Top Reasons Why People Love Living In Wake Forest, NC

 Are you considering relocating to the Raleigh area and heard about Wake Forest and you're wondering if it's a great place to live for you and your family? This vibrant town has undergone significant changes, blending big city energy with small town charm, showcasing its continuous growth and prosperity.

From its quaint downtown to the great sense of community, proximity to urban amenities, great quality of life with plenty of parks and green spaces along with community events bringing everyone together from farmers markets to concerts in the park or Friday night on white second Friday of each month in downtown wake forest There are so many reasons it's a desirable place to call home.

Today I'll be sharing some of the reasons why people love living here and let you decide if it's the right town for the lifestyle that you want to live. And if you stay to the end I'll reveal an exciting project coming to the town that is going to be an absolute game changer. Let's go ahead and jump right on in and we're going to get started with Wake Forest is primarily.

in Wake County with a portion of it in Franklin County and is located approximately 30 minutes north of downtown Raleigh. The main roadways used for traveling are US1 running south into Raleigh, Highway 98 running west towards Durham, and then I 540 to connect you to the other suburbs in the area. With Wake Forest being on the northeast side of the triangle, you can commute into either North Hills Raleigh or Downtown Raleigh in around 25 to 30 minutes.

The RDU airport or even downtown Durham in around 35 minutes, while Chapel Hill will be roughly around a 45 minute drive. These times are best case scenario without peak traffic hours. Now when we moved to the Raleigh area almost seven years ago from California, Wake Forest was a street. Super popular place to move to back then, and that's without half of the new businesses that have come in between new restaurants, shops, grocery stores, not to mention all of the new construction homes available.

from townhomes to single family, master plan communities, and even luxury living. There's something for everyone here, depending on the lifestyle that you want to live. Fun fact, Wake Forest is the third largest suburb of Raleigh, with approximately 58, 000 residents who call Wake Forest home as of 2024. In fact, Wake Forest has seen extraordinary growth.

Explosive growth since 2000 with a population increase of over 300%. And it's estimated by 2040, the population will be just over 100, 000 residents. Now to put that in perspective, Cary currently has just under 200, 000 residents. Businesses are flourishing here and this continues to drive economic prosperity.

Looking at the median household income coming in at around 115, 159 dollars. Compared to North Carolina's median household income of approximately 67, 481 dollars, And the U. S. at 74, 755. The employment landscape in Wake Forest, you'll find everything from educational services, health care, professional, scientific, management, and administrative roles, along with retail, trade, and manufacturing sectors playing vital roles in the local economy.

Wake Forest has a thriving education system with award winning K through 12 Schools within the Wake County Public School System, including prestigious universities and community colleges. Fun fact, nearly 60 percent of Wake Forest residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, exceeding the U. S. average by 22%.

Wake Forest is also considered a safe place to live with lower crime rates than the state average, ranking in the top 20 safest cities in North Carolina in 2024. Other top local towns and suburbs in the Raleigh Triangle area include Roseville, Fuquay Verena, Holly Springs, Apex, Cary, Wendell, and Clayton.

When it comes to amenities, Wake Forest shines. This town has literally everything you need without ever having to leave. There's everything here from Target to Walmart, which also sells groceries as well as many other great grocery stores to choose from like Wegmans, Publix, Harris Teeter, Aldi, Lidl, Lowe's, and more.

Now if we could just get a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's and a Costco, that would be awesome. Now I will say, rumor has it, we will be getting a Costco within the next two years. Then you have a great variety of dining options from popular cuisines including American, Italian, Mexican, and Asian fusion.

There's local favorites that offer farm to table ingredients and even southern comfort food. A literal blast from the past! Serving Wake Forest for more than 100 years is Shorty's Famous Hot Dogs that's located in the heart of downtown Wake Forest since 1916. A few of our favorites are Over the Falls, Bodega Tapas and Wine, Mellow Mushroom Pizza, and Cape Fear Seafood.

And for a quick bite to eat, I love Cava's salad bowls or Torchy's tacos. And for burgers or a frosty treat, there's Culver's or Sonic's. When it comes to food, you definitely will not get bored in this town. When it comes to parks, many love the amount of natural space and the park and trail system here.

Despite all the new developments, Wake Forest is dedicated to preserving a good portion of nature with 561 acres of parks, open space, natural land, and trails. These include five baseball fields, three soccer fields, a pool, six picnic areas, eight playgrounds, and eight lighted tennis courts. There's even more than 50 miles of developed and undeveloped greenway trails.

For those who love the outdoors as much as my family and I do, one of our favorite parks here in Wake Forest is Joyner Park. which is a local favorite with its 117 acres of open space with beautiful oak trees and miles of paved trails and an amazing playground and community center with basketball courts, gym facility, 1000 lawn seat amphitheater, charcoal grills, fishing gardens and more.

Then there's Forest Ridge Park, which is. 587 acres adjacent to Falls Lake where you can enjoy mountain biking. There's also multiple trails, fishing, a wildlife garden, playground, and they even have nature programs. You'll also be close to enjoying a local favorite greenway, Neuse River Trail, which I believe has about 30 miles of paved greenway to enjoy walking, running, or bike riding, which is also one of our family favorites.

Especially in the spring and fall months when the weather is amazing. And as I mentioned earlier, Falls Lake, which is one of the largest lakes in the area, perfect to go for a ride in your boat. Or if you love kayaking, there's the Wake Forest Reservoir. When it comes to housing, this suburban town has some of the best selections of neighborhoods in the Raleigh area.

Especially if you're considering luxury options, larger lot sizes, and want a master plan community type lifestyle. And if you want a new construction home, Wake Forest has plenty of neighborhoods that may be the perfect place for you to call home. These homes range in price point from around the high 300, 000 to around 3.

5 million, with square footage ranging anywhere from 800 square feet all the way up to 4, 400 square feet or more. In mid 2024, the median price point for a single family home in Wake Forest is approximately 570, 000, and for a townhome you're looking around 375, 000. When you compare prices in Wake Forest versus, say, Cary, Apex, or Holly Springs, your housing dollars will stretch a bit further here on average, especially if you're looking for a new construction home, considering all the available land still available to be developed here.

And if you love the vibe of those suburbs, many also like Wake Forest as it's a nice mix of historic areas along with a lot of new developments going on. Two popular master plan communities here in Wake Forest are Holden Village and Heritage. They offer some great amenities and have a 15 acre lake.

Perfect to kayak. Holden Village offers everything from apartments to new build townhomes and single family homes. So if you're not ready to buy yet and want to see what living in Wake Forest is like, you could always start at the apartments here. Price point is approximately 400, 000 to around 800, 000 with a square footage ranging from around 1800 to 3, 600 square feet.

Heritage, which is one of Wake Forest's most popular neighborhoods, it's a beautiful 2, 000 acre community with an award winning golf course. Heritage is located on the southeast corner of Wake Forest and parts of the community are also in Roseville. This community has access to the Greenway Trails, Playgrounds, Town Soccer Park, Swimming Pool, and Tennis.

It's also close to shopping and dining. Price point and heritage ranges from the low 400, 000 all the way up to around 1. 2 million. One of my favorite communities is located on the west side of Wake Forest called Hazen Tree. This community offers luxury resort style living and has a Tom Fazio designed golf course featuring a par 71 layout.

This community comes with amazing amenities including a clubhouse, bar and grill, six lighted tennis courts, Top of the line fitness center with training and classes, restaurants, wine tasting and more. These homes offer larger lot sizes averaging from half an acre to a full acre. Prices range from around 700,000, all the way up to $3 million.

Square footage ranges from around 2, 000 to 6, 500 and you can find up to seven bedroom homes here. No matter what your price point is, there's something here for everyone, depending on the lifestyle that you want to live. There are a lot of nice apartments too. If you want to start out by renting as you explore the town and see if it's the right fit for you.

And as I mentioned earlier, Wake Forest has just about everything one would want without ever having to live, which makes it such an attractive choice for so many. And it's easily accessible into Raleigh and many of the surrounding suburbs to enjoy all the amenities. There are here as well. When it comes to weather, one of the things that attracts so many people from across the country and world is the weather.

Wake Forest enjoys four seasons. The spring and fall weather is absolutely wonderful. It reminds me of California weather. while the winters are mild with a slight chance of snow. Temps can range from the 50s to 60s and get as low as the 30s, while summers are hot and humid with temperatures ranging from the 80s to the 90s.

I'm definitely thankful for air conditioning. We also get a lot of rain on average around 47 inches, whereas in California we averaged around 12 inches annually. But the sun comes up as quickly as the rain is gone, and there is a running joke here, you can experience all four seasons in the same week or even the same day.

Okay, at the beginning of this video, I promised if you stuck with me to the end, I'd be revealing a new project coming to Wake Forest that'll be an absolute game changer. And that's the revival and construction of the S Line passenger rail from Raleigh to Wake Forest, scheduled for completion by 2030.

This 1. 1 billion federal grant to the N. C. Department of Transportation is set to return passenger train service to Wake Forest. Connecting the town to the state's major business destinations from the southeastern U. S. to Washington, D. C. This high speed rail service will be a 21st century infrastructure enabling a safer, faster, and more convenient travel.

According to Mayor Jones, there's three possible areas that But, Wake Forest will only get one stop, so she thinks although there may be some challenges, having a station in downtown would be the best thing for this town. Let me know in the comments what you think about that one. As the Raleigh to Wake Forest link is modernized, extending the Piedmont to the town with the 173 mile service owned and subsidized by the state while operated by Amtrak.

which will make three daily round trips from Charlotte to Raleigh. In the longer term, the S line will extend into southern Virginia and include stops in Youngsville, Franklton, Henderson, and Norlina. From the strong community spirit and beautiful natural surroundings, to top notch education and a thriving economy.

It's no wonder so many people love calling Wake Forest home. And if you're thinking about making a move, this might just be the perfect place for you too. If you found this information helpful, please click the like button below so others like you can find this information as well. And if you're considering relocating to Wake Forest, or anywhere within Raleigh or the surrounding areas and looking to purchase a home, we would love to help.

All you have to do is reach out to me. My number's right here on the screen. Whether you want to give me a call, shoot me a text, or send me an email, we would love to chat. Till next time, we'll see y'all later.