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Hi all,
My wife and I are considering a move to the Raleigh area (been planned for several years now - saving enough $$$ and the recession have delayed it some). Having read many of the threads here I've gotten a bit of a handle on the different options but was hoping for some specific area references (with pro/cons) you folks could share.
So I'm the Adman (marketing monkey) and my wife is the Registered Nurse. She's hoping to find a position in the Emergency depts of one of the major hospitals (hopefully Duke Universty Hospital in Durham - anything anyone knows about working there would be much appreciated as well!). I would likely be in a corporate head office so I expect a commute to the RTP would be in the cards(?).
Of course most every city has a downtown area with shopping and restaurants (not malls) and entertainment (theaters, pubs, galleries). We're hoping someone can please provide names of neighborhoods close by to these spots with nice, older homes (big trees we hope) in either Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, or Cary and possibly describe them a little? Thought there might be some other lesser known areas that are similar as well?
If you're looking for a real "city", Raleigh or Durham will be your best bets. It would be more difficult of a commute from ITB (Raleigh Beltline = older homes). Durham will probably fit your needs and there are several very nice older neighborhoods (Watts Hillandale, Trinity Park) that are close to Duke. If a smaller but lovely town will do, I'd suggest Hillsborough. It has a small walkable downtown. There is also Chapel Hill which has the best school system hands down and there is a wide variety of older homes close to Franklin St (equivalent of downtown). Homes and taxes are highest in CH because of its great schools. CH is home to UNC and UNC hospitals, a large academic medical center which is also top notch. Cary is a large town (population about 130K), mainly suburbs but there is a small walkable downtown that is being revitalized. I live in Cary and love it.
My husband and I both work at Duke and really enjoy it. Their ER is top notch, Level I trauma center with heliocopters arriving all the time. Google Duke HR and your wife can do a job search, look at all available RN positions and apply online. I would recommend your wife apply for NC license now - takes about 60 days. Also, hope your wife has researched nursing salaries down here. She may be in for a shocker! Hourly salaries ($20-21/hr on average) are quite a bit lower than the Northeast. My husband (RN) took a 35-40% paycut. I'm a nurse practitioner, my salary was actually slightly higher, go figure. Do some research. There is a wealth of info on this board; I used to read threads nightly prior to our move 14 months ago. Good luck!
Don't count on much in the marketing end right now.
Our state has 11% unemployment.
Homes are cheaper, but salaries are much lower in many fields.
If your jobs are solid, wait a while.
The state unemployment rate really has nothing to do with the rate here in the Triangle. We still have a`well over 90% employment rate here in this area. I know VERY few people that have been laid off. That is just in my little world. This area pays a hire wage scale than many areas of the US. It just depends where you are coming from. Most adults are fully capable of making decisions that are best for them and their circumstances.
Last edited by uncletupelo; 06-22-2009 at 07:13 PM..
The state unemployment rate really has nothing too do with the rate here in the Triangle. We still have well over 90% employment rate here in this area. I know VERY few people that have been laid off. That is just in my little world. This area pays a hire wage scale than many area of the US. It just depends where you are coming from. Most adults are fully capable of making decisions that are best for them and their circumstances.
If you're looking for a real "city", Raleigh or Durham will be your best bets. It would be more difficult of a commute from ITB (Raleigh Beltline = older homes). Durham will probably fit your needs and there are several very nice older neighborhoods (Watts Hillandale, Trinity Park) that are close to Duke. If a smaller but lovely town will do, I'd suggest Hillsborough. It has a small walkable downtown. There is also Chapel Hill which has the best school system hands down and there is a wide variety of older homes close to Franklin St (equivalent of downtown). Homes and taxes are highest in CH because of its great schools. CH is home to UNC and UNC hospitals, a large academic medical center which is also top notch. Cary is a large town (population about 130K), mainly suburbs but there is a small walkable downtown that is being revitalized. I live in Cary and love it.
My husband and I both work at Duke and really enjoy it. Their ER is top notch, Level I trauma center with heliocopters arriving all the time. Google Duke HR and your wife can do a job search, look at all available RN positions and apply online. I would recommend your wife apply for NC license now - takes about 60 days. Also, hope your wife has researched nursing salaries down here. She may be in for a shocker! Hourly salaries ($20-21/hr on average) are quite a bit lower than the Northeast. My husband (RN) took a 35-40% paycut. I'm a nurse practitioner, my salary was actually slightly higher, go figure. Do some research. There is a wealth of info on this board; I used to read threads nightly prior to our move 14 months ago. Good luck!
I had a typo in my post above. Average RN salaries START at $20-21/hr and range to about $34/hr depending on experience.
Thanks ljd1010, great info! We're planning a trip down late this summer to do some recon, a move for us is likely going to happen within the next 12mths. Things should be improving by then - should still be a buyers market as well. With everything we've read about the area we feel it's the perfect place for us and the risk giving up good jobs where we are to be where we want to be is worth it.
So my wife has about 4yrs total nursing experience with 2+ in a Level 1 trauma center. After the move she's planning to go back to school part-time to become a PA or Nurse Practitioner while working as well. Any advice/suggestions on that front?
Can someone explain and describe the Raleigh Beltline area to me? What areas are desirable there? How do schools in Durham and Raleigh compare to CH? Are most in the area using the full year (45/15) system?
So my wife has about 4yrs total nursing experience with 2+ in a Level 1 trauma center. After the move she's planning to go back to school part-time to become a PA or Nurse Practitioner while working as well. Any advice/suggestions on that front?
Both Duke and UNC have NP programs. Duke has a tuition reimbursement program after one year of service. Not certain how much they reimburse. Duke also has a PA program, the oldest in the US and one of the best. We moved here after our kids were grown so I'll leave the specific school system questions to someone with more knowledge of this, same for neighborhoods in the Raleigh beltline.
Can someone explain and describe the Raleigh Beltline area to me? What areas are desirable there? How do schools in Durham and Raleigh compare to CH? Are most in the area using the full year (45/15) system?
"Inside the Beltine" (ITB) is the old part of the city and has the "old money", like many cities. The most desirable neighborhoods there include Hayes-Barton, Cameron Park, and Country Club Hills, which have large older homes on large, mature-landscaped lots.
To learn about the school systems, go to either the Wake County Schools (Raleigh) website or Durham County Schools. Wake County is known for frequent reassignment, due to the fast growth; Durham County has much less of a danger of that, but also more schools to "watch out for".
I am new to area looking for NP job, know anyboday? We also live in H-boro, love it here.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by ljd1010
If you're looking for a real "city", Raleigh or Durham will be your best bets. It would be more difficult of a commute from ITB (Raleigh Beltline = older homes). Durham will probably fit your needs and there are several very nice older neighborhoods (Watts Hillandale, Trinity Park) that are close to Duke. If a smaller but lovely town will do, I'd suggest Hillsborough. It has a small walkable downtown. There is also Chapel Hill which has the best school system hands down and there is a wide variety of older homes close to Franklin St (equivalent of downtown). Homes and taxes are highest in CH because of its great schools. CH is home to UNC and UNC hospitals, a large academic medical center which is also top notch. Cary is a large town (population about 130K), mainly suburbs but there is a small walkable downtown that is being revitalized. I live in Cary and love it.
My husband and I both work at Duke and really enjoy it. Their ER is top notch, Level I trauma center with heliocopters arriving all the time. Google Duke HR and your wife can do a job search, look at all available RN positions and apply online. I would recommend your wife apply for NC license now - takes about 60 days. Also, hope your wife has researched nursing salaries down here. She may be in for a shocker! Hourly salaries ($20-21/hr on average) are quite a bit lower than the Northeast. My husband (RN) took a 35-40% paycut. I'm a nurse practitioner, my salary was actually slightly higher, go figure. Do some research. There is a wealth of info on this board; I used to read threads nightly prior to our move 14 months ago. Good luck!
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