Move to DMV area, Raleigh/Durham NC, or Charlotte NC? (Milwaukee: transplants, crime)

[smariem]

I am from Milwaukee, WI but am unhappy with the limited variety of career, cultural, and entertainment opportunities here as well as the short summers and harsh winters. I've already decided that staying is not an option. But, this year may be the year that I make the actual decision go ahead and move.

I am considering the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area, Raliegh/Durham NC area, or Charlotte NC. But, I would like some opinions from people who live or have lived in these areas. If you could also add reasons for your choice and specific neighborhoods to look at, that would be great as well.

Here are things that are important to me:
1. High educated and affluent African American population.
2. Excellent schools for my young child.
3. Quiet family oriented neighborhood with all of my neccessities nearby, but still be very close to downtown/uptown areas. Something that is somewhat of a cross between urban and suburban. Shops, grocery, and playgrounds within walking distance would be nice, but is not required. Small dog friendly would be great as well.
4. Nice 3br homes/townhomes between $250K-$750K. Of course, the more I could get for my money, the better.
5. Pretty good wholesome single men population. I am a single mother looking to get married one day.

Thanks for your help!

[northbound74]

You probably should post this in the General U.S. forum or the City V. City sub-forum. Also check out the forums for those places you mentioned for more specific info.

[Devitron5000]

Wait... you're discontent with the cultural and entertainment options in Milwaukee, yet you're considering places where they entertainment options begin and end with college hoops (Raliegh-Durham) and NASCAR (Charlotte). Wow... good luck with that!

[Crown Vic...]

High educated and affluent African American population:

Prince George's County, Maryland is the most affluent and educated county in the country with an African-American majority. It gets a bad rep but only because the areas that border D.C. are ghetto and/or have crime issues. But if you look outside of the beltway (Largo, Bowie, Mitchellville, Greenbelt, Woodmore, Upper Marlboro, Fort Washington) you'll be fine, those are some really nice areas and lots of affluent black people.

2. Excellent schools for my young child.

This is one area P.G. county may not do so well in, it's school district is having a lot of problems right now but its not that bad. The schools in the areas I named above are good. The best school districts in the DMV are Montgomery County, MD and Fairfax County, VA.

3. Quiet family oriented neighborhood with all of my neccessities nearby, but still be very close to downtown/uptown areas. Something that is somewhat of a cross between urban and suburban. Shops, grocery, and playgrounds within walking distance would be nice, but is not required. Small dog friendly would be great as well.

Okay this is where things may get tricky, because the affluent areas of PG aren't urban and requires a car. But there are diverse areas where you could find where your looking for. I'm thinking,

-Silver Spring, MD
-Alexandria, VA
-Arlington, VA

Those are urban D.C. suburbs, although both are very big, both have a downtown core, and both do have very suburban areas the further you venture out.

4. Nice 3br homes/townhomes between $250K-$750K. Of course, the more I could get for my money, the better.

Well the DMV is one of the most expensive metros in the country, its on par with Chicago, San Francisco, and Boston. But for the 500k-750k range you should be able to find something quite nice, maybe even a McMansion in the suburbs in the right areas.

That said, if you want a townhouse in the range or single family home look into all of the places I've named so far. The closer you are to D.C. and the more convient it is to public transit (metro subway) and shops the more costly it may be. If you wanna live further away from the city but want a McMansion look in Bowie, Woodmore, Upper Marlboro, Marlton, Mitchellville, Largo, Fort Washington, Clinton, Waldorf, Brandywine, Briggs Chaney, Greencastle, Burtonsville or Accokeek in Maryland.

If you want to live in a more urban environment and don't mind a townhouse look in Silver Spring, Wheaton, Takoma Park, and Rockville in Maryland. Also look at Alexandria and Arlington in Virginia.


5. Pretty good wholesome single men population. I am a single mother looking to get married one day.

D.C. and the suburbs has a large single population.

[drqhome]

Devitron5000, you would do well to check your US Census statistics over the last decade to determine just how many people moved to Charlotte and the RDU areas. Charlotte's MSA grew by 415,076 and and RDU's MSA grew by 418,756 between 2000 and 2009. All of these people did not move for weather alone although it was a factor. When I talk with people who have moved to Charlotte, I find that they come from all over. Large numbers of people come from large cities such as New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta etc. and, they generally have one thing in common. They love it in the Carolinas. Charlotte and RDU have become a smorgasbord of people moving in from all over. If people were not happy, they would move on to another city. The numbers speak for themselves.

[northbound74]

People just go where the jobs are.

[Devitron5000]

Originally Posted by drqhome

Devitron5000, you would do well to check your US Census statistics over the last decade to determine just how many people moved to Charlotte and the RDU areas. Charlotte's MSA grew by 415,076 and and RDU's MSA grew by 418,756 between 2000 and 2009. All of these people did not move for weather alone although it was a factor. When I talk with people who have moved to Charlotte, I find that they come from all over. Large numbers of people come from large cities such as New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta etc. and, they generally have one thing in common. They love it in the Carolinas. Charlotte and RDU have become a smorgasbord of people moving in from all over. If people were not happy, they would move on to another city. The numbers speak for themselves.

Everything you just said could describe any other sunbelt city... the Carolina's are hardly unique in that regard and it doesn't even address my point. I have no delusions about Milwaukee being some type of cultural mecca, but we at least have the Milwaukee Art Museum and Summerfest which both have international recognition (even the Guinness Book of Records in the case of the latter... even though I don't care for it personally).

I'm sure there's a lot of things the Carolinas have to offer that can't be found up here (weather that doesn't constitute self-torture to live in, for one), but cultural offerings certianly aren't one of them and I still have yet to hear any examples that would suggest otherwise.

[northbound74]

Most major cities have festivals and museums that are at least serviceable. Milwaukee's advantage over any southeastern city is that it's only an hour from a place like Chicago if big city cultural offerings are what you're after.
Speaking of weather, thanks to air conditioning and a service sector economy in which people get to work in air conditioning, the south no longer constitutes 'self-torture to live in'. Most modern day transplants will never fully appreciate the 6 months of 90-105 degree temps with 70-100% humidity. Even on this -10 morning I don't miss it. I don't miss it at all.

[Devitron5000]

Originally Posted by northbound74

Most major cities have festivals and museums that are at least serviceable. Milwaukee's advantage over any southeastern city is that it's only an hour from a place like Chicago if big city cultural offerings are what you're after.

Gee... I don't know where people get the idea that Milwaukee has an inferiority complex.

I brought up Summerfest and the MAM for a reason.. the reason being that both are far from the typical big city entertainment options. Granted, the actual selection at Summerfest tends to suck if you're not into classic rock or Nashville pop, but few cities have a music festival that draws close to a million people each year. The MAM on the other hand is the only American commission by arguably the world's most famous architect... it doesn't have an equivalent in Charlotte, Chicago or anywhere else in the U.S.

Again, I'm not saying that Milwaukee is some type of cultural mecca, but to say we don't have better options than what can be found in most sunbelt cities is absurd.

Originally Posted by northbound74

Speaking of weather, thanks to air conditioning and a service sector economy in which people get to work in air conditioning, the south no longer constitutes 'self-torture to live in'. Most modern day transplants will never fully appreciate the 6 months of 90-105 degree temps with 70-100% humidity. Even on this -10 morning I don't miss it. I don't miss it at all.

I actually brought weather up as one of the advantages the Carolinas have over Milwaukee.

[northbound74]

Originally Posted by Devitron5000

Gee... I don't know where people get the idea that Milwaukee has an inferiority complex.

I brought up Summerfest and the MAM for a reason.. the reason being that both are far from the typical big city entertainment options. Granted, the actual selection at Summerfest tends to suck if you're not into classic rock or Nashville pop, but few cities have a music festival that draws close to a million people each year. The MAM on the other hand is the only American commission by arguably the world's most famous architect... it doesn't have an equivalent in Charlotte, Chicago or anywhere else in the U.S.

Again, I'm not saying that Milwaukee is some type of cultural mecca, but to say we don't have better options than what can be found in most sunbelt cities is absurd.



I actually brought weather up as one of the advantages the Carolinas have over Milwaukee.

For the record, I like Milwaukee and don't intend to downplay what it has to offer. I didn't mean to slam MKE by pointing out it's proximity to Chicago. Milwaukee is plenty for me personally, but there are lots of people out there who would grow tired of Milwaukee simply because it doesn't have enough to keep them busy. I'm not from here and have no reservations about either town, but knowing Chicago is an arm's length away is pretty cool to me. It's on another level. The southeast has nothing remotely like it, so that's a plus for Milwaukee in my book. The southwest has L.A., but the Great Lakes are more my thing.

Summerfest may be the biggest music festival, but other cities of similar size also have enormous festivals relating to food, music, art or even a combination of those things. Some are spread out over the course of a month or two.

As for the art museum, I like it. It is an interesting, unique, and significant structure no doubt, but there are other buildings around the U.S. that demand similar respect.

I find Milwaukee to be more culturally interesting than most southern or sunbelt cities. For what it's worth, southeastern cities are far more culturally rich than the southwestern ones. I personally like Milwaukee better in those respects than many of it's midwestern peers. But still, it's kind of average in that way if I give it an unbiased look.

As for the weather, I'm just an oddball who prefers cold to hot, and I don't expect everyone or anyone to be the same. I do find it interesting that when I lived in the south there were all these northern transplants who complained daily about the heat. Guess they didn't get the memo.
The saddest cases were the ones who had to work outside or in non-air-conditioned buildings. Talk about a rude awakening. Some may find this hard to believe, but extreme heat is difficult and very dangerous much like extreme cold.