louisville-nashville-or raliegh

[rnc76]

I think the take's on Louisville and Nashville are pretty much accurate. I will add a little more about Raleigh. Raleigh's job market is incredible (especially in pharmaceuticals, biomed, software, academics) but property prices are higher and can be shockingly high in the desirable areas like just about anwhere "Inside the Beltline" or Chapel Hill. Raleigh/Chapel Hill/Durham is amazingly spread out for a metro of its size. Traffic has gotten MUCH worse in recent years. I have gone there probably 15 times over the past 25 years and watched it change from a nice, laid back medium sized city with friendly residents to a mini-Atlanta with a slightly snobby attitude and everyone seems in a hurry. My opinion is the people there have gotten a little snooty with their status of being the Northeast's "found" hotspot. That being said, there are a lot of really nice areas and for the most part the people are very nice.

The proximity to the beach and mountains is a plus for Raleigh. It is about a 2.5 hour drive to the beach or the mountains. It is very common for people in the RTP area to take a weekend trip to the beach or a cabin in the mountains. Needless to say, the beach is MUCH further from Nashville or Louisville. Nashville is about the same distance to the mountains. I think one of the main drawbacks to Louisville is how far it is from an ocean or the mountains. I do however love the city of Louisville itself, which is much more of a city, has wonderful neighborhoods with character and a great park system.

I also like the influence the universities, UNC, NC State and Duke have on the RTP region. It seems to add youth and vitality to the entire area, not just the neigbhorhoods bordering the university.

[instigator al]

For what its worth , I must say that i am unimpressed with all three cities.

I live in the Northern Ky area, so I am somewhat familiar with Louisville. It has it's good points and bad just like any large city. The area in general is very pretty and the surrounding country to the south and south east is fantastic.

However, I find Louisville proper to be an old slightly worn out dumpy kind of place overall. Not where I would want to live.

My experience with Nashville is very limited. However I have been there and found it to be much larger then I thought it would be. Its crowded and congested,however I think it is a little cleaner then Louisville. Again the country outside Nashville is very beautiful , and as for the weather it is much better then Louisville in the winter.

Overall I found Nashville to be just another big city.

Now as for Raleigh. I absolutely hate the place. First of all the traffic and congestion is absolutely horrible. I also find the topography to be very tedious. Nothing, and I mean nothing but pine trees everywhere. They are so thick that there are signs on the freeway telling you what stores and amenities are at that particular offramp because you can see absolutely nothing.

Very cold miserable winters as well. The schools are over crowded and under built as a result of the massive growth over the past few years. Very over rated in my opinion.

Sorry I don't mean to be so negative , but that is how I feel about those places. In my opinion, Lexington and Knoxville are the better options along with charlotte NC.

AL

[Peter1948]

It's funny you have such strong opinions about places you admittedly know little about.

[terrie07]

thank u to everyone for all ur help i think i'll stay away from nashville i dont need to trade 1 high crime area for another

i want a city with low crime, child friendly, jobs, and lots of activites to do

where a nice 2 bedroom is around 700$ a month

i dont like country music and i work for the local govt so i think maybe raliegh is the better place although there schools are so overcrowded

[EclecticEars]

Louisville: I've lived there. The best of what Kentucky has to offer in terms of quality of life, arts, entertainment, recreation, culture, and dining. But, I had some bad experiences there that outweighed the good so much that I haven't forgotten about them. It's a shame, too, but I wouldn't bluntly discourage people from moving there. Since I know some things about it, obviously, I'll give you a little scoop: The arts scene is among the best endowed and most diverse of any comparable-sized city. The Olmstead Park system is one of the largest and most expansive in the country--and most beautiful. Jefferson Memorial Forest is, at 6,200 acres, the largest urban forest in America. Highlands and Crescent Hill are two of the most eclectic, diverse neighborhoods you'll find in the midwest. Old Louisville is mostly on the National Register of Historic Places and is America's largest preserved neighborhood of Victorian homes.

Nashville: home of Vanderbilt, great suburban areas, best nightlife of the three cities, capital of TN, better job market than Louisville, comparable cost of living, no income tax, higher sales taxes, Tennessee is friendlier than KY or NC generally, Tennessee is the most beautiful state in the east! I'd recommend looking into Gallatin, White House, or Lebanon as nice suburban communities.

Raleigh: home of NC State, close to UNC and Duke, best job market, Research Triangle Park, capital of NC, the highest-rated but most "yankee-fied" suburbs of the three cities, okay sales taxes, high income tax, three hours from ocean and mountains, most central to Atlanta and DC should an urge arise to take a good weekend trip.

I think I have to go with Nashville on this one!