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grimesk12
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Moving to NC ?s
grimesk12
member
Hi all,
My LO is 10 months old. DH and I have decided to move to NC in June. I've got a couple job offers in different parts of the state. I'd love some feedback about them. One job is in the Fayetteville area. Another is Johnston county. DH has applied for jobs in Raleigh. We are a very Eco friendly family with 2 big dogs and will need to rent. Thanks for any suggestions!!
My LO is 10 months old. DH and I have decided to move to NC in June. I've got a couple job offers in different parts of the state. I'd love some feedback about them. One job is in the Fayetteville area. Another is Johnston county. DH has applied for jobs in Raleigh. We are a very Eco friendly family with 2 big dogs and will need to rent. Thanks for any suggestions!!
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Re: Moving to NC ?s
I live between Fayetteville and Johnston County and work in Fayetteville. If DH and I could both get jobs closer to Raleigh, I would move there. Where are you moving from?
Fayetteville is largely a military town and there is a lot of turnover. If you join any groups or make friends at church, there is a good chance your new friends willbe moving in the next couple of years. There is little to do in Fayetteville if you like outdoor recreation. There is only one mountain bike trail, not much swimming or parks for the kids. Fayetteville does not have many great places to eat. They have all of the chains, but sometimes you just want to go somewhere nice, like for an anniversary, and Fayetteville doesn't have it. Fayetteville is conservative. If you do move to Fayetteville and plan to stay awhile, do research on schools, because they vary a lot.
Johnston County borders Wake County, which is where Raleigh is. Besides Raleigh, there are a lot of cute small and medium towns like Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, Apex, and Cary. Raleigh has museums, and we especially like the Marble Museum for the kids. You are close to plenty to eat and do in Raleigh and the surrounding areas. Raleigh / Chapel Hill are very liberal areas, with high levels of education, and high levels of transplants from the north. (CARY is jokingly referred to as the Containment area for relocated Yankees). Wake County has good schools, although they have a controversial program that buses kids to schools to ensure economic diversity. The rent in Johnston and Wake is higher, but worth it in my mind.
Given the choice, I would not think twice. I would move to Johnston/Wake County.
What part of NY? DH is from near Syracuse.
I think the commute from Johnston to Duke would be too long. It's 40+ miles, and there is a lot of traffic during rush hour. If your jobs are Raleigh and Durham, Cary or Morrisville would be good choices.
Duke/ Durham drive is just too long if you are looking at Johnston County and when there is a game you can bet the belt line highway will be jam packed bumper to bumper. Cary has much higher rent per square foot most of the time it's in older buildings. If you get a newer building there may be a list wait for renting. I worked out in Cary and worked with apartment complexes. I think some parts of Fuquay Varina is in Johnston county and I hear that you can get a lot of space for your buck in Willow Springs.
Morrisville is on the edge of Cary and from what I saw of it the apartments there are very nice. Apex is a mixed bag.
I have many coworkers that live in Johnston county and proudly declare their redneckness which I thought was a huge exaggeration and just joking around until her daughter came in to complain to her mom that in gym class corn hole was considered a sport Another coworker told me that she couldn't place her kids in public schools that she wanted in Johnston county because it is determined by address. I know in Wake you have your choice it's just the transportation might be an issue.
Oh yeah as for dogs we found it very hard to find apartments in Cary/ apex that would allow them and the ones that did...there was a stupidly high fee for it. I had no problem finding parks, but I think the lawmakers are doing some stronger leash laws and may not be allowed to unleash your dogs outside even at a dog park that and making sure to pick up after them. I know our apartment complex before enforced a $100 fee each time you were reported.
Check on the school stuff. Wake County does not have school choice. They have school assignment, which makes a lot of parents angry. In most parts of the country, if you live in Apex, you go to Apex High School. But in Wake County, if you live in Apex, you may go to Apex High, or you may go to any other high school in the county. Your parents do not get to choose, and they don't like the idea of their kid being on a bus for a long time to go to a school that is farther away.
Also, Wake County is, for the most part, year round. Everyone I know (parents, teachers and kids) love this schedule.
There are plenty of schools in Wake County that are not on year round schedules. Just check to make sure before you sign your lease.
OP, If I was coming from NE (I have a bunch of family there) I would rather live in Raleigh or Chapel Hill. We have a lot more cultural events going on and plenty of stuff to do outdoors. There are a ton of parks and lakes and a bunch of places to go mountain biking, hiking and swimming. It's also way less conservative than the other towns that you mentioned. I think you will find more like minded folks in Wake or Orange County.