Raleigh NC vs. GR comparison (Detroit, Grand Rapids: tech jobs, public school, universities)

[PJ2483]

Ok, I am curious if someone has lived in both places and can share their thoughts as far as Pros/Cons, quality of life, etc.. Please no bashing one city over the other. I am from TC, MI and I want some honest, straight forward answers. Thank-you in advance.

Pat

[gichicago]

Oh, good comparison. I grew up in GR, and lived in RDU area for 1/2 year and traveled there extensively. Similar in a sense in terms of size, downtown, quality of life and both are close to popular shore towns (Grand Haven, Wilmington)

If I had to choose, I'd take RDU. Liveliness, I'll give the edge to Raleigh, given the proximity of Universities, which GR can't match. RDU gets the edge for jobs given its bigger technology presence (research triangle).

* From a family perspective, i can't speak to RDU, but GR has it made, given its good public school systems and pace of life.

[magellan]

gichicago has it down pretty well. Although I would add that Grand Rapids' downtown has Raleigh's beat for cleanliness and character. The historic districts and the plethora of old (rejuvenated) buildings in downtown GR are pretty unique for a city its size (saying that as a non-native Grand Rapidian). Downtown Raleigh has better office buildings. Retail in downtown GR isn't great. Even TC's is better.

Raleigh beats GR hands down in bio-tech and tech jobs in general. GR probably has the upper hand in the design community and advanced manufacturing. Raleigh beats GR in growth, some would argue "unchecked growth." GR is eons ahead of Raleigh with mass transit (BRT and light rail/streetcars in the works)

[mt67]

we lived in GR/Cascade for the longest time and moved to R/WF a few years ago.
schools: heads up for GR
city :tie
weather: def. R
jobs:R

[PJ2483]

Hey Everyone,

Thanks to everyone who has posted thus far. I am only 25 and I think Raleigh is a pretty decent town to live in. They say it is a singles hotspot, but being single myself I really do not see it. From my exp. thus far, you are either in college or married with kids. There is not alot of the middle 20's crowd or from what I have seen anyways. Aside from the weather and jobs in Raleigh, I am starting to miss some of the things MI offers.... such as the great lakes, clean air, small and large clean blue lakes in every direction and the UP. I know the employment situation is bad right now in MI, but I have confidence that one day it will turn around. The other important thing is I want to be closer to my family and Raleigh is too far from TC, MI. That is why I will prob. move to GR in the next 3 years or so, because TC is too seasonal for my tastes and I like what GR offers and its location to TC, Chicago, and Lake Michigan. Maybe I am wrong, but I think the (1) thing that is really going to hurt Raleigh in the future is the uncontrolled growth and sprawl here and the slow and minimal planning by the city to control it. Thanks again for your replies.

Pat

[gichicago]

Originally Posted by PJ2483

Hey Everyone,

Thanks to everyone who has posted thus far. I am only 25 and I think Raleigh is a pretty decent town to live in. They say it is a singles hotspot, but being single myself I really do not see it. From my exp. thus far, you are either in college or married with kids. There is not alot of the middle 20's crowd or from what I have seen anyways. Aside from the weather and jobs in Raleigh, I am starting to miss some of the things MI offers.... such as the great lakes, clean air, small and large clean blue lakes in every direction and the UP. I know the employment situation is bad right now in MI, but I have confidence that one day it will turn around. The other important thing is I want to be closer to my family and Raleigh is too far from TC, MI. That is why I will prob. move to GR in the next 3 years or so, because TC is too seasonal for my tastes and I like what GR offers and its location to TC, Chicago, and Lake Michigan. Maybe I am wrong, but I think the (1) thing that is really going to hurt Raleigh in the future is the uncontrolled growth and sprawl here and the slow and minimal planning by the city to control it. Thanks again for your replies.

Pat

True. From what I know, jobless rate in GR is bad, but not Detroit bad. Singles life is a toss up; I feel like it would be slightly better in Raleigh given the universities and industry.

One thing I'll add is GR's long summer. Its great having the sunset in 9pm in GR (even longer in UP/TC). That allowed me to go mountain biking after work for a good hour or two before the sunset. My wife is from East Coast and is amazed at the long summers when we visit, which is especially nice on the shore in Grand Haven or Saugatuck.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by gichicago

True. From what I know, jobless rate in GR is bad, but not Detroit bad. Singles life is a toss up; I feel like it would be slightly better in Raleigh given the universities and industry.

One thing I'll add is GR's long summer. Its great having the sunset in 9pm in GR (even longer in UP/TC). That allowed me to go mountain biking after work for a good hour or two before the sunset. My wife is from East Coast and is amazed at the long summers when we visit, which is especially nice on the shore in Grand Haven or Saugatuck.

There are about 50,000 college students in GR. I'd say it's a wash between the two. Nightlife is about the same.

As far as jobless rates go, GR's latest was about 7.7%, Raleigh's was 6.5%.

[shwebs]

I just had to reply to this. I was born and raised in GR and have lived in NC for the last 10 years. While I won't bore you with the details, MI wins in every aspect I can think of. I would move back to MI in a heartbeat if possible, and hopefully one day it will be. Don't get me wrong, NC has some nice aspects, but overall MI wins by a mile.

[actinic]

Originally Posted by PJ2483

From my exp. thus far, you are either in college or married with kids.

Funny, that's exactly what I would of said about Grand Rapids.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by actinic

Funny, that's exactly what I would of said about Grand Rapids.

I think most mid-sized cities are tough for singles, just because there's not the density of other singles. You pretty much have to go to a much larger city like Denver, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, etc. to lay claim that it's a "great city for singles". Would Des Moines be considered a great city for singles? Salt Lake City? Indianapolis? Colorado Springs? Probably not.