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I'm looking into moving soon.. torn between NC, SC, VA and DC areas. I want GOOD, safe public transportation (bus system or metro).
Please share the general city you live in if you're from NC and how your bus system is? Or if you've been around NC and know of great areas for public transit. Thank you much.
Charlotte is the only city in NC with a light rail system, and it's pretty rudimentary right now. There is only 1 line, although a second line is under construction. Charlottes bus service is pretty good, most others cities have pretty basic bus service, with the exception of Chapel Hill.
Our bus system isn't anywhere close to what is needed now or will be needed in the near future, either! For the size of the city, and the expanding nearby areas most of us 'commute' to and from, it is laughable. IF you rely on public transportation in your life, you will NOT be happy in Charlotte or the surrounding areas (as in 1 hour surrounding). Just the truth.
I think the only area you mentioned that has acceptable level of public transportation is the DC area (parts of NoVa included). Most everyone relies heavily on cars to get around and it is my opinion that the road layout in Raleigh and most of Eastern NC was not well designed to handle the traffic volume it now experiences.
I'm looking into moving soon.. torn between NC, SC, VA and DC areas. I want GOOD, safe public transportation (bus system or metro).
As another said, the best choice among these 4 is Washington DC (including Northern Virginia) if you depend on public transportation. The Virginia Beach/Norfolk Virginia area might be worth considering, so you should ask at the Hampton Roads sub-forum.
I live near Jacksonville, NC which does have buses. However, it would be very restrictive for getting you to job locations. You could probably get to the Mall and other restaurants and retail stores, and doctors offices and the hospital.
I'm from the Research Triangle suburbs way out in north Raleigh, and buses don't come this far out. We have the CAT buses in Raleigh, but I barely see anyone ride them whenever I see them around town. The area is so spread out that practically everyone owns a car. The area is growing, but suburbs are stretching out. There has been some talk about a light rail for the Triangle, but I don't ever see that happening. Almost everyone drives their own car around here.
I had a job offer a few years ago in DC, and would have used public transit to commute - I agree that the DC metro area is easily the best choice if this is an important criteria. That being said, I'm pretty confident I would not have liked living there, and am so glad I waited for a better opportunity in NC.
Please share the general city you live in if you're from NC and how your bus system is? Or if you've been around NC and know of great areas for public transit. Thank you much.
I don't think you must know much about NC at all if you think there is anywhere with "great" public transportation. Have you ever been here? If not, why are you thinking of moving here? Cars are a necessity in almost every inch of NC unless you live right by where you work.
What city's public transportation are you comparing it to?
The Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point) has a regional bus system (P.A.R.T.) P.A.R.T. will eventually introduce a commuter/light rail system in the Triad with hub stations in Greensboro, PTI Airport, High Point and Winston-Salem and smaller stations in between. But that will be many years away. Greensboro and High Point both have Amtrak service. Winston-Salem currently doesn't have any rail service and is the only major NC city without it. And of course the Triad cities have basic city bus service.
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