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Hello all! I have been browsing over the forums for the past few weeks and see lots of input. We are in NorCal and looking to make a change. Kids are 4 and 2 and we both have great jobs here, but the rat race is and taxes are crazy. For some reason, NC keeps popping up on the radar for us. Im in tech and she is in finance. Right now, we are looking around at jobs and between the two cities. Either RTP or Charlotte seem to work for myself. Things we are looking:
- family neighborhood
- Maybe even Lake Wylie
- good to great schools, even if private is an option (prefer public)
- at least an acre lot or more.
- no HOA
- price range from 600-800k
We are not originally from California, so adjustment should not be that hard, but we do like it here. But its time to move on. Crazy taxes, crowded, etc. Need more space
Any tips or where to look would be awesome. I know some have posted in there, but any other feedback would be great!
Realisitcally, either region should have housing and schools that could fit your needs, once you find employment. 600K goes a long way in North Carolina. Actual lakefront property may go into the millions I suppose.
Thanks for the reply! It seems that RTP and Charlotte have a lot of similar communities and things to offer. Just depends who you work for I guess. Schools seem to be similar, housing costs, etc.
Raleigh is a government and farm orientated town, being the State Capital. Those people who work downtown live in the burbs for the most part with many commuting from outlying counties (farm country). I commuted weekly from Charlotte to Raleigh for many years because we wanted to live in Charlotte. Depending on your profession might be a factor in your search. The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area is a college area with NC State in Raleigh, UNC in Chapel Hill and Duke in Durham. The Research Triangle Park in between the three cities employs tens of thousands in the high tech and pharm areas. If I were doing the move thing again, I would indeed look at Union County; I would not put my child in a Charlotte-Mecklenburg school again - knowing what I know and see now. Good luck and welcome to NC, regardless where you land. Like any state, we have our issues, but NC is a great place to live, work, and raise a family. (The Chamber of Commerce better send me a check for THAT one
Charlotte is Raleigh on a bigger scale. Are you looking for a large city or a mid-sized city? It's a hard choice, because both cities have what you need, the only problem is Charlotte is centered around banking (second largest banking district in the US behind New York) and Raleigh is centered around technology.
Raleigh's schools aren't as bad as C-Meck schools, but not all schools in Charlotte are as bad as their made out to be.
Both have a nice variety of things to do, but in the end, Charlotte is going to come out on top.
Raleigh is a government and farm orientated town, being the State Capital. Those people who work downtown live in the burbs for the most part with many commuting from outlying counties (farm country). I commuted weekly from Charlotte to Raleigh for many years because we wanted to live in Charlotte. Depending on your profession might be a factor in your search. The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area is a college area with NC State in Raleigh, UNC in Chapel Hill and Duke in Durham. The Research Triangle Park in between the three cities employs tens of thousands in the high tech and pharm areas. If I were doing the move thing again, I would indeed look at Union County; I would not put my child in a Charlotte-Mecklenburg school again - knowing what I know and see now. Good luck and welcome to NC, regardless where you land. Like any state, we have our issues, but NC is a great place to live, work, and raise a family. (The Chamber of Commerce better send me a check for THAT one
My family moved from NorCal (Los Gatos) to Raleigh when I was a kid. My dad was in technology. I now work for a SJ company myself and have maintained close connections in the Bay Area. Raleigh and the Triangle is a pretty easy transition intellectually and culturally from the Silicon Valley but it does have its differences. For example, nothing in NC is going to compare to the varied Asian cultures one finds in NorCal. However, the prevalence of academia in the area is similar and the cooperation between academia and how it feeds the local business community is similar.
Yeah I gave that a big "???" as well. Raleigh has very much a surburb/college town kinda feel to it, not "farm orientated." And the downtown is surprisingly clean and has IMO a small town feel to it overall. Housing is not cheap contrary to what many seem to believe (welcome to the 21st century), but obviously that's not an issue w/this person. Oh but good luck finding I.T. jobs; RTP has experienced quite a glut of people in recent years and it's not the appealing option that way it used to be.
Can't speak to Charlotte much but get the impression housing is somewhat cheaper, generally speaking; on the con side, drivers in Raleigh are much better (almost to a fault...God they are SLOW!).
Yeah I kept my answer short because I didn't want to help develop this into a Charlotte vs Raleigh thread. Someone with high income and savings can have a good life in either city. Both have plenty of commercial services, they're similar sized, similar topography and climate, and they both have school districts that can be hit or miss. That's where the legwork comes in when deciding a move... narrowing down to a neighborhood.
Yeah I kept my answer short because I didn't want to help develop this into a Charlotte vs Raleigh thread. Someone with high income and savings can have a good life in either city. Both have plenty of commercial services, they're similar sized, similar topography and climate, and they both have school districts that can be hit or miss. That's where the legwork comes in when deciding a move... narrowing down to a neighborhood.
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