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I am considering moving to the Sanford Area and would like some information on the area. Does anyone know if there is a train from Sanford to RTP? How far is the commute and how bad is it during peak traffic times? Want to live in a rual area. Want at least two acres for horses. Need good high school and good gymnastic training. Have a level 9 gymnast. Any info would be helpful.
I commute from Sanford to Downtown Raleigh every day and it takes about 45 minutes door to door. I don't believe there's any commuter train service available from Sanford but there are car/van pooling options available. I don't have children in high school but while house hunting, I was warned repeatedly that the high schools in Sanford are bad. There are a few private school options that come highly recommended. I hope this helps.
45 minutes is a good assessment to the edge of Raleigh. If you have to go North of Raleigh it may take longer, especiallly with traffic. I showed homes recently in Carolina Trace - a gated community which everyone seems to love.
I've lived in the Sanford area all my life and currently commute to RTP from Sanford. Depending on which side of Sanford you're coming from, you're looking at a minimum of 45 minutes commuting. There is a vanpool to RTP but no commuter train. For more info on that go to tta.org
They've recently opened a new high school in the county which may be an improvement over the older one. Sanford's problem with their high schools was that they only had one in the whole county and it was extremely over crowded. Hopefully the problem has been somewhat alleviated. I do not have any info on gymnastics in the area.
Property on the north/northwest side of Sanford (Cool Springs Road area or Deep River), would give you some acreage along with proximity to US1 North to Raleigh. For an even more rural feel, look on the southern end of Sanford, just west of US1 South. Your commute to Raleigh from any of these areas should still be under an hour.
There are 2 public high schools in Sanford: Lee County is the older and larger of the two and in need of serious repair. Southern Lee is 3 years old and a new middle school is being built next to it. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. As mentioned, Lee County High is literally falling apart and the county commisioners don't seem to want to shake lose the money to update it. It serves both an affluent section of town and a poorer section. In spite of its drawbacks, it has a very loyal group of teachers and parents (many of whom attended there themselves) who are involved in the school and take much pride in it. They are fighting for the necessary improvements. Southern Lee has a very dynamic principal who is creating a strong sense of pride in the newer school. I hear reports however that it was built too small for the county's growing population. The bottom line with both high schools is that strong family involvement in the child's schooling will ensure a good education. All of the kids we know who have that support have gone on to college and successful lives. In truth, Lee County needs a 3rd high school to keep up with the growth.
From personal experience I can say that the public elementary and middle schools are very good.
Private school options in town include several religious affiliated schools. The O'Neal School is an excellent (but pricey) private high school in Southern Pines. There are a fair number of kids from the area that attend there, and bus service/carpools are available.
Gymnastics are pretty big in town and at least Lee County High has a team, possibly Southern Lee as well, but I'm not sure. There are two gymnastics facilities that I know of, but not having a gymnast in the family that's the extent of my knowledge.
We aren't in the High School yet, but have found the new elementary(Bullock) and West Lee Middle to be just as nice as any facility we had in other cities.
The commute from my front door in downtown Sanford(corner Summit/Gulf) to the Century Center NC DOT building on the East side of Raleigh is 45-50 min.
Fortunately the commute up from Sanford, and on the outer beltline is a reverse commute, and it is smooth sailing.
When I drove to RTP for work, the commute was actually worse because of the work on 55. It may have gotten better with much of that work complete, but the bottleneck of Apex is still a problem.
Al
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