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Looking for some advice. Any, good or bad, is welcome!
My husband and I are late twenties early thirties and ready to start a family. I am a paralegal and he can do just about anything but doesn't have a chosen profession or degree (example: he is looking into pest control in Raleigh).
I am wondering if anyone else has made the jump. We are both Denver natives and our families think we are crazy for wanting to leave. I hate the harsh winters. They are getting longer and longer as we have recieved some 70+ inches of snow this April alone. Husband is more tolerant of the winters but wouldn't mind getting away. Our biggest push right now is housing. We are looking to buy in July and can only buy a shack in Denver but could buy a decent family home in Raleigh.
The paralegal job market in Raleigh seems to be tough, though. I don't see a lot of job postings for paralegals, which worries me.
Neither of us care for sports so that is not an issue.
We love the "city" part of Denver, mostly for food and I work downtown. We really like the local food movement in Denver and the availability of organic grocery stores. I know NC doesn't have Sprouts but wondering if there is an equivalent.
So many questions- What is the main grocery store out there? Is the farmer's market year round? Is it worth it? Do they double coupons at the grocery stores there (I am an AVID couponer)?
How is the job market really, vs Denver?
Another thing, my husband has an old criminal record. Everything is past 7 years from before I knew him, but it seems like NC is more forgiving in the sense of less background checks or more understanding towards a rocky past. We both attend church and are reliable workers now and looking for somewhere we can AFFORD to settle down.
We both love sushi, local, sustainable food and markets. We don't care for nightlife. Shopping is semi important- are there good places to shop? Malls, newer Targets, etc? Do not care for Wal Mart or run-down supermarkets. I am a supermarket snob in some sense.
Finally, what about childcare? Average cost for a younger child? Lots of in home care centers as well as child care centers? And anyone with experience in the legal field please let me know why the paralegal market seems so sparse!
hello. you have quite a few questions, some of which i can answer. i would first recommend that you take a look at the newcomers questions thread which can answer many of your questions on the area.
i can answer some of your questions about being a paralegal as i am a civil litigation paralegal in raleigh. in what area(s) do you have paralegal experience? the job market for paralegals is somewhat tight since it's like any other business in a tighter economy -- they are using what they have & encouraging people to work harder & smarter. also, since businesses & people are more likely to be watching pennies, legal fees are sometimes the thing they are willing to closer examine as expendable depending on how important they find legal services to be for a particular situation.
are you looking to work in a law firm or in a corporate legal department? some of the RTP companies may be hiring in their legal departments. they also are often ones who hire paralegals and attorneys for contract, i.e. contract & document reviews (i had friends who did only document production for a large company). you may consider checking into legal staffing agencies to see what they may be looking for, although some of that may be contract work which could be dicey for relocation. not to beat a dead horse, but know that you are not alone in relocating to this area & therefore firms & companies have the pick of the litter right now for hiring.
both raleigh & durham have farmer's markets. there are also local CSAs that will deliver produce to your door. as for natural markets, there are whole foods, trader joe's, earth far, & harmony farms. for regular stores there is harris teeter, kroger, food lion, & lowe's foods. most, if not all of those, do double & sometimes triple coupons.
refer to the thread above for a look at area shopping malls & centers. yes, there are newer targets.
as to child care, others will be better able to answer as i don't have children yet. but i can tell you that some of my friends who do work will pay anywhere from $900-1300/mo for child care for one child. that's a decent child care center & some of my friends have had to move their kids around to find the best care for them. waiting lists are often long. there is the possibility of in-home daycare but it is my recommendation that you listen to feedback from other posters about their child care costs/situations & that you do a search on these boards for child care to get an idea of costs & availability.
Thanks. This is very helpful. I have experience in family law, bankruptcy and one year in civil litigation. I prefer civil litigation. I wouldn't be opposed to working for corporate legal departments but I am very shy when it comes to contract positions. I am a fan of stability and security (one of the reasons for moving to NC) and don't like the unknown.
I am a civil litigation paralegal right now in Denver. Do you think that salary.com and all of that are accurate for our field? I think it is a little high. I hesitate to ask what you make because I hesitate to put it on this board, but I am interested in knowing. I have no way of knowing for sure if my salary is going to decrease moving out there.
Hi maybel. LoopdeLoop hit the high points, pretty much. I'm also a civil lit paralegal in the Triangle, so if you'd like more information feel free to PM me. In terms of job listings, where are you looking (ie what sites/listing boards and the like?) I see a few civil lit jobs advertised on Craigslist pretty regularly so that may be a good place to start.
To address your grocery store questions, LdL also hit up the high points - there's also Weaver Street Market, an organic co-op based out of Chapel Hill with a few locations. I'd readily put it up there with Whole Foods and ahead of Earthfare. I know Harris-Teeter doubles coupons up to $1.00 (although my wife's the real couponer so she could answer that better). In terms of run-down grocery stores, stick to H-T - many of these are regularly updated or renovated. Stay away from Food Lion, that tends to be pretty run-down.
Personally I would stay in Denver. I have been to Denver on several occasions as I have friend who relocated from Charlotte to Denver. Not gonnna bash Raleigh too much...but Denver levels Raleigh on so many factors such as diversity, workplace diversity, cultural amentities, beautification, and the list goes on.... However RAleigh does have affordable housing and the change of seasons. I really think coming from Denver, you would get bored with Raleigh really quick. AGain, just my .02 cents.
Personally I would stay in Denver. I have been to Denver on several occasions as I have friend who relocated from Charlotte to Denver. Not gonnna bash Raleigh too much...but Denver levels Raleigh on so many factors such as diversity, workplace diversity, cultural amentities, beautification, and the list goes on.... However RAleigh does have affordable housing and the change of seasons. I really think coming from Denver, you would get bored with Raleigh really quick. AGain, just my .02 cents.
I wonder the same thing, except we do not drink or party. We do enjoy the outdoors to some degree but we are not ski bums or mountain climbers. We like regular stuff...food, tv, friends. We wonder how easy it is to make friends there.
Unfortunately living in Denver is becoming so expensive.
Is Raleigh dreary? Boring? Have you been to Denver? If so can you compare it to a town here? (Northglenn, Broomfield, etc). Is it clean? Lots of bums? Does it have the city grit? I do love the grit of a big city.
Raleigh is like Lakewood. I wouldnt necessarily say that it's dreary and it definitely does not have that big city grit like other cities that you are looking for. Cleanliness compared to Denver, Denver wins hands down and its not as "green" of a city like Denver. I mean theres stuff to do here, but I've been told by others you have to seek it out. Basically you have to hunt for things to do. Personally, I don't like that. I would rather have activities and things to do that are obtainable rather than trying to hunt down things to do.
No, it is just bland, and more suburban than city. If you look hard enough, you might find some homeless people.
I had to LOL. Is anywhere else in NC comprable to the big city grit that I am afraid I will miss? Also, I don't want to offend anyone, but what is the "class" of people like? In Denver, we have cherry creek type people and then we have Thornton type people and if it is all like Thornton I might get worried.
Westcoastbabe- Lakewood is doable, because they have Belmar. Does Raleigh have anywhere within traveling distance that is like good shopping???
Hate to break it to you. But Raleigh have nothing like Belmar. Not even remotely close. They have outlet shopping that is driving distance from Raleigh.... but if you are looking for specfically something like Belmar...Its not here. Regarding class of people. you have your rednecks, baggypants-wearing thugs, the stepford wives, and some educated fools.
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