Seeking YHO About Raleigh/Durham, NC

In My Humble Opinion
21

Very informative posts here.

YWalker is a she? Heh, didn’t know that.

I checked The Weather Channel’s website. According to them, the average temps throughout the year there are pretty dead on with Atlanta temps. Dern it all; I was hoping they would be at least slightly lower with Raleigh being further north. I figure the humidity levels are about the same. One thing that I didn’t mention earlier is that the switch from desert to green would be a nice change.

By “blues clubs,” I mean “bars that feature blues performers on a regular basis.” I was able to find some info on that here.

Sheesh, I thought my homeowners’ association was bad. The Cary codes sound like a major pain in the ass. I think I’d have to avoid that.

Sounds like some of the rural areas aren’t too far from the cities. What’s the chance of the sprawl reaching those areas in, say, the next ten years or so? I know of some remote communities out here, but I fully expect them to be swallowed up my urbanization in the not-too-distant future. (Yes, I realize I’m trying to have my cake and eat it too.)

I am somewhat disturbed by the report that traffic coming from the mountains on Sundays is delayed for “hours.” A significant part of the attraction of NC to me are the mountains. That’s no good if I can’t use them.

It looks like the RTP area has its problems, but overall is worth looking into. By the way, at this time it’s just a consideration. I’ve come nowhere close to making a commitment. I sure would like to visit the area sometime to get a better flavor for it, although the replies here have helped greatly. Where I’d really like to live is Asheville. Don’t they have any engineering companies up there? They don’t? Well damn.

22

I moved to Raleigh a little over a year ago to attend college at NC State, so maybe I can offer some advice from a newcomer’s perspective.

I don’t know of any blues clubs, but there is a Blues Festival in Durham every year.

Raleigh also hosts the State Fair every year. :slight_smile:

Insterstate traffic typically isn’t too bad during the weekdays. On weekends, the traffic picks up considerably with people headed to either the mountains or the beach. Traffic on the Inner and Outer Beltlines that go through Raleigh is horrible. Thanks to urbanization, however, it is extremely easy to find an alternate–and often quicker–route through residential areas.

The Weather Channel was pretty much right about the temperatures, although we do get the occasional snowstorm in December or January. Keep in mind, however, that a snowstorm for this part of the country is any amount above 2 inches.

(By the way, there are four very affordable apartments-turned-condominiums for sale in the same complex as mine. :smiley: )

23

Looks like you already found your weather info, but here’s what I dug up at work today.

I looked up the design cooling temperatures for both cities. These are the numbers engineers use in sizing an air conditioning system for buildings. The 1% design temperature represents a temperature that will be exceeded only 1% of the time during a typical year; the 2.5% figure will be exceeded only 2.5% of the time.

For Raleigh, the 1% data was 94 degrees/40% relative humidity; the 2.5% was 92/40%.

For Phoenix, the 1% number was 110/15% RH; the 2.5% number was 107/30%.

Yes, you definitely have us beat in the heat department.
(By the way, Dr. J: the Lexington temps were exactly 1 degree lower than the Raleigh temps).

Yup. kpm, however, is a he; I’m married to him.

24

I live in Apex, actually, just moved here 3 months ago from Durham. We built a house out here in Apex while staying in an apartment after selling our house in Durham. I absolutely LOVE it here. No question about it. I do not plan on leaving this house until I die or am locked up for something. If you come to town, let me know, I’d love to hang out with you some time. That goes for anybody else out there in the area, too. My wife and I found out a little bit ago that we have twins on the way (YEA!), so I won’t have much free time come February or so. But I would like to say that I think this area is perfect, at least for us. We live on the western edge of Apex, so we’re almost countrified, but within a short drive of the “city”. It’s not a big city, Raleigh, I came from New York and Orlando, before, so the nighttime scene was a bit slower than I was used to, but I still like it. If there was just an industrial music club here, I’d have it made!

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Geesh, I didn’t realize that there were this many dopers in North Carolina. Woohooo hello neighbors. Yep, I’m born and bred true North Carolinian. I work at the nuclear power plant that has already been mentioned.
I am strictly a country girl. Good thing about this state is you don’t have to drive very far to find just about anything you want. I love to shop in Cary, but I have no desire to live there. Too much congestion around the RTP for me. I live 45 minutes away, south toward Fayetteville. We do have LOTS of out-of-state transients. It’s just the nature of the beast. Our climate is enjoyable and we have the best golfing around, thus, an outpouring of northern retirees.
Plus we also have several military installations, which brings in families from all over the US. Many just stay here when their tours are up.
Because of RTP, we do have a lot of young couples in the area. Top money, top jobs, and a lower cost of living than most states. Of course the further away from RTP you get the lower the cost of living, which is why many people chose to drive a little further to work.
You won’t have any problems finding all the things that you mentioned that you enjoy, and being from Atlanta you already know the southern style.
Feel free to email me if you would like. Come on down, we’d love to have ya.

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The odds are high to very high, depending on your location in the Triangle. The Ivorybill flock lived in Raleigh for five years while I went to grad school at NC State. Sometime between 1994 and 1999, the population of the Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) combined exceeded 1 million. It is estimated that the area will exceed 2 million people by 2010. If I were to move back to Raleigh, I’d (1) find a job and (2) find a place to live that’s close to the job. Living in Raleigh and commuting to RTP or Durham really sucks. Really. I’d also look for a place that’s already fully-developed. New subdivisions there sprout like mushrooms after a summer rain shower - - personally I’d hate to have a house out in Creedmoor that was swallowed by sprawl.

I don’t know how political you are, but if you’ve a more than casual left-lean to you, you’ll be frustrated by local Raleigh politics, less so by Durham’s, and LOVE Chapel Hill’s. However, you’ll be frustrated when the Triangle votes Democratic in state-wide elections but the rest of the state elects someone like Jesse Helms.

Raleigh’s a great place and has a lot going for it. Best of luck to you if you decide to relocate.

27

And I think I’ve read somewhere that aenea is pregnant, too, which I think means that the Triangle has more Doper buns-in-the-oven than anywhere else.

So, make of this what you will. Is there something in the water? Or is there just lots more hot, monkey love going on here in the Triangle?

[sub]Congrats to all of the above, by the way[/sub]

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You can count me in as another Triangle dweller. We moved here from Virginia Beach last year. So far, so good. I live in Hillsborough, which is just north of Chapel Hill, and I work at UNC. Hillsborough is fairly committed to trying to avoid sprawl - the house we bought is on an acre of land, as are the other houses in our small subdivision. Nearby are some home sites which are 10 acres each, which pretty much guarantees that the neighbors won’t end up sitting on top of each other! I imagine how much growth we’ll be seeing in the future is going to depend on the economy in general, though there are also a lot of health-care resources here, which tend to be more recession-proof than other types of business.

I am glad that I live where I do - I don’t have to deal with traffic hassles, though the other side of the coin to that is that you can’t just pop down to the store - the closest ones are several miles away (when I lived in Virginia Beach, there were four 7-11’s within a mile and half of my house!). If you move to Cary or the northern part of Raleigh, the traffic sucks. As is typical of most growing regions, the road construction doesn’t keep up with the pace of growth. Chapel Hill and the University don’t have room for all the cars that want to come in everyday, so while the traffic actually isn’t bad, parking can be a real hassle and taking public transportation (which is actually fairly decent within Chapel Hill and Carrboro) is encouraged. I’d like to take the bus from where I live to work, since I have to pay for a parking permit on campus, but there’s no decent bus service out to where I live as of yet.

I find the weather here to be more pleasant than Virginia Beach’s. Since it’s farther from the ocean, the night-time temps are lower, which reduces the summer humidity somewhat. And I’ll take winter here anytime - I was raised in Cleveland and I love not having to deal with the snow!

There’s lots and lots to do here, the restaurants are pretty good, crime rate is low, and I’ve been particularly impressed with how nice, helpful and polite people tend to be in general - much more so than where I used to live. It’s definitely worth a visit to see what you think.

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I’m a come-back North Carolinian, after 12 years in Mississippi. Those 12 years in the Triangle were the boom years, so it’s been kind of odd to see how much it’s grown. It’s like moving back home and having Southern California (my birthplace) superimposed on it.

But it’s a great place to live. Between UNC, Duke, NCSU, and many smaller colleges and universities, there is plenty of intellectual activity. The music scene is great; Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro is a fine place to see national acts in a smaller setting, and the owner (my old housemate), also books shows in Raleigh. For blues, there is the Triangle Blues Society, a bunch of enthusiastic folks who can let you know what’s going on. I would think you wouldn’t have much of a problem hooking up with a choral group, either. The area universities have a diverse schedule of classical and theatre events.

Coming from Arizona, the thing you’ll be most amazed at is the Greenery. Thus the humidity, but NC sprawl, in contrast to Western, is graced by the fact that the trees hide a lot.

The Triangle is now a diverse community, and I don’t even see it as particularly Southern anymore. You can find any cuisine and religious persuasion here, and an active flurry of political debate. Traffic is bad around Raleigh, but if you’re comparing it to Atlanta or DC, it’s workable. The RDU airport can get you anywhere you need to go.

I live in Alamance County, which is on the eastern periphery of the Triangle. It’s still got some space, and is an easy commute to Chapel Hill, but to Raleigh would be a stretch. Hillsborough, as said, may be an area you’d like to look at.

And, Hey Jake! I work at the wildlife sanctuary in Mebane. Good to see ya here.

Strainger, if you come here on a scoping mission, all us NCinians ought to try to get together to welcome you. I’m glad to be of any assistance in your search; let me know. :slight_smile:

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First off, congratulations to all you pregnant (and spouses of pregnant) North Carolinians!

Hey, DoctorJ, wanna go in on a car rental for a scoping mission? I know what you’re saying about UNC and Duke basketball. Georgia Tech grad here.

Wow, blessedwolf, you’re quite open! Sure, hook us up. Uh, she isn’t psycho, is she? :wink:

YWalker, do you have a link for the design cooling temps? My web searches didn’t turn up jack. I’m just curious as to how Atlanta compares with Raleigh and Phoenix.

Ivorybill makes a good point about living close to work and in an area that has already grown up. As I mentioned earlier, I’m kind of spoiled by my short drive to work. I would also like to be spared the growing pains of a developing area. I think that, based on my experience so far, that would be more my speed. The older areas also tend to offer larger yards. Not that I’m interested in doing that much more mowing, but I’d love to have more space between my house and my neighbors’.

Obviously, not everything is going to be perfect in my little world. If I’m going to be closer to my family, close to outdoor activities, and in an area offering good professional opportunities, I’m going to have to give a little here and there. That being said, I’m cautiously optimistic that the growth, while rapid in that area, is still, and will continue to be, less overwhelming than it is here. I base this on the census results, particulary 1990-2000 Population Growth for Metro Areas and 1990-2000 Population Growth for Incorporated Places of 100,000 or More. Some useful information to know regarding my interpretation of the Arizona data is: 1) I live in Gilbert 2) Gilbert borders Mesa and Chandler 3) Metro Phoenix includes the aforementioned cities as well as Peoria, Scottsdale, Glendale, Tempe, and, of course, Phoenix. I do see a number of NC cities there as well, but the stats don’t look as bad as those for AZ.

I’m not optimistic that my present company would offer the opportunity to do work in NC. I have one company in mind I’d really like to find out more about, especially how their product works, their stability, projected growth, possible future mergers with other companies, etc. I know one person I can ask about it, but he’s a director where I work so I don’t think that would be a good idea. Because of the lack of response I’ve received from companies in the past, I hate sending in unsolicited resumes (although since then I’ve learned some techniques to get people’s attention). But, thanks to where I currently work and what I do there, if I play my cards right I may be able to make a connection or two at this company. (As of now their web site indicates that they have no openings.)

Y’all sound like a friendly bunch. I’d love to meet you if I’m ever in the area.

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I couldn’t find much on web searches either. The data you’re looking for is ASHRAE weather data. ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers) tabulates this data, and it is excerpted by permission in essentially every air conditioning text there is, but I couldn’t find it on line to save me (except perhaps on some sites for pay.)

I looked it up at work today, and was surprised to see how close Atlanta and Raleigh were. The 1% numbers (i.e, the temperature which historically is equalled or exceeded only 1% of the time in a typical year) for Raleigh was 94 degrees, with 42% relative humidity; for Atlanta it was 94 with 39% relative humidity. The 2.5% numbers: 92/46% RH for Raleigh, and 92/43% RH for Atlanta. So, in terms of temperature extremes, the temps are about the same, but Raleigh is a bit more humid. (However, 3% RH is not a big difference in my book.)

One other point to consider, if you’re a dog person: Cary has a two dog per household maximum. (It’s typically sort of a don’t ask/don’t tell situation as far as enforcement goes, but if you have jerks for neighbors, they can make your life miserable. A recent news story had one witch in a local golf-course community blowing the whistle on her neighbor who exceeded the limit because she was a foster “parent” for one of the local dog rescue groups.)

I keep saying things that make Cary sound like a terrible place, which it isn’t — but, on the other hand, I live in one of the older parts of town which doesn’t have restrictive covenants. I couldn’t imagine moving into a neighborhood where the neighbors felt that they could dictate to me what I could do with my own house.

So, what potential employers are you thinking about in Cary? Post or e-mail them to me, and I’ll ask around if anyone I know has any insider info on them.

32

Quote from Strainger:
“Where I’d really like to live is Asheville. Don’t they have any engineering companies up there? They don’t? Well damn.”
Hey Strainger, I live in and am from the Asheville area. I just flipped the yellow pages open and looked up engineer, and there were several engineering companies and consulting companies listed. I don’t know if you specialize in a certain engineering field or not… but there ARE engineering companies here…

Asheville does have a very active arts community with several local theater companies, as well as lots of live music every weekend almost anywhere you go. Bele Chere is the largest outdoor festival in the southeast, and it occurs in Asheville the last weekend in July. I don’t know anything specific about choral groups but I am almost sure there are some somewhere here…plus Hollywood has almost a constant presence here with a film shooting in the area just about monthly… find work as an extra and who knows… you could be this area’s Lana Turner…

I have been to Cary and Raleigh… I did not like Cary because it did seem like just one strip mall after another intersperced with convenience marts and occasional supercenters and chain restaurants. I really liked Raleigh, but if you live there I would recommend buying inside the beltline. Chapel Hill area is beautiful, and really if I HAD to leave Asheville that would be my first choice in places to go…

Another thing to consider is that the state is working on connecting all the major cities by rail… so supposedly within 10 years or so you will be able to take a train from Raleigh to Asheville or anywhere else in the state… wish we could have some of those magnetic bullet trains to wisk around the ol’ tarheel state at 200mph, but probaby will be good ol’ Amtrak haulin’ us around…

Hope my little humble opinion has been of help… good luck!

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YWalker, so you’re saying that I sometimes have to refer to a book to find information I’m interested in? I found ASHRAE’s website, but no design cooling temp table. I think they want me to buy a book. I’m also surprised Raleigh is that close to Atlanta. Thanks for looking that info up for me.

I’ve already ruled out living in Cary. Their neighborhood codes would drive me nuts.

sleepin8or, my particular area of skills and interest lies within Computer Aided Engineering (CAE)software support, particularly sales support and training, which drastically limits me as far as what cities I can work in. So far, in the Carolinas, I’ve only been able to find a few companies in the RTP area that do this. I appreciate you doing the preliminary search of engineering companies for me though.

Yikes! I hope not! :eek:

A statewide train would be nice. I always wonder why the US is so far behind in that area.