I moved to the area about 4 years ago from the Baltimore area. I hear you about the winters. I can't go back to that! In the 4 years we have been here I can't remember ever having a problem. Snow is rare. Ice seems to be more the problem but it is also somewhat rare. I have 2 daughters (7 and 5) and I live about 25 minutes outside of Raleigh in Holly Springs. It is an up and coming town that we have grown to love. We felt welcomed the minute we moved in. The town offers a lot of family fun, great neighborhoods, and great schools. We have had really good luck with our physicians also. I would highly recommend the Holly Springs, Apex, and Cary area. Hope this helps!

Wow!  Great feedback.  I so appreciate it.  I wish I had done my research this way when we moved to Florida!  Do you mind me asking what school your daughters are in?  My husband will be happy about the snow!  Thanks so much!  Kim

I would definitely echo the previous poster's comments on the winter. I'm from upstate NY and winter here is a breeze. Sometimes we get some bad ice, but that's about it. Enough snow maybe for an hour of sledding or something, but nothing bad.

I live near downtown in Raleigh. We love it - a lot of little parks to walk to from our house, plus great restaurants. My daughter isn't old enough for school yet, but my neighbors tell me they love Joyner and Underwood elementary schools.

We also love our peds at Carolina Kids.

We used to live in Cary near Regency Park and the Lochmere neighborhood. We also really liked that area as well. My husband still works over there so we go over there a lot to meet him for lunch - again great parks, some good restaurants. Don't know the schools over there very well (since it was pre-child when I lived there). And downtown Cary is really cute.

Thanks so much.  It is so great to hear from other moms:)  And everyone really seems to enjoy the area.  I will definitely keep you all posted! Many thanks!!!! 

Hi. The only thing I might consider when choosing a neighborhood is that North Raleigh, a very popular area where tons of people live, is often subject to school redistricting. I live inside the beltline, closer to downtown, where it's less of an issue. That said, there's also a fabulous magnet school program here. Good luck!

Hi. I would recommend the Garner area. It's about a 15 minute commute to downtown Raleigh. I have lived there for about 3 years and I love it. My oldest is 3, so I haven't dealt with the school issue yet.

In Garner we go to lake Benson Park just about every day. There's a walking trail and several playgrounds, including a toddler playground.

I would also agree that Holly Springs, Apex and Cary are wonderful places to live and raise kids. We take our kids to Jeffers, Mann and Artman Pediatrics in Cary. I think they're great.

The winters are very mild here, not too much snow. There are seasons, unlike Florida, but nothing like New Jersey. My husband is from New Jersey and we used to spend Thanksgiving up there before we had kids and it became a hassle to go anywhere :) I remember it feeling like I was always chilled to the bone. North Carolina is much milder.

And, it's not a bad drive to Jersey if you want to go visit. It's a straight shot up 95. We make the trip twice a year, but we used to go up about 5 times a year.

The cost of living isn't too bad. It's certainly a lot cheaper to buy a house here than in Jersey.

I hope this helps!! Let us know if you need any more info!

Hey Kim -

As you can tell, we all LOVE living here. I echo the Cary/Apex area, but all areas are thriving, fun and great to raise a family in. My DH and I moved here from Richmond by way of Manhattan (loved that), and we absolutely love it here. We've lived here since 2001 and wouldn't change it at all. I am a huge fan of Carolina Kids as well for a pediatrician and they are accepting new little ones. They are awesome. There is not one single thing I can say negative about living here...except for the extra gas tax nc puts on gas. But, that's it. We LOVE it. Best of everything - two hours to the beach, two hours to the mountains and you are in the heart of medical greatness, cultural and arts growth and great education. Can't beat it!

Oh, plus the airport is easy to get in and out of. That's good too!

Feel free to reach out to me if you need anything!

Hey, fellow Jersey native. Like most everyone else here, I'm a transplant who hopes never to leave. I live in West Cary (almost in Apex), and I love this area.

I feel like where we are, we have the best of all possible worlds. Traffic isn't too bad, but there are plenty of stores and restaurants nearby. Cary in general has a lot of public parks that are well-kept and different enough from each other that there's always something newish to do. The schools are good, and there are several doctors' offices from which to chose (I take my daughter to Cornerstone Pediatrics, which we really like).

One warning about schools -- do not choose a home or a neighborhood based on the school to which it's currently assigned. There's an excellent chance that you will be redistricted at least one or two times in your child's school career. Coming from NJ, where each town has its own school system and therefore neighborhood has everything to do with school choice, this was hard to get used to.

And, as everyone else here has noted, winters in NC are kind of a joke. We've been here for three years, and I think we've seen snow on the ground once. I didn't even find my winter coat those first two years, because I never really needed it. (the flip side, of course, is that summers are kind of brutal).

As a fellow transplant who has been here for 17 years now, I must agree with the other posters. Winters are mild, a great centralized location, with plenty of activities (sporting, cultural, academic, artistic) for families and kids. We have a ton of sporting events and activities for participationor watching. There are active leagues for the kids to play in, several colleges, and even professional teams in the area. For arts, try the First Friday in Downtown Raleigh. The first Friday of every month, the art galleries in the Moore Square district open late to the public and they have live music in the square. Some galleries also offer free snacks. And the second Friday of the month, Wake Forest has an Art After Hours, which is a similar event. I live in North Raleigh, but I have been able to avoid the redistricing problems by keeping my children in magnet schools. And this year, I have one in high school, one in middle school and one in elementary school (with 2 more to follow in the coming years). I have been very pleased with the magnet programs and choices. I couldn't think of a better place to live and raise my family.

My hubby grew up in North Jersey and LOVES it here. We just got here about a year ago but have acclimated really well. The neighborhoods are great...avoid downtown durham for the most part. I live in apex and its great. Lots of good subdivisions, a really good one is brittany trace near baucom elem. really like the people there. I would suggest going on the town websites for police positions because i know apex and cary are always recruiting. doctors we have never had a problem finding one to take us! Winter was an absolute breeze compared to colorado and new jersey so that should ease your mind. November was great with thanksgiving last year being almost 68-70 degrees that day! Hope this helps message me if you want more info.

In the 2 years we have been here, we saw snow 2 times, lol, and it went away after a few hours! We are from central NY where they get all the lake effect!! You will love it here!

Becka Mom to Nick Michele Wyattwww.learnandgrowtogether.com