moving to Raleigh

We are a young family looking to move to the Raleigh area. Can anyone recommend a family-friendly place to live? We have two kids and would love to be able to walk places. Or is the public transportation system in Raleigh nice? We%26#39;ve only visited Raleigh once. I don%26#39;t have any idea how to begin to find a place to live. (We plan to rent for the first year while we decide if we%26#39;re going to settle down there.)

Thanks!

Annie G.

moving to Raleigh

Well they%26#39;ll probably shut this thread down cuz it%26#39;s not travel-related, but in the meantime I%26#39;ll try to give you a quick answer.

Public transport (buses) and walkability are pretty decent in the city core, in and around downtown. But if you go out in the more suburban parts of town (particularly outside the I-440 Beltline), it%26#39;s a very car-obsessed place. (Sprawling subdivisions, strip-malls, traffic, etc.)

So in that vein, look mainly for the neighborhoods that surround downtown and I think you%26#39;d be very happy. The home prices may be a bit higher, but the quality of life (calmer traffic, more diversity, culture, amenities, etc) is immensely better too, no doubt.

Some neighborhood names I%26#39;d keep an eye out for: Cameron Village, Boylan Heights, Oakwood/Oakdale, Mordecai, Five Points, Hayes Barton, University Park, Oberlin, Brooklyn/Glenwood South, Pilot Mill, Bloomsbury, Sunset Hills, etc.

moving to Raleigh

As RaleighRob said, downtown Raleigh is an option. You should be able to find properties that are in walking distance of restaurants. Shopping downtown isn%26#39;t all that great, though. For that, you will probably end up taking a bus or driving to the suburbs, although a place near Cameron Village provides access to some upscale shopping.

There are options which may work in the suburbs as well. For instance, there is housing and rental property in NW Raleigh, such as Brier Creek, which is within walking distance of restaurants and shopping. This is a nice, safe, family-friendly area with good schools as well.

Much will depend on where you ultimately end up working, though. If you don%26#39;t have your own car, then you want to be reasonably close to where you work. The public transportation system in Raleigh is not very good, and many of the buses use a ';spoke-and-wheel'; model which can lead to very long commutes unless your destination is on the same bus line as your home.

I also would look around the North Hills area - still suburban, but lots of restaurants possibly within walking distance. Also, several elementary schools nearby. Also, look at www.city-data.com/forum/north-carolina - for more detailed info. I think there%26#39;s somethine for everyone in this area though, unless you%26#39;re looking for a big metro area like NYC or LA.