Charlotte vs. Raleigh: Conflicting Opinions (Chapel Hill: appointed, transplants, sales)

[rentingcouple]

My boyfriend and I are looking to move to Charlotte sometime within the next few months, as I had heard so much about it being not only one of the most hip, up-and-coming places for young people to live (especially moving from the Northeast, like us); but also one of the best places to find jobs in the country right now (and not just for banking; we're in the arts). I've been doing a lot of research and asking questions on this site (and getting really great, informative answers), but recently I've had random conversations with people from North Carolina who strongly prefer Raleigh....?

Now, I'm not being lazy -- I'll do the Raleigh research, too -- but I was previously under the impression that Raleigh is smaller, with less jobs and not-as-good schools. I've now been told by these Raleigh-lovers that Charlotte is the more conservative of the two (I'm not, but that detail doesn't bother me much) and that Charlotte's job market is really only full of opportunities for those in business/finance or education.

Can anyone weigh in on this conflicting info and set the record straight? I realize it's just a matter of opinion and preference, but I'd take the word of anyone who has lived or spent an ample amount of time in both cities. We just want to be somewhere with a lot of artsy people in their 20s and 30s, who love to go out to funky restaurants but also explore the outdoors; have an appreciation for theatre and music but also things like museums and historic architecture. Oh, and we want to be able to rent a condo or townhome for less than $1,000 a month.

So....Charlotte or Raleigh?

[kmway]

Raleigh has great schools, and is a fantastic city. What is comes down to is whether you want a large city or a smaller one. There is plenty of art and culture and good eats in both places(although Charlotte does have the larger arts scene by far, but Raleigh is not devoid of the arts).

[carolina_guy]

As someone who has lived in both places (Raleigh 3 years recently, Charlotte 24 years) I can tell you based on your criteria you will be much happier in Charlotte, my humble opinion of course. While Raleigh does have what you are seeking, the magnitude is much greater in Charlotte. I think you would be bored in Raleigh like I was. The difference in nightlife is night and day and Raleigh falls short (compared to Charlotte) when it comes to variety of funky, unique places to eat. You will not get the major arts in Raleigh like you do in Charlotte (broadways, symphonies, musicals etc.) although like kmway, Raleigh is not devoid of such things. I think Charlotte is cleaner (of course Charlotte does have 'dirty' areas) and has a much more lively atmosphere. So while you can get everything you are looking for in both places, you will have more to do in Charlotte. Charlotte is more of a major city while Raleigh has more of a small town environment/mentality (not speaking populations here). Hope this helps!

[findingmesomeday]

It really is a matter of personal preference. We've been trying to get to Raleigh, though Charlotte is our second choice. Actually I believe Raleigh has better schools (I'm not comparing Wake Co here which is a nightmare from the rapid growth--I'm talking the outlying school districts, especially Chapel Hill).

Also, something about Charlotte seemed more "deep South" to me and while I'm not knocking "deep South" at all, I think we'd be more comfortable as Yankee transplants, in the Triangle area.

[friendnc]

I've always lived in the Charlotte area and have in-laws in the Raleigh area. Both area two of the best places to live in the U.S., have strong economies, and are very good in their own right. I personally prefer the Charlotte area for the reasons the previous posters stated. Charlotte has a livelier feel, there's more to do recreationally, and the area in general has a little lower cost of living. There's a good mix of cons./libs/mods who generally get along well, so that shouldn't be an issue. In a nutshell, from what you discribed, I'd go with Charlotte.

[joanchris2000]

Originally Posted by NChomesomeday

Also, something about Charlotte seemed more "deep South" to me and while I'm not knocking "deep South" at all, I think we'd be more comfortable as Yankee transplants, in the Triangle area.

Now, I've only lived her for 2 mos, but I have not encountered anything resembling deep south here in the Charlotte area (we're in Union County). I have not met one single "native" in our new subdivision, have heard a few southern accents from my children's classmates, but not the majority. Many of the teachers/administrators in the schools seem to be from here, but I've felt nothing but welcome here. Doctors, sales people, waitstaff at restaurants etc, all friendly and many transplants as well.

[RobbBrown21]

Last month I visited the city of Raleigh and stayed around the Crabtree Valley area which is a nice area with a nice mall and is close to Glenwood Ave.,which takes you right into downtown Raleigh. For me, I was very disappointed with Raleigh. What they call their hip and happening spots was not what I would consider hip and happening. Mind you, I am from Chicago so I am a bit biased because I am really use to hip and happening spots. I found the downtown area extremely dead and nothing going on and it was a real ghost town. They are building high-rise condos down there and there are some restaurants, but it's just not on the same leve with Charlotte's Uptown. Raleigh is a cute quiet small city. North Raleigh, not a whole lot of culture going up there, however, there is a lot of new subdivisions and town centers being built. If you're young and single, I think you would be very bored. There are a few taverns and bars in North Raleigh,, but not what I would consider hip and happening. Mostly professionals who get together after a long day at work, who then go home and get ready to start their day all over again.

Now as far as Charlotte I just got back from there after spending a week there. Uptown, it was amazing, full of life and energy. I visited Uptown on a Sunday and there were a lot of people hanging out and walking around. There is theater, stadiums, restaurants and just a very nice vibe. I think Charlotte is a great city for young folks and young professionals and empty nesters who want to be close to some action.

I highly recommend that you visit both cities to see for yourself. For me I heard some of the same things that folks told you about Raleigh, but when I got there and drove around I knew instantly I could never live there. Amtrak has a commuter train service that runs from Raleigh to Charlotte, you may want to check it out and it will allow you to maybe see some nice scenery.

The one thing that I found that was consistent in both cities is that folks are very helpful and friendly. I have experienced very good customer service and every wait person has been awesome and earned a 20% tip.

Go check it out and make it an adventure. Take a nice digital camera so that you can remember things that caught your interest. Good luck!

[carolina_guy]

RobbBrown has said it much better than I did and I agree 100% with everything he says. I really don't have much to add. Great post!

[RDU]

Charlotte tends to me more of a 'big south' city with lots going for it, but it is still a little more conservative than Raleigh. Three large research universities,North Carolina, Duke and N.C State contribute to a more progressive atmosphere in the Triangle. Raleigh is just finally taking their downtown area seriously, but if you want a more urban feel than I would check out Charlotte. If you want a more funky feel than I would check out the western part of the triangle (especially Chapel Hill and Carboro).

As for jobs, RTP (Research Triangle Park) is the center of commerce in the triangle and includes large operation centers for companies such as IBM, Cisco,lenovo,Nortel Networks etc. There are also many leading biopharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline. On the other hand Charlotte is considered the American Banking Capitol with large intitutions such as Bank of America and Wachovia.

I don't have any experience with the Charlotte school system, but from what I have heard Wake County schools seem to be a little better than Charlotte. Though the schools here are experiencing overcrowding from a tremendous population shift into the area.

Raleigh tends to be viewed as a more conservative city because until now it hasn't invested into it's downtown. It's uncommon for one's downtown not to be the center of business for the area. Both metro's are growing tremendously, so the best thing to do is check them both out and be honest with yourself.

[tarp]

Raleigh has much better nightlife than Charlotte. Charlotte probably has more venues but Raleigh is much more fun. The people I ran into seemed more outgoing and more educated in Raleigh as well. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Charlotte has no major universities other than UNC-Charlotte, while the Triangle area has 3 major universities. Charlotte, while not terrible, is basically a wasteland for single 20-somethings...