Raleigh area - where to live?

[NewJeffCT]

I was contacted about what seems to be a good job in the Raleigh area. Before I commit to an interview, what can you tell me about the area? If I do move down from Connecticut, where could a young family live with good public schools - our daughter is almost 3. What major corporations are in this area? I know it's famous for schools - UNC in Chapel Hill, Duke in Durham, etc.

But, the most important thing for me would be where to live, so I could first do a cost of living comparison.

Thanks

[mzteris]

1. Where would you be working?

You don't have to give me the name of the company, but the general area. Is it RTP or N. Raleigh, or Cary, or Chapel Hill, or . . .? That can make a difference where you live. Commuting is NOT fun... RTP traffic is a total nightmare!

Wake County has some very good schools but has some real growing pains due to explosive growth in the area - and school assignments can change yearly. Chapel Hill City schools are also very good. Durham - well, away from there. (I lived in Durham for about 10 years.) A lot depends on what you're looking for in terms of the type of school.

[NewJeffCT]

2. it says it is "6 Forks Road"

which means 0 to me.

Google maps has it south of 540 and north of 440.

[mzteris]

3. Six Forks Rd.

That's LONG road......... lol

but still pretty centrally located to Raleigh. There are some very nice neighborhoods off of Six Forks in the North Raleigh area.

Anything that says "inside the Beltline" - avoid like the plague - unless, of course, you are independently wealthy. :)

[NewJeffCT]

4. no, we're not wealthy

but, we don't have to stay in the city - any nice suburb with good schools will do as well.

[mzteris]

5. Well, that's the thing - there aren't "suburbs"

like I usually think of suburbs......... there are other little "towns" that satellite Raleigh - Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, Fuquay Varina, Knightdale - each with their own unique personality. They're all still in Wake County, though - and there are only County Schools here (along with private and lots of "church" schools"). You DO NOT want to go to another county's schools! (Chapel Hill City schools are good, but that would be a brutal commute. )

With the county-based school system, there are assigned schools (these can and do change based on population), but there are also Charter schools and Magnet schools that you can apply to. Getting in those is done by lottery, though, so you have to be prepared to go to the "assigned school" if you don't win your lottery to get in the school of your choice.

Our Superintendent is resigning and the school board just underwent *some* turnover (it was a close call that two fundies nearly won which would have royally screwed the school system) - I'm saying this to tell you that there will be changes in the system over the next few years. There is tremendous growth and aggressive new school building.

www.wcpss.net is the Wake County schools website if that helps any.

[NewJeffCT]

6. Thanks

I heard that Cary stands for Containment Area for Relocated Yankees.

[mzteris]

8. ROFL........

Wakefield is giving them a run for their money. That's where a lot of the Hurricane players live. :)

You DO like hockey, don't you?

[NewJeffCT]

12. I'm so-so on hockey

I know the Hurricanes moved down from Hartford

[mzteris]

7. another thing

Year round schools are pretty big, in this area - and soon to be expanded, I think. I personally think they're a great idea, but not everyone likes them, of course.

There is a great Charter school (Montessori, bilingual - Spanish) that has a 3 and 4 yo Preschool as well - if you're at all interested in that. (You have to pay for preschool, though). It's not far from 540 and Capital Blvd (a/k/a US 1).


Here's the local paper link, btw....
http://www.newsobserver.com

[Fifi Trixiebell]

14. I live here

I live in Cary. I have lived in Apex as well. Cary, Apex, Fuquay Varina, and Holly Springs are all great areas to live if you are going to be working in Raleigh.

[dweller]

9. you are looking at N. Ral. with 6 Forks

look at the Wake Forest, Youngsville area if you want open space.
Knightdale is closer, still has some rural space.

then there's the hot spot, Brier's Creek out 70W towards the airport, RDU. esp if you travel alot.

I grew up in the west Ral area near NCSU, and it's the prettiest area (when you get to the countryside) but a drag of a commute to N.Hills (6 Forks) since it's all 4 lane beltline now.

dp

[Wickster]

10. Lived there

My son and I lived off Six Forks Road when he was in elementary school. (He is now in college). Lead Mine Elementary was an excellent school. There are lots of developments in that area of North Raleigh and you would be pretty close to everything.

Our oldest daughter is a high school teacher in North Raleigh and loves it - traffic and all.

I believe that the tax situation alone would be better than Connecticut. While the housing market has boomed, it would also probably be cheaper than CT.

Go to http://www.homefair.com/homefair/calc/salcalc.html to calculate your salary. There are also links to School Reports, Community Calculaters, Relocation Calculators, etc.

Hope this helps - good luck.

[NewJeffCT]

11. Thanks

Not all of Connecticut is that expensive, especially around Hartford. My town & Chapel Hill are rated just about the same in terms of cost of living on homefair.com

Of course, homefair.com is not always accurate. When contacted about a job in North Jersey in one town, I looked up cost of living in that town and it was comparable - maybe 8-10% higher than where we live now. However, when looking on realtor.com, an equivalent home to what we have now was probably triple the price and well over $1 million.

[Vox_Reason]

13. I came to North Raleigh from Fairfield county CT in '83

And I've loved it ever since! I reside in the general area you're talking about, and it's a fantastic place to live, being fairly centrally located where nothing is very far away. Our just-turned-4 son attends Jeffreys Grove pre-school, and it has been a very positive experience for him. I graduated from HS here in Wake County, and I had great teachers and received an excellent education.

Though housing can hardly be considered inexpensive in North Raleigh, cost of living in general is less than in CT, I would imagine, and you could likely get at least as much house here as there. New housing is exploding everywhere, but there are plenty of good older neighborhoods like mine (late 70s) where there are good bargains to be had.

I'd say it's definitely worth an interview and a few days' stay to tool around and see what you think of the area!

Best of luck!

[highnooner]

15. Stonebridge Subdivision

Last summer, we moved there with our four-year old. It is located just north of I-540 between Six Forks and Creedmoor roads. The homes (2300 sq ft+) were built in the early 1980's and cost around $350k. It is an excellent neighborhood with acre+ lots that is very kid-friendly. It has two pools, six tennis courts and a ball field. There are neighborhood swim and tennis teams starting at age of five. Also, there are monthly wine tastings at the clubhouse. Plus the annual fees are low ($512/yr) and no city taxes. It also has a very active home owners association with an excellent neighborhood directory.

Its neighborhood school, Baileywick Elementary has an excellent reputation and would be on your way to work.

[struggle4progress]

16. Just don't commute from Durham. I-40 and US-70 are rush-hour ..

.. parking lots.

[kimpossible]

17. South Durham is actually a quick commute

There are several ways to go by back roads. And I-40 is pretty clear and quick most of the time now, since the widening project finally completed last year. I make it from Durham into RTP in 10-15 minutes most days.

[struggle4progress]

18. How do you go from Durham to Raleigh by back roads?

[melm00se]

19. Durham to Raleigh via backroads

come over the top on NC 98

[struggle4progress]

23. Some of that is slow, and it adds a lot to the length of the trip. eom

[supernova]

24. Oddly, if you ever hear of 40 being backed up

70 is usually clear. :shrug:

[struggle4progress]

25. Hi, SN! Hope you had a great holiday!

I'll agree 70's generally not as bad as 40 -- but I've seen it clogged. The many traffic lights don't help, IMO.

:hi: Go vote in my poll on the next get-together, if you haven't already!

[lectrobyte]

20. Lots of subdivisions and housing convenient to Six Forks Rd.

A lot of it depends on what you are looking for in the way of a house. I'd personally prefer something a little further North on Six Forks (think North of the Six Forks/540 intersection), but there are lots of neighborhoods convenient to Six Forks.

Wake County has pretty good schools, but has some issues wrt the recent redistricting. Also, the area has been in a drought condition for some time, so if you considering a house with a private well for a water source, have it checked out thoroughly (one of my neighbors ended up spending about $15K to get a deeper well drilled when the water table dropped -- assuming the County would even issue a permit now). Also, beware of subdivisions with a private sewer system -- these are fairly notorious for being abandoned by the developer and homeowners find themselves left with the bill to upgrade or maintain them. This area is growing fast, which is a good thing in some ways. There does seem to be an awful lot of houses on the market, although prices still seem somewhat insane.

If you know specific street names, you can go here to find out what taxes and house prices are like

http://msweb01.co.wake.nc.us/realestate/search.asp

[dmartinct]

21. How's the economy

Hi,

I was also considering a move from Connecticut to RTP.

Could you tell me how the local economy is doing these days?

Thanks

[lectrobyte]

22. Seems to be doing better than a lot of places. I still see "help wanted"

signs at stores and restaurants. The area is still growing, and the job situation of course depends on what you are looking for. The IT field seems sort of sluggish here, I know folks that were "downsized" who have not yet found comparable jobs.