The Hedingham Neighborhood: Things to Do When You Live There

In my previous Hedingham post I mentioned that the neighborhood is a large, established North East Raleigh subdivision with a home type for almost any average home buyer. But, that's not all you want to know, is it? Anyone shopping for a home in a given neighborhood wants to know what it's like to live in that neighborhood.

Well, in short, living in Hedingham is nice. It's a family-friendly place. With two playgrounds and two swimming pools, plus wide streets and sidewalks for walking or riding bikes, there are things for families to do here outside the house. Two ponds (a pond and a lake, depending on with whom you're talking) and quiet streams meandering through the neighborhood add a pleasant natural quality to the landscaped golf course and common green spaces. Residents may even fish in the larger pond (lake, whatever) if they are so inclined.

The first phase of the neighborhood, the part with the older houses nearest to New Hope Rd. and New Bern Ave., includes many of the trees that were there before the neighborhood was built. As any home owner knows, wooded lots like these add a nice sense of privacy and coverage from those hot Summer afternoons.

Hedingham's newer phase, referred to as Hedingham Village I believe, doesn't have as many trees in the yards. And, the houses are of a more uniform design. The Southeastern point of this section provides access to trails that parallel the Neuse River and onward to the Neuse River Park, which is nice if you like hiking, rivers, or whatever.

The path circulating through the golf course is neat, especially if you're a golfer. If you're not a golfer, and you want to use the Hedingham path for walking, running, or riding bikes; I'm going to let you in on something: Between 7AM and 7PM each day, the golf path is off limits to anyone who isn't golfing. I think these hours are shortened in the winter months, because there are fewer golfers. Now, this rule may change in the future. But, right now, it's written in the Hedingham covenants. And, as my own wife has been told, people using the paths for anything but golfing is "a real inconvenience to the golfers". If you're a golfer, I suppose this rule would make you pretty happy.

Despite the golf path restrictions, Hedingham's opportunities for walking, running, bike riding, and other outdoor activities are still plentiful. I devise perfectly suitable and varied running routes here all the time. Some of them don't even involve the golf path. There is a gym for residents to use daily. The playground equipment is clean and well-maintained. And, of course, there's always golf.

So, there's a summary of the visual composition and outdoor activities available to Hedingham residents. That's all you need to know about Hedingham, right? You're ready to pick out a house, aren't you? Yeah, I didn't think so. Let's talk about social aspects of living in Hedingham next.