Charlotte or Raleigh??? (Durham, Concord: crime rate, neighborhoods, high school)

[msdiva777]

I have read many post and I would like someone to share the major difference between the two cities (Shopping, Schools, City Life, Housing, etc)

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by msdiva777

I have read many post and I would like someone to share the major difference between the two cities (Shopping, Schools, City Life, Housing, etc)

Raleigh only has half the population of Charlotte.
Charlotte has the NFL and NBA teams.
Average household income is the same for both cities, but housing costs are higher in Raleigh.
Schools are overcrowded in both cities.
Malls in both cities are nice, but Charlotte has the largest.
Charlotte has the 3 time state football championship team - Independence High School.
Both cities are family oriented - not exactly hot spots for singles.

[tigerlily]

Both cities are family oriented - not exactly hot spots for singles.


Not that one should rely solely on poll results when making relocation decisons, but Forbes rates the Raleigh-Durham area at #4, up from #7 last year for singles. My son is interested in relocating and found this on their website.

[linearity]

I think Charlotte is a nice place to raise a family, if you choose to live in a surrounding suburb of Charlotte. We moved here from Albuquerque (where we lived IN ABQ) and now live in Concord. We feel very safe in Concord. People are friendly. Schools are good. Family things to do here. And that goes for some of the other suburbs surrounding Charlotte as well.

[southward bound]

I recently heard a news report that Charlotte has a very high crime rate. The report stated that the crime rate was as bad as, if not worse than, Los Angeles.

We were also told to stay away from settling in Durham for the same reason, and this from people who live in Durham.

[carolinablue]

Originally Posted by southward bound

I recently heard a news report that Charlotte has a very high crime rate. The report stated that the crime rate was as bad as, if not worse than, Los Angeles.

We were also told to stay away from settling in Durham for the same reason, and this from people who live in Durham.

Charlotte itself is not at all a dangerous city, just like any other large city in America its going to have its good and bad areas. Since I moved here over a year ago, I have experienced no violent or dangerous crime( knocks on wood)

I Have family in Durham and they tell me the same. I know there is a problem with gangs but Im not sure about the crime rates compared with other cities.

[Bull City Rising]

Originally Posted by carolinablue

Charlotte itself is not at all a dangerous city, just like any other large city in America its going to have its good and bad areas. Since I moved here over a year ago, I have experienced no violent or dangerous crime( knocks on wood)

I Have family in Durham and they tell me the same. I know there is a problem with gangs but Im not sure about the crime rates compared with other cities.

My wife and I live in Durham and feel perfectly safe here. It is exactly like Charlotte and many other U.S. cities -- there are some areas that are deeply impoverished and have problems with crime, and there are lots of other areas that don't, and which have strong neighborhoods, great shopping, good schools, etc.

While there are gang issues and violent crime problems, they are almost entirely isolated to a single district of the city. Not to minimize the problem or the impact on those areas of the town, but it is not a pervasive, everywhere problem.

If you want to take a look for yourself, check out http://www.ci.durham.nc.us/gis_apps/..._entryform.cfm. The areas of Durham bordered by downtown on the west, US 70 on the east, the Durham Freeway/NC 147 on the south have tended to be more economically-disadvantaged and plagued with higher crime rates. I feel the remainder of the city compares very favorably with the rest of the Triangle.

[friendnc]

Schools: As far as performance, Raleigh's might do a little better. Both system's are really crowded.

Both have very strong economies.

Cost of living is a little less in the Charlotte area.

Recreationally, there's much more in the Chalotte area. Charlotte has NFL/NBA, major theme park/water park, a large indoor water park, lakes, huge whitewater center, lots of museums, ect. Both have good shopping/restaurants, but Charlotte has a little more. Regional malls, Charlotte area 6; Raleigh area 4.

Both are very good areas to live.

[kirk902]

hey raleighs getting there okay.

[Desdemona123]

Originally Posted by lovesMountains

Raleigh only has half the population of Charlotte.
Charlotte has the NFL and NBA teams.
Average household income is the same for both cities, but housing costs are higher in Raleigh.
Schools are overcrowded in both cities.
Malls in both cities are nice, but Charlotte has the largest.
Charlotte has the 3 time state football championship team - Independence High School.
Both cities are family oriented - not exactly hot spots for singles.

Yeah, and Raleigh has the NHL and lots of great college sports. (NC State, UNC and we have to count Duke for this).