Raleigh NC vs Richmond VA (districts, better, rates, compared)
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Neither are real cities. Both are basically afterthoughts or places to stop and get gas. But I guess I'd choose Richmond because 200 years ago it mattered for 5 minutes. And it has mediocre architecture compared to Raleigh which is basically a mega suburb.
I think Richmond is more endeared to its locals than Raleigh. I understand that's a subjective statement, but simply perusing Youtube video results for each city drives this impression for me. There were numerous spoofs of Raleigh made by locals vs. a lot of pride being apparent in the Richmond videos.
Someone in this thread earlier really tried to call the Crabtree area of Raleigh "urban". Clearly, there are different definitions of urban for Raleigh and Richmond. I'm very familiar with both cities (from Greater Richmond, job sent me to Durham a few times and I live in Fayetteville). There isn't an argument on which city is more urban, it's not even close...
Progressiveness is in one's definition as well, and Raleigh is favored in many stretches of progressiveness over Richmond. That said, people are misinformed if the perception of Richmond's slower growth is that it isn't progressive. Richmond is THE city in Virginia in terms of culture, forward-thinking, arts, etc---there is a region (Nova) of greater importance, but as a singular CITY, there is no city in Virginia above Richmond. That characteristic alone is an edge Richmond has over Raleigh, as Raleigh is neither the top city in its state, and it's questionable as to if its even the top region. It can't be overlooked that Raleigh and Richmond have different growth patterns and are structurally built differently. It is a juvenile argument to claim Raleigh as more progressive than Richmond simply because more people live there, and more people are moving there...
When comparing density, as was mentioned by an earlier poster, Richmond has SEVERAL neighborhoods with peak densities above 10,000, far and away ahead of peak densities in Raleigh. The annexation of part of Chesterfield to South Rich in '70 skews the density measures. Take away South Richmond, and the City of Richmond has a density around roughly 6,000. Again, Raleigh doesn't compare in this regard, as even before all of Raleigh's annexations, the city was never over 3000/ppsm.
There are variables where Raleigh is greater, or The comparison is tighter. But quality of life, retail, those things are subjective, and while Raleigh is better than Richmond in primary education, it's a much thinner line when comparing higher education in the two cities.
Overall, as with every opinion, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But in general, for the wide scope of appeal that encompasses "city life", Raleigh will lose a head to head with Richmond more often than not, as evidenced in this poll...
Many, though not all, of these same anecdotes would apply to Charlotte as well in comparison to Richmond...
"More people moving to the area" is a big turn off for me. I'm looking to move because I feel like my hometown has become very undesirable due to all of the people moving here (Seattle is currently the fastest growing city in the US). It's too crowded, too expensive, and the traffic has reached epic proportions. I actually prefer Richmond's slow growth development. It feels more thoughtful, more attractive, and I don't worry as much about the traffic getting out of control any time soon.
It sounds like Raleigh is a really great place to live, but from an outsider's perspective, the suburban development sprawl is a big turn off. However, I don't have much experience with suburbs/developments and so I don't immediately "get" what makes them so great to live in.
Raleigh is a great place for families wishing to settle down in the suburbs. Therefore, Wake County is seeing more suburban sprawl which I can't stand and wish would slow down. However, that's just Raleigh in a nutshell. We have RTP and plenty of job opportunities, good weather, low crime rates, plenty of shopping, attractions not terribly far (Coast of NC, Blue Ridge Mountains), etc. I'm no expert on Richmond, but I'm aware crime was an issue up there for a fair amount of time. It is still seen as kind of a rough and gritty city, at least down here in Raleigh. However, I know that those days seem to be moving away as Richmond is becoming more artsy/hip. I guess the lack of job opportunities has to be it, as Richmond doesn't really have an RTP and the tobacco industry isn't the same anymore (look at Durham and Winston-Salem down here).
I can't speak for Richmond, I only been there 2 to 4 time. I like Raleigh. Its a growing city, population is around 450,000. The city is featured on numerous articles as one of fastest growing cities in the US and one of the best places to raise a family. Great place to get a job. Research Triangle Park, one of the largest research parks in the world. Great job opportunity. Great school system and college institution (North Carolina State, Duke, UNC), professional hockey team. Crabtree Valley Mall, North (midtown Raleigh), Triangle Towne Center, Cary Town Center, North Gate Mall. New developments in midtown Raleigh and downtown. Possibly building a 40 feet skyline in midtown Raleigh (North Hills). Stronger population density - Cary (8th largest city in NC) , Apex, Morrisville, Zebulon, Chatham County, Holly Springs, Durham (6th largest city in NC), Chapel Hill, Smithfield, Fuquay Varina, Sanford.
Last edited by tcm1913; 04-26-2015 at 07:12 PM..
Reason: additional information
Raleigh seems to be a little more on the trendy side, and meaning no disrespect but I saw tons of preppy young people (right out of college, probably) the last time I went to North Hills. I guess this is the direction Raleigh is heading, along with attracting all the families wishing to settle down in suburban areas further out (North Raleigh, Cary, etc). It has been growing like crazy, but like I said, I'm getting tired of the nonstop suburban sprawl so I wish the growth rates would slow down a tad. I keep seeing wooded areas being plowed down for apartment complexes/subdivisions/strip malls and I can't stand it, I don't want to see the Triangle turn into Northern Virginia or Atlanta.
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