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We are relocating from Northern Va. to the triangle area.
Could you please explain the difference between Chapel Hill verse Raleigh and then those two compared to Cary. I realize this may be a huge request. I am looking for estate like homes with 1acre or more in a community. I have 5 kids so I need good schools too. Any help would be SO much appreciated! Thank you in advance.
A map will help you understand where all of the places you mention are. Where will your job be? That will make a difference if you don't want a long commute.
ok I am not from NC, I'm from Long Island, however, I have been looking to relocate to the area as well. What I have found so far is that Chapel Hill is more expensive but sounds like that may not be an issue for you. Also, the Chapel Hill school district is rated #3 in the state. On the other hand, Wake County's school district is in a state of flux right now (I have been told) due to all of the growth. If I had the $$ I think I would choose Chapel Hill. Hopefully you will get some more info from the natives! Good Luck!
I'm a Tar Heel native and a Carolina grad, but moved here after spending some time in Northern Virginia, so I may be able to help. Chapel Hill is a wonderful, academic town. I loved going to school there, but when I came back I chose to live in Cary because I had become accustomed to convenience and Cary is very convenient. Plus, I like college kids and games, but I didn't want to deal with traffic on game days. I live off Cary Parkway which gives me access within 15 minutes or less to RTP, the RBC Center, the airport, the museums in Raleigh, and multiple parks and lakes. I have friends who really like Apex, too, which has pretty much the same access. About the schools: we have great schools here. It's a large school system (Wake County) with excellent resources. It's in the paper a lot right now, so you ought to be able to google it.
DC-7: Your question is so broad it's difficult to answer. It might be easier to identify what it is you would be looking for in the community you choose to live - we can help you understand where you can find what you are looking for.
"Good schools" probably covers a lot of the area here -but some are better than others. If "good" is good enough, it won't limit your search much. If, on the other hand, you're looking for truly outstanding schools, your search may be narrower. But you'd have to tell us what makes a great school for you - AP classes? Foreign languages? IB programs? Sports? etc.
I assume your price range for a house is practically unlimited, as a acre+ estate home could run you $1-$2 million or more. Is that what you're looking for?
We are relocating from Northern Va. to the triangle area.
Could you please explain the difference between Chapel Hill verse Raleigh and then those two compared to Cary. I realize this may be a huge request. I am looking for estate like homes with 1acre or more in a community. I have 5 kids so I need good schools too. Any help would be SO much appreciated! Thank you in advance.
There's a bunch if differences between those areas, principally;
Chapel Hill - a university town and very studenty/left-wing, but easy to get around.
Its quite a small town, with very few adult amenities/entertainment, etc.
Cary - a bit nicer and more upmarket than anywhere else in the area, largely due to restrictions and regulations imposed by home owner associations (almost all property in Cary is governed by Homeowner Associations).
Some of these rules are good, some not so good.
Raleigh - the capital city but more like a provincial city and lacks a cohesive plan, policy and design in several key areas.
Traffic is not a massive problem compared to bigger sities but its getting worse.
Does not have a big city/'urban" city feek, like Charlotte.
Not much to do if you are adults, single and/or don't have kids.
The RTP (Research Triangle Park) is a massive research area which is almost like a town itself, but there's mostly nothing else there outside of work.
I would suggest you come here for about 7-10 days and get a feel for all the areas by talking to realtors, schools (if you have or plan to have kids) and recruitment agencies.
But wherever you decide to go to, don't come here without a job if you need to earn an income as worthwhile job vacancies are very thin on the ground.
Raleigh - the capital city but more like a provincial city and lacks a cohesive plan, policy and design in several key areas.
Not much to do if you are adults, single and/or don't have kids.
But this is spot on:
But wherever you decide to go to, don't come here without a job if you need to earn an income as worthwhile job vacancies are very thin on the ground.
We are relocating from Northern Va. to the triangle area.
Could you please explain the difference between Chapel Hill verse Raleigh and then those two compared to Cary. I realize this may be a huge request. I am looking for estate like homes with 1acre or more in a community. I have 5 kids so I need good schools too. Any help would be SO much appreciated! Thank you in advance.
Almost every place in the RTP is convenient, so whether you live in Raleigh, Cary or Chapel Hill convenience is not a problem except at the margins.
With 5 kids in school, if you live in Wake County, which includes Cary and Raleigh, there is a distinct probability that you will have kids going to different schools, even if they are in the same middle or high school. Not so in Chapel Hill. Wake County has been trying to figure out its school system for 30 years, so I would not expect a quick result during this current period of flux.
As far as housing, well if you are looking at $1MM plus properties, and you wanted to stay in Wake County, I would look in Cary first.
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 03-22-2010 at 09:46 AM..
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Chapel Hill - a university town and very studenty/left-wing, but easy to get around.
Its quite a small town, with very few adult amenities/entertainment, etc.
Meadowview, what kind of "adult amenities" are you talking about? We don't have much in the way of "adult" bookstores, but I'm guessing that's not what you meant. I don't think Chapel Hill and Carrboro are missing anything, personally, except lots of junky chain stores and bad traffic and sprawl. We have excellent nationally recognized restaurants, one of the best music venues between DC and Atlanta, many art galleries, a vibrant arts community, excellent arts facilities where international acts perform (Bolshoi Ballet or Gilberto Gil, etc), excellent locally brewed beer. I'm honestly confused. Do you want paintball?
OP, Short version:
Chapel Hill/Carrboro = very progressive politically, artsy, foodie, college sports dominated small college towns. Probably more expensive, but not necessarily. Public schools have a great reputation for college prep with several kids every year with perfect SAT scores and sending many kids to Ivy League schools.
Durham = gritty, urban, mid-sized, blue-collar, academic, liberal, racially diverse, creative/artistic, foodie, up-and-coming city with minor league baseball and college (Duke) sports. Many good schools, but some say they are spotty. I have no personal experience here, but know folks who are happy with Durham schools.
Cary = suburban, chain-store laden, HOA-dominated, safe, transplant-populated small to mid-sized city. Reportedly good schools.
Raleigh = Southern State Capital, sprawling, medium to large city (but not a metro area like DC) with a good arts community, pretty purple politically (mix of conservative and progressive), several colleges and universities, pro hockey and college sports. Schools are currently in flux with being redistricted.
There's a bunch if differences between those areas, principally;
Chapel Hill - a university town and very studenty/left-wing, but easy to get around.
Its quite a small town, with very few adult amenities/entertainment, etc.
Cary - a bit nicer and more upmarket than anywhere else in the area, largely due to restrictions and regulations imposed by home owner associations (almost all property in Cary is governed by Homeowner Associations).
Some of these rules are good, some not so good.
Raleigh - the capital city but more like a provincial city and lacks a cohesive plan, policy and design in several key areas.
Traffic is not a massive problem compared to bigger sities but its getting worse.
Does not have a big city/'urban" city feek, like Charlotte.
Not much to do if you are adults, single and/or don't have kids.
I would suggest you come here for about 7-10 days and get a feel for all the areas by talking to realtors, schools (if you have or plan to have kids) and recruitment agencies.
But wherever you decide to go to, don't come here without a job if you need to earn an income as worthwhile job vacancies are very thin on the ground.
By the way, why are you moving from VA?
Meadowview - you sound English. I'd say the "not much to do" really depends on the individual's preferences. I think there is plenty to do here...all I need is more time to do it Having said this, the OP shouldn't assume from your post that this means there is much to do in Cary. Not to say there isn't, but a search of things to do in this area will answer this for you.
As for Cary being more upmarket than anywhere else. Don't forget there is also North Raleigh north of 540 near Falls Lake. And, Wakefield, and Wake Forest as well as some other areas in Raleigh. My understanding of Cary being nice (in most areas) is not due to HOA's but primarily the city's restrictions. Over the years I've heard people fussing about how restrictive the city is with regards to businesses, signage, decor, etc..
As as aside, Cary's City manager is now the manager of Knightdale.
And "Raleigh lacks a cohesive plan"? Not sure if you mean growth or ?? Without appointing myself the defender of Raleigh, I've lived here 35 yrs and for the entire time I have periodically heard about Raleigh's plans for growth. We've had some strong business leaders prepare us for this such as Mayors Jones, York, Lightner, Upchurch, Fetzer, et al. We've known for decades that at some point in the near future, we will be like Atlanta. Now if you are basing this on the fact that we have too many strip malls...they do seem to be multiplying like rabbits
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Having said this, the OP shouldn't assume from your post that this means there is much to do in Cary. Not to say there isn't, but a search of things to do in this area will answer this for you.
