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Hello, we will be relocating to NC soon; my husband will work in RTP. I've been doing a lot of research online and reading threads here on city-data. Most of the info is about Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, Chapel Hill, etc. Hmm, maybe that is my first clue? But seriously....looking at a map....
What concerns me most is we are looking for a friendly, down to earth area. Currently, we reside in a suburb that is so snobby. I'm a stay at home mom, and I see it everywhere--my childrens' schools, extra-curricular activities, the neighborhood, etc. I think we've realized in past moves, we got lucky and lived in "middle of the road" suburbs----sure, you come in contact with snobs everywhere, but most people were nice. In our current suburb, it's all about the biggest baddest SUVs, boats, country club memberships, $300 diaper bags, moms dressing up to go to the park, etc.
So....what "middle of the road" suburb would you recommend? Good schools, friendly people, safe (I saw a posting on crime stats--have to admit, has me a bit worried too--I was on Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed and crime stats for all the Raleigh suburbs were very high---our current suburb was much lower and I'm constantly getting emails from our county sheriff's office about another burglary, so I'm thinking, how bad is it in the Raleigh suburbs?)
Also, probably would prefer not to have year round school, as I've read in a lot of the threads that most neighbors end up on opposite schedules. I would think that makes it hard for the kiddos to play and become good friends.
Last thing, not to be too picky, we are looking for new construction, probably around $400-450K. We'd like to put a pool in.
To answer your question, I would consider Brightleaf at the Park, in Durham. You won't have to spend $450,000 though to get a "mcMansion" with a pool (I'm being a smartypants). They have a shiny new elementary school, and will soon have a Harris Teeter and Home Depot nearby.
There's also south Durham around Grandale or Scott King Road, or areas around north Morrisville that are sprouting up. You may also consider Brier Creek. There's a mixture of mcMansion, townhomes, apartments, and more modest homes that keep the neighborhood from being too elitist. All these places are relatively safe, with good shopping, schools, and a 10-minute commute to RTP.
What you'll need to understand is WHY some locations are considered more desirable than others.
For example, North Raleigh and Cary are going to be a bit more pricey than Wake Forest and Apex.
Wake Forest and Apex are going to be a bit more pricey than Rolesville and Holly Springs.
Since you are looking to spend between $400,000 and $450,000, you'll have a lot of good choices.
Once you get here, you'll begin to understand the "why's". Most people that I have met that have relocated her said it took them about 2 days to figure out which area THEY PREFER. It CAN be that easy!
I prefer my neighborhood in eastern Durham county over those across the border in Wake County. I don't tolerate traffic jams when all I need to do is drive five miles to work. You may have other values, such as school test scores or crime. I prefer diversity over homogeneity, and realize that the best influence over my child's learning starts at home no matter where he goes to school, or that my probability of being a crime victim is zero only when I surround myself in a bubble.
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 09-06-2009 at 06:55 PM..
Reason: The realtor slam is not necessary.
Wake County has year-round schools. Durham County does not...for now. There are also a lot of private charter schools to choose from, and the transfer policy is incredibly liberal.
The reason for asking questions on a forum is that you get first hand KNOWLEDGE from people that live in these areas. Once a person has these opinions and advice, they then consider the information and make an educated decision for themselves. This IS part of the research.
Vicki
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 09-06-2009 at 06:56 PM..
Reason: Deleted quoted text
It also depend on what you want for your $450,000 We have family living in Amberly in NW Cary, which has an amazing fitness center/playground pool/gym/clubhouse and a variety of townhomes, single family homes and the "village square" area that has 2600-3600sf homes that are basically detached townhomes insofar as the lots are concerned--but the houses are custom built and have all the bells and whistles (that particular section will run $400k+ for a 2800sf 4/3.5/bonus room home). I think Amberly is all zoned for year-round school, though.
I was going to suggest Carpenter Village, too, which to my opinion is less, um, "snobby" than Amberly and has homes from townhouses up to $800k lakefront houses. But again, it's zoned for year-round school. On the up side, that year round school is walking distance, as is the West branch of the county library. It seems like new homes tend to be zoned for year-round schools.
Good luck. I moved from Tampa to this area a year ago and one thing I wanted to escape was all the $60k vehicles and designer clothes on children and that sort of thing. But it all really depends on the company you keep. I've found our community to be delightfully down to earth, but it's the $300-400 range
Wake County has year-round schools. Durham County does not...for now. There are also a lot of private charter schools to choose from, and the transfer policy is incredibly liberal.
Glad to see your support for Durham, but I'm guessing you don't yet have kids in the Durham Public System, Deruyter? Your info is not correct. There are actually 3 "regular" year round elementary schools in Durham. Two (Easley and Holt) have their own zones (ie. if you move into a house in one of those zones, that is your assigned school) and the third, Pearsontown, is totally by choice to apply and get in. It has no assigned zone. I understand the OP is trying to avoid year-round school, and that's easy to do in Durham by avoiding homes in the Holt and Easley attendance zones. It is possible to transfer out (and in from certain other zones), but the majority of the kids that go to those schools are in those zones.
Durham's School system is very different than Wake County's system! Reassignment is not a common occurence. Not to mention that Pearsontown had the 2nd highest scores of Durham's 28 or so elementary schools this year, and Easley was in the top 5. There are also 2 year round middle schools in Durham. Chewning has its own zone, and Rogers-Herr, one of the best rated middle schools in Durham is totally by application with no assigned zone. Also, one of the biggest complaints about Wake County year round schools are that they are tracked with 4 tracks at each school all on their own calendars. All of Durham year round schools are on a single track with a single calendar. All kids at the school are in and out at the same time. It's a 9 week on, 3 week off system, with 5 weeks off in summer. This is the case for all children in Durham year round schools.
Also, charter schools are NOT private!! They are public, free and taxpayer supported. They are just not held to all of the same regulations as non charter schools. Central Park School is a popular year-round Charter School in Durham.
Lastly, Durham tightened up its official transfer policy about a year ago. They have much stricter rules in place about making transfers than in th past. Having said that, there is a good deal of choice, considering one's neighborhood school, the year round lottery, magnet lottery, lottery for charter schools, etc.
I realize that is probably not helpful to the OP, but I hate to see misinformation floating about should others read it.
Don't overlook Durham! It's a wonderful place to live.
Thanks for all the great info! So I'm confused about the school stuff. I got on Wake County Schools site earlier but didn't find clear-cut answer. If you move into a neighborhood, let's say new construction, does the entire neighborhood HAVE to go to the same school? On the school web site, it talked about the magnet schools, including year round. It said you could apply for it. And, I found listings for all the suburbs and it seemed each suburb had a "traditional" school and "year round". So do you pick which one you send your kids too, and then maybe your neighbor is sending their kids to another school? Thanks!
Entire neighborhoods do NOT always go to the same school. If a n'hood is very large, like Bedford, there could be a few different schools.
To find out which school is your BASE school, you use your address.
That is where you START!
The reason certain areas ARE more desirable than others is because the schools in that area are more desirable. For example...if you live in the Cary/Morrisville area and part of your n'hood goes to school A and part goes to school B, it isn't such a big deal because school A and school B both have good scores.
I know. It IS confusing.
Vicki
Last edited by VickiR; 09-06-2009 at 10:39 PM..
Reason: I like going to the correct source so you can always CALL Wake County Public School System and speak with someone there!
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But seriously....looking at a map....
We have family living in Amberly in NW Cary, which has an amazing fitness center/playground pool/gym/clubhouse and a variety of townhomes, single family homes and the "village square" area that has 2600-3600sf homes that are basically detached townhomes insofar as the lots are concerned--but the houses are custom built and have all the bells and whistles (that particular section will run $400k+ for a 2800sf 4/3.5/bonus room home). I think Amberly is all zoned for year-round school, though.
