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We are a young family (in our 20's) from the Houston area with a 5 month old son and are thinking about moving to the Raleigh area.
I would be traveling to commuting to Greensboro almost on a daily basis to help run my parents' business there.
I did grow up in Greensboro (NE Greensboro, to be exact) and went to school at UNC-CH (Go Heels!) so I am familiar with the state.
However, I know next to NOTHING about the Raleigh area except that it seems to be a nice spot for young professionals such as ourselves.
The main things we would be looking for are good schools for our son (when he's old enough), low crime, good eats and good amount of entertainment.
We are looking for newish homes either in the city or just outside the city.
What area(s) should we look at and what areas should we definitely stay away from? (I always heard bad things about SE Raleigh when I was in school).
Our price range on a house would probably be up to $250k.
Have you considered living in Hillsborough? I have late-20s friends there that enjoy it. They don't have kids so not sure how the schools are and they're not big 'clubbers' so being close to the party scene isn't important to them as they're not going out on the town every weekend. I couldn't imagine commuting to Greensboro from Raleigh several times a week (but that's just me).
Have you considered living in Hillsborough? I have late-20s friends there that enjoy it. They don't have kids so not sure how the schools are and they're not big 'clubbers' so being close to the party scene isn't important to them as they're not going out on the town every weekend. I couldn't imagine commuting to Greensboro from Raleigh several times a week (but that's just me).
No, we have not considered Hillsborough.
Just looking at it on a map it seems to be kind of out in the middle of nowhere.
We would be moving from Houston where there is a lot to do, so we need somewhere with shopping malls, restaurants, etc and Raleigh seems to have that.
Raleigh is about an hour and a half from Greensboro, right?
Living here in a suburb of Houston, my commute is often an hour so an extra 30 minutes or so a couple of days a week would not be that big a deal for me.
Is North Raleigh a good area?
You'd get REALLY tired of the commute from Raleigh to GSO. Why on earth would you choose to live in Raleigh when your work was in Greensboro? You should look on at least the western part of Chapel Hill (Mebane, for example) if not Greensboro itself?
Don't move to Raleigh if you'll have to commute to Greensboro. You'll be very, very sorry. It's a long, boring drive and there's nothing to see at all on the way. Plus, you'll probably be prone to falling asleep while driving. Please, don't even consider it. You'd be better to consider Winston-Salem.
best,
toodie
You'd get REALLY tired of the commute from Raleigh to GSO. Why on earth would you choose to live in Raleigh when your work was in Greensboro? You should look on at least the western part of Chapel Hill (Mebane, for example) if not Greensboro itself?
I guess a big part of it is that I lived in Greensboro for a long time and can't really see myself living there again.
I also don't want to live too close to my parents.
Mebane may be a decent choice, I guess.
What is there to do in Mebane?
How far is it from Raleigh?
Chapel Hill seems to be out of my price range from what I can remember from going to school there.
Don't move to Raleigh if you'll have to commute to Greensboro. You'll be very, very sorry. It's a long, boring drive and there's nothing to see at all on the way. Plus, you'll probably be prone to falling asleep while driving. Please, don't even consider it. You'd be better to consider Winston-Salem.
best,
toodie
Can't see myself living in Winston-Salem, sorry.
I grew up in the Triad and found it to be rather boring and sketchy in a lot of areas.
I've driven plenty of times from Greensboro to Chapel Hill and did not find it to be that bad.
Raleigh is only another 30 minutes or so away.
Like I said before, down here in Houston a typical commute is about an hour (sometimes longer).
Do you mean Goldsboro, not Greensboro? It's more like an hour to Goldsboro, and that's averaging 80mph in clear traffic. Which depending on when you're commuting, it won't be.
Do you mean Goldsboro, not Greensboro? It's more like an hour to Goldsboro, and that's averaging 80mph in clear traffic. Which depending on when you're commuting, it won't be.
Yes, I meant Greensboro.
The hour and a half travel time I'm referring to is without traffic.
How bad is the traffic on I-40 in the mornings?
Also, back to my original topic, what areas in and around Raleigh are good for someone in my situation?
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.
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