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Hi, digging through this forum to find some answers. Have a few questions and hoping to be able to get some answers. Wife and I are looking at a move to North Carolina.
Have sent out a few job applications for job's in the Triangle and Charlotte. With that said wife and I are trying to decide where to relocate to and ultimately will probably come down to where we land jobs.
We like what we have read up on about Raleigh.The inexpensive rent is a plus and the amenities you can obtain with little rent is astounding. Decent school options; about 10 nursing programs the wife and I looked at. Also the food, history, walkability, and shopping opitions are very attracting.
We both work in the health care field and you have 3 great Hospitals right in the Triangle Area.
With all that said with Charlotte does offer some pluses for us. In regards to schools the programs we researched offer more flexibility then the ones in the Triangle. Also for my line of work there is more opportunities available in Charlotte then in the Triangle area. However, with Charlotte outside of Uptown doesn't feel it's a walkable City; could be wrong though hoping to be proved wrong. Farther away from the beaches. Limited access for family to come visit; family only uses the Amtrak line. Rents do seem to be slightly more in Charlotte. It still offers a lot the Queen City. Has a great healthcare system from what we researched. Offers lots of activities to keep one self busy. Great outdoor opitions and parks. Close to a lot of amenities outside of the ocean.
Looking for more feedback on the Charlotte life?
With my current job make about $20 an hour and wife makes about $25 an hour. We are both looking at a cut of $5 an hour for our job's. With a yearly budget of $64K to $66K think that be doable to live in the Charlotte area? Looking for 1 to 2 bedroom rents preferably under $1,000, but nothing over $1,200. No kid yet, but within the year wife and I like to work towards having one. Our goal would be in 3 year's increase our yearly joint income to $80K a year to $100K in 4 to 5 year's after a move down to Charlotte. Eventually look into buying a house in 3 year's.
What neighborhoods did you find walkable in the Triangle? Charlotte will soon have a 19 mile light rail system connecting Uptown to neighborhoods to the South (like South End) and neighborhoods to the North (University City).
The more urban and walkable neighborhoods in Charlotte though with shops and restaurants near bungalow homes are going to come with significant price premiums. Dilworth, Plaza Midwood, Elizabeth, Uptown, Noda, etc... are not cheap neighborhoods. If your budget is limited, you will likely be in a more suburban part of town.
Charlotte is closer to the mountains but further from the beach so that will depend on your life style preference. The family visiting should be a factor in your decision for sure.
I don't think you'll find much actual difference in rents for comparable locations and properties. Any location in either city that is traditionally walkable is going to be expensive. Both cities are essentially giant suburbs around very small central business districts, so neither one is very walkable, although pockets of walkablilty exist in each.
Amtrak service is about the same in each, isn't it?
Really both places are pretty similar. The Triangle has more college sports, Charlotte has more pro sports. Both have nice neighborhoods, good job markets, parks, shopping, dining. Raleigh's closer to the beaches, Charlotte's closer to the mountains. Both have major traffic issues. Charlotte has a nascent light rail system that can, in some cases, alleviate some traffic stress. The Triangle is obviously more spread out, and while it may seem like a good location for healthcare jobs, you can end up with an intolerably long commute if you're careful (although that can happen in Charlotte as well, I guess).
If you are looking for walkability, I believe south end in Charlotte would certainly meet your needs. Everything you need from grocery stores to drug stores to bars and restaurants are all only a short walk or train ride away. I do not think any area of North Carolina outside of uptown Charlotte has the walkability of South End. Apartment rents are right around your maximum budget. You may also consider birkdale village in huntersville also. And you may look at the South Park area of Charlotte. But South Park may be out of your price range. But I would look at it and price it. But south end has a wide variety of bars and restaurants within a short walk. And south end is connected to uptown by a light rail ride. Uptown offers sports venues such as BOA Stsdium and Spectrum Center a bowling alley and movie theater and more restaurants and bars. The train soon will connect to NoDa and university in March. This will provide more entertainment options. Raleigh cannot provide a setting that comes close to the options that south end provides without the use of an auto.
I'm very familiar with both areas. We have a home in the Charlotte area and have relatives in the Raleigh /Durham area. The Raleigh area has more in the healthcare field, but there are still plenty of opportunities in the Charlotte area as well. Charlotte is more walkable overall. MUCH better downtown with a more urban feel. The buying power (wages vs. cost of living) is better in Charlotte: The national average index is 300. Charlotte: 291.29; Raleigh: 315.04. Rents are a tad higher in Charlotte, but not by much. Home price index (100 is national average) Charlotte: 95.6; Raleigh: 119.29. Recreationally, there's more to do in the Charlotte area. Charlotte has an Amtrak station just north of downtown. Both regularly rank as 2 of the best metros in the nation. So it comes down to preference and ones personal situation. I much prefer Charlotte. I just find it more lively, much more to do, and more affordable to boot. Good luck in your search!
First, for Amtrak, there's the Carolinian and Silver Star. The Carolinian route hits both Raleigh & Charlotte. The Silver Star only hits Raleigh...but both leave from the Northeast 4 hours apart and stop and roughly the same stops.
Second, haven't mentioned anything about being a sports fan. If that's a factor, in Charlotte you have the Panthers (NFL) & Hornets (NBA) that dominate most of the local sports news. In Raleigh, it's more Hurricanes (NHL) and college sports.
There are areas outside of Uptown that are walkable. Maybe less if you're talking about bar hopping at night, but there are a ton of greenways (paved wide paths through "woods"), many of which are walking distance from neighborhoods.
Charlotte outside of uptown is not walkable at all. I always think of Charlotte outside of uptown as a giant suburb- you need a car to get everywhere, tons of shopping centers and malls, single homes with lawns and backyards, driveways. Charlotte for the most part is a sprawled out suburban city. If you don’t have a car then getting around Charlotte will be very time consuming.
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