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The sprawl is really dangerous to all of us. Everyone has to drive farther, all the trees are being cut down... growth doesn't have to be developed in this way.
People like to live in town centers, but you need a different type of construction to live that way. Solid walls, for one thing. I feel I have to buy a house with a lot of land around it because you can hear everything through the gyproc and the vinyl siding. If an apartment or townhouse had solid walls, I would choose that instead. I want to live near people, and walk and see them, but I want some privacy when I go inside.
If there were livable, higher density housing available, I think a lot of people would be happy with it. The townhouse and apartment construction standards are too low. Look at what happened at Pine Knoll.
We like Greenville SC - My wife and I are both in the medical field and can find work almost anywhere in the US - My kids can stay behind if they want.
Miami, Fl is too busy and you ain't seen traffic until you've visited Miami :-(
I feel the same way TI. Many of the people posting here are Yankees so you are likely to see some backlash against your post.
Yankee here (: and the only backlash you'll hear from me is the fact that one of the biggest draws for a lot of people (excluding NYC and NJ; both places that the coast of living has and continues to skyrocket) is not true. And that's the cost of livng in the Triangle area. My brother moved there 8 months ago for both financial and personal reasons and has admitted that, although the weather IS gorgeous, the basic cost of living is much higher than upstate NY, the schools are so-so and the home he left in NY that sold for 220 thousand would go for 500-600 thousand in the Raleigh area
The company he owned had him in the elements a lot so the cold really got to him after 30 years. But he said owning a home in the area will probably never happen (he's in an apt). And they are in the process of accepting that there are trade-offs in life style that they weren't expecting: he was considered well off in his community in upstate: in NC he's just another Yankee laborer.....for my brother and SIL, that's a HUGE allowance but again, he loves the weather and area with all the things to do ......but as far as cheaper? It's not.
^ THANK YOU. I wish people would realize that it's not that cheap to live in the Triangle or Charlotte areas. The exception is those that can afford houses - it blows my mind to see people say "I'm looking to spend $400K on a house blah blah"... wow... that won't get you very far in this area, it will get you a big house on a little plot of land... but I'd much rather spend $400K on a modest home on lots of land. Just my preference.
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I feel the same way TI. Many of the people posting here are Yankees so you are likely to see some backlash against your post.
Yeah, I figured that would happen, but I knew I'd find some kindred spirits that are actually from this area (there seem to be so few!)
^ THANK YOU. I wish people would realize that it's not that cheap to live in the Triangle or Charlotte areas. The exception is those that can afford houses - it blows my mind to see people say "I'm looking to spend $400K on a house blah blah"... wow... that won't get you very far in this area, it will get you a big house on a little plot of land... but I'd much rather spend $400K on a modest home on lots of land. Just my preference.
No bashing here, but I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to convey in this post. I think most people realize it is not "Cheap" to live in the Triangle. The only real difference I have noticed here is housing costs and even then it is all relative. I could point out other places in the US that have less expensive housing, but it is the combination of housing and job market that usually makes for a booming area. Doesn't do you much good to find an inexpensive house if it is in an area without many employment opportunties.
AS far as people looking to spend $400K on homes it really comes down to personal preference. You can find $400K homes in new subdivisions or in histroic downtown areas. You can find $400K homes on .10 acres or on an acre or two. Just depends on where you want to live, how fancy of a house you want. Nobody is forced to live in a $400K house on a small lot. They choose to for whatever reason. Personally I would not choose that lifestyle and there are plenty of folks like me. There are plenty of us living here in homes for much less than that too. I found a great home in the $160K range. Not everyone is looking to drop a half mil for a house. But just because soembody does that I don't see any issue with it. For that matter, many of the historic homes near Downtown Raleigh are situated on less than .20 acres and they can go for as much as $500K-$800K.
Chapel Hill and Carborro have doen decent job of land use planning for controlling growth. Other areas of the triangle would definitely benefit if they followed suite
That's why I said "just my preference." I know everyone isn't looking to buy a 400K home and I don't really care what anyone buys. To each their own
Yeah, I understand that it's all relative, but the cost of living here will only continue to rise. I'm only trying to convey that people are moving here because they find it to have a lower cost of living, but in the coming years it's only going to get more expensive...
I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to convey in this post. I think most people realize it is not "Cheap" to live in the Triangle.
Maybe the local residents are aware of this but the chant in the rest of the country is "cheap cheap cheap...everything is cheap". If one thought this through, they would realize that a natural, economic response to an area that is booming is a game called "name your price" and it sounds like it's going on strong in the Triangle area (along with other areas in the country). As a result, some of the non-professional transplants are being caught with their proverbial pants down financially. And if my sociology studies serve me well, after a few years of this, the area will be known for their large range of have and have-nots (think Florida). The already shrinking ranks of middle-class will all but disappear. Unfortunately, it is mostly unstoppable at this point and as more and more baby-boomers hit the road in search of Oz, the entire fabric of places like NC, SC, VA, TN and other sunshine states will be altered.
but in the coming years it's only going to get more expensive...
I agree, but in all honesty, I can't think of anywhere I would consider living in the US where it wouln't be more expensive to live there in 5-10 years.
If somebody knows of a place that will experience a static or decreasing cost of living over the next 5-10 years while exhibiting a strong local economy I am all ears. That would be a very interesting discussion indeed!
I didn't do any bashing, and I'm from NJ. I think it is an understandable feeling. (a Yankee is a baseball player from the team).
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