question for those who relocated.... (Raleigh, Durham: real estate, to rent, chapel)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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For those who relocated to the Raleigh area from somewhere else, I was wondering if you would like to share what area you chose to live in and why. We just returned from a 4 day visit and really enjoyed all of the areas and we are pretty sure we know where we would want to live, but I am curious as to what areas others liked the best and why, and also if you are happy with your choice. Thanks!
For those who relocated to the Raleigh area from somewhere else, I was wondering if you would like to share what area you chose to live in and why. We just returned from a 4 day visit and really enjoyed all of the areas and we are pretty sure we know where we would want to live, but I am curious as to what areas others liked the best and why, and also if you are happy with your choice. Thanks!
Migirliegirl,
We chose Willow Spring for lots of reasons. We came from Fla. where all the houses were one on top of the other and here we were able to get an acre lot. We met our neighbors the day we viewed the home and instantly liked them. The neighborhood is family oriented as well. We are close enough to shopping but not too close (between Clayton and Fuquay) and that was a plus.( Miami is very congested and we couldn't take it anymore)
And lastly we loved the house itself. It is big enough without being too big. Fit us just right!!
We haven't been here for long (4 months) but I do not regret moving here for one minute! I could not have dreamed of living in a better area! I miss my family but will never move back to Fla.
We chose Cary to rent for a while when we first moved here for it's convenience and proximaty to everything else in the Triangle. We stayed and rented there for 3 years and we really loved it at the time. We bought a home in FV 2 1/2 years ago because home are more affordable here. It is also about 20 minutes from Cary or Raleigh so not TOO terrible (but slightly annoying) to drive to things we like to do in those areas. I work at home and Hubby works in Raleigh so neither of us have to commute to RTP or FV would have been out of the question. I highly recommend renting for a while when you first get here so you can become familiar with all the areas before you settle down permanently. Good luck!
I settled on North Raleigh (Falls of Neuse Durant Road Area North of I-540). We moved here 2.5 years ago and first rented for a year in N. Raleigh (Creedmoor Road South of I-540 area) while we got the lay of the land. I work in Downtown Raleigh and my wife works in the Brier Creek area so it made sense for us to live in Raleigh to enjoy a nice commute to our jobs. We also enjoy being close to dining / shopping / and entertainment options without having to go on long drives. Another reason we choose Raleigh is we also like to travel to Durham for entertainment and being in Raleigh gives us good access to fun things to do in Durham as well. I would have loved to have bought a home in Raleigh Inside the Beltline or in a Historic Downtown Neighborhood, but that was out of our price range. If we were working in RTP other options may have also been considered like Durham or Cary, Apex or Holly Springs as they may have been better fits for us in that situation.
At times we were tempted to move "further out" to get a little more land or a bigger house on a modest budget, but in the end we just didn't want to lose the conveniences we have such great access to and end up with long drives to work. I can think of positives for every area of the Triangle, but in the end it will all come down to your personal preference, where you work and the commute you desire, schools (if you have children), and price. The exact quantities that go into the recipe are different for every person.
Just do yourself a favor, regardless of whether you choose to live in Wake Forest or Durham or Clayton or Raleigh ect….. make sure you get out there and explore what the other great areas of the Triangle have to offer. I feel kind of bad for people who never venture out of their little corner of the Triangle. I’m sure they love their town, but this area has so much to offer and it would be a shame to not get out there and experience it!
Good luck with your search!
Last edited by North_Raleigh_Guy; 10-07-2007 at 08:58 PM..
For those who relocated to the Raleigh area from somewhere else, I was wondering if you would like to share what area you chose to live in and why. We just returned from a 4 day visit and really enjoyed all of the areas and we are pretty sure we know where we would want to live, but I am curious as to what areas others liked the best and why, and also if you are happy with your choice. Thanks!
When we came down 4 years ago we looked at schools and commute, as we both worked in Butner so we were looking at the closest point in Wake county with an actual small town feel. Wake Forest fit the bill.
Even though we both work in new locations...it still works for us. I'd like to live IBL....and my husband would like to live in the middle of no where...neither one of those work for us right now...WF is a great compromise that don't leave either of us feeling like we are.
I relocated to NW Cary near Morrisville, off of Davis Dr. It is close to work (RTP) and the airport (RDU). I'm about 20 min to Southpoint mall and 25 min to Crabtree mall. Housing is still affordable (though getting more costly) and neighborhoods are nice and clean. Good schools. Close to the library, parks and other community services.
We have settled in Knightdale. We love it, we know there have been some comments that there are areas to be careful of, what cities don't ! We haven't seen any problems since we have been here!
Good Luck
For those who relocated to the Raleigh area from somewhere else, I was wondering if you would like to share what area you chose to live in and why. We just returned from a 4 day visit and really enjoyed all of the areas and we are pretty sure we know where we would want to live, but I am curious as to what areas others liked the best and why, and also if you are happy with your choice. Thanks!
We relocated here about 15 months ago. My job is in RTP, so it was a no-brainer that we were going to rent in Morrisville until we decided where to buy a house.
Due to our modest budget (we moved here from TX, where real estate is cheap) and rather specific desires for what type of house we wanted, it took us quite a while to find a house (9 months).
We did NOT want to live in Morrisville due to all the airplanes and trains. We would have really liked to live in Cary due to its nice parks and greenway system, abundance of restaurants and shopping, good schools, etc, but we could not afford the houses that fit our desires in Cary. We also liked Apex and North Raleigh, but price was also a factor there.
My wife refused to live in Wake Forest for some reason. She said that it was "too far out". I was not willing to commute to RTP from Fuquay Varina. So, we concentrated our search on Holly Springs and the unincorporated area of Wake County that is south of Raleigh.
We ended up buying in the unincorporated area of Wake County.
Thanks for the responses! They were great, we really enjoyed things about all of the areas and commuting really isn't going to be an issue, but schools. its nice to hear everyones reasons as to why they chose where they did. Keep them coming! No one has mentioned Chapel Hill. Do people like living in Chapel Hill?
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