Thinking of moving to the Triangle Area

[mia1181]

Hi, I noticed there are a few PSers here from the Triangle Area, NC so I thought I''d see if I could get some opinions.

My FI is in the pharmaceutical industry and I am a nanny right now although I have my teacher credential and would probably teach if I moved elsewhere. We live in the Bay Area right now, but are originally from Buffalo, NY. The reason we are thinking of moving is to be able to buy a house and start a family. NC seems to have a reputation for being the place to go (especially back in Buffalo!).

Anyway, can you tell me about the area? I know it will be hot/humid in the summer but that doesn''t really bother me too much. What are people like there? I know that is an extremely general question but anything you can tell me will help. Are people in this are liberal/conservative? religious/not? Or is there a fair amount of diversity? Do the locals really hate "Yankees" like I keep hearing about?

 

[jcrow]

i''m interested too. we''re been very interested in charlotte, although not in the triangle and neither hubs nor i have ever been. looking forward to the feedback.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

jcrow....come to CLT....I''ll show you around

Mia, we have friends in Raleigh and they love it. It is really cool how close it is to the ocean. I don''t know much since I have only been there once but I LOVE living in NC. Low cost of living, great weather, I like NC''s location. We''ll be here forever. There are so few people NAIVE to charlotte so I never felt odd for being from the north. Most of our charlotte friends are from the midwest/north. Certainly no one has ever said anything negative to me. As for religious, there is a church on every corner but I don''t "feel" a religious vibe KWIM? We do not feel awkward for being nonreligious. Not sure how it is in the triangle.

 

[jcrow]

Date: 7/1/2008 7:28:58 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
jcrow....come to CLT....I'll show you around

Mia, we have friends in Raleigh and they love it. It is really cool how close it is to the ocean. I don't know much since I have only been there once but I LOVE living in NC. Low cost of living, great weather, I like NC's location. We'll be here forever. There are so few people NAIVE to charlotte so I never felt odd for being from the north. Most of our charlotte friends are from the midwest/north. Certainly no one has ever said anything negative to me. As for religious, there is a church on every corner but I don't 'feel' a religious vibe KWIM? We do not feel awkward for being nonreligious. Not sure how it is in the triangle.

it might be a while, but we'll take you up on it when we go!

what's the average price per sq. foot on a decent house? average age of houses there?
these are all dh's questions....

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Jcrow, I am not sure what the average is....Allen Tate is a good website to look up for sale homes b/c they list the whole MLS. You like newer homes right? Our friends built their home in Waxsaw which is in Union County (30-40 mins from uptown) 2 years ago for around $270,000 for around 2,500 sq ft. It is a really nice subdivision. You could easily get a home for less if you wouldn''t mind a "used" home

Ours was built in ''95. I don''t mind.

 

[gailrmv]

Well, it is really hard to answer, because everyone's perception is different, you know?

Cellososweet had some questions about the Triangle and I gave my perspectives in her thread Sell Your Town to Me from 4/25/08 - sorry having trouble linking but you should be able to search.

Check online for forums about moving to the Triangle, and realtor.com is a good resource to check out housing.

The only negatives are that traffic is getting worse and urban sprawl is getting worse, and lots of people come for school or short term opportunity and move away, so it's sad to say goodbye to friends every year. Everything else is quite nice!

Oh, another negative - we don't have many walkable downtown areas - just a street here and there, but nothing like the Bay Area where you can walk and walk. Your city is one of my favorites in the world, I'm not sure I'd want to leave there to come here, but your housing dollars will go a LOT farther here for sure. That's the only reason I'd make the move to be honest!

Another positive, we do have quite a bit of diversity here in terms of people from various ethnicities, many people from other countries, people well educated in many interesting fields, etc. You asked about politics - certain parts of town (university areas) are considered more "liberal" on the average, but of course you get a wide variety of opinions and the state is fairly conservative overall. I think that there is a bit of culture clash between "natives" and "outsiders" or "yankees" as they say, but I think that is all dependent upon how people act once they arrive - i.e. do they go on and on about how much better New Jersey is (which is annoying), or do they embrace the culture and heritage of NC.

Well, that's my take on it - come to the area to check it out, that's the best way to decide!

 

[mia1181]

Yay! I keep hearing positive things I really hope we end up liking it.

Tacori- Thanks so much for that Realtor''s link! I love the map search that was pretty cool!

TDM- Thanks for you''re description of the area. I''m glad to hear the area is really diverse. That is one thing I really love about the Bay Area. Too bad about there not being many downtown walking areas, but my fiancee will be okay with that. He is the type that likes to drive everywhere. I, on the other hand love spending a day walking from one end of the city to the other and back. I''ll miss that but I also know not a lot of cities can compare to the bay area. I wouldn''t leave here if it was my choice. But I can''t imagine not owning a home. That''s pretty important to me.

I''m fairly confident we''ll be happy in the small city atmosphere because we both grew up in a small city, but who knows.

Oh and I know what you mean about people talking about how where they come from is sooo much better. It''s like, "then why did you leave?" I guess I was worried about "natives" because I saw on a teacher forum that I frequent, a woman was saying how upset she was that "yankees" come and take all the teaching jobs and there are many local teachers who can''t find a job. I''d hate it if we were viewed that way.

Anyway, we are definitely planning a visit soon to check it out.

 

[gailrmv]

Date: 7/1/2008 7:36:36 PM
Author: jcrow

Date: 7/1/2008 7:28:58 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

jcrow....come to CLT....I''ll show you around

Mia, we have friends in Raleigh and they love it. It is really cool how close it is to the ocean. I don''t know much since I have only been there once but I LOVE living in NC. Low cost of living, great weather, I like NC''s location. We''ll be here forever. There are so few people NAIVE to charlotte so I never felt odd for being from the north. Most of our charlotte friends are from the midwest/north. Certainly no one has ever said anything negative to me. As for religious, there is a church on every corner but I don''t ''feel'' a religious vibe KWIM? We do not feel awkward for being nonreligious. Not sure how it is in the triangle.

it might be a while, but we''ll take you up on it when we go!


what''s the average price per sq. foot on a decent house? average age of houses there?

these are all dh''s questions....

For JCrow and Mia, a bit more on real estate- in the Triangle, I''d say most single family houses are between $100 and $200 per square foot and most houses are built between the 80s and now, however in some of the coolest areas the houses are much older (and can be pricier per sq foot) - you are paying for location and convenience like in any city. Some people want a really big, brand new house and they tend to live farther out. The older homes tend to have more land and more character but likely need some updating. The newer homes tend to be on smaller lots. A lot of the newer developments also seem to be townhomes, so it all depends on whether you want to keep up with a yard or not. As traffic gets worse it''s becoming more important to live closer to your work, so some parts of town that used to be business only are now developing into residential as well. Come visit!

 

[trillionaire]

I live in near Chapel hill in the Triangle, about 30 minutes from Raleigh. IF you are living in Cary, Raleigh or Durham, there are a lot of great reasonable places to live. Cary is a bit more suburban and affluent feeling, and probably has better schools. If you like outdoor stuff, this can be a great area too. I find people to be friendly. I moved here from L.A. after finishing college, and I grew up in the Baltimore and Kansas City areas. It is a little slower than I prefer (I LOVE CITIES), but I think I would be happier in Durham or Raleigh... I am staying near my grad school campus because I don''t want to commute. The area is definitely growing, but it is FAR more reasonable than most places in the country. Chapel hill is pretty liberal, I am not sure about Raleigh and Durham. It''s a nice area over all for raising a family. You can be in atlanta in 6hrs, DC in 4hrs, or the beach in 2.5... mountains in 3hrs or so.

Definitely worth looking into.

 

[gailrmv]

Trillionaire, some of us were talking about having a PS get together and going to a gem show at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. There will be one over labor day weekend. If you are interested, keep an eye out for a Triangle GTG thread closer to the time!