[MrsRefney]

We were ready to rent an apartment and send out father-in-law out with DD...

We stayed in Raleigh (downtown) and we had so much fun! We drove out to Durham, Duke U, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Cary and Apex. I absolutely LOVED Carrboro, but I'm thinking home prices are out of our league there, to start off with, at least. Raleigh was beautiful, and had tons of quaint little neighborhoods...I'm sure out of our price range as well, but we loved it just the same. We will probably settle on Durham, or between Durham and Raleigh. Of course, it all depends on where my husband can find work, but it seems as though commuting is not much of an issue, what we saw of it, anyway.

We went to the Natural Sciences Museum, Lake Shelley, Jordan Lake, walked around Downtown, Easter Brunch at Tir na NOg, sushi at Sona, beers at the Flying Saucer and Raleigh Times.

It'll be about 3 years before the girl starts kindergarten...so if anyone can give me good school rec's in Wake County or around Durham, we'll start looking at that area. Property taxes will be an issue as well, I guess...I've never bought a home before! My husband is a remodeling contractor, so we are looking for a fixer-upper to hopefully sell in a few years.

NC was beautiful...I wish we were still there!!!

ETA: The Farmer's Market!!! Oh my...I loved it. I had no idea it was so big!!!!!!

 

[lizabird]

Glad you liked the area

I lived in Raleigh for about 5 yrs and now live in Chapel Hill, really liked both areas, there is much to do all areas around here. Chapel Hill/Carrboro schools are supposed to be pretty good. I know some schools in Raleigh are also supposed to be good. In Durham, there's a reputation for bad schools, but it really depends on the particular school. Great Farmer's Markets in Raleigh, Durham, and Carrboro. Yum!

If I were you, I'd choose a place to live that's convenient to work, where ever your dh finds a job. There are nice places to live throughout this area, and yes, prices vary quite a lot too.

 

[christyc]

How important are the schools to you? Schools are the only thing preventing us from heading to Durham, and truly for me, it's just more important to have an excellent school district. Durham and Wake do have several charter and magnet schools-- maybe that would be an in-between?

 

[MrsRefney]

Schools are very important to me. One of the core reasons for us moving out of Louisiana is the horrific public schools where we live. We cannot afford private schools, and our kids will definitely be encouraged and supplemented at home, but we want a solid school that will challenge her and keep her interested.

Well, in a few years. She's not even 2!

But it's time to start thinking about it!

 

[beanma]

I think a huge case can be made for Chapel Hill/Carrboro having one of the best public school systems in the state and one of the best in the country. That said, it's not a good fit for my dd1 (yet), so we're in a crunchy private school that's working well for her. Wake county is pretty proud of their schools, too. I have heard a lot of redistricting complaints even over here in this corner of the triangle, though.

 

[MrsChickenhead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrsRefney Schools are very important to me. One of the core reasons for us moving out of Louisiana is the horrific public schools where we live. We cannot afford private schools, and our kids will definitely be encouraged and supplemented at home, but we want a solid school that will challenge her and keep her interested. Well, in a few years. She's not even 2! But it's time to start thinking about it!

We moved here from Louisiana and have been very pleased with the Durham School system. There are many magnet and charter options and some have priority zones (if you live in the zone you automatically get in), so keep that in mind when looking for a place to live. Don't judge the schools by the numbers, talk to the parents and teachers

 

[MrsRefney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrsChickenhead We moved here from Louisiana and have been very pleased with the Durham School system. There are many magnet and charter options and some have priority zones (if you live in the zone you automatically get in), so keep that in mind when looking for a place to live. Don't judge the schools by the numbers, talk to the parents and teachers

Exactly why I would love to get the input of moms here, as well as around the 'net. We don't know anyone personally up there.

There are a lot of homes in Durham in our price range that need some TLC, which is what we are looking for.

Thanks!!

 

[pearl2]

Glad you liked the area!

If you do end up in Wake county, do NOT buy just based on a neighborhood school, because the concept of "neighborhood school" doesn't really exist in Wake county due to their SES busing system. You might live around the block from a school, but it doesn't mean that you will be in that district, or even stay in that district each year. For example, our house is 2 miles or less from two high schools, but the district is actually a high school 45 minutes away! It's crazy.

 

[supervee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lizabird Glad you liked the area I lived in Raleigh for about 5 yrs and now live in Chapel Hill, really liked both areas, there is much to do all areas around here. Chapel Hill/Carrboro schools are supposed to be pretty good. I know some schools in Raleigh are also supposed to be good. In Durham, there's a reputation for bad schools, but it really depends on the particular school.

Please take this as a joke and not a grump, b/c I'm feeling jokey and not really grumpy, but I thought it would be fun to rephrase this as:

Durham schools are pretty good. Raleigh schools have a reputation for redistricting at the drop of a hat, but it depends on the particular neighborhood. There are some overcrowded schools in Chapel Hill/Carrboro to be avoided.

Hey, it IS all in how you look at it, huh?

What did you not like about the schools where you used to live? (Did you attend these schools? We've found rumors are not very helpful indicators of... well, anything.) Truly, you may fit in any of the four Triangle school systems, depending on your family's and child's needs.