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Well, my forum name will be obselete come next week as my family is making the move and transition from Rhode Island to Clayton, NC.
We are renting a very beautiful home which is twice the size of the one we had here and are very optomistic and excited about this new chapter in our lives.
My wife is all set with her work transfer and we have set things financially so that I can take my time to find a job, no real rush.
What I was wondering is if some of you kind people could give us some information that you just cant find with google searches. We are looking for some personal opinions on the area and kind of a "survival guide" for life in the Clayton/Johnston County area. We've seen the guide posted in this forum for the Triangle but we've also read that Johnston County is not considered in the Triangle
Sure I can see the stores lining Route 70 but where are the places that YOU think are the ones to patronize and the ones to avoid? Are there specific areas that are to be avoided? What attractions do you and your families like to visit?
Basically we're asking you opinions on the area and what we can expect from living in Clayton. So here's your chance to give advice, vent on a topic, or guide us with your past experiences as a road map. Of course we're sure there is plenty that we will discover on our own but being able to draw from the experiences of others would be a great benefit.
Thank you in advance for your input, we appreciate it.
Almost forgot....we are actively looking for some sort of daycare program for our 3 year old. If you have any recommendations or horror stories please pass them along.
I'm not in Johnston County but just wanted to say welcome from a fellow Rhode Islander (I'm from Warwick, husband from Newport, we moved here from Cranston). We've been here for 22 months and would NEVER go back! Good luck with your move/settling in and I hope you enjoy it here as much as we do.
Where will your wife be working? Reason I ask, when we moved here we also rented. Which is a very smart move We lived in Garner ( next town over ) and when my husband got his job at Duke he had to take 40 and let me tell you that commute stinks! I also had to endure that to Morrisville and was soooo happy we moved closer in Apex. Clayton is fine but unless you work closer to Raleigh.. you will be cursing to work. My boss who currently commutes from Clayton to Morrisville, also hates it. Takes a good 45 minutes and there is way more traffic that way. She works 7:30 - 4:30 and it's not TOO bad but anything past that you will sit in traffic. Which for us being from NJ...wanted to get far away from my days on the turnpike. Granted the traffic is still no where near as bad but you will see it for sure.
As I mentioned Clayton is nice but it's a little more rural for my taste. If you prefer a little more space...then you are in the right area It's not bad, just different from the Apex - Cary area. Stores are more spread out. Most of them are off of 70. 42 may have more but not sure. We were moving I think as it opened... but there was a daycare place off 70 - not far from the White Oak Shopping center ( Garner ) that looked nice.
I'm not in Johnston County but just wanted to say welcome from a fellow Rhode Islander (I'm from Warwick, husband from Newport, we moved here from Cranston). We've been here for 22 months and would NEVER go back! Good luck with your move/settling in and I hope you enjoy it here as much as we do.
Thank you so much. Great to hear that you are happy and enjoy NC. We're from the woods of Burrillville so even Johnston County will be a bit crowded for us be we are really looking forward to it.
It completely depends on where you are living for some things, but I will say my favorite restaurant at this point is Mulberry on Main - serves italian food and you can get some decent Pizza there. It is right downtown. I just moved down from Michigan in September and live in Riverwood and am enjoying it. Let me know if you have any further questions.
Where will your wife be working? Reason I ask, when we moved here we also rented. Which is a very smart move We lived in Garner ( next town over ) and when my husband got his job at Duke he had to take 40 and let me tell you that commute stinks! I also had to endure that to Morrisville and was soooo happy we moved closer in Apex. Clayton is fine but unless you work closer to Raleigh.. you will be cursing to work. My boss who currently commutes from Clayton to Morrisville, also hates it. Takes a good 45 minutes and there is way more traffic that way. She works 7:30 - 4:30 and it's not TOO bad but anything past that you will sit in traffic. Which for us being from NJ...wanted to get far away from my days on the turnpike. Granted the traffic is still no where near as bad but you will see it for sure.
As I mentioned Clayton is nice but it's a little more rural for my taste. If you prefer a little more space...then you are in the right area It's not bad, just different from the Apex - Cary area. Stores are more spread out. Most of them are off of 70. 42 may have more but not sure. We were moving I think as it opened... but there was a daycare place off 70 - not far from the White Oak Shopping center ( Garner ) that looked nice.
She will be working mostly from home. She has to report to one of 3 branch offices (Apex,Raleigh,Durham) once every two weeks or so. That really helps us with gas and wear and tear on vehicles, not to mention a nasty daily commute. While she will be at home, she does indeed work so the daycare is not only for her to be productive but we want our 3 year old to be socialized and adjusted for when kindergarten rolls around.
Clayton actually is pretty dense population wise (1300+ per sq mile) yet johnston county is pretty wide open. We come from an area of just under 300 per sq mile so Clayton is a nice change of pace for us.
Thanks for your input. Will do some research on that location in White Oak you mentioned.
It completely depends on where you are living for some things, but I will say my favorite restaurant at this point is Mulberry on Main - serves italian food and you can get some decent Pizza there. It is right downtown. I just moved down from Michigan in September and live in Riverwood and am enjoying it. Let me know if you have any further questions.
Italian food is big on our list. Great to know there is an establishment nearby.
A great GP is Brian Harris- at Horizon Family. Don't know if you'd be interested in a 1/2 day preschool instead of daycare, but pm me if you want to know a good one. Several other good restaurants in Clayton are Veneros, Clayton Steakhouse, and Flip Side.
Whereabouts it is that you will be residing will help find preschools. The rest is subjective.
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We lived in Garner ( next town over ) and when my husband got his job at Duke he had to take 40 and let me tell you that commute stinks! I also had to endure that to Morrisville and was soooo happy we moved closer in Apex. Clayton is fine but unless you work closer to Raleigh.. you will be cursing to work. My boss who currently commutes from Clayton to Morrisville, also hates it. Takes a good 45 minutes and there is way more traffic that way. She works 7:30 - 4:30 and it's not TOO bad but anything past that you will sit in traffic. Which for us being from NJ...wanted to get far away from my days on the turnpike. Granted the traffic is still no where near as bad but you will see it for sure. 
