Looking for Perfect Place in Research Triangle - Help! (Raleigh: transplants, chapel)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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People are super helpful here - thanks. OK, if I can stand the heat we may want to move somewhere in the vicinity of research triangle. I have some specific criteria so if anyone has any thoughts it would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Here is our criteria:
+ Somewhere around research triangle (near city and good stuff but not in it!)
+ Prefer mostly liberal democratish area (totally fine with other leanings as long as there is open mindedness)
+ Need to be near the airport (ideally within 30 minutes)
+ Need natural beauty - nice downtown, parks, scenery
+ Want a great safe place to bring up kids/ neighborhood/suburbia feeling. Don't like city/traffic.
+ Good schools can be public or private
+ 4+ bedroom house
+ 400k max range - could be cheaper of course . House doesn't need to be huge, need more rooms than space.
+ Like quaint downtown/old construction more than prefab/target (but we're open to new construction if it's solid)
Chapel Hill is the best choice as it is a very liberal area, has the quaintest downtown area, and has the older construction you are looking for. It is also more expensive, unfortunately. A quaint old home with 4 bedrooms is probably 400 to 500k...
Durham County is something like 78% democratic, I believe the most liberal county in the entire state, definitely has a reputation for being more progressively minded, and it fits the bill in all the other categories you mentioned, but the quaint older homes will be mostly closer to the inside of the city. There are some very nice historic neighborhoods but unfortunately I don't know too much about Durham's older neighborhoods. There are some nice areas in the southern part of the city. Unfortunately Durham does not have the ethnic diversity that Cary has. Durham has a large black community but it seems most of the Asians, Indians, etc. are living in Cary and to a lesser extent Raleigh.
Wake County is slightly more Republican than Democratic (something like 52% vs. 48%) but I have a feeling the rural areas and the outer suburbs are causing this lean.. I haven't looked at precinct statistics but I would bet that Cary is pretty liberal. Either way, Wake County is bound to be solidly liberal within the next ten years as it becomes more urbanized so I wouldn't worry too much.
Sounds like many of your criteria conflict with each other. On one hand you don't want to be in the city & prefer something suburban...but then you say you want a liberal area. My experience in this state, as a native, is that you either have one or the other.
There is a middle ground..."Smaller City" if you will...which would fit that description. That would be the towns of Chapel Hill & Carrboro....liberal but not as urban as the larger cities.
But for the rest of the Triangle area, you'll have either City & Liberal (Raleigh, Durham) or Conservative & Suburban (Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, Knightdale, Garner, etc.)
sorry again. Relocatour I sent you that message in a pm. I should have done that from the start. I was just a little excited about what I was telling you. So just read my private message to you. Markablue thanks for your message I have to try to be more careful. If you do your research I know what you end up with will be the right decision for you and your family.
As a homeowner in Apex and in my 20s and a true democrat I find RTP to be the most liberal part of NC so definitely stay around here...now as far as specifics. I live in Apex but very close to Raleigh, about a 20 min drive. close to parks and lakes and recreation courts. Apex is known for their GREAT schools. If you find something close to the 55/64 intersection there is a great mix of people from all backgrounds which is what makes the area more liberal and openminded than if you go deeper into Apex. I went to UNC so I love CH but finding a house with that many BRs can get pricey in that area. You would have better luck in Apex which is growing and appreciating very quickly. My experience has been great here but I'm relocating to DC...where I can be around even more openminded and globally educated individuals. No offense to RTP I consider it my home...but just not ideal for a single liberal like me! Hope that helps.
Observing, I agree the D.C. area is fantastic... I live there. But with work and school, I barely ever have time to go out and talk to those liberal minded people with whom I am surrounded!
The thing about the Raleigh area is that being the state capital, it has almost a 50/50 mix of conservatives and liberals. Orange and Durham counties are much more liberal, but Wake tends to be almost an even split. It's not hard to find areas with likeminded people as yourself. My wife and I are both pretty unashamed liberals and we live in Cary (which RaleighBob notes is mostly conservative, and I would agree). We love it here and have no problems making friends with similar viewpoints as us. My gut feeling is that of all of Raleigh's suburbs, Cary is probably the most liberal. We live about 5 minutes from the Raleigh city limit, so if we want to head into that area we can, which does tend to have more liberal areas (mostly around NCSU and downtown).
Even though NC is in the south, the Triangle is probably more transplants than natives these days. Many come from the northeast or west coast which makes for a nice mix of cultures in the area.
Back to your original post, for around $400k you could get a place almost anywhere you want in this area (with a few exceptions). Downtown Raleigh, especially historic Oakwood, might be a good choice for you. Quaint downtown feel with lots of giant old trees. Also there are some nice areas around Duke in Durham that have a similar feel. My pick would be west Raleigh inside the beltline and just north of Wade Ave. It is probably one of my favorite areas of Raleigh. Older homes, nice neighborhoods, lots of trees, bike trails, near parks, about 15 minutes from the airport, good schools, and not too trafficy once you get into the neighborhoods. Look along Ridge Road and like I said just north of Wade for this area.
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. House doesn't need to be huge, need more rooms than space. 
I find RTP to be the most liberal part of NC so definitely stay around here...now as far as specifics. I live in Apex but very close to Raleigh, about a 20 min drive. close to parks and lakes and recreation courts. Apex is known for their GREAT schools. If you find something close to the 55/64 intersection there is a great mix of people from all backgrounds which is what makes the area more liberal and openminded than if you go deeper into Apex. I went to UNC so I love CH but finding a house with that many BRs can get pricey in that area. You would have better luck in Apex which is growing and appreciating very quickly. My experience has been great here but I'm relocating to DC...where I can be around even more openminded and globally educated individuals. 
