https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:51:40 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2767983 Tue, 15 Aug 2017 15:10:44 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2767983@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsbookworm: Durham and Chapel Hill tend to be much more liberal than Cary and Apex. The Unoversities contribute to that I think. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2767676 Mon, 14 Aug 2017 14:23:10 +0000 mrsbookworm 2767676@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@shootingstar: I imagine as more people from the Northeast relocate there, it will become more progressive. At least, I hope that's the case. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2767669 Mon, 14 Aug 2017 14:15:13 +0000 ShootingStar 2767669@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsbookworm: That's interesting about the political climate. It's one of my fears, but I've been hoping that with my being in an industry that skews liberally, we wouldn't have a lot of encounters with people who aren't as like-minded. I've also been hoping as the area continues to grow that it will get more and more liberal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2767601 Mon, 14 Aug 2017 11:19:18 +0000 mrsbookworm 2767601@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My SIL and her family live in Apex and mostly like it. The public schools her children attend are year round. They've also been redistricted a few times which they didn't appreciate.<br /> They moved from the metro NY area because of the cost of living and availability of jobs in their areas of expertise. My SIL does have a hard time with the political climate however. She finds NC to be much mor conservative than she's comfortable with, especially after living in NY. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2766165 Wed, 09 Aug 2017 09:28:56 +0000 ShootingStar 2766165@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@maddyz: Ha, ok. Duly noted. I grew up in upstate NY and I never came across ticks before moving to MA. We get our yard sprayed for them but have still found them on DS and our dog. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2766164 Wed, 09 Aug 2017 09:17:04 +0000 maddyz 2766164@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: I am not sure. My parents have a big yard in an area with many new buildings but they live in a old farm house. When I was a kid we didn't have direct next door neighbors, but now there are. I found one tick crawling on DS1 when we were there in July. It's about what I would expect to playing outside in mowed grass in New England I think. Even more developed areas still have bunnies and deer and mice and such that carry tickets. There were ticks when I was a kid too. I wouldn't move to NC for tick free living. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2766162 Wed, 09 Aug 2017 09:16:22 +0000 babynumber1 2766162@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: I'm another NC bee that lives an hour west of Raleigh in Greensboro. Cary is a great area and we have lots of family in Fuquay Varina. It is a great little area, but the commute to Raleigh can be tough. Our city has some really great schools and some really not great schools, just like every other city. We were really careful when we bought our house to carefully research school districts. There are also tons of private schools if you are not happy with the school in your district. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2766160 Wed, 09 Aug 2017 09:09:14 +0000 ShootingStar 2766160@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: I know, it's really hard not to rely on rankings, but I've been using Niche and Great Schools to try to get a sense of how to compare our school system to others. I know MA is supposed to have the best schools, but when I compare individual school districts, our current one comes up short in every facet.</p> <p>Our current elementary school gets a 5/10 from Great Schools, B from Niche, 69% proficiency in math and 60% in reading. The district we're looking at in NC get an 8/10, an A, and 85% math, 79% reading. Our current HS get an 8/10 and a B, and is ranked #5,612 nationwide. The NC high school gets a 10/10, A+ and is #330 nationwide. I admit our HS is a decent school, but our town schools have been slipping. When we first bought our house a few years ago the elementary school was rated an 8/10 and has gone down to 5. </p> <p>@maddyz: How prevalent are the ticks in suburban neighborhoods? We went for a walk down our street a couple weeks ago and my son came home with a tick in his hair. I've been hoping that if we're in an area that is more built up and doesn't border woods that we will have less of a tick problem. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2766155 Wed, 09 Aug 2017 08:57:23 +0000 maddyz 2766155@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: There are lots of ticks in NC... and the summers are really something. I grew up in Durham and it's great, but I live in NYC now. Sometimes I think about moving back, but I wouldn't be able to continue working in my field. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2766134 Wed, 09 Aug 2017 07:40:55 +0000 looch 2766134@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: Since you saw my post before I deleted it, how are schools worse, and why are the ones in NC any better? It's still America, with America problems, namely poverty. You live in a state where the school system is ranked in what, the top 10 nationally? NC is ranked in the 40s.</p> <p> I am really trying hard not to fall into the trap of relying on rankings because they don't take several factors into play, like accounting for low income and ELL learners which exist in all parts of the country.</p> <p>Oh, and I am hoping for a good outcome for your dad. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2766132 Wed, 09 Aug 2017 07:35:19 +0000 ShootingStar 2766132@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: I really don't know how things will continue to play our politically. I do know that where we live currently the elementary and middle school are prett meh. </p> <p>We aren't happy with our house and we want to move. So the big question becomes where? Do we stay in MA? If we do then I'd like to live in a more convenient place for jobs. Right now we're practically in NH and my commute can be an hour plus at night. Closer to jobs and to Boston/Waltham/Cambridge means $$$$. And some of the towns are still super expensive and schools are worse than the ones we have now. Or we could move to one of the really expensive towns adjacent to where I work that have excellent schools, like Lexington. Except that the cheapest house for sale there is $875k. And multiple kids in the school system have killed themselves because of the pressure. </p> <p>Which leads us to want to go somewhere else. I have a specialized job in software and I can't work just anywhere, I need a tech hub. I'd also like to stay on the east coast in proximity to my parents because my dad is battling pancreatic cancer. </p> <p>So that leads us to NC where the houses are more reasonably priced, the commutes are shorter, and the infividual schools score higher than our current ones. Even teachers and parents on this thread have said the schools are great. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2766118 Wed, 09 Aug 2017 06:48:48 +0000 looch 2766118@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I hope it works out, I really do! Good Luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2766022 Tue, 08 Aug 2017 18:09:22 +0000 ShootingStar 2766022@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JCCovi: Ha, well we have no options here. Our town has one elementary school, one middle, and one high school. And we're not really walkable area people. We're used to the suburbs and driving. But I would like to have downtown areas that are not accessible than what we have now. Right now we're about 45 minutes outside of Boston with no traffic. During rush hour that's more like 2 hours. </p> <p>@looch: All of the areas we've looked at have schools that are far better than our current ones.<br /> Partnof the point of moving is to not need private schools. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2765807 Mon, 07 Aug 2017 23:02:07 +0000 JCCovi 2765807@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I moved to Cary when I was 15 and my parents still live there. I lived in Durham for 4 years after college.</p> <p>Cary has good schools, but doesn't have the "options" you'll find in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Durham, etc. We were really interested in language immersion schools and they seemed to be everywhere except Cary/Apex/Morrisville. </p> <p>My youngest brother was redistricted 4 times in elementary and middle but the last time in high school there was some level of choice offered. So he went to Apex High while another brother who was just 1 year older went to Green Hope. </p> <p>I think Cary is beautiful, there are nice medians in the roads that are nicely landscaped and ever since moving away those have always struck me as such a nice feature.</p> <p>As a young grad I found Durham to be more exciting, but Cary is very family friendly. Personally, I wouldn't move back there because it's not very walkable (good greenways for recreation, but not for shopping, commuting, etc.)</p> <p>I love the greater Raleigh area though. I would probably look at Raleigh or Chapel Hill if we moved back. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2765684 Mon, 07 Aug 2017 15:33:09 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2765684@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh,and daycare. Centers here are mostly going to be high quality 5 star centers, but that comes with the price tag. You can expect 1100-1300ish depending on the one you choose. I can share more about that privately too if you want :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2765678 Mon, 07 Aug 2017 15:23:23 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2765678@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: I have lived in Cary/Apex most of my life and there's really not anything that I dont like about the area. I'm not sure what you are looking for in schools, but in my opinion and as a teacher in the area, you will not find a bad school in Cary or Apex. The best way to learn about schools in NC in general is the NC Teaching Working Conditions survey. It provides a ton of data straight from the people who work in the schools. Happy teachers who are well supported by their admin and have the things they need to teach = students who learn. I wouldnt look at test scores at all. I would honestly choose where you live based on your commute to work and not factor schools in at all. </p> <p>We just recently bought some land about 20ish minutes west of Cary/apex in NE Chatham county and love it here. We are 5 minutes from Jordan lake, 30 minutes from DH's office, and basically 20-25 minutes from Chapel Hill, Durham, Cary, and Apex, depending on which direction we go. Taxes are much lower here too, but I'm not sure how long that will last because it is booming out here. You get a lot more home for your money though, for sure. We built what feels like an enormous house on 2.5 acres for well below your budget. </p> <p>Happy to share more detail privately if you want :) I just accepted a teaching position at the school up the road and I'm really excited about the fact that the teachers have more flexibility here. All the wake schools are good, but some are micromanaged and that sometimes makes it less fun to teach there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2765639 Mon, 07 Aug 2017 13:49:47 +0000 lioneyes 2765639@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I know an AMAZING realtor there if you need a reco! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2765631 Mon, 07 Aug 2017 13:34:39 +0000 ShootingStar 2765631@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks everyone! I think we're hoping to spend $500-$550k on our next house. And we are interested in the West Cary/Apex area. The schools there mostly seem much better than school district we currently live in and the houses are cheaper.</p> <p>Basically we are unhappy with our house for a variety of reasons. And in order to keep the elements that I like, but solve the ones I don't like, once the kids are in elemetary school we'd essentially need to funnel all of the money we spend on daycare into a larger mortgage payment. And I don't really want to do that.</p> <p>I want to get away from the awful weather in MA, the super high COL, the meh schools, and from living on a patch of woods that are infested with ticks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2765583 Mon, 07 Aug 2017 11:02:13 +0000 jape14 2765583@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I live in Raleigh (close to downtown) and we love it here - we can walk to amazing restaurants, museums, bars, and kid-friendly attractions (including our son's preschool). Depending on where exactly you want to live (Cary and Apex both have a large range of types of houses and areas), the cost of living could be less than the Northeast, but some things aren't that much cheaper (daycare, groceries). The housing market is a bit crazy in certain locations here in the Triangle, but you may be used to that already in the Northeast. We ended up doing a nanny share instead of daycare, but in my experience visiting centers, infant care in a 5-star center was in the $1300-$1500/mo range, at least in areas close to downtown Raleigh. My guess is that it'd be fairly similar close to RTP/Cary. </p> <p>I don't have school-age kids yet but we bought in the area we did because of the schools we'd be assigned to and minimal chance for reassignment. My understanding is that there is more reassignment in areas like Cary/Apex, but this also likely varies by neighborhood/particular area. One big difference from the Northeast (at least where I'm from originally) is that the schools here are county-wide and not necessarily town/neighborhood-based. But, there are a lot of really, really great schools in the area, so you just need to do your research carefully before choosing where to live. And be sure to check into the school ratings/test scores carefully, because we do have a lot of ethnic/socioeconomic diversity in many schools here, so it can lead to schools not looking great on paper because they are serving very different populations within the same school. (My sisters both teach down here and teach at a school like that.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2765581 Mon, 07 Aug 2017 10:54:01 +0000 mediagirl 2765581@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <br /><p><i>This comment has been deleted by the original poster.</i></p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2765578 Mon, 07 Aug 2017 10:42:11 +0000 looch 2765578@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Homes are for sure starting to get more expensive, I have seen some developments that are in the Charlotte area where you have prices in the 700s and they're basically builder cookie cutter homes. I have a feeling the trend is going to continue and spread out as more Northerners relocate.</p> <p>I would really look into the schools. I know that the state has lagged toward the bottom in both teacher pay and overall ranking, so I would look into whether you have to factor in private schools.</p> <p>Also look at international airport locations if you travel a lot. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2765574 Mon, 07 Aug 2017 10:37:31 +0000 autumnleaves 2765574@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I live in Cary and love the area. If I could work from home, I would look at living in North Raleigh or Wake Forest but right now that commute to work is too much for me.<br /> I think a lot of people move to the area and think the cost of living, quality of life is better than other areas. For people who have lived in the area a long time - it feels like traffic is worse and everything is more crowded.<br /> For areas to consider, it depends on budget and if you want new build. If you want a new house - a lot of people are looking at West Cary, Holly Springs, Fuquay, Wake Forest or towns/communities outside of Wake County. If a new house isn't a must, you can find a lot of great homes in Cary and Raleigh.<br /> I love being a few hours from the beach and mountains. We take advantage of a lot of the parks in the area - city, county, and state parks. I don't feel like there is anything that we are missing here. There are a lot of people who work in software in this area - seems like people I know in the field are able to find other jobs when there are layoffs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2765566 Mon, 07 Aug 2017 10:16:47 +0000 elljay 2765566@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't live there, but I went to grad school in that area and grew up about an hour away. I love it there - if it made sense for us job-wise, I would move there in a heartbeat. My friends that live there mostly live in Durham, which seems like it's becoming the "hot" new area (lots of new development and restaurants). </p> <p>You should go for it! NC is awesome! :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/caryraleigh-nc#post-2765522 Mon, 07 Aug 2017 08:58:48 +0000 ShootingStar 2765522@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DH and I are thinking of planning a big move in 2 years to the Raleigh, NC area. We both work in software and we're thinking we can find jobs there. We're looking forward to the cost of living being less, and also getting away from the severe winter weather we see north of Boston. At this point I'm thinking the Cary/Apex area would give us pretty good flexibility for jobs and lifestyle.</p> <p>For those of you who live in the area or are familiar with it - what do you think of it? What do you like, what don't you like? Any towns you love? </p> <p>Oh, and how much should we expect for daycare costs? We will need full time care for a 3 year old. My LO1 will be entering kindergarten that year. </p>