https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 02 May 2026 19:04:03 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2263614 Fri, 14 Aug 2015 11:57:36 +0000 Kbee 2263614@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: Haha I don't think I've mentioned it since we first started our Feb 2015 moms board last summer. All of us here should definitely have a meet up soon! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2263383 Fri, 14 Aug 2015 08:24:53 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2263383@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Kbee: how did I not know you were here?!? did I know that? My brain doesn't work anymore. Sigh. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2263339 Fri, 14 Aug 2015 07:59:43 +0000 Kbee 2263339@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh, and to add that @MaryM is right about the market being competitive right now. Houses are selling FAST. Many in the area have gone under contract the day they are put on the market, or just within several days. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2263334 Fri, 14 Aug 2015 07:56:08 +0000 Kbee 2263334@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So many bees from this area! I live in Durham, but just about 5 minutes away from Cary. </p> <p>Everyone else described the area so well, but I will definitely echo the sentiment that the Raleigh-Durham area as a whole is very family friendly. We LOVE living here. The entire area is fairly suburban, but Cary itself tends to be a little more typical "suburbia." While we love Durham for it's awesome family activities, restaurants, etc. we're considering moving out of Durham because of the schools. In our search for other places to live, we've noticed houses cost a bit more per sq. ft in Cary. The farther outside of Raleigh you go, the cheaper houses will get (Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, etc). </p> <p>Our childcare is $1395 for an infant. We think it's really high, but we love the center and it's worth it to us. All of the places we looked had a wait list. We started looking last September for our baby born in February and most places did not have a spot until May or June. </p> <p> I agree with @JennyPenny that living close to I-40 is convenient. We live about 1 minute away from the interstate, and it makes it really easy to get anywhere in the area - Cary, downtown Durham, downtown Raleigh, Chapel Hill - it's great! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2263305 Fri, 14 Aug 2015 07:33:45 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2263305@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: haha the weather would be enough for me ;) the cost of living is an added bonus! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2263246 Fri, 14 Aug 2015 06:18:52 +0000 looch 2263246@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: That's interesting, I would have expected the decrease to be more. Your post (and other situations) have me seriously considering relocating down south somewhere for a period of time. </p> <p>@Mrs. Lion: It's kind of disturbing that in this country, there are such huge differences. I'll be honest...makes me wonder why everyone's not doing it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2263077 Thu, 13 Aug 2015 21:01:57 +0000 JennyPenny 2263077@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't know how much you care about superfast Internet, but I just heard from friends who live in Morrisville that they've seen Google Fiber trucks out installing this week. The whole area is supposed to get it soon but the rumors have been that they're starting in Morrisville or Cary, and that seems like good evidence for Morrisville :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262838 Thu, 13 Aug 2015 16:04:01 +0000 NCSUchick27 2262838@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I LOVE the Raleigh area, and I miss living there so much, we live in the DC area now. I lived there for 5 years of undergrad and 3 years after graduation. We lived in southwest Raleigh near the Crossroads shopping center. We were on the edge of Raleigh and Cary. Cary is very nice, and definitely family friendly. It is very suburban, but you are only a short drive from downtown Raleigh. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262835 Thu, 13 Aug 2015 15:56:11 +0000 Mrs.KMM 2262835@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You've gotten way better advice from everyone else than what I can give, but I just wanted to say that my SIL and her fiancé live in Raleigh and they love it there! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262606 Thu, 13 Aug 2015 13:33:10 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2262606@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Whoa! I knew housing was less expensive here but that is a huge difference! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262451 Thu, 13 Aug 2015 11:15:08 +0000 Anagram 2262451@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: It's hard to say, since we don't know the bonus situation compared to here, but the base salary is lower--about a 12% decrease.</p> <p>Teachers make less there as well, so my salary would be lower.....but property taxes are WAY less and of course, housing is less. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262435 Thu, 13 Aug 2015 10:56:13 +0000 looch 2262435@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: Oh, exciting! I am curious, though, if you can share, about your husband's salary...is it decreasing by a significant percentage, staying the same? I was browsing homes in the area, and the cost of housing is something like 63% less than up north, making a move interesting on many levels! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262330 Thu, 13 Aug 2015 09:19:47 +0000 ShootingStar 2262330@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We considered moving from the Boston area to the Triangle area because it's one of the few tech hubs around the country. In doing my research, it seemed like the suburban areas had better schools. We thought the suburbs looked really cool because they had amenities that you just don't have around here - neighborhoods with walking trails, their own pools (many with slides and splash pads), club houses and social groups. </p> <p>But it seemed like for shopping and restaurants and any other kind of activity, that you would need to drive. Probably to a strip mall. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262266 Thu, 13 Aug 2015 08:29:51 +0000 yin 2262266@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't have any advice on relocation, but I want to chime in and say that I really enjoyed our trip to Raleigh last summer. The kids and I joined DH for a work training trip, and we all had a great time. There are so many museums to explore with most of them being free or really reasonably priced. The Marbles museum was my LO's favorite. There are a lot of parks too, and it was easy to find online. I found traffic to be reasonable, and I traveled during rush hour to drop off and pick up DH. Traffic is worse on the east coast. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262210 Thu, 13 Aug 2015 07:04:14 +0000 autumnleaves 2262210@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: there are lots of neighborhoods with amenities in this area - if you focus on those there's nothing really to stay away from. I would look at Preston which is an older planned development with neighborhoods and the neighborhoods that are off Cary Parkway near Bond Park. Park Village, Wellesley are also great family neighborhoods with amenities close by. Twin Lakes, Kitt Creek, Amberly are newer ones to check out. Ones that are a little further in Cary and older and very nice are Lochmere and MacGregor.<br /> Buckhurst is a neighborhood in North Cary - it's not as big as the other ones I mentioned and may not have all the amenities but it's near downtown Cary, the greenway, and would be a very short commute for your husband.<br /> Wall me if you need a realtor rec. I worked with one last year who I'd rec.</p> <p>@Mrs. Lion: I'm interested in meeting other area bees too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262124 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 22:16:55 +0000 JennyPenny 2262124@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Agreed with @autumnlove's description of the different towns. Morrisville is growing like crazy and is a lot of new construction and more modern shopping complexes. Raleigh and Durham both have awesome downtowns but all my friends who lived there in their mid 20s moved out to Cary immediately upon having children.</p> <p>I think a neighborhood with convenient access to 40 would be my biggest recommendation. That'll make it super easy to get to downtown Raleigh or Durham for museums, restaurants, concerts, etc. And different neighborhoods definitely have different vibes. When real estate hunting I'd recommend going out midday and around 6pm and see who you see. In my experience neighborhoods the older the homes the older the people living in the neighborhood since people don't really seem to move away. For example, everyone on my street is original owners of their homes except for us.</p> <p>@Mrs. Lion: yeah! I had no idea there were so many other local bees. I'd love a meetup!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262108 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 21:28:45 +0000 jape14 2262108@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: yes, we should totally have a meetup! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262096 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 21:10:49 +0000 KayKay 2262096@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@anagram: yes, they get audited and rated. Can get docked for things like cleanliness (e.g not washing hands or not putting paper down under potty training kid), education level of staff, etc. there is a website that describes all of the criteria and scoring. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262095 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 21:08:07 +0000 Anagram 2262095@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@autumnleaves: No preference on age of house--more interested in neighborhood "amenities" I guess, and the general look of the house. I don't think we'd be interested in our own renovations, so an older house would need updates--but I've seen a few on Zillow that look great that are older. I just don't really know if there are specific neighborhoods within Cary or other suburbs we should be looking at.</p> <p>We're just in the information-gathering stage at this point, but I like to see what's out there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262092 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 21:06:35 +0000 Anagram 2262092@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jape14: oh good! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262088 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 21:04:03 +0000 jape14 2262088@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: both of my sisters are new teachers (no experience besides student teaching) and both just got jobs in the Wake County school system! So it seems fairly easy to me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262070 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 20:45:59 +0000 autumnleaves 2262070@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: it depends on if you are interested in new homes, older homes, want to be near a downtown or park. Morrisville is a hot market right next to North Cary but it doesn't have a downtown or a lot of older homes. Like Mrs. Lion said parts of Cary, Morrisville, and Apex weave into one another. I'd consider all 3 plus Raleigh and see what you like best for your family. I love visiting Durham too and you may decide a commute from Durham to Cary is ok. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262066 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 20:39:28 +0000 Anagram 2262066@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@KayKay: what does "5 star" mean? Is there some kind of state-wide rating system? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262063 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 20:37:42 +0000 KayKay 2262063@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@anagram: regarding childcare, we went to a 5-star center in RTP and paid $1600 for a full-time infant. The price went down as they got older. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262059 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 20:34:02 +0000 KayKay 2262059@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@anagram: it totally depends on where you live and what exactly you mean by suburban hell :) there are a LOT of areas there that are just your typical suburbia (cul-de-sacs and chain stores), but many of them have lots of families and built-in parks/schools/pools/etc that end up being spots to gather &amp; meet people. Especially having kids, it wouldn't be that hard to meet at least other moms....there are lots of transplants.</p> <p>My biggest issue when we lived there (4 years of undergrad, then most recently 5 years during residency) was that you do a lot of driving. There aren't a lot of super walkable areas -- that is to say, you can probably walk around your subdivision to the pool or the park, but you are going to have to drive to dinners, etc. There are exceptions to that rule, but they are mostly the specific city centers (raleigh, durham, chapel hill, or maybe hillsborough). Driving between the cities is do-able but can be a huge pain. I would definitely focus your search close to wherever you guys would be working because the working commute is a bitch.</p> <p>Schools are hit-or-miss. Durham's public schools are mostly terrible. Raleigh's are a mixed bag. Cary's and Chapel Hill's are pretty decent. Year-round school might be a pain for you with working there, but now that I'm a parent, I can see why people love it -- vacations spread throughout the year!</p> <p>We loved Durham, but there is still a fair amount of crime in the areas closer to all of the "stuff" downtown. </p> <p>All of that being said, there is a lot of great stuff about the area! Good weather (awesome autumns!), great restaurants, excellent local music scene, sports, and a convenient airport. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262051 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 20:28:39 +0000 SeptMomma12 2262051@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I live in suburban NJ so I can't offer too much, but my parents have a house in Chapel Hill and I love the area. It always looks like there are so many young families out and about together. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262044 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 20:21:50 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2262044@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: with that much experience I doubt finding a job would be an issue. :) as far as location, all of the surrounding areas are nice too. they all kind of blend together. on a given day I might be in apex, morrisville, cary, and raleigh without driving more than 15 minutes in any one direction. durham is nice too. we have a membership to the museum @MamaB: mentioned and we go at least once a month! :)</p> <p>also, I feel like we need a triangle area meet up! I had no idea there were so many in the area! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262023 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 19:57:15 +0000 Anagram 2262023@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: That reassures me about the school system a lot. Is it typically pretty difficult to get a job in the school system there (I have 11 years experience in two states)?</p> <p> @MamaB: @JennyPenny: @autumnleaves: If the job is in Cary itself, is there any reason to look at other cities/suburbs to live in? It looks like the job is sort of in northern Cary, just a couple of miles south of 40. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262013 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 19:05:59 +0000 MamaB 2262013@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I live in Durham. We absolutely love love love living in Durham. I am also a nanny for a family in Durham, so I know all the kids activities in the area. There is so much going on! The libraries in Durham have great programming, there are various story times at different places, the Museum of Life and science is fantastic. You can check out the SoDu Parents Posse on FB and they will answer any questions you have (they're very honest). Durham has so many local restaurants and breweries. I've found that everywhere is pretty kid friendly. My husband and I try to talk all our friends into moving to Durham. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/any-raleigh-durham-cary-bees-more-relocation-advice#post-2262010 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 18:56:57 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2262010@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: ME ME ME! :) I am in Apex, which is practically Cary, and grew up here (and in Cary) myself. Feel free to wall me :) I love it here and plan on never leaving!</p> <p>ETA: Also, I worked for Wake County and could answer any questions you have about that too. It is confusing when you read about it online, but in practice it's not that bad. If you teach for the county your kids are, as far as I am aware, guaranteed to be on your schedule (unless you teach year round and your kids are in high school...in that case there is no year round option). </p>