Raleigh Durham Chapel Hill NC

[Lousabelle]

So, my fiance has been offered a job in Raleigh....I have never been there and neither has he. We have been looking to move and have been looking for the right place and everything about NC online looks terrific but I would love to know more. We could live really anywhere near his work so Chapel Hill, Durham....wherever. We would love to hear suggestions for different areas...vets..emergency vets...our other non boxer is a frequent flyer at the Animal 911 so I need to make sure they have one there as well.
Suggestions?

 

[BeckyNC]

Congrats on your husband's new job! I actually grew up in CH, but currently live in Raleigh. Went to high school in Durham.

Where in Raleigh will your husband work (general area)? Traffic on I-40 from Durham and CH can be bad in the morning, so unless he wants to go into work early or late, he might not want to deal with rush hour. My brother commutes from the North side of CH and it takes him a long time to get to work in Raleigh.

Do you have children or are you planning to have them soon? CH is a wonderful family-oriented community. The school system is excellent. You need to ensure you live in the CH-Carrboro City school district, though, as the Orange Co schools are not nearly as good. I believe Wake County (where Raleigh is located) has a better school system than Durham Co, but not as good as CH-C. CH-C is one of the best districts in the state.

CH is a more liberal town than Raleigh. Durham is also on the liberal side. Raleigh tends to feel more conservative though the current mayor is a Democrat. I do not find Raleigh too conservative, to be honest. The whole area (R-D-CH) has a very high volume of well-educated people, so you have a number of opposing viewpoints, which is good.

Houses in CH will probably cost the most. If you buy inside the Beltline (I-440) in Raleigh, you will pay a lot. Outside of I-540, you'll get your best deal, as well as the Eastern side of Raleigh. North Raleigh tends to be a popular area and there's lot of new stuff--a new mall (very nice!). Durham also has a new mall and the surrounding area is currently being developed. Purchasing a home in that area is a very good investment now. The homes tend to be more reasonably priced than CH and Raleigh.

I should also mention Clayton, which is in Johnston County, as well as Cary (Wake Co). I have a coworker who lives there and she and her husband both commute to Cary. Homes in Johnston County are a great value and it's a very family oriented area with lots of new development.

Cary is also a valid option. I work in Cary, but live in N. Raleigh. Cary has lots of new, but also some older areas.

If you like to go out a lot, most people go out in downtown Raleigh. Raleigh also probably has the most going on in the area. CH has lots of good live music at some well-established "clubs." CH is very much a university town.

The other thing you should know, in the event either of you enjoys sports, is college sports are big here rather than professional. There are some big rivalries.

Re emergency vets, I know of 2, but that means nothing. I'm sure there are more. There's one at Glenwood Ave and 440 and my neighbor's vet has emergency hours (N. Raleigh). I really like my vets, but I feel they are $$. My behaviorist has recommended her vet and she's used him for years. I can give you more info later, if necessary.

Raleigh, CH, Cary, and Durham all have nice dog parks. I take Tae on occasion to the one near me. It is super-nice and now has lights for night use!

Let me know what else you need to know!

 

[LPratt]

Good Job Becky

I agree with everything Becky said, I live in Chapel Hill and it is very liberal, very expensive and from what my neighbors say, some of the best schools in North Carolina, which is why people gravitate to the area.The tax base in Orange County is much higher because of the schools, my taxes were double what my colleague pays in Wake County. The average sales price for a starter home in Chapel Hill is $250-300k. People really get bent out of shape about dogs offleash here, but there are two doggie parks which are nice.

There are two vets that were recommended by a reputable boxer breeder in the area, Triangle Veterinary in Durham and Vine Veterinary in Chapel Hill. I go to Vine, and I love Dr. Redman. He is no frills and just a wonderful guy. There is also NC State Vets School, although I think you may need a referral there, but it is nice to have close if anything goes wrong.

Tarheel Boxer club is a nice group of people and a good way to get in with the boxer people They meet once a month and they have a website for more info.

I personally would not want to commute from here to Raleigh unless it was off of I-540 and even then the traffic can be HORRIFIC. Places like Cary and Morrisville are also nice and closer in terms of commute, but to be honest, I love North Raleigh. If my husband wasn't finishing residency and we weren't moving back to Charlotte, I would definately move there. Good restaurants, shopping, reasonable housing prices and more of a metropolitan feel if you get the hankering for city amenities.

I am selling my house in Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill Carrboro School district) in the next few months, so if you decide to move here, let me know!

Good Luck!

 

[LPratt]

P.s.

Sorry, I forgot to add, that there is a wonderful doggie daycare/boarding in Raleigh off of I-70 called "You Lucky Dog" we just boarded there for a week and they had 6 boxers over the holidays! There is also "Camp Canine" in Cary which is very good as well.

 

[myrocky]

Are you looking to buy a house or rent for a while? If renting I would suggest either Chapel Hill or Cary. This way you will be around lots of things (shopping, restaurants..etc.) and be able to visit neighboring towns and see what suits you. Raleigh as a town is just, eh. Not much going on or to do, at least IMO. I really enjoyed living in Cary but didn't care for living in Raleigh at all.

 

[hausterbaby]

We moved from Fort Bragg, NC to atlanta ga just this past june. We loved the raleigh-durham area! There is a lot of great shopping and a lot to do! you are so lucky to be moving there!!!!

camp canine is a wonderful boarding area. The woman that works there is very very nice. She has actually helped me out since I have been here in atlanta by taking a few dogs from the animal control into her "new beginnings" rescue. Wonderful person. Really cares about the dogs.

If you take I-40 you can get from raleigh to Wilmington in no time. Most of the beaches in wilmington are dog friendly- I know wrightsville beach is... and I know fort fisher is. Fort fisher is BEAUTIFUL. They have sea turtles that nest in the fall. It is a huge natural beach. Deuce has a great time playing in the waves there.

Also... a little hidden un-dogrelated secret. If you like wine (and even if you dont) there is a TREMENDOUS little mom and pop vineyard in Rose Hill, NC (right off I-40 on the way to wilmington). It is called Duplin Winery. They make all muscadine wine. You can get from super sweet to very dry. My favorite is the carolina red. All their red wines are served chilled. The midnight magnolia is also very good ... but usually sells out each fall. In september of each year they have a "grape stomp". I think tickets were 25/ piece. That was a full days worth of festivities. It included a taste test (with more then ample amounts to taste, a pig roast, a show, a tour of the vineyards w/ free muscadines for the road.... and an actual grape stomp. They gave away prizes for best dressed, biggest feet, and most juice stomped. My husband disgusts wine... but he loves duplin. We have it special ordered now that we cant find it anywhere around here! We are really hoping to make it back someday for a grape stomp!

Also, make sure you visit the cheesecake factory in Raleigh! The food is actually better then the cheesecake (and more reasonably priced).

Let me know how you like it!
heather

 

[Lousabelle]

Finally moving to North Carolina

Well, we are finally moving this July..so exciting and scary. So we are looking for homes in Cary and Chapel Hill ...it seemed to be the consensus here that those were the best spots around. I would love to know more though...even the silly stuff like "this is a great park but don't go on the weekends" or don't miss this craft fair.
Anything....
Unfortunately all of you who sent me PM's earlier I didn't write any of the info down..and now I can't access it so can you please include anything you can again on the thread. Obviously nothing that will get you in trouble like phone numbers or anything but there were some great suggestions that I no longer have..
You all are the best!
Thank you and see you at the bashes in NC

 

[BeckyNC]

That's great that you'll be moving to the area soon! North Raleigh is also a really nice area. I just bought a new place and live in NW Raleigh now, but must admit to missing N. Raleigh and all of it's conveniences (close to everything in Raleigh).

The Tarheel Boxer Club meets in Apex once a month. Apex is near Cary. I must admit to missing all meetings since October (oops), but they are nice folks and have good speakers on a variety of topics. You can even take your Boxer to meetings. For info, plug the name of the club into google.

Other stuff...if you are into music, there are very nice outdoor concerts at Regency Park in Cary and Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Raleigh. The NC Museum of Art also has outdoor movies on the lawn and concerts through early Sept. The Glenwood South area of Raleigh (near Glenwood and Peace streets) is kind of an in place to go for dinner if you are in Raleigh. There are a lot of new and very good restaurants. In NE Raleigh, the new mall, Triangle Town Center, has a number of good places to eat and shop. The Southpoint area in SW Durham, which is right off I-40 has many shops, the mall (Southpoint) and food options.

Chapel Hill is a another story altogether. The Franklin Street area (downtown) has lots of good restaurants. West Franklin seems to have the newer, more trendy places--West End Wine Bar and a restaurant called Lantern. Crooks Corner is a must try for those who are new to the south. The food is kinda nouveau southern cuisine and it's well-prepared. It's not ultra-pricey, but it isn't cheap. Best to have a reservation there and if it's nice out, they have a neat enclosed patio. Talking about patios, 411 West is a neat Northen Italian place in Chapel Hill (on West Franklin) and has a sister restaurant near Glenwood South (at Glenwood and West Jones Streets) called 518 West. They have good food. Both have nice bars (a tiny bit upscalish--if upscalish is a word!).

With regard to craft-type stuff, Cary has Lazy Days in late August, I believe. I went last year and it was hot as H**L! There are all types of folks their selling nice crafts. CH also has a similar thing, but not quite as nice. It's held twice a year and is called Festifall in October and Apple Chill in April. Raleigh has it's own crafts "fair" in lat May called Artsplosure. There is some really nice stuff there.

Raleigh also has First Friday when the art galleries at Artspace (in downtown) are open late on a Fri night once a month. It's interesting and very social. CH has something similar in CH/Carrboro.

There are dog parks in CH (off Homestead Road, which is off Airport Road, also known as MLK Road), Raleigh (off Springforest Road, at Millbrook Exchange Park), Durham (not sure where it is, but you must pay a yearly fee, I believe) and Cary. I'm not sure if the Cary DP is open yet. Best way to find info is to go to the respective departments of parks and recreation websites for directions. I believe the DP in Raleigh is nicest. It's in N. Raleigh and is a serious hike if you live anywhere besides N, NE, NW or downtown Raleigh. It has lights, though and is huge and well-maintained. It can be mobbed on nice weekend afternoons, so I would avoid it at those times.

The best resources for info on what's going on are as follows: The Independent and The Spectator, weekly publications that are kinda newsprint magazines. The I is usually kinda libeal and The S is at the other end of the spectrum. That said, both have info about activities/concerts/restaurants/festivals. The News & Observer (Raleigh paper) has a section called What's Up and I love it. It has movies, concerts, restaurant reviews, etc.

If you need a realtor, let me know. I have a wonderful realtor, though his area is primarily N. Raleigh.

Any more questions.........let me/us know!