Clueless,

I live in Chapel Hill so I have to give my biased plug for Chapel Hill/Carrboro. Although Cary and Raleigh got top 10 nominations from Money magazine last year, Chapel Hill-Carrboro received the number #1 ranking from Money back in 1994. Wake County, which Raleigh/Cary/Apex are in, have good schools but the school districts are a mess. Because of rapid expansion the school districts are always in a state of flux and there is uncertainty from year to year as to whether your kids are going to be going to the same school next year. Chapel Hill/Carrboro has managed its growth much better and thus doesn't have this problem. Chapel Hill/Carrboro students across the board on average have the highest test scores in the Triangle-- and indeed in the whole state. Check the NC school report cards website to confirm this for yourself. Also, if you prefer a small, university town atmosphere then Chapel Hill/Carrboro is for you. Chapel Hill is only 20 minutes drive from RTP and given that you are driving opposite to the heaviest flows of traffic on I40, the travel time is about the same. There is one drawback to these advantages, however. Home prices in Chapel Hill/Carrboro is relatively high. Cary is high too but Chapel Hill/Carrboro is the highest. But the good thing is, because of managed growth Chapel Hill has enjoyed very stable and robust appreciation of property values, even in this last year when housing markets elsewhere have flattened or collapsed.

You're going to hear 20 different things from 20 diffrerent people. You really need to check it out for yourself and see what fits best for you.

Regardless of which town you choose both have several things in common: great year round weather, 2-3 hour drives to beaches and mountains, and lots of job opportunity. Think of the Triangle as the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry of places to live.