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In my experience, people in Indianapolis are friendlier, more talkative and more genuine than people in Raleigh. Indy folk also tend to be more conventional and pessimistic, which is the result of Indy being more homegrown than Raleigh.
To my surprise, people in Raleigh are rather unfriendly overall. I would imagine this is due to the massive influx of transplants from the Northeast and Florida as well as immigrants from India and the Far East over the past several decades.
Aside from people quality, Raleigh would be a better place to call home, in my opinion -- more and better higher educational opportunities within the metro area, more attractive architecture, prettier neighborhoods and natural scenery, less severe weather, more history, better location, etc.
I hesitate to say that Raleigh has a stronger economy than Indianapolis, since Indy has experienced explosive job growth in past several years whereas Raleigh's economic growth has been at somewhat of a standstill since the Great Recession.
In my experience, people in Indianapolis are friendlier, more talkative and more genuine than people in Raleigh. Indy folk also tend to be more conventional and pessimistic, which is the result of Indy being more homegrown than Raleigh.
To my surprise, people in Raleigh are rather unfriendly overall. I would imagine this is due to the massive influx of transplants from the Northeast and Florida as well as immigrants from India and the Far East over the past several decades.
Aside from people quality, Raleigh would be a better place to call home, in my opinion -- more and better higher educational opportunities within the metro area, more attractive architecture, prettier neighborhoods and natural scenery, less severe weather, more history, better location, etc.
I hesitate to say that Raleigh has a stronger economy than Indianapolis, since Indy has experienced explosive job growth in past several years whereas Raleigh's economic growth has been at somewhat of a standstill since the Great Recession.
Interesting thank you for the feedback!
Were you referring to the transplants as unfriendly or the people born there being unfriendly due to the huge influx of transplants?
Indy beats Raleigh. Indy feels much larger, has more to do etc. The only thing Raleigh has is their east coast location, so if you want to be closer to beaches and stuff, then Raleigh is better. As far as the cities go, it's no comparison. I don't get the Raleigh hype. I don't find the city to be all that interesting and it seems really small to me.
Indy beats Raleigh. Indy feels much larger, has more to do etc. The only thing Raleigh has is their east coast location, so if you want to be closer to beaches and stuff, then Raleigh is better. As far as the cities go, it's no comparison. I don't get the Raleigh hype. I don't find the city to be all that interesting and it seems really small to me.
Were you referring to the transplants as unfriendly or the people born there being unfriendly due to the huge influx of transplants?
I don't want to paint with too broad of a brush here, but I think it cuts both ways. Raleigh is very transplant heavy these days, with many from stereotypically unfriendly regions, mostly NNJ/NYC. Many of the transplants from up north are fairly wealthy compared to native Southerners, and many natives see the transplants as taking jobs, raising cost of living, etc. You have transplants from unfriendly regions, and locals resenting that situation.
Indy beats Raleigh. Indy feels much larger, has more to do etc. The only thing Raleigh has is their east coast location, so if you want to be closer to beaches and stuff, then Raleigh is better. As far as the cities go, it's no comparison. I don't get the Raleigh hype. I don't find the city to be all that interesting and it seems really small to me.
I have lived in both cities (well...Indy and Durham...now back in Durham) but a NC native so naturally biased. City v city, Indy is larger than Raleigh but not metro v metro and both areas have plenty to do. RDU has a better natural setting (biased again, use to NC greenery), lots of colleges that range from majority schools to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. So, again, a RDU has a bit more professional depth and diversity. Not that Indy doesn't have professional depth and diversity, RDUs explosive growth has elevated it's entire game in this area.
Indy is also a bit more isolated compared to RDU primarily because the East Coast and NC for that matter is more populated so nearby metros and population centers are more accessible.
I knew back in the 80s Raleigh/Durham would experience significant growth because of it's location, universities, RTP, slower lifestyle pace and most importantly cost of living. Unfortunately, the latter is being compromised which comes with high level of visibility (cost of living). The salaries in RDU are very good for the metro not having a "major" city and there isn't or wasn't the typical traffic pain points or high end cost of living like DC (which chased me out that place).
You can't go wrong with either Indy or RDU. Indy has some major city offerings and offers a slower lifestyle pace versus a city like Chicago (quick trip from Indy, well 3 hours). RDU has some major metro offerings with the slower pace of lifestyle versus a cities like Atlanta or DC.
The kickers are the climate, beaches, mountains. If you prefer a warmer climate and easier access to the beaches and mountains, the answer is obvious. If not and desire that major city feel or atmosphere, it's definitely Indy.
Parks, museums, schools, etc are all irrelevant because both areas are chalked with parks, museums and the range of schools (good and not so good public) and private schools. Indy also boasts very good colleges/universities with nearby Purdue, but no metro in America probably provides a bigger punch for it's size than RDU with respect to colleges and universities.
Last edited by Big Aristotle; 06-25-2017 at 07:27 AM..
I have lived in both cities (well...Indy and Durham...now back in Durham) but a NC native so naturally biased. City v city, Indy is larger than Raleigh but not metro v metro and both areas have plenty to do. RDU has a better natural setting (biased again, use to NC greenery), lots of colleges that range from majority schools to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. So, again, a RDU has a bit more professional depth and diversity. Not that Indy doesn't have professional depth and diversity, RDUs explosive growth has elevated it's entire game in this area.
Indy is also a bit more isolated compared to RDU primarily because the East Coast and NC for that matter is more populated so nearby metros and population centers are more accessible.
I knew back in the 80s Raleigh/Durham would experience significant growth because of it's location, universities, RTP, slower lifestyle pace and most importantly cost of living. Unfortunately, the latter is being compromised which comes with high level of visibility (cost of living). The salaries in RDU are very good for the metro not having a "major" city and there isn't or wasn't the typical traffic pain points or high end cost of living like DC (which chased me out that place).
You can't go wrong with either Indy or RDU. Indy has some major city offerings and offers a slower lifestyle pace versus a city like Chicago (quick trip from Indy, well 3 hours). RDU has some major metro offerings with the slower pace of lifestyle versus a cities like Atlanta or DC.
The kickers are the climate, beaches, mountains. If you prefer a warmer climate and easier access to the beaches and mountains, the answer is obvious. If not and desire that major city feel or atmosphere, it's definitely Indy.
Parks, museums, schools, etc are all irrelevant because both areas are chalked with parks, museums and the range of schools (good and not so good public) and private schools. Indy also boasts very good colleges/universities with nearby Purdue, but no metro in America probably provides a bigger punch for it's size than RDU with respect to colleges and universities.
I'm not going to get into which city is the best but you are homering a bit. Much ado is being made by the fact that Raleigh rests on the east coast thereby is more accessible to nearby metros and populations. You also made it a point to state that Indy is more isolated compared to RDU. Indy is perhaps one of the LEAST isolated city in the country. However for argument sake why don't we take a look at which city is closer to major population centers (1 million or more people) within a 300 mile range.
Major cities close to RDU (300 miles or less):
Charlotte - 167 mi
Richmond - 170 mi
Norfolk - 184 mi
Washington, DC - 278.5 mi Total population - 11,614,906
Major cities close to Indy (300 miles or less)
Cincinnati - 108 mi
Louisville - 114 mi
Columbus - 175.3 mi
Chicago - 181 mi
St. Louis - 242.3 mi
Grand Rapids - 263 mi
Milwaukee - 278 mi
Detroit - 279 mi
Nashville - 288 Total population - 30,752,707
I'm not going to get into which city is the best but you are homering a bit. Much ado is being made by the fact that Raleigh rests on the east coast thereby is more accessible to nearby metros and populations. You also made it a point to state that Indy is more isolated compared to RDU. Indy is perhaps one of the LEAST isolated city in the country. However for argument sake why don't we take a look at which city is closer to major population centers (1 million or more people) within a 300 mile range.
Major cities close to RDU (300 miles or less):
Charlotte - 167 mi
Richmond - 170 mi
Norfolk - 184 mi
Washington, DC - 278.5 mi Total population - 11,614,906
Major cities close to Indy (300 miles or less)
Cincinnati - 108 mi
Louisville - 114 mi
Columbus - 175.3 mi
Chicago - 181 mi
St. Louis - 242.3 mi
Grand Rapids - 263 mi
Milwaukee - 278 mi
Detroit - 279 mi
Nashville - 288 Total population - 30,752,707
Yep, I don't see where Raleigh is more centrally located, at all, than Indy. There are quite a few more metros where you can take a day or weekend trip from Indy than around Raleigh. Once you get out of the Raleigh metro, that part of NC doesn't really have a lot going on for many miles in any direction.
Raleigh is closer to both the beach and the mountains, but isn't really close to either. Raleigh is four hours from Asheville. It's still two hours or so from the beach. Out of all those cities, Norfolk/Hampton Roads is the least appealing to visit. IMO, Charlotte is in a much better location than Raleigh.
On the friendliness point above, while I'd say Raleigh has lost whatever Southern charm it originally had, I wouldn't describe Indy as friendly either. One of the things that struck me most was the downright surly customer service at the grocery stores, many restaurants, etc., and the amount of horn blowing. I've never seen such aggressive and rude drivers. I didn't expect small talk in the grocery line like you get here, but there are times bags would basically be thrown at me and customer service people acted like you were a bother. I spent quite a bit of time in Boston with the job that moved me to Indy, and I found people in Boston to be much friendlier than people in Indy.
I made quite a few friends in Indy, but almost all were transplants from outside Indianapolis. People from small towns in Indiana were almost always friendly, and I don't remember having any really bad experiences in small town Indiana. Many of my other friends were from other parts of the Midwest or from outside the region.
If the career opportunities seem better in Indy, I'd probably go with it, especially giving the COL differences.
I'm not going to get into which city is the best but you are homering a bit. Much ado is being made by the fact that Raleigh rests on the east coast thereby is more accessible to nearby metros and populations. You also made it a point to state that Indy is more isolated compared to RDU. Indy is perhaps one of the LEAST isolated city in the country. However for argument sake why don't we take a look at which city is closer to major population centers (1 million or more people) within a 300 mile range.
Major cities close to RDU (300 miles or less):
Charlotte - 167 mi
Richmond - 170 mi
Norfolk - 184 mi
Washington, DC - 278.5 mi Total population - 11,614,906
Major cities close to Indy (300 miles or less)
Cincinnati - 108 mi
Louisville - 114 mi
Columbus - 175.3 mi
Chicago - 181 mi
St. Louis - 242.3 mi
Grand Rapids - 263 mi
Milwaukee - 278 mi
Detroit - 279 mi
Nashville - 288 Total population - 30,752,707
Excellent analysis. You can say a lot of things about Indy, but it's not isolated. And the cities that it is connected to IMO trump the cities connected to Raleigh in every size class. I have spent more time in NC recently for travel and there is definitely a bit of a "we are east coast south so we're better" vibe.
I hesitate to say that Raleigh has a stronger economy than Indianapolis, since Indy has experienced explosive job growth in past several years whereas Raleigh's economic growth has been at somewhat of a standstill since the Great Recession.
Raleigh has had some of the fastest job growth in the nation for years. The area may have a slow month here and there, but the trend lines are very positive and the income levels are considerably higher than the national average. Indianapolis is performing respectably and may be a better fit for some people than Raleigh, but to claim that Raleigh isn't growing economically is inaccurate.
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