Newbie observation (Raleigh, Belmont: apartments, rent, new house)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Observations about North Carolina/Raleigh, low home prices, low cost of living, friendly polite residents, central location to beaches, mountains, slow paced
Location: Boca Raton, FL but want Clayton, NC ASAP!
439 posts, read 1,749,098 times
Reputation: 92
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This post is now making me pose the following question. How bad is the weather in the summer? Is it like Florida where I will start having 85 degree weather in March (and nearly the same in humidity)? And I have a feeling that I will end up investing in a GPS due to the fact that I'm used to a grid system myself. I consider myself to have a good sense of direction and can find most anything.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrsSteel
How about we strive to stay honest, topical and informative? Granted, a lot of the honest information on this area is positive, but it helps no one if we give only the positive news & none of the negatives.
I moved here almost 2 years ago & for me the hardest thing to get used to was the roads. Nope, it has nothing to do with the drivers. I came from an area where the roads were on a grid system. The roads here are like a big, confusing bowl of spaghetti compared to that. I got lost a few times (unsettling to say the least!), so I got a GPS. What a lifesaver! It isn't always able to find locations for me (there's a lot of growth here that doesn't appear on their system yet), but I always know that I can get home, no matter how lost I get. That's a HUGE relief!
I was with a bunch of girlfriends last weekend and we started discussing the recent weather. It came to light that most of us don't even own window scrapers for our cars. Sometimes we encounter a little frost, but most of us just let the car defroster take care of it. The story may be different for those who have to leave for work before sunrise. Still, it's pretty different from where most of us came from!
Weather-wise, the worst thing is obviously the summers. We had record heat this past summer with many days of heat over 100F. The ozone levels that came along with that heat was bad, too. On the news they suggested that the young & elderly should stay indoors. It was pretty brutal. But in my mind, that's why we have air conditioning. Hooray for technology!
As for the ire of the natives ... well, different people have different experiences with that. The only natives who have voiced their displeasure over transplants in my presence are people who've come to know me over time & consider me a friend. So yes, maybe they aren't happy with all of the changes, but not so much that they would refuse to befriend a transplant. Frankly, I don't blame them for their frustrations. Anyone who has lived in one place for a signifigant amount of time has seen it change - sometimes in ways one doesn't like. The Triangle has seen a LOT of growth in recent years & people are bound to develop strong opinions about it. It's good to be aware that this is a sensitive topic, so be courteous when it arises.
It isn't going to be anything like Florida. It is usually May before it really starts to get anything approaching hot. And even then, not so bad. June-August can get hot. March and April are generally really pleasant months.
Location: Boca Raton, FL but want Clayton, NC ASAP!
439 posts, read 1,749,098 times
Reputation: 92
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dire Wolf
It isn't going to be anything like Florida. It is usually May before it really starts to get anything approaching hot. And even then, not so bad. June-August can get hot. March and April are generally really pleasant months.
That makes me feel better!
Where I'm at now, the only times that it's even remotelye enjoyable to be outside are usually January and February. And those are even rapidly disappearing. I like to give as little money as possible to the electric company but that hasn't been possible so far this season.
This post is now making me pose the following question. How bad is the weather in the summer? Is it like Florida where I will start having 85 degree weather in March (and nearly the same in humidity)? And I have a feeling that I will end up investing in a GPS due to the fact that I'm used to a grid system myself. I consider myself to have a good sense of direction and can find most anything.
Dire Wolf is right about the weather. June is when it starts to get a bit iffy. I will still happily go out for a walk in June. However, my dear English mother-in-law was visiting us last June & she couldn't tolerate the heat & humidity. It can get muggy here in the summer, but in my experience it isn't as severe as, say, Orlando.
Like you, I also tend to have a pretty good sense of direction. That's why getting lost was so unnerving for me! The peace of mind I've gained from owning my GPS was well worth the price. I find that I'm much more willing to go out & explore the area because I know I will always be able to get home on my own.
How about we strive to stay honest, topical and informative? Granted, a lot of the honest information on this area is positive, but it helps no one if we give only the positive news & none of the negatives.
I moved here almost 2 years ago & for me the hardest thing to get used to was the roads. Nope, it has nothing to do with the drivers. I came from an area where the roads were on a grid system. The roads here are like a big, confusing bowl of spaghetti compared to that. I got lost a few times (unsettling to say the least!), so I got a GPS. What a lifesaver! It isn't always able to find locations for me (there's a lot of growth here that doesn't appear on their system yet), but I always know that I can get home, no matter how lost I get. That's a HUGE relief!
I was with a bunch of girlfriends last weekend and we started discussing the recent weather. It came to light that most of us don't even own window scrapers for our cars. Sometimes we encounter a little frost, but most of us just let the car defroster take care of it. The story may be different for those who have to leave for work before sunrise. Still, it's pretty different from where most of us came from!
Weather-wise, the worst thing is obviously the summers. We had record heat this past summer with many days of heat over 100F. The ozone levels that came along with that heat was bad, too. On the news they suggested that the young & elderly should stay indoors. It was pretty brutal. But in my mind, that's why we have air conditioning. Hooray for technology!
As for the ire of the natives ... well, different people have different experiences with that. The only natives who have voiced their displeasure over transplants in my presence are people who've come to know me over time & consider me a friend. So yes, maybe they aren't happy with all of the changes, but not so much that they would refuse to befriend a transplant. Frankly, I don't blame them for their frustrations. Anyone who has lived in one place for a signifigant amount of time has seen it change - sometimes in ways one doesn't like. The Triangle has seen a LOT of growth in recent years & people are bound to develop strong opinions about it. It's good to be aware that this is a sensitive topic, so be courteous when it arises.
*clap clap clap* well said.
Sorry if that was off topic.
I look at my map at least once a month (no GPS for me!) but I got lost in Chicago and San Fran too. I just didn't do as many circles there.
One huge change that I can't believe that I forgot to mention - that can be seen as a positive or a negative, depending on your POV - if you order iced tea, it will come out...
with sugar.
Lots and lots of sugar.
And sometimes - even when you don't want sugar, it will come out with sugar because the restaurant may think you are joking. Just be aware.
Now if you only like sweet tea - you are in luck. Because I hear this area has the absolute best.
I think your opinion on the weather depends where you are coming from. It's not bad if you are coming up from the south, but it IS darned hot if you are coming down from the north. I've learned to enjoy the 60 degree winter days at the park because there WILL BE many days in summer when you just can't do outside activities with little ones. Someday someone will explain to me why they make all the swings black. Eh, enjoy 'em now...they'll burn your bottom off in July.
And yeah, the sweet tea should come with a side of insulin.
When my parents moved to Florida, we would visit in December and really enjoyed going to the beach and the pool in December!
We made the mistake of once going in July. July in Florida can kill you! If the humidity doesn't get you the rain in the middle of the afternoon, while the sun is shining will!
I don't like that much humidity and heat; however, I will say that once in a while...in August, we'll get a couple of days like that.
As for the sweet tea...
If its too sweet for you...ask for l/2 sweet and l/2 unsweetened tea. Thats yummy!
I look at my map at least once a month (no GPS for me!) but I got lost in Chicago and San Fran too. I just didn't do as many circles there.
One huge change that I can't believe that I forgot to mention - that can be seen as a positive or a negative, depending on your POV - if you order iced tea, it will come out...
with sugar.
Lots and lots of sugar.
And sometimes - even when you don't want sugar, it will come out with sugar because the restaurant may think you are joking. Just be aware.
Now if you only like sweet tea - you are in luck. Because I hear this area has the absolute best.
Funny about the tea! When I first moved from SC to MA, I visited a restaurant and ordered TEA, just TEA. Guess what I got? HOT TEA! I was laughing so hard. The owner of that restaurant still laughs when I come in there or if I see him around Town. Here in MA you have to specify ICED TEA! (and it's NEVER sweet) Boy how I miss my Southern Sweet Tea.
Sure hope moving to the Raleigh area works out for us!
I hear ya, I'm in CT and 'tea' is hot, in a mug. 'Iced tea' is just tea with ice cubes, with no sugar. If you want it 'sweet', you dump sugar packets into it, which of course settles on the bottom in a undissolved clump! After getting hooked on sweet tea on our trips to Raleigh, I have tried ordering it here-I've found some places will go, OK, then give you those nasty fruit flavored iced teas, ugh.
I have not had any problem getting around on our treks there-but then, in my job I have to get around all kinds of places so I'm good at it. I swear by the laminated 'Street Finder' maps-I have a Raleigh one. I USED to have a GPS, but it was stolen out of my car this past weekend here in CT, right in the parking lot of my apt, along with three other peoples'! The police said it is a nationwide problem, so be careful and don't leave then on your dashboard!!!
Location: Boca Raton, FL but want Clayton, NC ASAP!
439 posts, read 1,749,098 times
Reputation: 92
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracie Perkins
Funny about the tea! When I first moved from SC to MA, I visited a restaurant and ordered TEA, just TEA. Guess what I got? HOT TEA! I was laughing so hard. The owner of that restaurant still laughs when I come in there or if I see him around Town. Here in MA you have to specify ICED TEA! (and it's NEVER sweet) Boy how I miss my Southern Sweet Tea.
Sure hope moving to the Raleigh area works out for us!
My husband is originally from Virginia. And he hates it that he can only get sweet tea from a few places around here. I usually have to remind him which ones have it (mostly bbq places and Cracker Barrel). And then I had a time when I was in California for business. My company's lunch included iced tea. I asked the one I was dining with if it were sweetened. She looked at me as if I had 2 heads.
Many places around here are confused when you ask for sweet tea. They were like, "We have raspberry tea." (insert the gagging face my dh makes here) Usually it's just the syrup stuff that comes from the machine.
We're SO counting the days until we can leave!
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I came from an area where the roads were on a grid system. The roads here are like a big, confusing bowl of spaghetti compared to that. I got lost a few times (unsettling to say the least!), so I got a GPS. What a lifesaver! It isn't always able to find locations for me (there's a lot of growth here that doesn't appear on their system yet), but I always know that I can get home, no matter how lost I get. That's a HUGE relief!
