Relocating from Colorado to Raleigh area.
 

Hi everyone. We need some info on the area and where would be best to look for homes. We are moving from Colorado with amazing mountain views and lots of lands so don't want to go to an area with rows and rows of homes. So where has a country feel with space and privacy, within a 45 min (give or take) commute to Raleigh?

The length of your commute will depend on where you are going in Raleigh as much as, obviously, where you are coming from, but 45 minutes would give you one of the longer commutes among your colleagues, I suspect.

The area west and northwest of Raleigh is pretty built up suburbia or actually urban.

There are accessible rural areas and small towns, but many of them will lack the amenities of more urban areas -- diverse populations of educated people, bookstores, culture, a selection of good restaurants. On the other hand, if you want to keep chickens and goats . . . .

The toughest thing for you may be the humidity in the summer. The best may be the mild winters. Raleigh looks deceptively close to both mountains and ocean. You can go to either for the weekend but not for Sunday afternoon, though once you are there, both can be pretty nice.

Can your Friendly Local Bookstore order you a DeLorme's Atlas of North Carolina? In addition to showing you [almost] every back road, they give good indications of the nature of the countryside and of outdoor activities.

I did the opposite. I moved from Raleigh to Colorado. The summers in Raleigh are brutal. But the winters are bone chilling (humidity in the winter is tough).

I assume you have to go and many people think Raleigh is a wonderful place to live. I hope you are one of them.

I would look up Six Forks Road above Strickland ('North Raleigh'). Good luck.

My husbands office is located on the southwest side of Raleigh, if that helps. Also, we do currently have chickens and enjoybthebfresh eggs every morning so a area that allows that would be a bonus ��

I'd come to town and rent for 6 months, FOR SURE!! It might not take you that long to figure out where you'd like to be, but with that as an allowance, it could be a much nicer and easier transition.
Raleigh traffic befuddles even I, coming from Charlotte and its traffic, so you will want to check out how much of that 45 minute commute (you say you can tolerate!!) is sitting still or is "distance". Just a thought.
And I love Colorado--but I love NC also. There is much to recommend it.

Development has been more to the north than the south, so you will be on the right side of town. You might look at Holly Springs and Fuquay Varina, which will put you more like 30 minutes out, but you may need to be outside city limits (although even Cary now allows chickens, with some restrictions!). Make sure you check into the proposed routes for the 540 extension.

Renting first makes a whole lot of sense.

I think it is so interesting that now we are projecting that these folks want to be able to raise chickens when they move!! lOL

What "projecting"? The OP said:

"Also, we do currently have chickens and enjoy the fresh eggs every morning so a area that allows that would be a bonus"

Apolgies--I thought that was an additional post not OP.

Chickens are pretty universally allowed lots of places.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/atyp...nances/page/10

Any feedback on living in Sanford or Benson...those areas seem to have some land and not quite so urbanized

Sorry, never been to either. Too far out for me. Definitely rent before buying if you're going that rural - assuming you can find anything to rent.

As I mentioned, Raleigh traffic is daunting (to me). You will really want to check that out before living in the boonies.
Where are you moving from in Colorado? Just curious.

Just looked at a map to refresh my memory because Sanford rang a bell--IMO, this is folly. Would you live in Castle Rock and work in downtown Denver?
Is the work in downtown Raleigh?

Also, you need to realize that the NC Piedmont area is pretty flat. You will likely be in the middle of what used to be tobacco fields. And, rural NC is conservative, large and small "C". It's the area that used to elect Jesse Helms, and is responsible (with the help of gerrymandering) for the current Rep majority in the NC legislature.

Jesse Helms is a liberal compared to these wingnuts we have now. At least with Jesse you knew what you were dealing with. There is hope that with the redistricting that has been ordered, there may be better competition in some areas.

The good news is that I should no longer be in Rennie Elmers district (that was a massive gerrymander!), I suppose the bad news is that I won't get to vote against her.

I used to feel a need to apologize for Helms when traveling, even when I was still a permanent resident and didn't have a vote...

We currently live in Woodland Park, CO. About a 45 min commute but the drive is easy and beautiful so we don't mind. So stay away from south of Raleigh...is that the consensus?

Umm, don't be so quick to come to this conclusion.

If you create scales for different values, where do you fall on it?

Open spaces------------------------------------------quick commute

Open spaces-------------------------------------------liberal neighbors

Open spaces-------------------------------------------something else important to you

For some values, you will have to move south or east. Anything toward Chapel Hill or Durham will be suburban.

Many posters overestimate the difficulty of commuting; most commuters underestimate the costs.

Where do people in your husband's office live? This is critical.

But really, you need to rent for a year before you make a decision about buying.

No, I did not say stay away from the south. As I posted, development to date (and believe me, it is still ongoing) has been somewhat more northern than southern. What I intended to convey is that you may be happier not too far out.

But there is no substitute for coming and having a look yourself, and renting first.

Ah, Woodland Park--my favorite place to recommend to families with young children to come see your wonderful dinosaur museum!
45 minute commute to where in Denver!! Or to where if not Denver? You're about 25 minutes from CO Springs if I recall.

YOu really do have to come and see for yourself. NC is a GREAT place to live--and you'll be able to find a good place.