Author Topic: Raleigh, North Carolina?  (Read 23939 times)

Simple Abundant Living

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Raleigh, North Carolina?
« on: December 19, 2014, 11:48:30 AM »
I posted about looking at a job in the Southeast. We can live where we want and are interested in Raleigh, NC. Can anyone here make recommendations about this area? Where to live, good schools, things to do, traffic and access? How easy is it to live a 'mustachian' lifestyle here? You can read my original post here to read more about the situation:

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/from-the-mountain-west-to-the-southeast-should-we-move-and-where!/msg489029/#msg489029

Thanks!

geekette

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #1 on: December 19, 2014, 02:43:22 PM »
We live in Cary, a western suburb of Raleigh.  The LDS temple is in Apex, just a bit further SW of us.  Other than its general location, I know nothing about it.

Four seasons, green space, low COL, multicultural, quite liberal until you get out into the country, then their minds snap shut.  Lots of families here (we don't have kids), not so much night life.  Some complaints about the schools, but I think that's required ;-).  People in general seem happy.  Cary (and Apex) are also pretty low crime areas. 

The medical schools are in Chapel Hill and Durham, IIRC.  The former is pricey, the later is dicey, IMHO.  I'm sure there are good areas, I just don't know them. 

Not a very bike-able area. Sure, you can ride the greenways, but as far as getting things done, not so much, since it's fairly spread out and major arteries are far too scary for me. 

Growth has brought more traffic, so politeness goes by the wayside during rush hours, unfortunately.



HappyIntrovert

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2014, 08:03:56 AM »
Where to live question depends on what you want.  Do you want a suburban drive everywhere lifestyle? Do you want a standard home on 1/4 acre or more with a yard, etc..?  Do you prefer something more urban where you can walk most everywhere?

Plenty of the former. The Triangle area is the poster child for suburban sprawl.  Cary is a bedroom community made up of subdivisions and 4 lane main roads.  Not much of a downtown district to speak of.  Raleigh is a mix.  North Raleigh is a lot like Cary while downtown is more urban and walkable.  Downtown has had a tremendous revival over the last 10 years and has had a lot of new apartments, condos, and restaurants open, especially over the last year or two as the economy has improved.  Chapel Hill is more expensive and provides a nice small college town feel.  Durham has an edgier arts scene and great restaurants, but is rougher around the edges with more crime.  Then there's the smaller towns around the triangle, Wake Forest, Apex, Holly Springs, and Fuquay-Varina.  All have nice things to offer.

Also, keep into account where you will be working.  If it's in Research Triangle Park (RTP) you will be facing heavy traffic during rush hour each day on I-40. Having the flexibility to work earlier or later hours would help with that.  Traffic in the triangle can be bad, but it's nothing like larger cities like Atlanta or Washington/Baltimore. 

Schools largely vary by area as well. Wake County Schools is one of the largest districts in the country (top 20 in size), so as you can imagine you get wide variations from neighborhood to neighborhood.  There are some excellent charter schools in the area but they are in high demand and can be difficult to get in (lottery). Chapel Hill/Orange County schools are supposed to be good, while Durham has more challenges.

All in all the Triangle is a great place to live. With the 3 major universities and the two main theater venues (Raleigh and Durham), the NHL Hurricanes and the minor league Bulls and Mudcats there is a lot of stuff to do. The NC Museum of Art is in Raleigh and has some great stuff to see.  The NC Zoo is 90 mins away in Asheboro and is nice too.

Here's a thread with a lot of input regarding this area. Good luck!

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/most-mustachian-corner-of-the-research-triangle/
« Last Edit: December 20, 2014, 08:08:01 AM by HappyIntrovert »

Ricky

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2014, 08:17:11 AM »
I liked downtown Raleigh when I visited, although there are still many stark differences between run down areas and recently renovated ones. The NCSU campus and surrounding area is beautiful. I always wanted to live on campus there until I decided to go online at ECU.

I'll echo others by saying Raleigh definitely has a bad case of urban sprawl. It's not very bikeable overall and traffic is horrible.

darkadams00

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2014, 09:23:27 AM »
I lived in the northwestern area of Raleigh for three years and have lived in Cary for the last six years. Mustachian--not a problem here.

Bikeable-- check (know thy routes. one-car family here due to the ease of biking. Cary is a winner in this category in my opinion. all buses have bike racks if I want to spend a day in Raleigh, and I can usually find a rack or other means to lock my bike when running errands. Most of what I need weekly is within 2 miles of my front door.)

Free/nearly free stuff to do-- check (greenways, parks, museums, outdoor festivals/activities, college plays/concerts, tennis courts, lakes...)

Modest Heating and A/C costs--moderate climate but with above average summer humidity (true of the entire East Coast)

Reasonable real estate-- in certain areas. Raleigh has more diverse housing sizes and styles. Cary is more homogeneous in housing choices. Prices are a bit higher in Cary because Raleigh still has neighborhoods of smaller houses that haven't been mostly bought up for rentals

Reasonable commutes-- I have never had a commute longer than 20 mins by car, and I have never had to rely on the main highways/interstates for my commutes so no traffic concerns for me --although I do see I-40 snarled below me on Fridays when I ride my bike out of Umstead Park and cross the bridge (pick your housing carefully with your commute in mind)

To me, those are the key mustachian considerations. Beyond that, and you're talking more about basic amenities--jobs, schools, universities, shopping, churches, nightlife/social scene etc.--that everyone considers when making a move, regardless of ninja money skills or lack thereof.

An aside---can a Mustachian really complain about the lack of high-price swanky clubs, bars, and restaurants? Raleigh has several good places, but it's still interesting to see that pop up among folks who claim to be minimizing spending and maximizing saving.
« Last Edit: December 20, 2014, 09:32:22 AM by darkadams00 »

HappyIntrovert

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #5 on: December 20, 2014, 09:39:43 AM »
An aside---can a Mustachian really complain about the lack of high-price swanky clubs, bars, and restaurants? Raleigh has several good places, but it's still interesting to see that pop up among folks who claim to be minimizing spending and maximizing saving.

One could argue that the presence of such amenities are relevant even for a mustachian as they can increase property values.  You don't have to use such places to benefit from them being there.  I wonder however why this was brought up as OP didn't mention this.

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #6 on: December 20, 2014, 10:06:57 PM »
We live in Cary, a western suburb of Raleigh.  The LDS temple is in Apex, just a bit further SW of us.  Other than its general location, I know nothing about it.

Four seasons, green space, low COL, multicultural, quite liberal until you get out into the country, then their minds snap shut.  Lots of families here (we don't have kids), not so much night life.  Some complaints about the schools, but I think that's required ;-).  People in general seem happy.  Cary (and Apex) are also pretty low crime areas. 

The medical schools are in Chapel Hill and Durham, IIRC.  The former is pricey, the later is dicey, IMHO.  I'm sure there are good areas, I just don't know them. 

Not a very bike-able area. Sure, you can ride the greenways, but as far as getting things done, not so much, since it's fairly spread out and major arteries are far too scary for me. 

Growth has brought more traffic, so politeness goes by the wayside during rush hours, unfortunately.

Cary is the area my DH has zeroed in because of top ranked schools. How's the real estate market there? Buyers or sellers market? Any peculiarities of the market? Things to watch out for? Thanks!

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #7 on: December 20, 2014, 10:13:56 PM »
Where to live question depends on what you want.  Do you want a suburban drive everywhere lifestyle? Do you want a standard home on 1/4 acre or more with a yard, etc..?  Do you prefer something more urban where you can walk most everywhere?

Plenty of the former. The Triangle area is the poster child for suburban sprawl.  Cary is a bedroom community made up of subdivisions and 4 lane main roads.  Not much of a downtown district to speak of.  Raleigh is a mix.  North Raleigh is a lot like Cary while downtown is more urban and walkable.  Downtown has had a tremendous revival over the last 10 years and has had a lot of new apartments, condos, and restaurants open, especially over the last year or two as the economy has improved.  Chapel Hill is more expensive and provides a nice small college town feel.  Durham has an edgier arts scene and great restaurants, but is rougher around the edges with more crime.  Then there's the smaller towns around the triangle, Wake Forest, Apex, Holly Springs, and Fuquay-Varina.  All have nice things to offer.

Also, keep into account where you will be working.  If it's in Research Triangle Park (RTP) you will be facing heavy traffic during rush hour each day on I-40. Having the flexibility to work earlier or later hours would help with that.  Traffic in the triangle can be bad, but it's nothing like larger cities like Atlanta or Washington/Baltimore. 

Schools largely vary by area as well. Wake County Schools is one of the largest districts in the country (top 20 in size), so as you can imagine you get wide variations from neighborhood to neighborhood.  There are some excellent charter schools in the area but they are in high demand and can be difficult to get in (lottery). Chapel Hill/Orange County schools are supposed to be good, while Durham has more challenges.

All in all the Triangle is a great place to live. With the 3 major universities and the two main theater venues (Raleigh and Durham), the NHL Hurricanes and the minor league Bulls and Mudcats there is a lot of stuff to do. The NC Museum of Art is in Raleigh and has some great stuff to see.  The NC Zoo is 90 mins away in Asheboro and is nice too.

Here's a thread with a lot of input regarding this area. Good luck!

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/most-mustachian-corner-of-the-research-triangle/

Thanks for the response and link. I love the idea of walkable community, but I worry about safety and schools for the kids. Probably suburban is best for us. As I just wrote, DH is looking at Cary, but we are still open to other places. DH will work from home when he isn't traveling (mostly by air), so traffic is only a concern for daily life.

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #8 on: December 20, 2014, 10:19:50 PM »
I lived in the northwestern area of Raleigh for three years and have lived in Cary for the last six years. Mustachian--not a problem here.

Bikeable-- check (know thy routes. one-car family here due to the ease of biking. Cary is a winner in this category in my opinion. all buses have bike racks if I want to spend a day in Raleigh, and I can usually find a rack or other means to lock my bike when running errands. Most of what I need weekly is within 2 miles of my front door.)Good to know, thanks

Free/nearly free stuff to do-- check (greenways, parks, museums, outdoor festivals/activities, college plays/concerts, tennis courts, lakes...)Yay! Awesome!!

Modest Heating and A/C costs--moderate climate but with above average summer humidity (true of the entire East Coast)What is standard for the homes there? Forced air HVAC, heat pump, or ? Just want to know what works in that environment when I'm house hunting

Reasonable real estate-- in certain areas. Raleigh has more diverse housing sizes and styles. Cary is more homogeneous in housing choices. Prices are a bit higher in Cary because Raleigh still has neighborhoods of smaller houses that haven't been mostly bought up for rentals

Reasonable commutes-- I have never had a commute longer than 20 mins by car, and I have never had to rely on the main highways/interstates for my commutes so no traffic concerns for me --although I do see I-40 snarled below me on Fridays when I ride my bike out of Umstead Park and cross the bridge (pick your housing carefully with your commute in mind)

To me, those are the key mustachian considerations. Beyond that, and you're talking more about basic amenities--jobs, schools, universities, shopping, churches, nightlife/social scene etc.--that everyone considers when making a move, regardless of ninja money skills or lack thereof.

An aside---can a Mustachian really complain about the lack of high-price swanky clubs, bars, and restaurants? Raleigh has several good places, but it's still interesting to see that pop up among folks who claim to be minimizing spending and maximizing saving. Yeah, we're not into swank. ;) DH and I are usually in bed by 10. We do like to eat out sometimes, but it doesn't have to be fancy, just good. What kind of restaurants do you have there? Mostly chains, or local restaurants?

geekette

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #9 on: December 20, 2014, 11:36:22 PM »
We live in Cary, a western suburb of Raleigh.  The LDS temple is in Apex, just a bit further SW of us.  Other than its general location, I know nothing about it.

Four seasons, green space, low COL, multicultural, quite liberal until you get out into the country, then their minds snap shut.  Lots of families here (we don't have kids), not so much night life.  Some complaints about the schools, but I think that's required ;-).  People in general seem happy.  Cary (and Apex) are also pretty low crime areas. 

The medical schools are in Chapel Hill and Durham, IIRC.  The former is pricey, the later is dicey, IMHO.  I'm sure there are good areas, I just don't know them. 

Not a very bike-able area. Sure, you can ride the greenways, but as far as getting things done, not so much, since it's fairly spread out and major arteries are far too scary for me. 

Growth has brought more traffic, so politeness goes by the wayside during rush hours, unfortunately.

Cary is the area my DH has zeroed in because of top ranked schools. How's the real estate market there? Buyers or sellers market? Any peculiarities of the market? Things to watch out for? Thanks!
Honestly, I don't think it's either a buyer's or a seller's market (but we've been in this house going on 21 years, and my parents bought theirs in '78, so we're not particularly well versed).  I see houses for sale, and within a couple months the signs come down.  Check out fmrealty.com for local listings (quick search showed 68 single family detached houses with a minimum of 3bed/2bath for under $250k in Cary).  Taxes on our house, which would fall in the above range, are around $2k/year.

Forced air; gas if available, heat pump if not. 

There are a lot of chain restaurants, but many ethnic ones (lots of Indian!) as well, especially near downtown Cary.  Due to the universities and RTP, there are many, many Indian and Asians living in the area, so there are some interesting ethnic groceries.  Quite a large Hispanic population as well.

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #10 on: December 21, 2014, 09:28:40 AM »

Honestly, I don't think it's either a buyer's or a seller's market (but we've been in this house going on 21 years, and my parents bought theirs in '78, so we're not particularly well versed).  I see houses for sale, and within a couple months the signs come down.  Check out fmrealty.com for local listings (quick search showed 68 single family detached houses with a minimum of 3bed/2bath for under $250k in Cary).  Taxes on our house, which would fall in the above range, are around $2k/year.

Forced air; gas if available, heat pump if not. 

There are a lot of chain restaurants, but many ethnic ones (lots of Indian!) as well, especially near downtown Cary.  Due to the universities and RTP, there are many, many Indian and Asians living in the area, so there are some interesting ethnic groceries.  Quite a large Hispanic population as well.
Thanks for the real estate link, I like their format better than others I had found. Do people do FSBO? What classifieds would list them? I haven't come across too many forclosures or short sales, so your RE market must be pretty good.

I'm glad there are ethnic restaurants, I'm not a big fan of chains in general. My son is excited about the Asian and Hispanic population because he is learning Spanish and Chinese in high school!

geekette

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #11 on: December 21, 2014, 11:37:59 AM »
I don't think many do FSBO.  There's one in my neighborhood that's FSBO, and way overpriced, IMHO.

darkadams00

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #12 on: December 21, 2014, 07:56:29 PM »
We eat out about 1-2 dinners per month, so we don't get tired of the restaurants we frequent--no chains on our list. We have good barbecue, steak, ethnic (Mexican, Indian, Chinese, Thai), hamburgers, and occasional specialty shops (gluten-free bakeries--wife's birthday, chocolate, coffee shops, etc). We're able to support local businesses almost 100% of the time unless we're given a gift card, which does happen quite often.

House prices do reflect the above average availability of good-paying local jobs. The sweet spot for houses seems to be around $300-350k right now. Under $300k and you might have to look a bit longer to find exactly what you want in the area you want. Above $350k and you're buying into pretty nice neighborhoods (but often with corresponding high status seeking/higher spending neighbors).

Schools on the west side if Cary are usually higher performing but you might have to think about year round vs traditional calendars.

bogart

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #13 on: December 21, 2014, 08:24:46 PM »

Thanks for the response and link. I love the idea of walkable community, but I worry about safety and schools for the kids. Probably suburban is best for us. As I just wrote, DH is looking at Cary, but we are still open to other places. DH will work from home when he isn't traveling (mostly by air), so traffic is only a concern for daily life.

If you want good schools, safety, and walkability, you want Chapel Hill or, more likely, Carrboro -- they share a school district.  Carrboro is an old mill town that has turned funky and arty, home to lots of young families and graduate students and professionals; it's smaller and less expensive than Chapel Hill.  You can pretty easily find a $250K 3br 2ba house in Carrboro (older, ~1500 sq ft), though if you want to be parted from half a million or more, that can also be arranged.

Someone up-thread said that Chapel Hill-Carrboro-Orange County schools are good, but that's half wrong.  Chapel Hill-Carrboro is one school district, and it's quite good (the efforts of state legislators to dismantle education notwithstanding, at least so far).  Orange County (which is the county in which those towns sit) is a different school system and not nearly as good.

RootofGood

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #14 on: December 21, 2014, 10:13:54 PM »
Raleigh-ite here! 

Where do you plan on working or going to school?  That might be a good place to start the search.  I grew up in Cary and currently live in Raleigh in a $150k ish neighborhood near the I-440 beltline (not quite "inside the beltline"). 

Mrs. RootofGood commutes to RTP (30-45 minutes each way).  Until she joins me in early retirement in a few months.  :)  It's not such a bad commute, and I always worked within 4-5 miles of our house, so one of us would have had a long commute.  We enjoy low cost living and have tons of ethnic restaurants and groceries within walking distance or a short 1-2 mile drive.  I walk my kids to our neighborhood school every day, and we walk to restaurants, shopping, community center, parks, library, etc. pretty often.  A car is a necessity for us (we have 3 kids), but I make most trips on foot.  There are no Joneses with whom we must keep up, and our 15 year old cars don't look too out of place sitting in our driveway. 

I know a lot about Cary and Raleigh, but not so much about Durham. 

For schools, Wake County has generally good schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro might be a bit better on average.  Cary/Apex has "good" schools, but it's mostly reflective of upper middle class households populating those schools. 

As for politics or "culture", urban areas in RTP tend to be blue.  Rural areas tend to be red.  The only notable exception is the inside the beltline country club area in Raleigh.  Just avoid the million+ dollar homes near Glenwood Ave if you don't want to live in a red urban area. 


Paul der Krake

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #15 on: December 22, 2014, 01:01:55 AM »
It's a good idea to visit the area as a whole before zeroing down on a neighborhood.

Durham is a real patchwork. Depending on which direction I go when leaving my apartment, within 10 minutes of walking of I may run into trust fund kids, or get shot.

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #16 on: December 22, 2014, 09:40:47 AM »
Raleigh-ite here! 

Where do you plan on working or going to school?  That might be a good place to start the search.  I grew up in Cary and currently live in Raleigh in a $150k ish neighborhood near the I-440 beltline (not quite "inside the beltline"). 

Mrs. RootofGood commutes to RTP (30-45 minutes each way).  Until she joins me in early retirement in a few months.  :)  It's not such a bad commute, and I always worked within 4-5 miles of our house, so one of us would have had a long commute.  We enjoy low cost living and have tons of ethnic restaurants and groceries within walking distance or a short 1-2 mile drive.  I walk my kids to our neighborhood school every day, and we walk to restaurants, shopping, community center, parks, library, etc. pretty often.  A car is a necessity for us (we have 3 kids), but I make most trips on foot.  There are no Joneses with whom we must keep up, and our 15 year old cars don't look too out of place sitting in our driveway. 

I know a lot about Cary and Raleigh, but not so much about Durham. 

For schools, Wake County has generally good schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro might be a bit better on average.  Cary/Apex has "good" schools, but it's mostly reflective of upper middle class households populating those schools. 

As for politics or "culture", urban areas in RTP tend to be blue.  Rural areas tend to be red.  The only notable exception is the inside the beltline country club area in Raleigh.  Just avoid the million+ dollar homes near Glenwood Ave if you don't want to live in a red urban area.

I would probably be applying to Duke, although UNC has a PA program in the works, so that's a possibility too. From what I've read, I don't think living in Durham is in my comfort zone. ;) I've been looking at homes in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area, but I'm confused. Some of the "Chapel Hill" addresses have Durham schools. It does look more pricey, but I would like to find an area with good public schools.

I'm currently living among the most "Red" people I can think of. I like my neighbors, we just try not to talk politics. I think I caused some head scratching with my Obama bumper magnet. :) It makes me wonder how I'd feel living amongst other liberals. I'm so "out there" here, but I'm sure I'd be pretty moderate compared to true liberals. ;)

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #17 on: December 22, 2014, 09:42:44 AM »
It's a good idea to visit the area as a whole before zeroing down on a neighborhood.

Durham is a real patchwork. Depending on which direction I go when leaving my apartment, within 10 minutes of walking of I may run into trust fund kids, or get shot.

I so agree about visiting. I'm sure it will happen as soon as the details are all worked out. I'm just trying to narrow down the field a bit.

Oh, and try not to get shot! (I think we'll cross off Durham)
« Last Edit: December 22, 2014, 12:24:55 PM by Mrs. Green'stache »

bogart

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #18 on: December 22, 2014, 09:57:42 AM »
[quote author=Mrs. Green'stache link=topic=28323.msg491642#msg491642

I would probably be applying to Duke, although UNC has a PA program in the works, so that's a possibility too. From what I've read, I don't think living in Durham is in my comfort zone. ;) I've been looking at homes in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area, but I'm confused. Some of the "Chapel Hill" addresses have Durham schools. It does look more pricey, but I would like to find an area with good public schools.

[/quote]

There is a small section up near the I-40/NC-54 intersection that is Durham county (and schools), Chapel Hill mailing address.  There is also a reasonably big chunk of Carrboro that is physically/politically Carrboro (one votes in and pays taxes in Carrboro) but has Chapel Hill mailing addresses, however, this is irrelevant for school purposes as the school system spans the two municipalities (not irrelevant for cost, though, as living in Carrboro means about 2/3 the property tax rate for the same schools).

For getting to Duke, it is easy to get from the middle (expensive) to east (mostly expensive-to-moderate but perhaps with some bargains) side of Chapel Hill to Duke and back almost for free on a bus (well, Duke will charge you $25 for an unlimited annual bus pass good on all the TTA buses -- about a 20 minute bus ride from the eastern side of Chapel Hill to Duke hospital on the morning/evening express buses).  The Chapel Hill bus system (which serves Chapel Hill/Carrboro, does not extend to Durham) is free to the ridership (socialism reigns :)!) and decent-to-good for daytime/early evening transport (not many lines in service after ~8 p.m.). 

Getting from Carrboro to Duke by bus is hard (OK routes, lousy connections), but if you are willing to ride 2-4 miles (easy, reasonably safe roads) on a bike, it's easy to get to the buses that will take you straight to Duke.

Durham is a perfectly fine place to live, and actually if I were young and cool I might well prefer it -- it has a vibrant, energetic downtown with lots of cool stuff going on.  But the school system offers considerable variation in quality, and finding a neighborhood that offers good walkable public schools seems tricky at best.

NathanP

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #19 on: December 22, 2014, 10:15:09 AM »
To add to what others have said above, choose to live in the corner of the triangle where you will be going to work/school. If you will be attending either Duke or UNC, do NOT move to Raleigh or Cary and attempt to traverse I-40 or Glenwood (70) each day. This is a pretty basic mustachian principle.

I will give a +1 however for Cary as a great place to raise a family. My wife and I both work in Cary and have ~5 minute commutes even during "rush hour". Once old enough, we will walk our children to elementary school and have grocery stores (traditional and ethnic), shops and restaurants within a mile walk. As mentioned, if you avoid the highways during rush hour, traffic is nothing like what you would find in a typical large city. In summary, the area has tons of great high-tech jobs which pay well with reasonable housing costs, and OK traffic.


bogart

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #20 on: December 22, 2014, 10:19:24 AM »
To add to what others have said above, choose to live in the corner of the triangle where you will be going to work/school. If you will be attending either Duke or UNC, do NOT move to Raleigh or Cary and attempt to traverse I-40 or Glenwood (70) each day. This is a pretty basic mustachian principle.


Oh -- duh, yes, I meant to mention that.  +1.  Commuting between Chapel Hill or Carrboro and Durham is manageable and arguably worth it for the schools.  Getting in/out of Raleigh to access Durham or Chapel Hill/Carrboro (or vice versa) at regular "commute" hours (and a number of other hours):  not worth the trouble.

Paul der Krake

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #21 on: December 22, 2014, 10:22:08 AM »
Getting from Carrboro to Duke by bus is hard (OK routes, lousy connections), but if you are willing to ride 2-4 miles (easy, reasonably safe roads) on a bike, it's easy to get to the buses that will take you straight to Duke.
Oh man, I remember when they made the robertson scholars bus not free. I saved so much money taking it to Durham to work when I lived in CH. Sadly they caught on to the fact that many people riding it weren't students. :(

It's still worth it to pay to ride if that means you can go down to one or no car, though.

bogart

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #22 on: December 22, 2014, 10:28:21 AM »

Oh man, I remember when they made the robertson scholars bus not free. I saved so much money taking it to Durham to work when I lived in CH. Sadly they caught on to the fact that many people riding it weren't students. :(

It's still worth it to pay to ride if that means you can go down to one or no car, though.

I know.  I remain outraged on principle (at the change).  Actually even more outraged now that I've checked the pricing of passes.  Yikes.

darkadams00

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #23 on: December 22, 2014, 10:32:32 AM »
I agree with the previous posts.

I tend to think of the Triangle as really two areas--(1) the Chapel Hill/Durham area that also includes Carrboro--cheaper neighbor to Chapel Hill and Hillsborough--cheaper neighbor to Durham and then (2) the Raleigh area that also includes the Cary (good), Morrisville (good), Apex (good), Garner (questionable), Knightdale (questionable), and Wake Forest (good) suburbs.

For daily or weekly travel, I would plan to live/school/work in one of those two main metro areas and not cross between the two. Also, I would try to live/school/work in the same or adjacent towns/suburbs. So if you're focusing on UNC/Duke and your husband primarily works from home, then Chapel Hill is the no-brainer for me. The bump in housing prices reflect the college town vibe and the good school reputation, but the prices are pennies on the dollar compared to private education, so paying a marginal premium to get better schools, a good neighborhood, and a reasonable commute are worth it.


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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #24 on: December 22, 2014, 12:03:21 PM »
I would probably be applying to Duke, although UNC has a PA program in the works, so that's a possibility too. From what I've read, I don't think living in Durham is in my comfort zone. ;) I've been looking at homes in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area, but I'm confused. Some of the "Chapel Hill" addresses have Durham schools. It does look more pricey, but I would like to find an area with good public schools.

I'm currently living among the most "Red" people I can think of. I like my neighbors, we just try not to talk politics. I think I caused some head scratching with my Obama bumper magnet. :) It makes me wonder how I'd feel living amongst other liberals. I'm so "out there" here, but I'm sure I'd be pretty moderate compared to true liberals. ;)

I wouldn't cross Durham off the list just yet. It will be a lot more affordable than Chapel Hill.  Possibly enough to fund private schooling (I owned a relatively dumpy 2 BR condo in Chapel Hill and sold it for almost the same price as I bought my 4 BR house with a big lot in Raleigh, and property taxes went down moving to Raleigh, too).  Like Paul said, Durham is really spotty.  Just check out the schools you would be assigned to in Durham. 

If you are attending Duke or UNC, you could look a little further out in more rural areas north of Duke in Durham County or south of UNC in Chatham County.  Prices will be better further out, but Chatham or Durham County schools might be an issue (not much personal experience there).  And if you're in northern Chatham county, UNC is still a 10-15 minute drive. 

If you want a short commute, I would probably skip Raleigh and focus on areas around the school you plan to attend.  Unless your husband ends up working in Raleigh.  In general, real estate prices increase as you get closer to RTP. So if you don't need to be in RTP, don't pay a premium to live nearby. 

HappyIntrovert

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #25 on: December 22, 2014, 12:05:36 PM »
Just thinking about politics, it's harder to get more left than Chapel Hill-Carrboro.  After all, Jesse Helms said he wanted to build a wall around Chapel Hill.  Durham is solidly blue, as is downtown Raleigh.  The suburban areas (including Cary) are more of a mixture.  As said in other posts, you get outside of the suburbs and it's like you're back in the 50s.

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #26 on: December 22, 2014, 12:24:32 PM »
I personally found the Chapel Hill political mindset a bit close minded (on the liberal side).  There's a lot of groupthink going on and not as much balance as you will find in Durham or Raleigh, for example.  I also found the restaurants in Chapel Hill to be overpriced and generally disappointing compared to elsewhere in the Triangle. 

Most of my UNC classmates would bemoan the fact that they have to go to Durham or Cary for any real shopping (since they couldn't afford expensive boutiques and Chapel Hill wouldn't let big box stores in town).  Maybe that's changed.  I put a high value on living near inexpensive grocery stores, cheap ethic stores, a dollar store and a walmart/target type of store.  Unless it's changed, you might be commuting to Durham or Cary for most of these.  It's hard to recommend an area without knowing what you value, but for me it was disappointing. 

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #27 on: December 22, 2014, 03:51:01 PM »
I personally found the Chapel Hill political mindset a bit close minded (on the liberal side).
You are right about that.  Raleigh and Durham are much more balanced, politically speaking.  And State and Duke don't cheat like UNC ;).
« Last Edit: December 22, 2014, 04:02:50 PM by Schaefer Light »

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #28 on: December 22, 2014, 04:24:16 PM »
I'd be going to school at Duke or possibly UNC, but probably not for 1-2 years. I would go wherever I got in, unless I was accepted at both and could choose.  DH would work from home and use the airport. So we really could live anywhere and make it work. I'm most concerned about schools, safe neighborhoods, etc. I'm not a big shopper, but here we do buy a lot from Costco and then a Kroger-type grocery store for the rest. I try to just shop weekly. We do like to go out to eat occasionally, especially ethnic foods we can't easily make. On a day to day basis, we would just be getting kids to school and activities. We've been spoiled and have been living within walking distance to elementary, middle, and high school. I don't know if we'd be able to find anything like that again! Target price would probably be in the $300-400K price range. Our home now is more than that, but we are interested in downsizing during this move.

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #29 on: December 22, 2014, 04:56:47 PM »
There will be a Costco going in on the border between Cary and Apex sometime next year.  But it's 45 minutes to CH or Durham from this area (a bit less in off times, much more during rush hour).


darkadams00

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #30 on: December 22, 2014, 05:21:24 PM »
Leesville Rd schools (western Raleigh, very close to the airport) are unique here in that all three (elementary, middle school, high school) share the same campus. Shopping is available on Glenwood Avenue, but car driving is required to go almost anywhere. There's also a new park and library near the schools. My sons went to Leesville schools for three years until we moved to Cary, and we were pleased with their time spent there. The biggest drawback for me is that the area's not bikeable for the most part other than the few places right around the schools. That would be a deal-breaker for me now.

In Cary, Davis Drive (traditional calendar) and Salem (year-round) schools have elementary/middle schools on the same campus. I live near the Davis Drive campus which is probably one of the best areas for bike/walk access to schools and shopping in Cary. The airport is a 15-20 minute drive in the mornings (I usually fly out around 8am, so I'm driving out pre-rush). But, again, under no circumstances would I want to put down real estate roots in Cary knowing a drive to Chapel Hill or Durham was even in the cards for the near future. I would suggest renting for a few months and getting a feel for the area. Then make a more informed decision on a long-term house purchase. No amount of information listed here will be sufficient to make a reasonable house purchase. Everyone's priorities differ.

Good luck with your relocation efforts! Eight years after our move, and we're still extremely satisfied.


RootofGood

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #31 on: December 22, 2014, 05:33:11 PM »
In Cary, Davis Drive (traditional calendar) and Salem (year-round) schools have elementary/middle schools on the same campus. I live near the Davis Drive campus which is probably one of the best areas for bike/walk access to schools and shopping in Cary. The airport is a 15-20 minute drive in the mornings (I usually fly out around 8am, so I'm driving out pre-rush). But, again, under no circumstances would I want to put down real estate roots in Cary knowing a drive to Chapel Hill or Durham was even in the cards for the near future. I would suggest renting for a few months and getting a feel for the area. Then make a more informed decision on a long-term house purchase. No amount of information listed here will be sufficient to make a reasonable house purchase. Everyone's priorities differ.

Regarding the traffic, it's pretty bad on I-40 most days during rush hour.  Between the Cary exits on the east and probably Chapel Hill exits on the west.  Going into the Park in the morning is bad, and leaving in the PM is bad.  Rush hour = 7:15 to 8:45-ish and 4:45-6:00-ish.  Other times of the day, I-40 in that area isn't too bad.  That may mean I-40 works for you if you're traveling off peak (say, 10 am classes that get out by 4:00 pm, or classes or clinic/practicum that runs late, as in past 6 pm).  I did the Chapel Hill to downtown Raleigh commute for one summer during law school and it was not very fun at all. 

Another place to avoid is Johnston County.  Traffic on I-40 to/from there is a nightmare and it's waaaay far from UNC/Duke.  Real estate is cheaper than most other areas of the Triangle, but you pay for it with a long commute.

My suggestion would be to try driving your commute during rush hours to see how it really is.  So many people fall in love with a house, neighborhood or area and then realize they have a 45+ minute commute in stop and go traffic every day.  Like Wake Forest to downtown Raleigh. 

bogart

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #32 on: December 22, 2014, 07:40:43 PM »
I'd be going to school at Duke or possibly UNC, but probably not for 1-2 years. I would go wherever I got in, unless I was accepted at both and could choose.  DH would work from home and use the airport. So we really could live anywhere and make it work. I'm most concerned about schools, safe neighborhoods, etc. I'm not a big shopper, but here we do buy a lot from Costco and then a Kroger-type grocery store for the rest. I try to just shop weekly. We do like to go out to eat occasionally, especially ethnic foods we can't easily make. On a day to day basis, we would just be getting kids to school and activities. We've been spoiled and have been living within walking distance to elementary, middle, and high school. I don't know if we'd be able to find anything like that again! Target price would probably be in the $300-400K price range. Our home now is more than that, but we are interested in downsizing during this move.

Walking distance to elementary and middle school is easy.  High school is a bit trickier, though possible (much easier if one has a Mustachian definition of "walking distance").  The kids can walk to the middle schools and catch buses that run straight to the high schools, so it's not a huge deal to catch a school bus to/from high school.  The high schools are also served by public bus routes.

No Costco or Kroger in Chapel Hill/Carrboro -- walkable Food Lions (not as nice as Kroger) and Harris Teeters (more expensive than Kroger),  Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and a local food co-op similar to but arguably better (and more affordable) than Whole Foods.  Costco's in Durham (not too far from Duke campus, though not readily walk/bike/busable) -- not accessible from Chapel Hill unless you're already going to Durham e.g. for Duke or want to go occasionally to stock up.  No big box stores in Chapel Hill/Carrboro -- shopping is, drive to Durham (etc.) for Target, Walmart, malls, department stores, or order from Amazon (though there are decent, if smallish, thrift shops). 

Chapel Hill/Carrboro are about a 45-minute to hour drive from the airport.  It's possible to take public transport (bus) to get there, but not easily.

LRM

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #33 on: December 23, 2014, 11:46:07 AM »
Current PA student in the Triangle area. I'm not sure if you are in the military, but I am under the impression that UNC's PA school is only going to be available for military medics. Best of luck applying. PA school is incredibly difficult but clinicals are worth it when you see how much good you're doing!

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #34 on: December 23, 2014, 01:51:00 PM »
There will be a Costco going in on the border between Cary and Apex sometime next year.  But it's 45 minutes to CH or Durham from this area (a bit less in off times, much more during rush hour).
Awesome! I'm two minutes from a Costco now, so I'm a bit spoiled!

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #35 on: December 23, 2014, 01:52:52 PM »
Leesville Rd schools (western Raleigh, very close to the airport) are unique here in that all three (elementary, middle school, high school) share the same campus. Shopping is available on Glenwood Avenue, but car driving is required to go almost anywhere. There's also a new park and library near the schools. My sons went to Leesville schools for three years until we moved to Cary, and we were pleased with their time spent there. The biggest drawback for me is that the area's not bikeable for the most part other than the few places right around the schools. That would be a deal-breaker for me now.

In Cary, Davis Drive (traditional calendar) and Salem (year-round) schools have elementary/middle schools on the same campus. I live near the Davis Drive campus which is probably one of the best areas for bike/walk access to schools and shopping in Cary. The airport is a 15-20 minute drive in the mornings (I usually fly out around 8am, so I'm driving out pre-rush). But, again, under no circumstances would I want to put down real estate roots in Cary knowing a drive to Chapel Hill or Durham was even in the cards for the near future. I would suggest renting for a few months and getting a feel for the area. Then make a more informed decision on a long-term house purchase. No amount of information listed here will be sufficient to make a reasonable house purchase. Everyone's priorities differ.

Good luck with your relocation efforts! Eight years after our move, and we're still extremely satisfied.

Good things to consider. I'm open to renting, but DH doesn't want to move twice. My main worry is moving schools twice for the kids. It's good to hear you are happily transplanted there!

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #36 on: December 23, 2014, 01:57:50 PM »
Current PA student in the Triangle area. I'm not sure if you are in the military, but I am under the impression that UNC's PA school is only going to be available for military medics. Best of luck applying. PA school is incredibly difficult but clinicals are worth it when you see how much good you're doing!
Are you at Duke? (That's the only other school, correct?)How do you like it? I definitely have not taken the easy career path. You may be correct about UNC. They definitely have a goal of admitting veterans, but I didn't see it as an absolute prerequisite. I'm open to other medical careers, but PA has seemed like such a good fit for my goals and personality.

jpo

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #37 on: December 26, 2014, 07:24:28 PM »
There will be a Costco going in on the border between Cary and Apex sometime next year.
Do you know where exactly this is happening? Might be worth a membership if it's close to me.

Leesville Rd schools (western Raleigh, very close to the airport) are unique here in that all three (elementary, middle school, high school) share the same campus. Shopping is available on Glenwood Avenue, but car driving is required to go almost anywhere. There's also a new park and library near the schools. My sons went to Leesville schools for three years until we moved to Cary, and we were pleased with their time spent there. The biggest drawback for me is that the area's not bikeable for the most part other than the few places right around the schools. That would be a deal-breaker for me now.
+1 for Leesville schools, I used to use that campus to let my dog stretch her legs, plus the library is right up the road. That area is somewhat bikeable if you avoid major roads and instead cut through neighborhoods.

OP, I would rent minimally for 6 months (store your stuff in PODS or something) and investigate the area before buying if I was you.

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #38 on: December 26, 2014, 08:30:38 PM »
There will be a Costco going in on the border between Cary and Apex sometime next year.
Do you know where exactly this is happening? Might be worth a membership if it's close to me.

Leesville Rd schools (western Raleigh, very close to the airport) are unique here in that all three (elementary, middle school, high school) share the same campus. Shopping is available on Glenwood Avenue, but car driving is required to go almost anywhere. There's also a new park and library near the schools. My sons went to Leesville schools for three years until we moved to Cary, and we were pleased with their time spent there. The biggest drawback for me is that the area's not bikeable for the most part other than the few places right around the schools. That would be a deal-breaker for me now.
+1 for Leesville schools, I used to use that campus to let my dog stretch her legs, plus the library is right up the road. That area is somewhat bikeable if you avoid major roads and instead cut through neighborhoods.

OP, I would rent minimally for 6 months (store your stuff in PODS or something) and investigate the area before buying if I was you.

I agree that renting temporarily would be the best. My problem about it would be choosing a school district to put the kids in. 

Other mustachian questions... How is the library system in the triangle? Do they all function together- you can request a book from another branch? How are the thrift stores, classifieds, yardsales?

thedayisbrave

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #39 on: December 26, 2014, 08:56:45 PM »
Other mustachian questions... How is the library system in the triangle? Do they all function together- you can request a book from another branch? How are the thrift stores, classifieds, yardsales?
Library system (Wake County) does work together :) You can borrow from one library, return to another... etc.

Not much to add on classifieds/yard sales, but thrift stores (particularly Goodwill for me) have been heaven sent.  Especially in the ritzier areas like Cary/Apex/Morrisville.  About 50% of my wardrobe is from Goodwill (and I say that proudly!) I even found a Brooks Brothers jacket once! (I almost bought it even though I didn't know any guys size 16).  Have also gotten a few decent work blazers (one still had the little button bag in it, and looked like it had never been worn).  Anyway, I love Goodwill.  You have to have time and be willing to pick through stuff, but if you're patient you can strike gold :)

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #40 on: December 27, 2014, 08:04:09 AM »
I'm just thinking ahead to moving and what furniture items will come with me. Are there any furniture deals to be had out there that would make it more sensible to not move some items? I thought there was a big furniture industry in NC somewhere, but I heard about that before the economy tanked, so maybe they've all moved off-shore. I was just wondering since I have a 11+ year old mattress and sofas with broken frames that I don't know if they're worth their weight in moving.

RootofGood

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #41 on: December 27, 2014, 09:22:42 PM »
Other mustachian questions... How is the library system in the triangle? Do they all function together- you can request a book from another branch? How are the thrift stores, classifieds, yardsales?

Library system is great in Wake County.  It's the whole county and there are branches all over.  You can request books from anywhere in the system and they ship to your local library.  I use ours all the time (at least weekly) and I take our kids to the children's programs almost weekly.  They have ebooks you can check out for free, and an extensive online resources compilation (like transparent online language instruction for free).  Also interlibrary loan books for free = basically any book in the world you can get if you don't mind waiting a long time.  I have used it dozens of times thereby saving many hundreds since I didn't need to buy books from amazon (last bought a book 10 years ago??).  Only downside is no free DVD rentals like some libraries have. 

Craigslist here in raleigh is pretty active.  I just sold about 20 different things last month (made $500!).  Thrift shops are plentiful, and like others said, some nice swag is available since lots of neighborhoods are affluent.  We get new clothes with tags still on occasionally.  I tend to go to a nearby megachurch's (welcome to the South!) thrift shop since they have better prices and selection than goodwill. 

Paul der Krake

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #42 on: December 28, 2014, 01:30:12 AM »
In addition to Wake, both Durham County and Chapel Hill have their library system. Chapel Hill rebuilt their building 2 years ago and it's great. They both have a somewhat lesser collection than Wake, but also do interlibrary loans. All 3 have an overdrive collection, Durham and CH have CD/DVD rentals.

Note that if you end up at Duke or UNC, you will also have access to their own library system. UNC has a media room with all sorts of great equipment and software. Want to digitize Dad's old betamax tapes from Christmas 1978? They'll have what you need.

kbeth07

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #43 on: December 30, 2014, 11:36:06 PM »
I'm actually from Utah as well, and live in Fayetteville, about an hour away from Raleigh. I'm moving to the Triangle in the fall, going to UNC. I've been to the Apex temple a few times. It's beautiful and I have a couple friends who got married there. LDS community in NC is pretty small but close-knit. Someone else mentioned that conservative Christians can be hostile toward Mormons, which can be true, and there's pretty much a Christian church of various denominations on every block in the south, but it's not all that bad. It is fairly liberal, but not really shockingly so. Raleigh is a day trip away from both the beach and the mountains, which I like. The winters are much milder than UT, but the summers are pretty humid, which can be hard to get used to. Wish I could help more!

LRM

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #44 on: January 01, 2015, 09:17:31 AM »
Current PA student in the Triangle area. I'm not sure if you are in the military, but I am under the impression that UNC's PA school is only going to be available for military medics. Best of luck applying. PA school is incredibly difficult but clinicals are worth it when you see how much good you're doing!
Are you at Duke? (That's the only other school, correct?)How do you like it? I definitely have not taken the easy career path. You may be correct about UNC. They definitely have a goal of admitting veterans, but I didn't see it as an absolute prerequisite. I'm open to other medical careers, but PA has seemed like such a good fit for my goals and personality.
I'm actually at Campbell, which is about 45 minutes south of Raleigh in Harnett County (Fuquay Varina is nearby Campbell). I LOVE my school, and it is definitely the best fit for my style of learning. I lived in Harnett county for didactic year and minimized my expenses (seriously rent is so cheap and the people/patients are friendly) My program director and clinical director worked at Duke prior to coming to Campbell. Our rotations are mainly in the Triangle area, but we have options in the Triad, Lumberton/Fayetteville, and Wilmington areas. Being a PA is an AWESOME career and many people in my class have families. The cost of attendance of any private PA school is definitely absurd, but the career does pay reasonably well. I'm a newbie to this site and I am adopting some Mustachian principles to help minimize my student loans and expenditures. If you'd like to talk more about Campbell and/or applying to PA school in North Carolina, please feel free to direct message me. Best of luck!

mandies

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #45 on: January 09, 2015, 08:29:39 AM »
Wow! I had no idea so many Mustachians were in the Raleigh area. My husband and I live in Durham almost spitting distance from the Raleigh border, and always wondered if this was a good spot for Mustachianism. (It seems like everyone lives in Colorado or the NW!) It's funny to hear you mention Leesville schools -- I went there, my husband went to school in Chapel Hill. He's an NCSU grad, I'm a UNC grad. They weren't too bad, at least the high school part where I went.

RootofGood has a lot of the same input I do, and here are some additional things to consider, since I've lived here forever.

The good:

1 - Great, mild weather
2 - Very inexpensive COL:
     -- the Raleigh farmer's market is huge, open year-round, and has lots of good deals on "seconds" (produce that's banged up or about to go bad, and you get it for very cheap)
    -- GREAT thrift shopping. Right down the road from us is an old car dealership that got turned into a massive thrift store. We don't buy hardly anything new anymore, especially clothes. You can even get furniture, housewares, cars, and the Habitat for Humanity restore has lumber, cabinets, all you could need to fix your home.
    -- Lots of parks and museums with good weather to enjoy it. 2 hours from the beach, 4 hours from mountains for vacations that are cheap to get to.
3 -- Durham: It is changing and gentrifying daily. There are some great communities that are very affordable -- our house was around $170k, and our neighborhood has a pool and a playground and wonderful neighbors with lots of kids. A comparable neighborhood in Raleigh and Cary (we just looked) is 25-50% more. There are really only a couple of small, "bad" areas left, but they are shrinking and being targeted aggressively with anti-poverty programs.
4 -- Lots of improvements being made to downtown areas, new theatres, renovated museums, etc. Lots to do, and then even more a short drive away.

The bad:
1 -- No matter where you live, the public school system is terrible compared to other states. I remember moving from NY to NC when I was 9, and it was awful, and we were in the "good" North Raleigh schools. The schools have only gotten worse since then. The upside is that there is a huge homeschool community and lots of homeschool activities with parks and rec and libraries, so that's what we're doing.
2 -- You have to be careful about traffic. Everyone is right about 40, though the addition of 540 has helped. Just make sure you visit where you are going to live at 5pm and 8am try your commute.
3 -- Buttloads of sprawl. There is a ton of urban sprawl here, making biking tough. I live right near some major highways that really wouldn't be safe to bike, though we would love it if we could safely bike more places. However, we just drive a small, fuel-efficient car and plan our trips well. Sometimes it's also just annoying to see character-less strip-mall after strip-mall go up.

Feel free to PM me with any other questions. I live here, as do my parents and my husband's parents.


« Last Edit: January 09, 2015, 08:32:46 AM by mandies »

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #46 on: January 10, 2015, 06:54:02 PM »
Current PA student in the Triangle area. I'm not sure if you are in the military, but I am under the impression that UNC's PA school is only going to be available for military medics. Best of luck applying. PA school is incredibly difficult but clinicals are worth it when you see how much good you're doing!
Are you at Duke? (That's the only other school, correct?)How do you like it? I definitely have not taken the easy career path. You may be correct about UNC. They definitely have a goal of admitting veterans, but I didn't see it as an absolute prerequisite. I'm open to other medical careers, but PA has seemed like such a good fit for my goals and personality.
I'm actually at Campbell, which is about 45 minutes south of Raleigh in Harnett County (Fuquay Varina is nearby Campbell). I LOVE my school, and it is definitely the best fit for my style of learning. I lived in Harnett county for didactic year and minimized my expenses (seriously rent is so cheap and the people/patients are friendly) My program director and clinical director worked at Duke prior to coming to Campbell. Our rotations are mainly in the Triangle area, but we have options in the Triad, Lumberton/Fayetteville, and Wilmington areas. Being a PA is an AWESOME career and many people in my class have families. The cost of attendance of any private PA school is definitely absurd, but the career does pay reasonably well. I'm a newbie to this site and I am adopting some Mustachian principles to help minimize my student loans and expenditures. If you'd like to talk more about Campbell and/or applying to PA school in North Carolina, please feel free to direct message me. Best of luck!
That is awesome that there is another school so near. I'm glad to hear of your experience! I really appreciate the offer of advice. I think I may wait a year to apply, just to get my family settled first. I may be messaging you when I'm needing application/interview advice! You're definitely in the right place to get the tools to start killing those student loans!

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #47 on: January 10, 2015, 06:57:37 PM »
Wow! I had no idea so many Mustachians were in the Raleigh area. My husband and I live in Durham almost spitting distance from the Raleigh border, and always wondered if this was a good spot for Mustachianism. (It seems like everyone lives in Colorado or the NW!) It's funny to hear you mention Leesville schools -- I went there, my husband went to school in Chapel Hill. He's an NCSU grad, I'm a UNC grad. They weren't too bad, at least the high school part where I went.

RootofGood has a lot of the same input I do, and here are some additional things to consider, since I've lived here forever.

The good:

1 - Great, mild weather
2 - Very inexpensive COL:
     -- the Raleigh farmer's market is huge, open year-round, and has lots of good deals on "seconds" (produce that's banged up or about to go bad, and you get it for very cheap)
    -- GREAT thrift shopping. Right down the road from us is an old car dealership that got turned into a massive thrift store. We don't buy hardly anything new anymore, especially clothes. You can even get furniture, housewares, cars, and the Habitat for Humanity restore has lumber, cabinets, all you could need to fix your home.
    -- Lots of parks and museums with good weather to enjoy it. 2 hours from the beach, 4 hours from mountains for vacations that are cheap to get to.
3 -- Durham: It is changing and gentrifying daily. There are some great communities that are very affordable -- our house was around $170k, and our neighborhood has a pool and a playground and wonderful neighbors with lots of kids. A comparable neighborhood in Raleigh and Cary (we just looked) is 25-50% more. There are really only a couple of small, "bad" areas left, but they are shrinking and being targeted aggressively with anti-poverty programs.
4 -- Lots of improvements being made to downtown areas, new theatres, renovated museums, etc. Lots to do, and then even more a short drive away.

The bad:
1 -- No matter where you live, the public school system is terrible compared to other states. I remember moving from NY to NC when I was 9, and it was awful, and we were in the "good" North Raleigh schools. The schools have only gotten worse since then. The upside is that there is a huge homeschool community and lots of homeschool activities with parks and rec and libraries, so that's what we're doing.
2 -- You have to be careful about traffic. Everyone is right about 40, though the addition of 540 has helped. Just make sure you visit where you are going to live at 5pm and 8am try your commute.
3 -- Buttloads of sprawl. There is a ton of urban sprawl here, making biking tough. I live right near some major highways that really wouldn't be safe to bike, though we would love it if we could safely bike more places. However, we just drive a small, fuel-efficient car and plan our trips well. Sometimes it's also just annoying to see character-less strip-mall after strip-mall go up.

Feel free to PM me with any other questions. I live here, as do my parents and my husband's parents.

Thanks for your perspective! I'm planning on the thrift and second hand markets being good, cause I'm trying to minimize the move and get rid of everything here! I'm also super excited about living around Raleigh. We are trying to plan a house-hunting visit. Do you have any opinions about Holly Springs? My DH wants me to look out there.

jpo

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #48 on: January 11, 2015, 09:56:39 AM »
Do you have any opinions about Holly Springs? My DH wants me to look out there.
One of my friends just moved from out there, he couldn't stand having to drive so far for everything.

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Raleigh, North Carolina?
« Reply #49 on: January 11, 2015, 01:37:00 PM »
Do you have any opinions about Holly Springs? My DH wants me to look out there.
One of my friends just moved from out there, he couldn't stand having to drive so far for everything.

Where did he move to? It's so hard to gauge how far everything is on a map. Traffic can be an unknown variable. And we really don't know what where we'll be driving to right now other than to schools/grocery stores.