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Thread summary:

North Carolina town descriptions, possible relocation, family with two young children, Cary, Morrisville, North Raleigh, Wake Forest, Holly Springs, sprawling suburbs, subdivisions with strip malls

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Old 01-14-2007, 11:31 AM
 
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We are looking to move to wake county over the next few months. Can someone describe the following towns to give us a picture of which communities might best meet our needs? We are from NH and have 2 young children. Thanks!

Cary
Morrisville
North Raleigh
Wake Forest
Rolesville
Holly Springs
Fuquay Varina
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Old 01-14-2007, 11:36 AM
 
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I'd personally describe them all as sprawling suburbs of Raleigh-proper---you've seen one, you've seen them all, to be honest. Subdivisions and stripmalls.
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Old 01-14-2007, 11:39 AM
 
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well, that is discouraging! Where would recommend moving to within a reaonable drive to RTP?
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Old 01-14-2007, 12:58 PM
 
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that depends on how much you are prepared to spend on buying a house - the further out you go the cheaper the price - the closer to RTP then you will generally pay more
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Old 01-14-2007, 01:26 PM
 
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Originally Posted by on the move View Post
Where would recommend moving to within a reaonable drive to RTP?
The best would be Durham by far. Like a 5-10 minute drive sometimes!
(And it's actually more affordable than Cary or North Raleigh.)
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Old 01-14-2007, 02:29 PM
 
Location: Wake Forest
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Originally Posted by RaleighRob View Post
I'd personally describe them all as sprawling suburbs of Raleigh-proper---you've seen one, you've seen them all, to be honest. Subdivisions and stripmalls.
They are pretty similar, but there are downtowns in some of them...and more then stripmalls in Wake Forest at least.
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Old 01-14-2007, 02:56 PM
 
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Default Wake Forest and Durham

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Originally Posted by Desdemona123 View Post
They are pretty similar, but there are downtowns in some of them...and more then stripmalls in Wake Forest at least.
Would you say that Wake Forest has more character than Cary, Morisville, Apex, etc?
How far is the drive from Wake Forest to RTP? I have an old map, it looks to be about 20 miles? Is that a congested drive in rush hour? There only seems to be one major road Hwy 98.

OK, anyone have the REAL lowdown on Durham? First I hear "trashy, run-down, gang violence", but I also hear that it's a great value because it doesn't really have these problems. What is the downtown area like? Any good restaurants, bookstores, children's stores, coffee shops, etc?
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Old 01-14-2007, 03:40 PM
 
Location: Wake Forest
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Originally Posted by marymel View Post
Would you say that Wake Forest has more character than Cary, Morisville, Apex, etc?
How far is the drive from Wake Forest to RTP? I have an old map, it looks to be about 20 miles? Is that a congested drive in rush hour? There only seems to be one major road Hwy 98.

OK, anyone have the REAL lowdown on Durham? First I hear "trashy, run-down, gang violence", but I also hear that it's a great value because it doesn't really have these problems. What is the downtown area like? Any good restaurants, bookstores, children's stores, coffee shops, etc?
Wake Forest is a much smaller town then Cary (and Morrisville is just an offshoot of Cary that I can tell) so you really can't compare them. I've been told there is more to Cary then what I've seen...which is nothing but beige strip malls, so others will have to comment on the charms of Cary.

Wake Forest does have a quiant downtown and unique things while still being close to Raleigh. We have two strip mall sections, but they are not the entire town by far.

I avoid Durham to be honest...so I can't really say much about it. Ijust don't think Durham schools are yet up the quality I want for my child. That may change.

Between Wake Forest and Raleigh I can find all the resturants, almost all the shopping (Durham does have Southern Seasons and a Nordstrums) I need.

Yes, getting from Wake Forest into Durham is probably quickest down 98. I drive it every day to Route 50 (so I don't know how crowded it is past that)....if I leave by 7am, it's the speed limit all the way. If I leave at 7:20, it's fine for a bit, but a few miles before the light on Six Forks Road it is stop and roll until after the light, when it picks up to the speed limit again.
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Old 01-14-2007, 04:21 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marymel View Post
OK, anyone have the REAL lowdown on Durham? First I hear "trashy, run-down, gang violence", but I also hear that it's a great value because it doesn't really have these problems. What is the downtown area like? Any good restaurants, bookstores, children's stores, coffee shops, etc?
There's bad areas that fit that first description...but then every city has something like that almost. Durham's only different in that it has a somewhat higher population of minorities, including economically depressed populations, making those "bad areas" a bit bigger and definitely giving them more recognition. Unfortunately to many people's eyes, especially safety-obsessed upper-middle class white suburbanites, that makes it appear to a be a scary dark city that you should never step a foot into and run away or the boogyman will get you.

Yes, the downtown, and areas just to the west of it, has those restaurants, bookstores, coffee shops, etc just like downtown Raleigh & downtown Chapel Hill do.
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Old 01-14-2007, 05:12 PM
 
Location: FL
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Originally Posted by RaleighRob View Post
There's bad areas that fit that first description...but then every city has something like that almost. Durham's only different in that it has a somewhat higher population of minorities, including economically depressed populations, making those "bad areas" a bit bigger and definitely giving them more recognition. Unfortunately to many people's eyes, especially safety-obsessed upper-middle class white suburbanites, that makes it appear to a be a scary dark city that you should never step a foot into and run away or the boogyman will get you.

Yes, the downtown, and areas just to the west of it, has those restaurants, bookstores, coffee shops, etc just like downtown Raleigh & downtown Chapel Hill do.
You're so right. I was going to respond to Mary's question but you did a good job. Just to respond to Mary, I moved to Durham two weeks from Florida via Arizona. The one thing I wish I didn't do before I moved here was to read and listen to all of the stuff about Durham. If you just read the papers in this area and this message board, Durham is hell on earth. I didn't have any opinions about the area and I know that all cities have their problems.

Durham is a nice city and the people are friendly. I live in Southwest Durham very close to Chapel Hill that I can smell it. You would think from reading everything, that there was no safe area in this city but that just ain't true. There are some very nice areas of Durham and I'm in one near Hope Valley. You gotta take precautions no matter what city you live in. Sure there are quite a few minorities, r.e. blacks and Mexicans, but not one has attacked me as of yet. Where I stay at is pretty diverse b/c there are a good number of whites over here as well.

Isn't it funny that those same white people errr............people can live and play in Durham but some of the people in Wake "avoid Durham"? Too much! I've never seen such, how do I say, ignorance from a metro area citizens. That would be akin to someone in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex saying that he or she avoids Fort Worth or asking if Fort Worth is really safe b/c their to ignorant to decide to for themselves and instead of being a sheep. I mean, how closed minded and closet racist can you be. The only reason some of you avoid and ask those questions is b/c you read about a murder that a minority may have committed and b/c Durham is full of them, then it must not be safe b/c "you know how they are".

For a so called highly educated metro area, some the people here sure don't act that way. And to top it off, it makes you guys look like 'billies' to an outsider from a more cosmopolitan metro area. Yeah, you have a number of transplants moving here, but at it core this metro area still possess some of those things that makes it feel like a big town instead of a big metro area. Some of you can be afraid of Durham all you want but to an outsider you just look like a total a*s. Grow the f*ck up and then maybe, just maybe Raleigh-Durham will be considered in the league of a metro area like Charlotte or those in Florida.

Sorry to go off for those that don't deserve, but I've had enough of this nonsense about Durham.
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