Young NY Couple- no kids (or plans)- Should we move to Cary? (Charlotte: rent, chapel)

[puppylove12]

Hey everyone! This is my first post but I've been reading everyones discussions of Cary lately and I figured I'd start one of my own.

My husband and I are 26 and 28- we have no kids, and we don't plan to anytime soon. We live in the suburbs of NYC, which is also where we grew up. We love New York, but the cost of living in our area is some of the highest in the country and it's really draining to spend so much of our paychecks on taxes and rent. For this reason we've been considering a move to North Carolina, somewhere near the triangle area. Neither of us know too much about NC so I'd love some advice.

My main questions are: will a couple of 20 somethings from NY be bored in Cary? Is there a lot of good shopping, etc there to keep us entertained? Is this more of a family w/ kids type of area? Is there somewhere else we should be looking? And... am I really going to find Copperhead snakes in my backyard if we move there? (how do kids play in the backyard?- thinking of the far away future

Also, I am an attorney and I wonder- are there a lot of corporate job opportunities for attorneys in the Raleigh area?

I would sooo appreciate any help and advice you all could offer! We plan to go down soon to check things out for ourselves but for now it's hard to really get a sense of the area just over the computer. Thank you!!

[lovebrentwood]

I once almost stepped on a copperhead snake in our backyard, but we live on a small lake (in the city), and copperheads like wet areas. It was once in 17 years -- a National Geographic moment.

It's too darn hot in the summer for kids to play in the backyard. Everyone goes to the beach or the mountains.

Cary is full of young families. North Raleigh is similar to Cary. If you like suburbia, you'll like the Triangle. Of course there are other areas. It depends upon what you are looking for.

There is enough shopping here for most people. We are all sufficiently fed and clothed. I think shopping and restaurants ARE the main entertainment here, seriously.

What price range would you be looking for? Rent or own? Older homes or newer homes?

What do you like best about where you live now besides shopping?

I've heard of attorneys having problems finding jobs. Only hearsay. Don't know the reality.

[Francois]

Just be sure you find a job BEFORE moving here. NC's unemployment is the highest it's ever been, and a big part of that is people moving here without jobs, flooding the job market.

[SaucyAussie]

I think there is every chance you will be bored living in Cary - it is very family oriented. But there other places that you could consider - Raleigh, Durham, or even Charlotte or Wilmington.

[lamishra]

Cary is generally family oriented, but many parts of it are also only minutes from downtown Raleigh and very convenient to downtown Durham as well. It's very easy to live in Cary and be no further away from the more exciting stuff than if you live in Raleigh or Durham itself!
Also, I am a Raleigh native and never seen a copperhead in my backyard in my whole life. Everyone who moves here swears they have them all over their backyards. And it probably won't be long until this thread fills up with scary copperhead snake encounters!) But seriously, it's just not something we worry about any more than being bitten by a shark.

[ljd1010]

I agree with a thorough job search - my daughter is an attorney with an international firm in Manhattan (she's a litigator). She recently looked around this area and found a paucity of positions. Also, the husband of a friend of mine was laid off from his job as an attorney with a large Raleigh firm a year ago and has not yet found another job.

There are plenty of places to shop here but it is not NYC. I live in Cary and am only 15 minutes away from couple of nice large malls - in Raleigh and Durham. We have Nordstrom, Saks etc as well as plenty of nice small boutiques. There are also a multitude of good restaurants scattered about the triangle.

As Lamishra said, Cary is a very easy place to live. We made the move 2 years ago from RI and have no regrets. It's extremely clean, well kept with a very educated population. It's is very centrally located, with very easy access to Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.

[Snarky Prof]

Have you checked the reciprocity rules? I am assuming that you have not been in practice long enough to waive in to NC. I am going through the reciprocity process and the application is long and expensive.

[imtheone81]

As a married couple with no kids who relocated to Cary. Yes. We got bored relatively quickly with Cary's overwhelmingly kid-friendly atmosphere, so we moved to downtown Raleigh and we love it.

[mia78]

I've heard on another board that the attorney community in the Raleigh area is pretty tight knit and a lot of positions depend on who you know.

[HollySprings2]

I am from upstate NY as well and moved to Raleigh about 6 years ago when I was in my mid-twenties. I have since got married and moved to Holly Springs. It really depends on what you like to do. All of the suburbs are very close to the city but you can also find areas near downtown Raleigh that have a "neighborhood feel" and not city feel.

The positives about Cary are that the properties have been keeping their value and it will be a good place to raise a family some day or you can get good resale when the time comes. The whole area has grown quite a bit and is very Yankee friendly. As a matter of fact Cary is nicknamed the "Containment Area for Relocated Yankees."

Personally I think you might enjoy living in Raleigh near downtown for a few years and then moving out to one of the suburbs. It is more convenient, fun and career friendly.