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I don't think you are going to find a "perfect" place so you have to decide which things matter the most. Do you want a big city with pro sports and skyscrapers ? Do you want a dense city that is walkable? Do you want to avoid traffic? How are you going to be able to handle the climate?
IMO people from the northeast seem to like the Carolinas the most. They are geographically closer and there are more northeastern transplants. Charlotte and Raleigh are both nice enough places with reasonable cost of living. Neither is very urban by NE standards, but Charlotte is a little more so. Raleigh's economy is more centered on education and high tech. Charlotte is more business (esp banking and finance). Both are more than an hour from the beach, but still fairly accessible. Raleigh has a very low crime rate and Charlotte isn't bad.
Charleston is closer to the beach (right on the coast). It is smaller than Charlotte or Raleigh but the downtown area is quite dense and it is a lovely place architecturally. It has a very old timey feel and I have heard that it is tough to break into socially (no idea if this is true or not). It is a great place to visit, seems like it might be a bit limited to actually live there.
Atlanta is a bigger city and of course has a huge airport which might make it easier to get back to see family. Traffic is pretty tough in Atlanta and there is more violent crime than most of the other places you are considering. It has the best subway system in the south (MARTA).
Savannah is kind of similar to Charleston but even smaller.
New Orleans feels more like a NE city with its street grid and density. Of course it isn't East Coast and is much further from the NE and the heat/humidity might be a shock to someone from Boston. Overall crime rate isn't too high, but the murder rate is the worst in the country. There is very easy access to beaches in Mississippi which are okay, and in about three hours you can get to the beaches of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle which are quite nice. NOLA is the most walkable big city in the south.
- hour or less from beach - Charleston, Savannah, Charleston
- no crazy traffic out of the cities listed AND an hour from beach - Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Savannah
- booming middle class AND short winter - Charleston, savannah, myrtle beach (colder than charleston, and savannah though)
I lived in Savannah and wouldn't recommend it. myrtle Beach is cool but I think Charleston would be the winner in my opinion and using your criteria.
To add to this-- slower pace of life but still some downtown younger vibe, low cost of living, southern courtesy, lots of music and art, as well as history, wonderful food, and I have
To repeat no bad traffic, and no long winter, so you have each of the four seasons that you would miss in Tampa.
Needless to say it is on our short list for retirement locations.
While I love Charleston as a vacation spot, it strikes me as having a very established social heirarchy. So I vote for Raleigh - it seems like more of a middle class city. The closest beach is near Wilmington which is a cool little city.
Raliegh will be close to your friends back home. You could even take the train.
That's an overblown perception. Sure you'll find some blue-blooded Charlestonians in the area whose roots go back generations, but the place has been becoming so inundated with transplants until it's almost a non-factor now.
- hour or less from beach - Charleston, Savannah, Charleston
- no crazy traffic out of the cities listed AND an hour from beach - Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Savannah
- booming middle class AND short winter - Charleston, savannah, myrtle beach (colder than charleston, and savannah though)
I lived in Savannah and wouldn't recommend it. myrtle Beach is cool but I think Charleston would be the winner in my opinion and using your criteria.
Thanks. Charleston is high up on my list right now. I love Savannah, why do you not recommend it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by creeksitter
While I love Charleston as a vacation spot, it strikes me as having a very established social heirarchy. So I vote for Raleigh - it seems like more of a middle class city. The closest beach is near Wilmington which is a cool little city.
Raliegh will be close to your friends back home. You could even take the train.
I have heard that there is a very established social hierarchy in Charleston as well. I was a bit worried about that but I guess we have the same thing in New England with the WASPs and I guess preppy country club culture being the culture of success here.
I don't think you are going to find a "perfect" place so you have to decide which things matter the most. Do you want a big city with pro sports and skyscrapers ? Do you want a dense city that is walkable? Do you want to avoid traffic? How are you going to be able to handle the climate?
IMO people from the northeast seem to like the Carolinas the most. They are geographically closer and there are more northeastern transplants. Charlotte and Raleigh are both nice enough places with reasonable cost of living. Neither is very urban by NE standards, but Charlotte is a little more so. Raleigh's economy is more centered on education and high tech. Charlotte is more business (esp banking and finance). Both are more than an hour from the beach, but still fairly accessible. Raleigh has a very low crime rate and Charlotte isn't bad.
Charleston is closer to the beach (right on the coast). It is smaller than Charlotte or Raleigh but the downtown area is quite dense and it is a lovely place architecturally. It has a very old timey feel and I have heard that it is tough to break into socially (no idea if this is true or not). It is a great place to visit, seems like it might be a bit limited to actually live there.
Atlanta is a bigger city and of course has a huge airport which might make it easier to get back to see family. Traffic is pretty tough in Atlanta and there is more violent crime than most of the other places you are considering. It has the best subway system in the south (MARTA).
Savannah is kind of similar to Charleston but even smaller.
New Orleans feels more like a NE city with its street grid and density. Of course it isn't East Coast and is much further from the NE and the heat/humidity might be a shock to someone from Boston. Overall crime rate isn't too high, but the murder rate is the worst in the country. There is very easy access to beaches in Mississippi which are okay, and in about three hours you can get to the beaches of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle which are quite nice. NOLA is the most walkable big city in the south.
Thanks for this well thought out post full of info.
Right now my BF & I are really interested in Charlotte, Charleston, and Raleigh.
He is the most into Charleston. I'm interested in all three because Raleigh seems sort of similar to Boston but warmer, and Charlotte might be good for my career in accounting or banking.
My standards are the warmer the better and I want a good place to start a career in accounting or finance.
To add to this-- slower pace of life but still some downtown younger vibe, low cost of living, southern courtesy, lots of music and art, as well as history, wonderful food, and I have
To repeat no bad traffic, and no long winter, so you have each of the four seasons that you would miss in Tampa.
Needless to say it is on our short list for retirement locations.
Which city are you refering to?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutiny77
That's an overblown perception. Sure you'll find some blue-blooded Charlestonians in the area whose roots go back generations, but the place has been becoming so inundated with transplants until it's almost a non-factor now.
But Raleigh is a good choice regardless.
What are the blue bloods of Charleston like compared to Boston blue bloods?
Thanks for this well thought out post full of info.
Right now my BF & I are really interested in Charlotte, Charleston, and Raleigh.
He is the most into Charleston. I'm interested in all three because Raleigh seems sort of similar to Boston but warmer, and Charlotte might be good for my career in accounting or banking.
My standards are the warmer the better and I want a good place to start a career in accounting or finance.
You are welcome.
A few more thoughts on those three. (And FYI, I have visited all three more than once, but have never lived in them or spent more than a couple of days at a time there).
Charleston is by far the most charming of those. It is beautiful and has a strong sense of place. I don't know a lot about the economy there, but I have always enjoyed my visits. The place just oozes history, the food is delicious. Being on the water is a big plus for me. It is the warmest of the places you are looking, but they are all going to be a lot warmer than where you are now. If you don't mind a place that is a little smaller (no skyscrapers, no pro sports) it might be a good choice.
IMO Raleigh is the most spread out of the three. Downtown is really only a few blocks and a lot of the bars, restaurants, etc are in shopping centers not neighborhoods. People like to talk about the Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) and how seamlessly it is integrated, but in my experience Durham and Chapel Hill feel pretty much merged together (you can get from one to the other in about 15 mins by car), but Raleigh is more distant. A few months ago I was visiting a friend in Raleigh and had some things to do in Chapel Hill and I was surprised at what a haul it was to get from one to the other (between 45 mins and an hour). It has the feel of a place that is on the rise though, and having three major universities gives the area a certain vibrancy.
Charlotte looks the most like a major city. It has a nice downtown with lots of tall shiny buildings. It has a few new museums downtown, and the pro sports (NFL, NBA, and they are currently building a AAA minor league ballpark) are all in the urban core. It has a small light rail system. I'm not overly familiar with the neighborhoods. Of the three it has the largest airport which might be a consideration for you with family far away (it is one of the top 15 airports by both passenger boardings and total passenger traffic). Overall it seems like a nice place and my friends who live there seem to like it. Some people get defensive when it gets knocked for a lack of culture, but I think that is a fair criticism. It doesn't have any "major" universities, isn't a state capital, doesn't have a lot of historic architecture, and there isn't much iconic that you instantly associate with the city. IMO it is a quite pleasant place that is on the rise, but it is a touch bland.
For finance, I would say Charlotte first, Atlanta second, Raleigh third and Miami a distant fourth (if you speak Spanish, otherwise irrelevant). The others are mostly irrelevant.
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totally agree
