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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
NC moms
From the post below there seem to be a lot of people that live in NC. We are looking to relocate there and went to visit over labor day but it wasnt really what we expected. What towns do you guys live in. I have not given up on leaving NJ, its expensive and the weather sucks.
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Re: NC moms
Where did you visit?
The major areas are either Charlotte (banking) or Raleigh (high-tech / bio tech).
Just curious: what did you expect. I'm a NC to NY (and one year in NJ) transplant. It could really depend on where you looked, and what part. I've lived in both Charlotte and Raleigh.
We lived in Chapel Hill for 2 years while my DH went to grad school at Duke. Chapel Hill is very nice and has great schools. Durham can be sketchy (ie. downtown). The whole area has more crime than we expected. There were many breakins in our neighborhood (same perps, going after all the houses without alarm systems). Cary is a town you might want to look into (Containment Area for Relocated Yankees), but then the school system comes into question (read up on Wake county schools). We would go private if living in Cary.
The weather IS fabulous and the cost of living is much cheaper that's for sure! We just moved back up north and we are definitely missing a lot of things. It's a slower pace, but nice in a lot of ways.
Oh sorry, I guess I should have included that. We were in South Raleigh (willow springs and visited Raleigh and Cary briefly). I was expecting cute little towns outside of Raleigh with their own main streets, etc from upstate NY so this is sort of what I was thinking. But it seemed that it was just housing (new and old) and then a 15 minute car ride to strip malls. It totally could have been where we were but that's why I'm asking. We really did like the cost of living and the weather so I wanted to do more research on the area
You just aren't going to find the cute little town centers you're looking for in NC, that's for sure. It's houses and shopping complexes. Cary is just one subdivision after another. Chapel Hill is a little different - it does have a nice downtown but it's attached to UNC (Franklin Street) so it's all about the students. Carrboro is cute and right next door, you should check it out.
There are always trade offs, right?
Yeh, south Raleigh is not the best area - I wouldn't live in most of those smaller townships outside of the city. I'm not sure what area in Cary the PPer is referring to, but Cary has great schools (I've lived in this area 15 years). Cary's Greenhope School (public) is awesome. But some areas of Raleigh are somewhat questionable for schools. We really don't want to go private, so we will need to do our research.
Chapel Hill is cute, especially near the university (I went to grad school at Carolina) but Durham is sketchy all around (lots of crime). We are in North Raleigh and we love it here. Large lots, custom homes, no crime, good schools.
Thanks, sounds like I might need to check out North Raleigh.
Are you in Westchester now? I work in the city and I'm 15 miles out of the city in Jersey.The commuting is killing me! I think we are looking for good weather and better quality of life.. there will definitely be some changes, so while it wasnt exactly what I was thinking I still think its a fit. I want to also look into the schools b/c I heard that in Wake county its all year long with 3 weeks off after every 9 weeks of school.
i'd check out Apex too. There are some very cute houses, good schools, and a sweet downtown too!
I live in western NC and we love it here. But, I grew up here and have lived here since I was 10 so I don't know much outside of here. I live in Hendersonville about 20 minutes east of Asheville. Asheville is absolutely gorgeous, and very artsy and cultural. Tons of great places to eat and things to do, I think the housing market is pretty high but its much lower than it was 5 years ago.
Also there is a NC baby board that I go to sometimes and those girls could give you a lot of help.
Charlotte is a nice city too. I've heard its a great place for young families starting out and a good job market.
A few things:
I take back what I said about village centers. You can check out Meadowmont Village and Southern Village in Chapel Hill. They are pre-planned little communities with some shops, restaurants, walking trails, etc. The houses are very nice, not big lots though, but WAY cheaper than what you'd pay for the same thing up here. They are also full of kids. Kids everywhere!
Wake County schools are growing so tremendously that they have schools bursting at the seems and are building new ones all the time. Then they have to decide who goes to those new schools. So one year your kid goes to School A down the road, then next year they've decided they your kid will be bused across town to School B. They also do all this busing to even things out socioeconomically. It's fairly controversial, you should do your research. You CANNOT buy a house in Wake County and expect your child to go to the nearest school for their entire time. (This happens much less in already established neighborhoods, but beware if you are moving to a newly developed area.)
And yes, Wake County mostly does year-round school. At least in elementary. I believe most middle, and definitely the high schools are NOT year round (so far). That becomes an issue when you have several kids.
You should check out the City-Data Forums online for great info. Good luck!