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Things to do/see: I will go with Richmond here since it's a denser, more historic city with a nice natural setting on the James River
Climate: I don't think they are too dissimilar here, except that Richmond probably gets a little more snow in the winter but I could be wrong about that
Outdoorsie/Scenery/Camping/Hiking-near by (with in an hour drive): Richmond since it's closer to the mountains
Job Opportunities: Overall probably Raleigh, but Richmond has a larger corporate base so it really boils down to one's career field
Cost of living VS Income ratio: Because it's not growing as quickly but still has a respectable corporate base, I'm guessing that Richmond might have the edge here. But both are relatively cheap places in which to live.
Safe, Raise Family: Probably Raleigh overall
Nearby places/vacation spots/travel: I think Richmond is a little closer to the beach but the distance from, say, Richmond to Virginia Beach and Raleigh to Wilmington is negligible. Virginia has a smattering of small historic towns that are worth a visit and aren't that far from Richmond. And of course, Richmond is closer to a large metro (DC).
Friendly people: Subjective
Schools: Raleigh
Pollution/Air and water quality: No clue
Which city is Greener?: Not sure, but both are relatively green being that they are in the Piedmont region.
I'll try not to be biased because I live in the Raleigh metro, but here we go...
Things to do/see: Depends on your interests, Raleigh has multiple concert venues (Cary has a fairly large one too), a fairly decent and growing downtown, North hills (I absolutely love North hills for some reason), etc.. I don't know too much about Richmond, but I know they have a good number of historical sites to visit / tour, I don't really know anything else though so I'll go with Raleigh for this category. Climate: I'd say they're probably both pretty similar here; Richmond probably has a little less-mild winter and Raleigh might have a little longer, hotter summer. But still, very similar, if at all different. I'm going to once again go with Raleigh because I love hot weather and don't care for snow. Outdoorsie/Scenery/Camping/Hiking-near by (with in an hour drive): How long is the drive from Richmond to the mountains? I'd say it's within an hour, maybe a little more, so I'll give this one to Richmond. Raleigh has a bunch of parks and trails, but it's a good 2-4 hour drive to the mountains for good hiking terrain. Job Opportunities: It probably depends on what kind of job you want, but i'm giving this to Raleigh just because it has more universities and hospitals within 25 miles. And can't forget RTP. Cost of living VS Income ratio: Taxes not figured in (I don't feel like doing the math), Raleigh wins.
Raleigh average household Income/Average home cost in 2009: 51,969 / 214,900
Richmond average household Income/Average home cost in 2009: 36,928 / 205,900 Safe, Raise Family : I don't know Richmond's crime statistics, but i'm going with Raleigh on this one once again because of it's very low crime rate, it's mainly suburban, tons of parks, the children's marbles museum, huge amount of great private schools / very good public schools. Nearby places/vacation spots/travel: I'll give this category to both places because they each are very close to great vacation spots. Friendly people: I'm not doing this one, I've never really spent much time in Richmond so I can't judge. Raleigh is very friendly. Schools: Raleigh. Pollution/Air and water quality: I don't work for the EPA so I wouldn't know. Which city is Greener? From just driving through Richmond it doesn't look as green as Raleigh. You can't even tell you're in a city by driving through the interstate in Raleigh.
Richmond is more urban. Raleigh has a better vibe.Neighborhoods are a toss-up. Richmond has a better urban core but both downtowns leave alot to be desired. Richmond has alot of crime, Raleighs is almost non-existent. I will give the edge to Raleigh for being greener however to be fair Richmond seems more built-up to me.
Richmond is much more of the classic urban city, while Raleigh is not. Raleigh is the "greener" of the two, and is cleaner and has much less crime than Richmond. Both have good access to the beach and mountains. RIC is near to Washington while Raleigh is near to Charlotte. Climate is similar, except Richmond averages like 4 inches of snow more. Both have a major sprawl issue. Raleigh's got the advantage on local institutes of higher education.
Raleigh has a rich history (although, so does Richmond)
Raleigh and Richmond aren't even in the same category when it comes to history. If you consider Raleigh's history "rich," then you need a much better superlative to describe Richmond's.
Raleigh easily! There is a reason it's been in the top 5 fastest growing metros for like the last 10-15 years. Richmond had it's hey day back in the 1970's/80's just look at the population and it tells the tale. Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill is very progressive with a good mix of eductionial, bio technology, Government to drive the local economy and seems to be embracing the 21st century with open arms. Richmond not so much.
Richmond, not even a contest, Raleigh is still "Mayberry"...Boring.......Raleigh has nothing compared to Shockoe Slip.
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