Raleigh -- Behind the Times
-
4/11/2009
I've lived in Raleigh for 8 years, came here from Washington mainly because I couldn't afford the cost of living.
The main advantage here is the cost of a house and land. Values are relatively inexpensive but that really does depend on which part of Raleigh you move to. I was able to purchase a 3 bed 2 bath house in Southeast Raleigh for $275K with almost 1 acre and a private, wooded lot. It's very quiet here and you can see the stars at night. The prop taxes are about $2K a year, so that's a big savings compared to Seattle, Manhattan, Boston, Fort Collins, San Francisco, LA, etc. Also, if you're into the "four season" climate then this is the place although the season lengths and weather patterns are becoming more erratic for whatever reason -- and get ready for a huge pollen storm in the Spring. The people here are very friendly, even to stupid outsiders like me. I like all my neighbors unlike where I used to live. The family environment here is very strong: Many people are here with large families and pets. There are plenty of churches to attend, too.
Unfortunately, that's pretty much it when it comes to the advantages! Turns out that planning in and around the city of Raleigh is pretty terrible: Developers pretty much get their way, so you have a lot of treescapes cleared for HOA-run housing tracts. When the 25, 50, or 100+ tract goes up the little two lane road to get there suddenly becomes clogged for commuting -- and you have to commute unless you live in a more expensive area that happens to be close to your work, which is rare if you want to own a home with a decent amount of room between you and your neighbors. Unless you're wealthy, of course, and can pay $700K-$2M for a single-family slice of heaven or you can afford $850K for a 2 bd/2ba condo downtown with $300/month HOA fees -- yowza!
The clogged little roads are just the beginning. The major "highways" that were built are confusing and not convenient or easy to get to or get off! (At least one major highway is not even finished and it looks like it will take a miracle for it to be completed.) You will need to know terms like "Inner Beltline", "Outer Loop", "Clockwise" and "Counterclockwise" to navigate I-40, 440 and 540. I still haven't figured it out.
Actually, knowing the highway terminology won't really help because where the few jobs are you can count on three things: The roadways are not maintained, they're poorly laid out and they are inadequate for the amount of commute traffic (not enough lanes). As I read from Daisy's post, get ready for some extending sits in traffic! Speed limits are generally slower and the "pace" here tends to be even slower than the speed limit, although there are some tailgaters here and there and watch out for red light runners as they are common.
The lights are either simple timer style or loop sensors that are not well programmed. This kind of traffic may have worked in 1950 but it's a nightmare now! The worst parts have to be the Saunders/401/Capital/Garner area and the I-40 area near the airport. These are interchanges that compress traffic by taking away lanes, forcing lanes together or by having badly run intersections. The programming, layout and traffic in some areas is worse than big, metropolitan cities (during commutes). Now that's saying something!!! Every right turn into a mall, house or whatever usually has no turnout lane, either, so hit the brakes when highway traffic suddenly stops for drivers making a right. Ouch!
The poor planning extends to water needs (not enough in drought years) and schools -- you have overcrowded schools where administrators face tight budgets and are resorting to forced bussing. Very unpopular with families that want their kids to go to a specific school in a specific area. This is an offshoot of developers being given carte blanche without the Planning Commission properly assessing all the long-term effects of this many houses on this much land with this much available infrastructure. Obviously, increasing property tax revenue was the primary concern here (In 2009 North Carolina is experiencing a projected $2B shortfall -- it seems like increasing taxes is the only tool available to solve this mysterious disappearance! And before you think it, no, I am not anti-development. On the contrary, I am pro-development as long as it's smartly planned.)
Speaking of smarts, don't count on progressive political changes in Raleigh (maybe that's not such a unique statement in the United States after all...) Smoking, to some degree is still allowed in many (not all) places and bills to ban or curb it have run into significant roadblocks from tobacco lobbyists. Second-hand smoke effects are somewhat ignored and taxes on cigarettes are very low, possibly the cheapest in the US. Alcohol, on the other hand, is a state-run affair. Prices are generally higher than other states and you have to go to state-run stores called "Package Stores" or "ABC Stores" to get your alcohol. These are the only outlets for hard liquor in North Carolina (you can still get beer and wine in the supermarket or online).
You will not find many bike paths or transit options in Raleigh, either. Where I live there are no bus runs until you get closer to the city. There are no sidewalks in Raleigh, either, except for some select areas (generally the more pricey areas, like North Raleigh, Cary and parts of Raleigh in and around RTP and Morrisville). When I take a walk it's on the road or on somebody's lawn, depending on the traffic. I don't walk often, but I would like to.
Recycling is pretty much a "don't care" for Raleigh. Outside the city limits you *may* be given a small bin for recyclables and they take only newsprint, cardboard, aluminum and some plastics, unlike where I used to live which provided a large container for all numbered plastics, any metals and any paper or cardboard (no chemicals was the only rule). I think it's generally better and improving inside the city limits but still not as modern as it probably should be. Outside the city limits (where property taxes are lower) recycling is pretty much in its infancy.
And with the growth spurts Raleigh has been experiencing you may as well brace yourself for some shocking tax increases. In 2008 Wake County assessed property taxes on average almost 25% higher than the previous year's level, in a few cases homeowners had to pay 2x or 3x more. That is a huge increase, especially when the employment scene in North Carolina is generally worse than the US (currently almost 11% locally) and there are not a lot of high-tech jobs compared to other modern cities (Raleigh is basically trying to convert from a factory based/unskilled workforce to a more specialized and better trained/educated workforce with higher tech jobs. This transition is happening VERY slowly.) Raleigh does not have a large high-tech area except for RTP which is the area between Raleigh and Durham, and employees typically have master degrees or better and generally work in some form of pharma-related industry. For many workers you can expect pay and benefits on the order of 40-75% lower (in general) than if you were employed in a large east or west coast city.
As I mentioned earlier the price of the house and the land (where I live, which is a bad commute to RTP or anywhere inside Raleigh downtown or to North Raleigh where the better jobs are) is very reasonable but I am definitely not happy with the construction quality and the competence of inspection. My brand new house has/had three roof leaks, a leak from the upstairs waste pipe which went down an entire wall and floor, two sink leaks, electrical problems with interior wiring and the heater, a cracked and sinking foundation in one part of the house, an inoperative air conditioner, rotted wood, no insulation in some outside walls, water damage from tile that does not drain in one shower and mold in t
BG McMahon | Raleigh, NC