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SandhillsKids Forum
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commandingspirit

 
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Commuting help! - 2008/01/02 14:02 Hello,

Hoping someone out there can help me with some information...

My husband and I are moving to Fort Bragg from Fairfax Virginia this summer. We have two elementary age sons. Our first choice was to live on Fort Bragg itself - but the waitlist for my husbands rank for a house we could actually fit into is about 12 months - gasp!

So we are now faced with a choice of living in a "good" area of Fayetteville and be fairly close to my husbands office; OR move to Southern Pines and have him have a fairly substantial commute. What we need to find out is how horrible is the drive to post? Is the traffic horrendous?

We visited the area this past weekend. We both LOVED Southern Pines - I grew up in Massachusetts so felt right at home with the adorable village atmosphere of the place. My husband loved all the open space, pine forests etc. I'm also a horse owner, so it was wonderful to see (and secretly lust after) all the fantastic horse farms!

So any help out there? Is it worth it to live so far from work - is Southern Pines as idyllic as it seemed? How is the primary school? The alternative of living in Fayetteville, though we could get a new, large house, is just not as attractive - though I'd hate for my husband to have to endure hours upon hours in the car every day.

We'd love to hear anyones thoughts on this! PS. This is a terrific website and a big help to us! Happy New Year!

CommandingSpririt
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Rollie

 
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Re:Commuting help! - 2008/01/02 23:26 Hi! First, let me introduce myself - I am one of the moms behind SandhillsKids and a military spouse. Hopefully, I can answer your questions. Second, thanks for the complement on the site we appreciate it.

So, here we go....

As far as the commute goes, traffic is minimal if not non-existent. In the 2 1/2 years we've been here, my husband has never complained about the drive. Depending on where you are going on Fort Bragg and where you live, you are looking at a 35 - 50 minute commute. Just as a reference, it takes 45 minutes to get to the hospital and both commissaries from Southern Pines.

Compare that to the "good" parts of Fayetteville and it's not much different. I have several friends in Fayetteville and their husband's commute just as long as mine does. I have one friend who lives in the Jack Britt school district and her husband commutes anywhere from 35-50 minutes each way depending on traffic. So, although the distance is shorter the traffic is worse making the commute just as long.

Now, let's compare schools. There are good schools on both sides but in my opinion Moore County is a better district overall. The schools are less crowded than Fayetteville and the year round schools have excellent programs which work well with deployment schedules. My daughter goes to Southern Pines Primary (Year Round) and I've been really happy with the school.

So, the decision comes down to this - Shopping! If you can live with driving 45 minutes to the nearest Target or Mall, than Moore County wins hands down. And if you're a New Englander, than you'll be at home here with all the other transplants. Just an aside - Pinehurst was actually designed to look like a small New England town which is why you feel at home ! And if you do get homesick, just stop by Cafe Iano in downtown Southern Pines for an authentic Lobster Roll and Stuff Quahog (they're as good as the Capes!). My families from Massachusetts as well...

Bottomline, we like it here so much that I do SandhillsKids and we've decided to retire in the area.

Hopefully, that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

-Rollie
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commandingspirit

 
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Re:Commuting help! - 2008/01/03 08:50 Rollie-

Thanks a MILLION for all this great information.

It is really, really helpful. My husband and I are going to use this to help make up our various "pro/con" lists.

We'll let you know if we end up moving to the neighborhood

liz.
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commandingspirit

 
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Re:Commuting help! - 2008/01/03 08:52 Oh, one more thing - thanks for the good tip re. lobster rolls & quahogs...that is good info no matter where we end up living

Thanks again!

liz
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Rollie

 
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Re:Commuting help! - 2008/01/03 21:22 If you want info about the Fayetteville side of Fort Bragg, especially schools, I have a few friends that live in different areas over there that would be more than willing to answer your questions. Just let me know and I will forward you their emails.

Good Luck with the big move....By the way, if you need a good realtor I would be happy to give you a few references.

- Rollie
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commandingspirit

 
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Re:Commuting help! - 2008/01/14 20:16 Hi Rollie,

Following up on your last post - sorry I'm a few weeks behind! - I would love to have names of some realtors you know of. You can email me privately at liz_reitz@yahoo.com

Thanks!

liz
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