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I'm taking a job at UNC. The church we want to attend is near NC State (hard to find denomination). Any advice on where to live? We expect to go to church at least twice a week, sometimes more (Lent, Easter, etc.).
We have lived in Chapel Hill/Carrboro in the past and aren't fond of the Orange County taxes and the pervasive presence of students. We are looking at SE Durham, Morrisville, Cary. No kids so schools aren't an issue for us. We're looking for a normal house ~2000 square feet or less in a safe, stable neighborhood -- not interested in McMansions.
West Cary would be a good option. I live in this area - close to Rt 55, minutes from Rt 540, Rt 40 etc. From my home, I can be at UNC in 25 minutes (I almost accepted a position there), NCSU in 15-20 minutes. Need to know your pricepoint to recommend specific neighborhoods. Morrisville is also close to the same highways and is another good option.
I work in Chapel Hill and we go to church in downtown Raleigh. We shop and dine and have friends throughout the area. We live in Cary, just to the west of downtown. Hwy 55 gets me to Chapel Hill in about 30-5 minutes; we can get to downtown Raleigh for church in under 30 minutes (granted, this is at off-peak times).
Personally if I worked at UNC (5 times a week) and went to church on Sunday (1 time a week) I would lean towards living closer to work than church. At any rate, I would take a look at Southwest Durham. (27713). I live in Fairfield, but there are a handful of subdivisions that are nice. My wife works for UNC and her commute is 15-20 minutes:
South Durham NC - Parkwood map, Lakehurst map, Grandale Place map, Fairfield map, Lake Park map, Chancellor's Ridge map, and Audubon Park map (http://www.fairfield-nc.com/pages/SouthDurhamMap3FF.shtml - broken link)
I agree with those saying to live nearer work than church: you travel that way more often, but also because presumably you are headed to work during "rush hour" traffic (and thus it's better to have an easier commute) while you are headed to church during slow traffic times, so a longer distance is less of a hassle than having the long distance 5x a week IN traffic and the easy distance 2 times a week WITHOUT traffic.
Cary is a great middle ground, but prices are generally higher than in Morrisville. Another factor to consider is whether you want an older home or new construction - lots more new construction in Morrisville, though there is also a stronger trend towards townhomes there.
Kitts Creek (edge of Morrisville & RTP) might work for you.
The side of Cary you would need to live on is the more expensive side, for the most part; although there are some older homes on the Morrisville side of Cary that might work.
That said, I don't think you'll find better value in your price range than SW Durham (near Southpoint). We lived there for 8 years and really enjoyed the area. The commute to Raleigh is very easy (especially if you don't have to go that direction during the work rush hour) and the drive to Chapel Hill is a non-issue.
Mike
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