It appears that North Carolina will be home to the infamous Bernie Madoff, who was delivered to the State Facility in Butner NC today July 14Th.
While I'm sure he had little say in the matter, there are worse places he could have gone and probably should have. So whats Butner NC like? I hear you ask!
Situated about 30 miles north west of Raleigh NC, it has a population of approximately 6000. It has a nice prison, and was once considered a contender by the Dept. of Homeland Security to build a $450 million 520,000-square-foot Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility. The median house value in 2007 was $135,264 while in North Carolina it was $145,700. It is right next to beautiful Falls Lake and probably 20 minutes to Durham.
While Bernie gets to live rent free in Butner, North Carolina is known for it's affordable housing which despite the easy money flying around in past years, did not experience the run up in prices that other places around the country did did.
We are however not immune from the fall out and the number of home sales compared to a couple of years ago is staggering.
The triangle area which now encompasses a lot of fast growing towns is still on the move, all be it at a slower clip. recently the town of Apex, North Carolina was ranked 3rd in the country of places to move to by Forbes magazine. Cary, North Carolina was the 3rd fastest growing city in the country from 2007-2008 while Raleigh came in 8th.
Again the factors that drive the growth are, good jobs, affordable housing, more house for your money, good schools. We have a lot of folks retiring here because of their kids moving here and because of the mild climate.
The triangle is mid way between the ocean and the mountains which makes it a great place to live also.
