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Are we comparing metro areas? Or the cities themselves? Because neither Duke nor UNC are in Raleigh...and Texas State isn't in Austin. Wouldn't the proper comparison be UT to NC State?
NC State holds its own against UT Austin. Aside from the size difference (UT has 50,000 students, NCSU has 30,000) the two are very comparable. They were founded around the same time. Both are engineering schools with the same amount of students in their graduate engineering programs. Cost of tuition is similar. Entry requirements are similar. The body of research produced by both institutions is very respectable. UT Austin tends to get more accolades, but those are relatively meaningless.
Politically, both schools have student bodies that tend to poll more conservative than other public universities around the same size.
Metro areas are a better comparison though as everything in the metro is at your disposal. Any other comparison is nonsensical. It would be like saying "Phoenix has an airport and Denver doesn't so Phoenix wins in the airport department... oh yeah the airport out in Adams County, CO doesn't count. It's not technically in Denver". When obviously to anyone who isn't a moron Denver has one of the best and largest airports in the country, and the fact that it's not in the city proper is meaningless.
NC State holds its own against UT Austin. Aside from the size difference (UT has 50,000 students, NCSU has 30,000) the two are very comparable. They were founded around the same time. Both are engineering schools with the same amount of students in their graduate engineering programs. Cost of tuition is similar. Entry requirements are similar. The body of research produced by both institutions is very respectable. UT Austin tends to get more accolades, but those are relatively meaningless.
Politically, both schools have student bodies that tend to poll more conservative than other public universities around the same size.
Metro areas are a better comparison though as everything in the metro is at your disposal. Any other comparison is nonsensical. It would be like saying "Phoenix has an airport and Denver doesn't so Phoenix wins in the airport department... oh yeah the airport out in Adams County, CO doesn't count. It's not technically in Denver". When obviously to anyone who isn't a moron Denver has one of the best and largest airports in the country, and the fact that it's not in the city proper is meaningless.
....designed by an architect that went to NC State.
Are we comparing metro areas? Or the cities themselves? Because neither Duke nor UNC are in Raleigh...and Texas State isn't in Austin. Wouldn't the proper comparison be UT to NC State?
Given that Raleigh proper is not even half the square miles of Austin proper and that the Triangle was (in my opinion) inexplicably split into two MSAs a decade ago, comparing these two areas by "size" can't really happen, apples to apples. The said, IMO, they are two different types of cities/metros with a surprisingly large number of similarities. I lived in Texas a while back and the first time I went to Austin I was struck by how much more familiar it felt to me than other Texas cities. I attribute this to the fact that two cities/areas/metros/whatever have a similar makeup in their population in regard to education, industry, government, etc. Both anchor the progressive centers of their respective states and are rapidly expanding with newcomers for similar industry opportunities. Both cities are growing rapidly and both CSAs are in the 1.8 million range in terms of population. Both Austin and Raleigh are state capitals and house their respective state's largest university campus. The Triangle hosts NC's two largest universities (NC State & UNC) + Duke while Greater Austin also includes Texas State.
While Austin has Round Rock and Raleigh has Cary, Raleigh also co-brands the "Triangle" with Durham and Chapel Hill. This is a significant difference given that Research Triangle Park as its own entity links the three cities and universities in a way that's different from most anywhere else in the country.
It's been a while since this thread has been up, so I'd like to get some advice as well.
My wife and I are in our early 30s, we have 2 kids, a 4 year old boy and 2 year old girl. We live in San Jose, Ca and looking to get out of the bay area. (multiple reasons...happy to chat about how San Jose is a mess!) We've basically narrowed down our search to Austin and Raleigh. We've been to both cities and frankly cannot decide!
I'm in tech, so finding a job likely won't be too terribly difficult, schools are extremely important, and we're looking for a nice family oriented neighborhood.
Specifically, we've narrowed Austin down to Steiner Ranch (Austin) or West Cary (Raleigh). Budget is $700-800k
For a young family who looks at schools as a priority, along with things to do for families, and the suburban life (but we also like to go out, dont get me wrong!!!), where should we go?
Austin housing has become too expensive for what you get there and traffic is really terrible. They have near CA house prices there now (if you want to be in town not cookie cutter way out of town). The only thing I don't like about Raleigh (RTP) is the lack of views/vistas in your everyday life. In this central part of NC all you see when you drive anywhere or go anywhere is trees, trees, trees a few hundred feet away on either side of you. Since the area is fairly flat (small inclines) and very thickly treed, all you see is trees. They are beautiful, green lush trees, but you don't get any long distance vistas. It can feel a little claustrophobic. This might get to me since I have always lived in hilly areas with views. But otherwise I would choose RTP for lower housing costs, being able to drive to the mountains and beach (Carolina beaches + Appalachians WAY nicer than Hill Country and TX Coast), and better fall colors. If housing costs were equal I would be a tougher choice with Austin having a better downtown than any downtowns in RTP, and more unique restaurants and "institutions" (live music venues, Barton Springs, Zilker Park, etc...). TX also has no state income taxes so that makes up for some of the higher housing costs.
I think this is a good comparison of 2 metro areas that would appeal to the same demographic.
Metro areas are a better comparison though as everything in the metro is at your disposal. Any other comparison is nonsensical. It would be like saying "Phoenix has an airport and Denver doesn't so Phoenix wins in the airport department... oh yeah the airport out in Adams County, CO doesn't count. It's not technically in Denver". When obviously to anyone who isn't a moron Denver has one of the best and largest airports in the country, and the fact that it's not in the city proper is meaningless.
Actually, Denver International Airport is located in the city limits. The city annexed the land when a new airport was planned there. One third of the Denver area is used for the airport. I do agree with your point however.
culture: Incredibly prefer Austin. Liberal, very active liberal too, protests, strikes, and active people. Young and energetic, and also rated high for having attractive people and glitz and glamor. Lots of movies and media presence for a city of its size.
nightlife: Austin by a mile. It's not just 6th street, I'm sure 8th street which is the sleepy one can take Raleigh's best night life. When I saw Raleigh, I wasn't impressed at all with its nightlife, it sucked.
6th Street: Mixed for all ages and all people
4th Street: The street specifically with the most gay bars and lounges and clubs
5th Street: More older crowd
7th Street: Basically a toned down version of 6th street
8th Street: Lame nerds and geeks go here
Congress: Hella fun
outdoor activities in the metro: Austin by a mile. The Hill Country is just the icing, the proximity to San Antonio and everything it has to offer which consists of theme parks, history, and the River Walk is awesome. Then not to mention LBJ's Manor, the waterfalls, the lakes, the water skiing joints and all that.
Raleigh is cool but its a long drive from Raleigh to Washington DC and long way to Atlanta, only 2 hours and 30 minutes to Houston from Austin, an hour to San Antonio, and 3 hours to Corpus Christi.
While I would agree that Austin's nightlife is simply on another level compared to Raleigh's and it can go toe to toe with major cities and embarrass many of them, I think the options Raleigh has are better than you're allowing credit for (which is to say, there is stuff, as opposed to nothing). I'd say as someone who's been to Austin quite recently and thoroughly explored the place (and enjoyed the heck out of it) that the Triangle is basically Austin without 6th street, if you spread what remains between three smaller downtowns instead of one. Politically, the two areas are similar.
As for outdoor activities near the metro... The Uwharries are NC's equivalent of Texas's Hill Country, and they extend into the Triangle. I'm gonna be bold here and say it's equal.
Worth noting that unlike Texas... state parks are free in NC. I do think there are some things near Austin that are gorgeous in a way you can't find in central NC. Hamilton Pool comes to mind, and that was awesome, but it cost $12 to get in, and it's an hour hike at most. Raven Rock, on the other hand, is completely free. The flip side is that spring and autumns here are more colorful, and there's more shade generally during the summer. There are fewer days where the heat just rules out going outside.
Coming from San Jose, the transition to Austin would be less extreme than the transition to Raleigh, IMHO, especially in terms of economy, local culture, people, recreational opportunities, and to a lesser extent, weather.
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