Charleston or Raleigh? (North, Cameron: rentals, chapel, hotels)

[seraph]

Hi everyone,

I am a 32 yr old single female and had almost entirely made up my mind to move to Raleigh, NC to be close to family, but have recently read that Raleigh is very family oriented and perhaps...boring. When I visited it seemed nice, but I did not fall in love with it. I have not yet been to Charleston but I love historic cities and figure Raleigh would be close enough to visit.

I am pretty liberal and like having a diverse group of friends.
I would really like a place with a good art scene, museums and art classes.
And of course, I am also looking for a good place to meet other singles around my age, although I don't really like hanging out in clubs and bars.

I would appreciate any opinions on Raleigh vs Charleston, or just Charleston

Thank you!!

[Terracota]

Hi,
My husband and I are relocating to Maryland from Raleigh, NC. We are in our early 30's. We love Raleigh so much; it is so beautiful and honestly, it is really hard to leave this city. Raleigh is a place for both young, single people and young families. The city itself offers a lot to young people at our age: great nightlife & entertainment, plenty of great restaurants & bars, plenty of places for outdoor activities (lakes, parks, gardens, bike tracks), a lot of museums, music/art/dance performances and classes, you name it.

During the weekends, downtown Raleigh, Glenwood South and Cameron Village are packed with young people in their 20's and 30's. I think several factors that make Raleigh attractive to young people are:
1. It is affordable (Charleston is very pretty, but very expensive too).
2. NC State university is in Raleigh, so you will always see young people around
3. Some other universities are located in Raleigh's surrounding cities: Durham with Duke University
and Chapel Hill with University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
4. The city is located close to the Research Triangle Park

I have visited Charleston twice; the downtown is really nice and definitely a lot of fun. It is also close to the beach! However, in my opinion, it is very touristy and therefore, very expensive.
You may want to check out the following websites:
Bed & Breakfast Raleigh NC North Carolina Hotels Vacation Rentals Cabins
Visit Raleigh, North Carolina! Official Tourism Site - Raleigh Hotels, Attractions, Events and more! :: - go to Visitor section
Use the Internet to get off the Internet! - Meetup.com - there are plenty of meet up groups in Raleigh for young people

[Terracota]

Sorry.. I didn't mean to direct you to check out "Bed & Breakfast in Raleigh" )
This section is probably more what you are looking for:

Adventure Tours Raleigh NC North Carolina + National Parks - City Guide

[seraph]

Thanks for the response and links! Glad to see that there is so much to do in Raleigh. And yes, I am worried about the expense of living in Charleston. Maybe I can just be content with visiting whenever possible The pictures just look so beautiful. (and the beach!)