider sw durham. it doesn't have the luster of the raleigh designation, but its a great area for young families, and there's still more values to be found in the area.
Thanks for the suggestion about Brier Creek.
What are the major suburbs of Raleigh and which one would be best for our family?
Mebane is a 40 minute drive to South Raleigh. I still think you should check out the website for Briar Chapel. It's across from Fearrington Village. It's only a 10 minute drive to Chapel Hill. The houses there start at 209,000. Briar Chapel is going to be like Southern Village. We are interested in #1 Low Crime, #2 great schools, #3 close to grocery, shopping etc. My husband being a computer analyst did an in depth query for us based on statistics in the area and came up with these towns at the top of the list based on these three criteria:
1. Chapel Hill/Pittsboro/Chatham County
2. Cary
3. Morrisville
4. Clayton
5. Wake Forest
6. Fuquay Varina
Raleigh didn't make the list, nor did Durham.
Cary is too expensive for us as well as Chapel Hil. We can however live in Pittsboro/Chatham County, Clayton, Wake Forest, Fuquay Varina, and maybe Morrisville. Raleigh is not on the list due to crime stats. There are many areas that are safe in Raleigh, but according to the stats and my husband being very analytical and fact based, Raleigh is out.
Hey everybody. This guy knows what he's in for regarding the commute. He's not unfamiliar with the Triangle and grew up in Greensboro. Since he went to UNC, he is undoubtedly familiar with the lion's share of the commute.
He hasn't said how long it's been since he lived in Chapel Hill--I went to school at UNC as well, in the 1980s, and the traffic was NOTHING then compared to what it is now.
I was also going to suggest Mebane or Hillsborough, but if Chapel Hill is too small then obvoiously these towns won't work. I think they are the best option, especially for Mebane being the best for the money and a nice commute to Greensboro. Durham and Chapel Hill are only 20 minutes away and Raleigh 30-45 minutes, depending on what part. Obviously the OP only wants Raleigh so I say check out the Brier Creek area. I still have clients I sit for in Brier Creek and I can get there in 25 minutes or so from Efland. I take 85 to 70 for a client that lives closer to 70/Miami. If I was going straight to my clients in Brier Creek I would take 85 to 147. Both are faster than 40, which I never take unless I am going to something off of 40. If you are going to commute to Greensboro from North Raleigh you are looking at a minimum of an hour during non rush hour, which you seem fine with. Also SW Durham is still close to Raleigh but puts you slighty closer to Greensboro and a bit more affordable than Raleigh. Rent before you buy to make sure this works for you!
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