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Thank you to everyone that has helped our family with all of our questions and inqueries...here are some more for ya
I believe we have narrowed down our choices to 1) Chapel Hill/Carroboro and 2) Hillsborough or Morrisville. This is based purely on internet research (esp. these boards), the commute distance to downtown Durham (American Tobacco District), schools for my soon-to be FOUR children and "vibe" (please realize I know it is hard to get a vibe from sitting on a computer in Minnesota - but being on bedrest for the rest of this pregnancy with absolutely no way to visit...that's my only option at this point).
Is the noise in Morrisville neighborhoods really hard to get used to? We live in a somewhat rural/quiet neighborhood in Minnesota and will have a newborn and nappers here. Loud trains and planes are not something we have dealt with...
Are we really hitting the public school school jackpot in Chapel Hill? I have read only good things and the test scores reflect many of the opinions...but there is only a very limited area that we can afford within the Chapel Hill school area...and wow, the houses in our budget are NOTHING like we can get elsewhere. Also, we are not on any waiting lists for preschools...will we find one with an opening in the middle of September?
As far as Hillsborough goes, are there active young family neighborhoods in the area? I am all about a nice size yard (for us that is .5 acre) but not if our only neighbor is 5 acres away. I know we would put ourselves in Orange COunty schools which I have done no research on yet...but liked what I have seen with commute and the whole Weaver Street market/artist/writer area.
We will be moving in the middle of September and will be living in corporate housing for 3 months to get our bearings/buy a home. I would just like to be focused on a single area/town before we get there.
Thanks again!
Corly
Last edited by corlyjones; 07-17-2009 at 07:44 AM..
Is the noise in Morrisville neighborhoods really hard to get used to? We live in a somewhat rural/quiet neighborhood in Minnesota and will have a newborn and nappers here. Loud trains and planes are not something we have dealt with...
Let me put it this way. . . . . we lived in Morrisville for 9 months when we first moved to this area. Mainly because I worked in RTP and we found an apartment that was only 6 miles from my office.
When we started searching for houses, we did not even bother to look in Morrisville due to the airplane noise, train noise, and traffic from commuters going into RTP.
Parts of Morrisville can be noisy if you're on the flight path or near the tracks, but not every place in Morrisville is. If schools are important to you though, Morrisville is in Wake Co. and I'm sure you've read all about that mess.
Chapel Hill schools are wonderful, but as you've noted, it's expensive. It's also got a huge student population as the town is pretty much centered around the university. I don't know that I'd pay that much to live in that area with a family.
I'm not too familiar with Hillsborough, only been there a handful of times. It's nice enough, but it's a little far out there for me. It's not like all of the other suburbs of Raleigh.
As for preschool, yes, it is tough here. Preschool registration has already taken place and there are waiting lists for most schools. People who are on waiting lists will likely drop off after they get into whatever schools they wanted (many waitlist at multiple schools), so when that happens, some spots will open up. So it's not impossible to get into one, just a luck of the draw.
Yes, you have hit a jackpot with Chapel Hill schools. I know people who could afford a three bedroom house in Durham or Wake Forest who instead rent a two bedroom apartment in Chapel Hill because the schools are so amazing. East Chapel Hill High is probably the best school in the state (Science and Math is good too, but that's a boarding school you have to apply to and it doesn't matter where in NC you live). I would definitely, definitely do all you can to make sure you live in Chapel Hill, plus it's so lovely!
There really isn't a school district in the area that compares. Cary is also really good, but Chapel Hill is creme de la creme, and certainly much MUCH better than the other towns you mentioned. I go to Duke. In my year, 7 or 8 kids came from East Chapel Hill High, and a handful of others from Chapel Hill High. Cary High sent 3. No other public school in the area sent more than 1.
Yes, you have hit a jackpot with Chapel Hill schools.
Then again. . . . . . One of my coworkers moved here from the midwest 2 years ago and moved to Chapel Hill because of the schools. Once enrolled, she and her husband were so upset with the school that her kids were in that she seriously considered taking them out. Her disagreements seemed to be related to the kids not getting enough time to enjoy themselves creatively and socially. I had to listen to her vent every day about one thing or another
Then again. . . . . . One of my coworkers moved here from the midwest 2 years ago and moved to Chapel Hill because of the schools. Once enrolled, she and her husband were so upset with the school that her kids were in that she seriously considered taking them out. Her disagreements seemed to be related to the kids not getting enough time to enjoy themselves creatively and socially.
See kids, let Mommie show you what can happen when one doesn't do her homework before the big test on "which school will be best for my kids?"
I honestly wouldn't write Durham off just yet. We moved to Durham (from Raleigh) for many reasons, but two of the biggest were for short commutes and good neighborhood schools. FWIW, we could have afforded a nice home in Chapel Hill, so its not as if we're "slummin' it" in the Bull City just b/c we didn't have the money for Chapel Hill.
Orange County schools, while good, are a far cry from the CH/Carrboro schools. I personally believe the Durham schools offer a better education simply due to a greater socioeconomic diversity of people and greater choice in course offerings and schools across the district.
Northern Durham is littered with families with young children, and .5 acre lots with nice homes can certainly be found with nieghbors close by. The prices in the area are quite good relative to many other parts of the Triangle.
I honestly wouldn't write Durham off just yet. We moved to Durham (from Raleigh) for many reasons, but two of the biggest were for short commutes and good neighborhood schools. FWIW, we could have afforded a nice home in Chapel Hill, so its not as if we're "slummin' it" in the Bull City just b/c we didn't have the money for Chapel Hill.
Orange County schools, while good, are a far cry from the CH/Carrboro schools. I personally believe the Durham schools offer a better education simply due to a greater socioeconomic diversity of people and greater choice in course offerings and schools across the district.
Northern Durham is littered with families with young children, and .5 acre lots with nice homes can certainly be found with nieghbors close by. The prices in the area are quite good relative to many other parts of the Triangle.
I mean, everyone's different. The actual testing scores, colleges placements, and pretty much every objective criteria I know favor Chapel Hill schools. If socioeconomic diversity is more important than getting your children into Duke or UNC, then yeah Durham schools are the way to go. Everyone is different.
I mean, everyone's different. The actual testing scores, colleges placements, and pretty much every objective criteria I know favor Chapel Hill schools.
I won't debate that CH schools are good, but geez does this place have a tendency to pat itself on the back just a little too much. What the actual testing scores, college placements, and other objective criteria show is that CH is blessed with a very gifted student population who predominately live in well-off families who themselves are academically oriented and extremely supportive of educational achievement. In other words, there's a strong tendency for CH schools to claim that it's "output" is superior while ignoring the quality of it's "input." There's no guarantee that your dumb-ass kid is going to do any better in CH schools than they would in one of the other fine local school districts. (Speaking as the parent of one bell curve anchor. ) I'm perfectly happy with CH schools and would recommend them to anyone - I just think a does of honest reality is needed.
I mean, everyone's different. The actual testing scores, colleges placements, and pretty much every objective criteria I know favor Chapel Hill schools. If socioeconomic diversity is more important than getting your children into Duke or UNC, then yeah Durham schools are the way to go. Everyone is different.
I was drawing a comparison between DPS & Orange County Schools...not CH/Carrboro. I'm not denying that the CH schools are among the best in the state. That said, there is more to measuring a good school than just standardized test results.
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and "vibe" (please realize I know it is hard to get a vibe from sitting on a computer in Minnesota - but being on bedrest for the rest of this pregnancy with absolutely no way to visit...that's my only option at this point). 
) I'm perfectly happy with CH schools and would recommend them to anyone - I just think a does of honest reality is needed.
