Relocate Triangle - An Insider's Guide About Moving To The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area

Recent Triangle Triumphs

Tired of bad news? How about some good news as we start the month of February? Well, we are more than happy to provide that to you. These items provide hope amid all of the troublesome stories we have read recently.

Local Real Estate Searches Are Up

If you first read this blog in December while looking for information about the Triangle’s real estate scene, you were part of a huge group. According to Realtor.com, the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill market experienced a dramatic year-over-year 18.2 percent increase in search activity that month. The area was the 24th most searched market in December, beating Charlotte and the Triad (Greensboro-High Point-Winston-Salem) markets as the most searched one in the state. In all, nearly 14 percent more people searched for real estate in the Triangle in December than in November.

While this sounds encouraging, there is of course a world of difference between searching for real estate and actually purchasing it. Still, it is a very hopeful sign that this market will rebound soon from the downturn that has afflicted the country.

Raleigh City Plaza Gets First Tenant

Jimmy John’s, a gourmet sandwich restaurant franchise, has signed up to occupy the first of four future retail pavilions at the City Plaza on Fayetteville Street. The City Plaza extends Fayetteville Street south to connect with Lenoir Street in downtown Raleigh. When it opens to the public later this year, the plaza will include 45-foot-tall light towers, a motion-sensitive water fountain and four retail pavilions.

Construction of the $14.8 million plaza began last year. The city plans to open the plaza Oct. 23 as part of the Raleigh Wide Open 4 celebration. Jimmy John’s will open that date as well.

Jimmy John’s was founded in 1983 by 19-year-old Jimmy John Liautaud in a converted garage in Charleston, Ill. Since its inception, the company has grown to over 740 corporate and franchised locations in more than 37 states throughout the United States, including two locations in Raleigh. Its new location will help solidify the growing popularity of attending and enjoying events in downtown Raleigh.

Green Tip of the Week - 1/30

Tire Inflation

Tires have a big impact on the environment. Did you know 50 to 80 percent of tires are underinflated? Underinflated tires waste up to five percent of a car's fuel. The US would save two billion gallons of gas a year if all car tires were properly inflated.

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Pet Tethering (or Lack Thereof) in the Triangle

If you have a pet and are coming to the Triangle, you may not realize that you need to take note about whether you can tether your dog. In some Triangle communities, ordinances either restrict the kinds of ropes or chains that can be used or the amount of time an animal can be tied up. Several groups have successfully lobbied local governments to ban tying up dogs outside, saying that the practice can create problem barkers and/or that it is cruel.

Here is a quick summary of what currently exists:

Durham County – Dog owners are prohibited from tying up or chaining their pets outdoors. This condition also applies to residents of Clayton in Johnston County.

Orange County – The county limits tethering to three hours in a 24-hour period.

Chapel Hill – You are allowed to use a tether no shorter than 10 feet on your pet. The city and its sister town, Carrboro, both require chains or ropes designed to prevent choking to be used.

Carrboro – The minimum length allowed for a tether is 15 feet.

Raleigh – The Raleigh City Council has instructed City Attorney Thomas McCormick to review all the other anti-tethering ordinances in the Triangle and craft a law based on what has worked in those communities. Adopting such an ordinance would not require the City Council to hold a public hearing.

Wake County – Currently there are no anti-tethering ordinances.

These ordinances obviously are in flux, so we will update you if and when any major alterations occur. Till then, your best bet is to keep your dog indoors if possible and take him or her out on a walk when you can.

Green Tip of the Week - 1/23

Turn off your screen saver

Turn off your screen saver. Did you know the EPA has estimated that using a computer's "sleep mode" reduces its energy consumption by 60 to 70 percent and, on a large scale, ultimately could save enough electricity each year to power Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, cut electric bills by $2 billion, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of five million cars? A screen saver that displays moving images causes your monitor to consume as much electricity as it does in active use. A blank screen saver is only slightly better but that reduces energy consumption by a small amount.

The best screen saver is also the best energy saver: turn off your monitor when you're not using it. The next best idea is to use your computer's power management feature to automatically shut the monitor down when it is not in use.

For more information click here

Green Tip of the Week - 1/16

Eat Local

In North America, fruits and vegetables travel an average of 1,500 miles before reaching your dinner table. Buying local not only saves energy used to ship produce, but also preserves flavor and nutrients.

For more information click here

Did You Know That …?

There are some things in the Triangle that seem so obviously true that it takes you – and even those of us who live here – aback about what the reality is. For example, did you know that …

Liquor By the Drink Is Not Universal in Triangle?

Belly up to any bar and many upscale restaurants in Wake, Durham or Orange County and you will have no problem ordering an alcohol beverage, assuming of course the establishment is properly licensed. Sure, there are a few “blue laws” preventing alcohol sales in certain late night hours and Sunday mornings, but you can order them otherwise. Yet there is one notable part of the region that does not give its customers that option.

Chatham County, south of Orange and Durham and west of Wake, will discuss on Jan. 20 whether to allow a referendum on mixed drink sales within its limits. This may confuse people who have visited restaurants at Fearrington Village, but that community received a special exemption from the state to serve alcohol at its establishments while the rest of Chatham County remained dry. Given the large amount of people who commute to work in Orange, Durham and Wake from Chatham, it would not be surprising if this item appears on the ballot and is approved by a vote in a year or two. Till then, if you are in Chatham and want some booze, there are always the four ABC stores in the county.

There Are Airports Here Besides RDU?

There is one within the “official” Triangle – Horace Williams Airport in Chapel Hill. However, that one is scheduled to close in a few years due to the creation on the site by the University of North Carolina for the Carolina North campus. Plans have been announced by some officials to try and locate another small airport in Orange County that would benefit traffic to and from the university, but Chancellor Holden Thorp shot that notion down a week ago, citing large opposition from county residents who feared it would disturb their rural lifestyle. Otherwise, there are small airports in counties and communities adjacent to the Triangle, including Franklin, Johnston, Lee and Person counties and Siler City.

Hope we have been able to enlighten you with these tidbits. If we hear of any others, we will bring them to you as soon as possible. And if you have any others to share with us, feel free to do so.

The Triangle’s Influence Keeps Expanding

Another year begins, and already the influence of the Triangle continues to span far beyond its borders. The following items indicate some of the latest and greatest triumphs.

Raleigh Third Most Wired City in the Nation

A new Forbes survey ranks Raleigh is the third most wired city in America. (Atlanta is at #1 and Seattle is at #2, if you must know.) Forbes came up with its criteria by reviewing the percentage of Internet users with high-speed access, the range of service providers within a city and the availability of public wireless hot spots. So apparently we have more citizens participating in the World Wide Web than Silicon Valley. Wonder what the tech geeks there have to say to that, hmmm?

N.C. State Sets Up Campus in South Korea

This recent news story about N.C. State’s expansion activities says that a UNC Board of Governors committee has approved $1 million from the South Korean government to study the idea of building a campus at a $200 billion economic development park taking shape near the port city of Incheon. It would become the first overseas campus for the university and could serve as the gateway for future economic development in the region. No word as yet on how the Wolfpack cheer would sound in Korean, however.

Duke Gardens Among Tops According to Southern Living

The January issue of Southern Living has named the Sarah P. Duke Gardens one of the top 10 public gardens in the magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards. The 55-acre gardens, based at Duke University in Durham, include an Asiatic arboretum, a garden of native plants and Italian terraces. A new children’s garden is also planned. The gardens celebrate their 75th anniversary this year. While there is always something in bloom there, wait until spring to visit it to see the garden’s full beauty. But don’t be surprised to find crowds there – that’s what happens when you finish in the top 10 in a national magazine.

All these accomplishments, and it’s just been the first week of 2009. Looks like the Triangle is on tap for another year of considerable achievements, if these reports are any indication. And as always, we will let you know the latest and greatest notable events and activities for the region when they occur, so check back here often.

Green Tip of the Week - 1/9

Take shorter showers. Every two minutes in the shower uses as much water as a person in Africa uses for everything - drinking, bathing, cooking, cleaning for a whole day.

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The Governor’s Inaugural Ball

Wish you could attend the inauguration of Barack Obama but could not get a ticket? Cheer up. One of the great things about living in the Triangle is easy access to state government events in Raleigh, and that includes the inauguration of Beverly Perdue, who will be North Carolina’s first female governor.

Perdue’s inauguration will take place on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 10, but the inaugural ball and related festivities will be held prior to that time at various venues in Raleigh. Tickets to it and related events are available online until Wednesday, Jan. 7. As of this writing, the Governor’s Elect Reception is sold out, but you can purchase tickets for the following:

Inaugural Ball – This event will occur Friday, Jan. 9 from 9 p.m. until midnight, with an expected 5,000-plus people to attend. Held at the new Raleigh Convention Center, tickets are $125 per person. Some of North Carolina’s top chefs will create hors d’oeuvres and desserts for the ball. Providing music will be several bands based in the state, including Fantasy, Chatham County Line, Tres Chicas and The Rick McClanahan Trio.

Council of State Reception – Honoring the new Council of State including the Lieutenant Governor, this reception will occur Thursday, Jan. 8 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Held at the Raleigh Marriott City Center next to the Raleigh Convention Center, tickets are $125 per person. Café Mars will be the featured entertainment. Anticipated attendance estimates range from 1,000-1,200 people.

Rock the Ball – An event designed for a younger crowd to celebrate the change in power, this will be held Thursday, Jan. 8 from 9 p.m.-midnight. Held at Lincoln Theatre, tickets are $20 per person. Featured entertainment will be Dillon Fence and Pico Vs. Island Trees. Anticipated attendance is 900.

As for the inauguration itself, it will include the swearing-in of Perdue at 10:30 a.m., a parade afterward along Fayetteville Street starting at 12:30 p.m., and an open house at the Executive Mansion at 2:30 p.m. If you do not feel like fighting the traffic and crowds, you can watch the event on TV Saturday from 10 a.m.-noon on WRAL. Whatever you do, enjoy the moment, as these things happen only every four years.

Green Tip of the Week - 1/2

Do not waste staples. 120 tons of steel would be saved if every US office worker used one less staple a day.

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