I asked myself that same question 9 years ago...The experience has been second to none, but boy, does the cash go fast.

Ncgrrl, Brier Creek in Durham is obscenely expensive -- it's the country club community where the houses start at half a million dollars or something. But there are a lot of new apartment complexes and housing developments going up in that general area where you get a lot for your money -- between there and RTP and over to Bethesda. I'm thinking along Miami Blvd, Page Rd, Lumley Rd, Alexander Dr, Glenwood Ave, Ellis Rd. You can hop on the Durham Freeway from this area without ever hitting I-40 and zip right in to downtown Durham and Duke.

AJ, I think you will be hard-pressed to find an apartment anywhere in the Triangle that costs $1700 a month! That's why I was saying that coming from NYC, even Chapel Hill will be a bargain for you. You should be able to get more like 1200 sq ft for $1000 or less. A lot of the luxury apartments are more expensive than renting or buying a house. I don't know the details of renting houses in this area, but you can *buy* brand new houses in many parts of the Triangle and have mortgage payments of less than $1000 per month.

Check out www.springstreet.com for a searchable database of apartments in the Triangle. Many of them have photos of the exteriors and interiors, floorplans, etc. I think some of them even have 3-D virtual tours. You will be able to afford someplace BEAUTIFUL for $1100 or less, especially in Durham. You can find super nice places more in the $800-$900 range. Check out this website and get an idea of what's around here.

Here's a different idea: we live in the southern end of Granville County--in the beautiful country on a farm. It takes me 35 minutes to get to Duke. Rental houses are inexpensive also. Unless it would be too much of a culture change, consider some the small towns in Granville and Person counties--we have a laid back lifestyle with quick access to "the action" if you consider Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill "the action"!!

Will check this all out. Thanks for the springstreet info Rich. I haven't checked that one yet. It's not that we're such party animals needing to be near action, just maybe somewhere close to a town. But it sounds like there are truly a lot of choices between the three cities. For now, Chapel Hill is where we're going to start. It sounds the most diverse. All of this insider info is most useful and we've got our work cut out for us. Thanks again all!

Ah, I know where KNoel is coming from, being originally from the nearby town of Henderson. That is another option (not Henderson - too far away from anything but lakes - but the area between Durham and Butner/Creedmore). In fact, many transplants are moving to "outer" places such as Granville County and the Wake Forest area; some like it and some don't. If you decide you want to be outside the city just a bit, I might look into places such as the Hillsborough area (a small city) or Granville/Durham counties just outside of Durham, but it seems you like living in the city.