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We've been renting in North Raleigh but looking at a lovely home at Woodlief Community in Wake Forest. It's where Six Forks and 98 meet and about 4 miles up New Light.
We realize we couldn't get anything like this in Raleigh so we're opting for a commute.
Wandering how you like your commute if you are having to drive 15 miles plus to get to work. I know this may seem like a meager commute but for us it's still a drive.
Thanks for your feedback.
We've been renting in North Raleigh but looking at a lovely home at Woodlief Community in Wake Forest. It's where Six Forks and 98 meet and about 4 miles up New Light.
We realize we couldn't get anything like this in Raleigh so we're opting for a commute.
Wandering how you like your commute if you are having to drive 15 miles plus to get to work. I know this may seem like a meager commute but for us it's still a drive.
Thanks for your feedback.
I commute 13 miles from North Raleigh to downtown. It takes about 20-25 minutes. That is about the maximum commute I want. To me it isn't about the total miles, it is about the total time it takes. Some commutes may be longer in distance yet shorter in time due to better roads, less lights, and less traffic during rush hours.
I commuted from Cary (near Bond Park) to N. Raleigh for ~5 months and I hated it. The distance was 22 miles and it took anywhere from 30 minutes (mornings) to 45 or more (evenings) each way. It didn't help that I started the job right as gas prices went all crazy, so I wasn't happy with the cost either. My idea commute is definitely less than 15 miles and maybe 20-30 minutes each way. Sitting in traffic is definitely worse than cruising along - the stretch by the airport in the evenings drove me crazy. I felt worse for the people sitting on 40, or 540 coming from RTP.
If you are concerned about the drive, I'd try it out during rush hour both during the morning and evening. I knew going in that I wasn't big on a long commute, but it had much more of an effect on me than I thought (didn't help that the job was terrible as well). I'm working from home now while I look for another local position - and I'm crossing my fingers that I can find something close to home this time around!
Most commutes here in the Triangle are pretty lightweight as compared to other metro areas, and that's a good thing
That's not to say one can't find a corridor here or there that isn't stop/start traffic at the worst of times. But in general in my brief 3 years living here and working both in RTP and Raleigh proper I've yet to encounter anything close to what we regularly experienced in the SF Bay area or other big metro areas I've lived in or visited.
I used to commute from the other side of Cary to RTP and Davis Drive was a pain coming and going, with quite a bit of stop/start especially when they had it all torn up, but even then it wasn't too bad. It may have taken me 15 minutes.
Now I commute from Sanford to East Raleigh and that is 46 miles, which equates to a pretty reliable 40-45 minute commute.
Given that back in San Jose, CA it took me sometimes 30 minutes to go 10 miles, parked on 880.... or that it used to take me 30 minutes to drive 15 miles to college in Arlington, TX.... I'm OK with my relatively non-stop cruise up to Raleigh every morning
Coming home is a bit of a burden though, as I am ready to get home... not sit in the car for another 45 min
But it just depends on one's comfort level. I know and have known many people that commute a couple hours EACH WAY to their jobs, one I work with now has a 2.5 hour commute each way.
We've been renting in North Raleigh but looking at a lovely home at Woodlief Community in Wake Forest. It's where Six Forks and 98 meet and about 4 miles up New Light.
We realize we couldn't get anything like this in Raleigh so we're opting for a commute.
Wandering how you like your commute if you are having to drive 15 miles plus to get to work. I know this may seem like a meager commute but for us it's still a drive.
Thanks for your feedback.
We looked at a house in that same community. I believe that our realtor lived there. We also looked at Crescent Ridge and Devonshire.
My commute is/was 25 miles one way.
When we set out to buy a house, I wanted my commute to be no longer than 20 minutes each way. Then, as our search went on and on and we couldn't find anything. . . . I caved in and said that I'd deal with 30 minutes each way. Once we found a house that we liked, I knew that it was going to be longer than a 30 minute commute. . . . so. . . . I started going to work early enough so that I would miss the traffic and squeak in under 30 minutes. I would leave my house at about 6:30 in order to arrive at the office by 7:00.
I did not like my commute (I-40 between 401 in Garner and 540 in RTP) and there wasn't a week that went by that part of me regretted buying the house. . . . especially when gas got above $4 per gallon and home prices started falling this past year. I did end up buying a satellite radio so that I did not go insane listening to local radio.
Now that I'm looking for a new job, I'm hoping that I can find something near Crossroads Mall, Regency Park, or Centennial Campus. That'll make the commute comfortable again.
When I first moved here I was living on the far side of Clayton. I'm working in RTP and it was 42 miles each way. One hour in the morning and up to an hour and a half in the evenings.
Now I live in Cary and am 10 miles from my office. 15-20 minutes in each direction.
When I lived in South Florida my commute was 45 minutes to an hour each way, but it didn't bother me. I found the Clayton-RTP commute nearly unbearable. I'm not sure I can quantify what was different...
I agree with NRG - miserable vs. not-miserable commutes depend on more than the actual milage. If the route feels smoother or is more scenic (to you) then driving farther may not seem so bad. Some people absolutely hate the start-stop traffic light nature of non-highway routes, while others prefer it to highway driving.
I commute from NW Raleigh (near Leesville and 540) to SE Raleigh off of Rock Quarry rd. It's 19 miles from my house (70 to 440 east) and only takes me about 25 minutes in the AM and 30 minutes in the PM. I can't complain at all, even though I do wish I was closer mileage wise.
Time wise it's incredible. No where in Northern VA (where I used to live) could you have a nearly 20 mile commute that would take you 25 minutes. It would take me at least twice as long if not 3 times as long on many days, if I was making the same commute up there.
I commuted from Cary (near Bond Park) to N. Raleigh for ~5 months and I hated it. The distance was 22 miles and it took anywhere from 30 minutes (mornings) to 45 or more (evenings) each way.
LMAO. You folks in Raleigh really are spoiled. Up where I live, I drive 20 miles to work and it takes me 45 minutes. If it rains or snows, my commute can easily exceed 1 hour. My last job was 15 miles from where I lived and it took me 45 minutes to get to work and an hour to get home. I hope to move there someday and if my commute is like yours, I'll be very happy.
We've been renting in North Raleigh but looking at a lovely home at Woodlief Community in Wake Forest. It's where Six Forks and 98 meet and about 4 miles up New Light.
We realize we couldn't get anything like this in Raleigh so we're opting for a commute.
Wandering how you like your commute if you are having to drive 15 miles plus to get to work. I know this may seem like a meager commute but for us it's still a drive.
Thanks for your feedback.
I agree with the other posters - it is really the time, not the distance and amount of traffic during the drive, that is important when I consider my work commute. I live in the Falls Lake watershed, and my current commute to/from work takes a little less than 20 minutes each way, with little traffic until I get into RTP itself. I could probably tolerate 30 minutes each way, but no more than that.
One thing to consider if you move into the watershed is you will have to drive to do any type of shopping - groceries, gas, clothes, etc. I find this more annoying than my drive to work. For me, the trade off is worth it, though.
LMAO. You folks in Raleigh really are spoiled. Up where I live, I drive 20 miles to work and it takes me 45 minutes. If it rains or snows, my commute can easily exceed 1 hour. My last job was 15 miles from where I lived and it took me 45 minutes to get to work and an hour to get home. I hope to move there someday and if my commute is like yours, I'll be very happy.
I lived in the DC suburbs for more than 20 years, so I'm very familiar with "bad commutes." My 7 mile commute could take 20-45 minutes (14 traffic lights) and prior to that my 15 mile commute could take 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. I was very happy to trade in the DC traffic for Raleigh traffic - but I still don't want to spend 1.5 hours of my day in my car.
Everyone has their own tolerance for commuting, no matter where they live. Ideally I'll get a job 15-20 minutes from home, and I'll put the extra free time to good use.
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Commutes here are pretty good in general.
