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In answer to comments: We did visit Raleigh & Chape Hill on 2 occasions with our dogs about 10 years ago – we were never able to get back there again – but we loved it.
We do realize the summers will be hot. When it’s hot, it’s hot, no matter where you live. We just want more than one season. I should mention we are coming from “south Floirda”
Good advice about not making Raleigh a focal point. That helps. We are very interested in the Greenways. I did google the Y’s – I can’t believe there are so many! The Rex Wellness center looks great!
It’s so time consuming researching all these areas. Today I was looking at Clayton & Garner – I think those may be good options.
Here’s a question – I notice the properties do not have fences. Are there codes that prohibit fencing your property? A problem if you have a dog.
All your comments are so helpful – thanks for taking the time
Most neighborhoods allow fences. If in an HOA neighborhood, you will need approval from the HOA/management.
While I live "in" Zebulon (I am actually north of town, between Zebulon and Bunn), I would personally not suggest Zebulon for the amenities you are looking for. It's still a very small town, internet is hit or miss -with us it's not great, our only choice is satellite-, there aren't that many stores or restaurants and it's in need of revitalization. I love living here after living smack in the middle of North Raleigh for 18 years (Apex when it was still country before that). It's mainly quiet, our traffic jams out here are tractors driving between the different fields/farms. We had moved to the mountains of NC between living in Raleigh and moving here. We are used to having to drive a ways to get to things, it was a much longer drive up there than it is here. Plus we know where everything is since we've lived in Wake County for almost 40 years. There is no YMCA in Zebulon, but there is in Knightdale, which is a short drive away. Maybe consider Knightdale or even Wendell (which has a small, but charming downtown). Your price point is going to limit you in this whole area, to be honest.
My sister just moved out of South Florida. She too was tired of the never ending summer. We do get four seasons here. And the sun is exponentially stronger the farther south you go. It's completely different here than it was in NY. It's completely different in FL than it is here.
If you're going to be working from home make sure you ask after high speed internet, as it is not available everywhere. Have a co worker from Clayton and when we all moved remote due to the pandemic that was a problem for her.
Most neighborhoods allow fences. If in an HOA neighborhood, you will need approval from the HOA/management.
AND get the fence that they require. Which may be a wrought iron fence about 3.5-4 feet tall. If you have a dog that's a jumper, that may not work for you.
Yes, I think BoSox hit it on the nose.
You visited 10 years ago? Be prepared to see A LOT more traffic.
It sounds like I'm bad mouthing this area. On the contrary - we really like it. Except for that humidity, I don't think we would move until we hit the crematorium. Well, the traffic bothers DH, too.
My sister just moved out of South Florida. She too was tired of the never ending summer. We do get four seasons here. And the sun is exponentially stronger the farther south you go. It's completely different here than it was in NY. It's completely different in FL than it is here.
If you're going to be working from home make sure you ask after high speed internet, as it is not available everywhere. Have a co worker from Clayton and when we all moved remote due to the pandemic that was a problem for her.
This!
The internet situation here I was not expecting given "RTP is a tech center". I did not account for the fact that truly high speed internet infrastructure doesn't go everywhere here; which was an adjustment from where we moved (gigabit internet is available through Verizon FiOS or Comcast Xfinity even in "rural" areas of MA; my dad had two gigabit ISPs to choose from in a town of 5500 people. AT&T, Google etc aren't even available in WF which is eight times the size)
The HOA point is an important one to understand. Almost all new construction and many existing houses are part of an HOA. If you're not familiar with HOAs in NC, it's worth some googling or a search of this forum. They have a lot of power, and many new Triangle residents are surprised by the scope of what is within the HOA purview.
I guess our priority is affordability and nearness to Raleigh.
From reading the posts here, it seems Garner, Clayton & Fuquay may be within our budget.
What about Knightdale and Zebulon?
Knightdale is closer and more convenient to most of the Raleigh metro than Fuquay or Clayton. Zebulon is at the far reach of the metro as it is currently and borderline rural.
I live in Knightdale, it's convenient in terms of "stuff middle Americans need/like/want" (Target and Home Depot and Lowes,) is convenient to downtown Raleigh via Knightdale BLVD/New Bern Ave, and most of North/NW Raleigh via 440 and 540. It's not what I'd call charming but it checks a lot of boxes. Being that you don't mention kids the eastern Wake schools which aren't as good as the western part of the county likely aren't a huge deal for you.
Garner is a lot like Knightdale, only due south of the city instead of east.
I am thinking maybe Durham? Downtown Durham has grown terrifically recently with Arts offerings, the Durham Performing Arts Center which gets all the Broadway shows like Hamilton, Wicked etc. and The Carolina Theatre which has both movies and live shows. There are walking trails galore, not to mention the Duke University campus as well as Duke Gardens. The Ninth Street area is quirky and full of neat local businesses, as is the Brightleaf Square area (though we are losing my favorite store, the very unique Morgan Imports, due to COVID ).
I know many Seniors who live in the Croasdaile community north of Durham, which is quite large. There are apartments and small houses that are all part of the community, but they do have a "Community center" with pool gyms, etc and many recreational programs. I don't know the cost.
I also know a lot of folks who belong to the Jewish Community Center (you don't have to be Jewish--most of the ones I know are not) for its pool and facilities. But there is also a YMCA in downtown Durham not to mention other gyms everywhere.
Durham county is generally considered cheaper than Wake or certainly Orange, from the reputation that the public schools aren't quite as good. That of course is moot to you.
I've also visited The Forest at Duke a lot. Another of those "Senior communities" that has various living arrangements.
I
I've also visited The Forest at Duke a lot. Another of those "Senior communities" that has various living arrangements.
I'm not sure what you mean by "senior community," but The Forest at Duke is a CCRC (continuing care retirement community) - entirely different concept and financial requirements than a standard 55+. And there's at least a 2 year waiting list.
Have you considered the Wake Forest area? They have a ton of the amenities with less of the crowds. Youngsville is pretty close and may be more affordable price-wise. you are further from downtown but there's no shortage of restaurants and shopping, plus it's about the same distance from downtown Raleigh and Durham which gives you more options (if you're in WF, not sure about Youngsville, I just mention that one b/c it has a cute downtown and is more affordable, but also more rural).
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