RELOCATION HELP
Dec 24th, 2001, 07:57 PM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
RELOCATION HELP
Thinking of giving up our outrageous cost of living here in NY.Currently live in a small village @20 miles outside of NYC.Places rated almanac gave the Raleigh,Chapel Hill area high marks.Though crime was rated as VERY high;any particular reasons? Looking for small,nice suburban area with great school system.Any & all info would be appreciated. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Dec 24th, 2001, 08:35 PM
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
In addition to the replies already listed below, I'd add the following:
the places rated almanac must be taken with a LARGE grain of salt. Please understand that flat statistical analyses can create very skewed and unrealistic impressions.
For example, I recall that in past editions Seattle's weather has been very highly rated. For some people I'm sure it's fine. For many others, the PRA has failed to factor in one very critical issue: seemingly perennial cloudiness. I hate Seattle's weather.
I recall past editions of Money magazine's "Best Places To Live in America". Winners have included Rochester, MN and Burlington, VT.
Gimme a break. Not even close.
But if you just look at crime or schools or health care, etc, you can come up with some strange results.
CHapel Hill is a great town, but the social scene may or may not be your style. I'd guess the crime stat is skewed by the student population or that it's an isolated area that's a problem, skewing the data.
Others to consider: Charlottesville, Boise, Colorado Springs, Nashville, Indianapolis (feels a lot smaller than it is), Madison, WI....
the places rated almanac must be taken with a LARGE grain of salt. Please understand that flat statistical analyses can create very skewed and unrealistic impressions.
For example, I recall that in past editions Seattle's weather has been very highly rated. For some people I'm sure it's fine. For many others, the PRA has failed to factor in one very critical issue: seemingly perennial cloudiness. I hate Seattle's weather.
I recall past editions of Money magazine's "Best Places To Live in America". Winners have included Rochester, MN and Burlington, VT.
Gimme a break. Not even close.
But if you just look at crime or schools or health care, etc, you can come up with some strange results.
CHapel Hill is a great town, but the social scene may or may not be your style. I'd guess the crime stat is skewed by the student population or that it's an isolated area that's a problem, skewing the data.
Others to consider: Charlottesville, Boise, Colorado Springs, Nashville, Indianapolis (feels a lot smaller than it is), Madison, WI....
Dec 25th, 2001, 02:24 PM
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
I totally agree that statistics can be skewed;that's why I'm hoping some locals will give me their opinions! I think WI,and Indianapolis are out for me.Tired of shoveling that snow.Any areas that I should research with great school systems,hopefully small towns?
Dec 28th, 2001, 05:44 PM
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
For suburban area that everyone drives a suburban, look at Cary. High medium income, but it is suburbia. Chapel is nioce. Crime rate may be high due to Durham and certain murders in depressssed areas. Raleigh and the rest is safe. If you want good schools, look at Raleigh, inside the beltline. Cost is higher for here but if you live near NYC, it won't be problem.
Dec 28th, 2001, 08:03 PM
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
I live in Cary, and absolutely love it - and so I'm baised. I've lived and worked a bunch of places (including NYC and in the Hudson valley). This by far my favorite. I grew up mostly in Charlotte, and went to college in Raleigh, so probably part of it is that this lifestyle is home....
The crime statistic is definately way skewed due to certain parts of Durham, be very careful about where you live if you should choose Durham. Other parts of the Triangle and many parts of Durham have a realtively low crime rate.
If you have any specific questions I'd be glad to answer them. There are different advantages to the different areas, for instance Chapel Hill has one of the best public high schools in the country, but Chapel Hill is basically a college town, so other facets are limited. Raleigh is the capital and has a pretty thriving social life, pro hockey, handful of universities with all the cultural events that univerities bring, good shopping. RTP is an outstanding tech/industrial park (good for employment, etc.). Cary is much more residental, and family oriented in general. I'd be glad to give you a lot more detail, just let me know what types of things you'd like to know about.
The crime statistic is definately way skewed due to certain parts of Durham, be very careful about where you live if you should choose Durham. Other parts of the Triangle and many parts of Durham have a realtively low crime rate.
If you have any specific questions I'd be glad to answer them. There are different advantages to the different areas, for instance Chapel Hill has one of the best public high schools in the country, but Chapel Hill is basically a college town, so other facets are limited. Raleigh is the capital and has a pretty thriving social life, pro hockey, handful of universities with all the cultural events that univerities bring, good shopping. RTP is an outstanding tech/industrial park (good for employment, etc.). Cary is much more residental, and family oriented in general. I'd be glad to give you a lot more detail, just let me know what types of things you'd like to know about.
Dec 28th, 2001, 08:09 PM
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
A good friend of mine lives in Chapel Hill and just loves it; another friend in Asheville likes it there too. Good weather, interesting people, a little slower pace of life, schools pretty good. The high crime rate stat surprises me about the Chapel Hill-Raleigh area.
Even though you've ruled out Indiana and Wisconsin and other places that get a lot of snow, I'm going to throw in my vote for Ann Arbor, Michigan (yes, I'm a U of M alum!). It's a wonderful town, on the small side but quite cosmopolitan thanks to the university, and the public school system there is really great.
Even though you've ruled out Indiana and Wisconsin and other places that get a lot of snow, I'm going to throw in my vote for Ann Arbor, Michigan (yes, I'm a U of M alum!). It's a wonderful town, on the small side but quite cosmopolitan thanks to the university, and the public school system there is really great.
