Places to live between Clayton and Fayetteville?

[rnc2mbfl]

I'd go for Fuquay-Varina. It's in Wake County, will be more professional, and will have lots of transferred residents so you will feel right at home. It's not a huge place but it's not the boondocks either and it's growing fast. It's much closer to Clayton than to Fayetteville though and the mostly rural commute to Fayetteville would take an hour.

[poppydog]

Google maps says it's 32 minutes from Benson to Fayetteville and 28 minutes from Benson to Clayton. I don't think you're going to get much more in the middle than that.

That said, neither Benson nor Smithfield nor Clayton and def not Fayetteville is where I would want to live, but ymmv.

Fayetteville is not a very desirable place to live and work. I would consider some of the other intangibles on the jobs like your satisfaction and your co-workers satisfaction also.

I grew up in Fayetteville and my parents lived there until my dad's death. He was in the nicest nursing home in town. After he died we convinced my mom to come up to Chapel Hill and move into Carolina Meadows, a CCRC here. The level of care that she received here as her health declined (she started out in independent living, went to assisted, and finally the nursing home) was just 1000% better. The employees here were happy and caring and had smiles on their faces.

The employees in Fayetteville were discontented, the facility was not as well kept up as it should have been (needed painting the whole time my dad was there — the paint was peeling off the exterior) and while there were some really great people who worked there, they were not well treated by the administration and our favorite care-givers were fired or left to work elsewhere.

My aunt was also at a different rehab place in Fayetteville and it was not great either. The staff was okay, but they were not thrilled to be there, and there was a lot of turnover there too. My dad, mom, and aunt were in and out of Cape Fear Valley hospital and the level of care there was not great either. Much better at UNC when my mom was there. Duke is also very good from a patient standpoint (my dad was there for several months).

So, I don't know what kind of work you do in healthcare, but in my experience as a patient's family member I would not look in Fayetteville.

Now, my aunt was also in the Moore County (Pinehurst) hospital briefly and I got a much better vibe there. They were very nice, much better informed about her issues than they were in the Fayetteville hospitals, and the folks who worked there seemed happier.

There may be a reason that the pay is higher in Fayetteville.

[MrBojangles]

I would second Smithfield, given those parameters. You need something near to US70 & I95. Benson is too small. How far of a commute are you willing to do? Maybe McGee's Crossroads area? Closer to Raleigh and Clayton, but still direct interstate access.

I couldn't do the 2-lane commute everyday to Fayetteville from F-V/Angier.

[LesterMir]

I agree that Smithfield is probably your best option based on what you have said on here. Benson doesn't have the shopping options that Smithfield will provide. Fayetteville will provide all you need if you decide to work there but if you want to be close to family then Smithfield is best. Good luck on your job search.