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Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary The Triangle Area
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Old 05-01-2007, 07:29 PM
 
478 posts, read 2,043,043 times
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Looks like I'm not alone in feeling Cary lacks some key elements:

Quote:
Originally Posted by bluedevilz View Post
Another Boston transplant here who loves NC and can't conceive of returning to the Northeast....

Some great comments above.

My 2 cents....I too was attracted to the Cary/Apex/Wake areas when I was researching places to relocate from my computer up north. It all looks great, and 4 years ago even more affordable (particularly coming from the Boston area) however, once my wife and I got here we ruled out Cary right away.

No offense to folks who live in and love Cary but it isn't for everyone. To me it is the definition of suburban sprawl with cookie cutter developments laid out end to end with strip malls every 100 feet for good measure. Traffic is not Northeast bad, but it is bad. No discernible sense of community or center...homes on less than a 1/3 of an acre...and to my wife and I, at least, less of the "southern charm" we were looking for. Plus for all the accolades the Wake county school system receives, getting redistricted every couple of years is less than appealing.


We settled on Chapel Hill which has a vibrant college town feel, a real downtown, and the best school system in the state, with a little more security in the fact that the school in your neighborhood will actually be the school your kids will attend. As much as we liked Chapel Hill, the downside for us was spiraling taxes and to be honest the uber-competitiveness in the schools at a young age.

Once here for a few years, we fell in love with Hillsborough. A true "small" town with fewer than 6,000 residents, but a real sense of community, a real historic district/downtown with many revolutionary war era homes...still an excellent school system with which we are really pleased. We were also able to build our dream house for less than what we sold our house in Massachusetts for > 4 years ago, and cut our taxes in half from Chapel Hill.

The point of this overly long post is this, don't be frightened off from venturing beyond the Cary area....if you truly like what Cary has to offer, great....just make sure you spend enough time to visit it in person and get a true feel for the area. There are plenty of great places, still within the Triangle, that are far different from Cary.
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Old 05-01-2007, 07:42 PM
 
9,848 posts, read 30,239,666 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by muse1110 View Post
Looks like I'm not alone in feeling Cary lacks some key elements:

Nope, you are not the first and wouln't be the last. In my short time here in the Triangle I have met people that have differing opinions on pretty much every area of the triangle. Oh well, to each his own I say. Good luck with your search!
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Old 05-01-2007, 07:52 PM
 
184 posts, read 801,037 times
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Well, I guess that goes to prove what so many on this forum advise...come for a visit and make your own judgement...sounds like it would not be the right place for you, but good luck finding what you are looking for.
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Old 05-01-2007, 07:59 PM
 
260 posts, read 1,189,664 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by muse1110 View Post
I think we've seen it all in Cary. The old downtown (zzzz, sorry, not very vibrant), the new subdivisions, established subdivisions. With the exception of MacGregor Downs which I loved due to the privacy of the lots (mature trees) and diversity of architecture, seems like Cary is a lot of cookie cutter SD and shopping plazas.

I did like the Whole Foods. And haven't seen a performance at the much-touted amphitheatre yet.

But seems so...vanilla. And I am still amazed that these huge homes (4000 sq) are on small lots. Don't people care about a good sized back yard? If no, why not? Just go to the pool or play tennis, who needs a personal back garden?

And what is up with the big glass door over the wood door? How does that work? Leave the wood door open and let everyone peer into the home via the glass door? Or is it more of the 'open' feel but not a screen door?

Not saying that everyone wants the same thing, so please do not misunderstand. Not saying Cary is 'bad', 'undesirable', not saying I disagree with Money Mag/CNN 'Best Place to Raise Family' award.

Just saying it seems to lack character and culture. Chain stores and restaurants everywhere. Even the 'Groceryboy Jr.' was more than one location, which amazed me as I thought for certain that had to be a small town corner shop!
So I would say it you don't like it don't move there,, seems pretty simple to me.
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Old 05-01-2007, 08:01 PM
 
Location: SoCA to NC
2,187 posts, read 7,991,202 times
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I like Vanilla. Vanilla is the most popular of flavors. Vanilla is predictable. Vanilla is safe. What is especially wonderful about vanilla is that it is the one flavor that can be mixed with every other flavor and blend well! Even when you think you want strawberry cheesecake with toffee chunks if they are out you can always fall back on vanilla and it is good every time all by itself without any other influence. Yep vanilla is always a good choice!
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Old 05-01-2007, 08:20 PM
 
4,720 posts, read 15,585,612 times
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Yes,it sure is vanilla,but its very clean and new.Lots of people like that.Me? I liked Chapel Hill,,,its more chocolate chip cookie dough
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Old 05-01-2007, 08:32 PM
 
Location: Wake Forest
3,124 posts, read 12,651,526 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lamishra View Post
If you didn't like the look and feel of Cary, you probably won't be happy much anywhere around here. Even in Raleigh, It's pretty much the same.
Cary is like everywhere here? Not even close. Cary is fine for folks that like it.

It certainly isn't a bad place, but wow...I am very happy that it's NOT like the entire Triangle.
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Old 05-01-2007, 08:35 PM
 
Location: Wake Forest
3,124 posts, read 12,651,526 times
Reputation: 743
Quote:
Originally Posted by ukrbmw View Post
This is a little discouraging. Out of everything I've read Cary seems like the place I want to go.
\

Why is it discouraging? If you like Cary and what it offers, then it is the place for you.

It's just not for everyone and it's not the only great place in the Triangle to live.
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Old 05-01-2007, 08:58 PM
 
Location: Cary, NC
8,269 posts, read 25,068,100 times
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I've lived here for ALL of my life and lived in many parts of the triangle. I speak from experience when I say that Cary is not much different than the rest of the triangle.
I guess it all boils down to personal taste. I grew up in Raleigh and have lived in North Raleigh, West Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Apex, Morrisville, Cary and Carboro.
I really don't see much difference in the areas. I find Cary as uninteresting as Wake Forest, HS, FV, Apex, Knightdale, North Raleigh, Garner and Clayton. None of these areas are meccas for culture with museums, fine dining, and and a lively arts arena. Instead they are filled with strip malls, and cookie cutter housing. I know these things exist in Cary, but they exist in MANY parts of the triangle as well. There are also other parts of Cary which have a little more "grit" but they tend to be overlooked because the houses aren't big enough. People want what they want but sometimes they seem to want it all without appreciating what is right in front of them.

People live in the "burbs" to live in the burbs and they drive to the major metropolitan areas for more interesting stuff.
Living in one of the suburban areas of one of the major triangle cities (Raleigh, Durham or Chapel Hill) is not that much different to me.

Last edited by lamishra; 05-01-2007 at 09:07 PM..
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Old 05-01-2007, 10:03 PM
 
374 posts, read 1,596,568 times
Reputation: 151
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snowpea View Post
How interesting are you?

Do you paint/sculpt/write? Do you run road races/compete in orienteering events? Do you dress entirely in black/white/grey as if you were in a film noir movie?

Perhaps if we knew more about you we could assess where you fall on the continuum of interesting and dull. Then we could have a clearer idea of which Triangle communities would suit you best.

So tell us about all the ways in which you are not vanilla.
OMG that is a great post.
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