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Hi everyone - I'm starting at Cisco in June, post-graduation and would love any advice. I'm a Yankee who went to college in the midwest, so I'm used to different ways of life, but I'm sure the South will be an adjustment. Plus, I don't know anyone so, any suggestions on good activities in the area to meet other younger college grads?
In particular, I'm concerned about finding an apartment in area close to Cisco that is welcoming to young professionals. I don't know anyone in the area, so I want a community where I'll be able to engage & meet new friends. That being said, I'm not looking for the college lifestyle - I want to be able to sleep at night without disruption. And I don't want to commute more than 20 minutes or so.
I've been combing the boards for apartment advice, but some of it is a little dated. Any idea about a good apartment complex for me ($750-1000/month) or any areas? Any input on some of the recommendations:
- Brier Creek area?
- Crosstimbers
- The Lodge at Southpoint
- Westin Lakeside Apartments
- Chancery Village at the Park
- Triangle Park Apts
- Courtney Reserve at Cary Park
As a new grad also working at Cisco, I strongly urge you to reconsider your apartment requirements.
There are really few benefits to living in a giant townhouse apartment development, and yet somehow they seem to be everywhere. Rent is not that cheap, you need a car to do anything since you're living in sprawling suburbia hell, and the areas you are looking at will still take time to get to Cisco due to traffic.
I live right downtown in Chapel Hill, where I walk to get a bite to eat after I get home from work, enjoy the green spaces of UNC, go out at night without worrying about designated drivers, can walk to friends places just a few blocks away, and have a multitude of cultural events around me. If you are more of a mall-on-Saturday type, living in an apartment that has nothing more to offer might be worth it, but otherwise I'd consider looking at making a 25-30 minute commute from a downtown area.
I'm not a new grad (class of 2005), but I also work at Cisco and recently moved to the area. Even though this is the south, the people are not southerners lol. Especially working at Cisco, you'll rarely run into anyone who's originally from the area.
When I first moved out here, I had similar requirements to yours and ended up at Weston Lakeside. It's a great complex as long as you don't have crappy neighbors. Plenty of parking, just a few minutes by car to a nice grocery store and lots of food. It's also right off Hwy 40 which gives you a straight shot up to 540 and over to Cisco. Count on 20-30min each way in rush hour, and more like 15min with no traffic. Tell them you work for Cisco and they'll give you a pretty good discount too. I had a 3rd floor unit, 2bd/2ba, that looked directly over the lake (unbeatable view), and it was just barely over $900/mo including washer/dryer rental.
You may also want to look at areas of Apex near Hwy 55. We now live in a house we bought in Apex, right near downtown, and the commute to Cisco is a straight shot up Hwy 55. Takes about the same 20-30min but you avoid all the freeways and stop-n-go traffic.
I'd add Grace Park into the list of choices you have. It's about 5-10 minutes up Davis Drive from Cisco, and has more of an "urban" feel. You can walk to restaurants, Starbucks, the grocery store, drug stores, etc.
I lived at Crosstimbers two years ago, and found it to be a nice place to live. Not much in terms of meeting young people as it's a bit more family oriented there, but if you're into pickup football games, there's a bunch of guys who play at the park right next to the complex on Saturday mornings. Rent was pretty good at the time ($600/mo, 1BR), but then again, I signed a lease in the off-season for rentals. The complex feels pretty safe, it's well lit at night, and there's tons of parking. You can also cut through the park and walk to the Grace Park shopping area really easily.
As for meeting new people, Meetup.com offers a bunch of activities based on what you're interested in.
Thanks for all the great advice, it's all so helpful! Grace Park & Apex weren't on my radar, I'll check those out too.
@Brookey - thanks for the advice, I wasn't sure what downtown areas were nice, I definitely don't want to start living a completely suburban lifestyle - I just want to feel safe wherever I live. I'll look into downtown Chapel Hill and see what's around.
@Jimmyz - I'll be working in the GTRC group at Cisco as an IT Analyst. How do you like Cisco? I'll keep Westin on the list then based on your description, something to look at a little further.
@WDJ - Sounds like Crosstimbers might not be quite my style if its more family oriented. I'm still feeling more like a college student, so I'm hoping to be a place that has more people who are in my age range/lifestyle.
Working in Cisco IT should be fun; they have all sorts of crazy stuff to work with. I've been happy at Cisco, and have worked in a few different groups both here and in San Jose.
I have friends that commute to RTP from Downtown Raleigh and they find it a breeze. Lots of young folks around there. It is a longer commute, but you'll definitely find a lot of college folks. Brier Creek is good too, but the demographic will get a little older. Lots of young professionals, young families, and retirees. Good luck!
@Brookey - thanks for the advice, I wasn't sure what downtown areas were nice, I definitely don't want to start living a completely suburban lifestyle - I just want to feel safe wherever I live. I'll look into downtown Chapel Hill and see what's around.
The downtowns of Raleigh, Chapel Hill and Durham are all worth looking at if you're looking for downtowns. Raleigh's downtown has boomed with restaurants and nightlife -- I was just there last night and impressed by how many people were out. Chapel Hill will give you the strongest "college town" scene and the campus is beautiful. Durham's got a funky, arts-oriented downtown that's making the national scene for locavore dining and historic factories reclaimed as lofts and office space.
If you're coming to the area, I would strongly suggest checking all three areas out before ending up at Southpoint or another suburban area... worth taking a look.
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