Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
"Xmas is an offensive slang term" is a myth perpetuated by evangelical fanatics. How about helping the guy out with his question instead of pushing your beliefs?
Back to the original poster...
Two days is a really short time, and during the xmas time the weather may not be great, but it's certainly doable. I would recommend prioritizing your time so that you scope out the areas during daylight, and then visit the mall or grocery stores after it gets dark. Here's a sample itinerary I would try...
Day 1 - Arrival
Find a Staples store and pick up a copy of the ADC Map Book of Wake County ($13 or so).
Head "Inside the beltline" - Drive into downtown Raleigh and scope out the state capital area, Glenwood south and the areas just west of downtown around Hillsborough Street (perhaps look at the NCSU campus) and just north of downtown.
"North Raleigh" - Head out of downtown along Six Forks Road and stop by the North Hills outdoor pedestrian mall at the corner of Six Forks & 440 for lunch. Continue up Six Forks and check out the suburban areas of North Raleigh. Try to cover Six Forks, Falls of Neuse, Lynn Road, Creedmoor Road, basically just drive around the entire area and look at different neighborhoods from the more established ones further south to the areas above 540.
Wake Forest - Cut across to US-1 and check out Wake Forest, make sure to look at the downtown area.
By now it should be dark so you can head back down US-1 Capital Blvd (make sure to drive on this road as it is one of the busiest roads in Raleigh, full of car dealerships and shopping centers). Get back on the Beltline (I-440) west and exit on US-70 west to Crabtree Valley Mall. Check out the mall and perhaps get some dinner.
Day 2 -
Head straight to Cary. First exit on Walnut Street south from US 1/US 64 and check out the big-box shopping area. Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. are here. Circle around back up Walnut Street and you will pass by Cary Towne Center which is an indoor mall. From there go straight into downtown Cary. Quaint and quiet with a few restaurants and shops but not much else. Head north along Harrison Avenue until you hit Cary Parkway. Now take a left on Cary Parkway and circle all the way around Cary checking out neighborhoods. One note, at the corner of Cary Parkway and Kildaire Farms Rd (south part of town) a new Trader Joe's is being built!
To get to Apex from Cary I would take Lake Pine Drive south from Cary Parkway. You will pass by a nice lake park and you'll hit US 64. Go west on 64 and exit into Apex's downtown. You can then drive around and check out the neighborhoods of Apex. The big box shopping area of Apex is mostly centered on the corner of 64 and 55.
If you have time, head up 55 or Davis Drive and check out the Research Triangle Park area, and the Brier Creek neighborhood by the airport (northwest corner of Wake County near the Durham County line).
Future trips could include more detailed looks at these areas plus visits to Chapel Hill or parts of Durham if you're interested in seeing more of the triangle.
Good luck!
Wow! Thanks so much. I'll probably do exactly as you've outlined.
Where are you coming from and what is your ballpark price range? What style of house/yard/neighborhood would you prefer? Do you have kids in school, too, or are you just concerned about where you work? You've named a very wide range of locations, just driving between them could take hours. I agree that finding a good realtor to give you some specific things to see would be helpful, especially if you want to hit the highlights in two days. You may want to skip visiting the schools until you have more time - just take a look at the school report cards either at www.wcpss.net or www.ncreportcards.com to get an idea of what schools you would like to work at and which ones to avoid. As a former teacher here, I'd be happy to talk to you in more detail about the schools, just pm me.
As you're planning your longer trips in '07, you may want to focus each trip on one geographic location to really immerse yourself in each one, rather than try to see a little of everything in each trip.
I plan to look at houses between 150K and 175K with the expectation that when it comes time to buy in the summer of '08 they'll have moved up into the 175k to 200K range. I would love a 4/3 but I'd settle for a 3/2 on a larger lot. I've seen that there are a lot of big affordable houses in Raleigh, but they're right up against each other and they've cleared all the trees. I'd gladly sacrifice a bedroom and bathroom for a 1/2 acre with some trees!
I have a nine month old daughter right now and we plan to have another in a year. So schools aren't an issue right now, but they will be in four to five years. Not having set foot in NC yet, and basing what I'm going to say next solely on internet research, I'm leaning more toward a town of 20K or so like Wake Forest or Apex. My concern with Raleigh and Cary is that we plan to stay put for the rest of our lives (or at least until I retire in twenty years), and if we move into an area that is already "busting at the seams" what's it going to look like in a decade or two?
I've chosen not to PM this, because I'd like as much advice as I can get from everyone.
Wake Forest and Apex will be the same as Cary and North Raleigh. They are already mostly built up and traffic will be an issue there in the coming years. The difference with Wake Forest being that it still feels country to me even though it has a lot of subdivisions. Wake Forest has a good sprinkling of trailer parks and run down convenience stores. But you should check it out and make your own impressions. Cary and Raleigh really are not bustling at the seams. Maybe by NC standards...
I probably should have told you this, but I'll be driving up to NC from Tampa. Does that change your recommended itinerary? Should I still hit Raleigh first?
Wake Forest and Apex will be the same as Cary and North Raleigh. They are already mostly built up and traffic will be an issue there in the coming years. The difference with Wake Forest being that it still feels country to me even though it has a lot of subdivisions. Wake Forest has a good sprinkling of trailer parks and run down convenience stores. But you should check it out and make your own impressions. Cary and Raleigh really are not bustling at the seams. Maybe by NC standards...
Please see my posted question about your recommended itinerary. I forgot to quote you on it, so it's not really clear that it's meant for you.
Hello Jquackquack, I seen on one of u're previous postings that you were looking for a zipcode map and I have a link. Here you go figured u could use it and if u don't need it now u may need in future.
Just to let you know, the X which is an abbreviation for Christ comes from the labarum (St. Andrew's Cross) which is an X with a P on top. It was used throughout ancient history to represent Christ. If you ever have had an opportunity to look at the actual copies of the new testament, Christ is written as xp. If you take a class on the new testament or any kind of Christian religion, say at Duke or NC State, as I have, the professor will use an X as an abbreviation when he/she is writing out notes. It's no different than using a w/ or i.e.
Last edited by irishiiiii; 11-07-2007 at 08:40 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
zipcode map
