Raleigh has a little something for everyone. There are museums, there’s live music and theater, art galleries galore, sports, and over 1,300 restaurants. It also has a pretty high population of young people, as it’s not only home to North Carolina State, but it’s also just a stone’s throw away from Duke and UNC. With all of the things going on here and with so many young people, it’s kind of the perfect recipe for young love. If you and your partner are thinking of settling just outside of Raleigh, this list of suburbs is for you. We ranked Raleigh’s suburbs based on demographics, safety, income, housing affordability, schools, and their PlayScore ratings.
If you’re a young couple with young kids or you’re heading down that road, Holly Springs is the ideal place outside of Raleigh for you. Not only do schools have a great high school graduation rate, but there are plenty of fun, non-school activities for your kids year-round, from summer camps to festivals and farmers markets. In 2006, the town added a multi-million dollar cultural center complete with a performing arts theater, an outdoor stage, library, and conference center. There are also plenty of “big kid” activities going on here, including two private golf courses, nearly 50 restaurants, bars, health and fitness centers, and spas.
In Morrisville, the schools are good, and the residents are well-paid. Perhaps best of all, Morrisville has one of the highest PlayScores in the area. That means, when it comes to parks, playgrounds, schools, libraries, weather, and the number of families with children, Morrisville is among the best. When it comes to buying a home here, there really is something for everyone, from condos and townhomes to estates well above the median home price of $261,600.
With less than 5,000 residents, Rolesville is one of the last communities in the area to have not completely blown up yet—so if you’re looking for a place that’s a little more low key, this might be for you. This means that Rolesville is largely residential. There are several nice local restaurants, some shops, a furniture store, and of course, Daylight Doughnuts (reason enough to move here, really), but mostly, Rolesville is made up of subdivisions like local favorites Village and Rolesville and Granite Falls. If you need a little break from the quiet life, Raleigh is less than half an hour away, and Wake Forest is just about five minutes.
This certainly isn’t the first time Apex has come up in one of our rankings—in fact, just last year it came in as the best place in North Carolina overall. The homes in the area range from modern to classical, small to large—the overall theme is their beauty, and generally higher than average price tag. But you get what you pay for, and in Apex, that’s a lot. Excellent schools, a family-oriented community, and an underlying feeling of safety—you really can’t put a price on that.
Cary is the epitome of a North Carolina Pleasantville. The streets are lined with trees, large homes, beautifully kept yards surrounded by picket fences. Of course it’s one of the most expensive areas near Raleigh—but residents also make one of the highest median incomes around. For those young couples looking to start a family, know that the schools here are excellent, and, in fact, nearly a quarter of its population are made up of school-age children.
This town just about 25 minutes from Raleigh has some of the most residents under the age of five of anywhere in the area. It’s the perfect place for young kids—especially if you’re working with a smaller budget. The homes here are generally less expensive than in other Raleigh suburbs. The median home price is $191,500. They vary from newer townhomes to larger, single family homes. In subdivisions like Phillips Pointe, you’re sure to find some great deals.
If you’re looking to buy a home near Raleigh, feel free to get in touch. One our local Movoto real estate agents will help you get started.
We created this list by gathering up all of the largest places outside of Raleigh. Then, with sources like the U.S. Census and AreaVibes, and PlayScore.org, we looked at each place in terms of these criteria:
We gave each of our 12 suburbs a score from one to 12 in each category, and then averaged all of these into one overall score for each place, where the lowest scores went to the best places for young couples outside of Raleigh. To see how the rest of the places we looked at ranked, check out the table below. 
Featured image source: Marbles Kids Museum via Facebook Like This Post? You’ll Definitely Love These:
