charlotte or raliegh (Raleigh, Cary: houses, job market, best schools)

[MDreplant]

Hello my wife and I are looking to relocate to NC from the eastern shore of MD. I wanted to hear from someone from Raleigh. I am looking for some info on the area. Job market? How is Cary? Any community college recommendations for so I can get a degree in networking. I am still in school and looking to work in the IT field. My wife has a business management degree. What are the Pro’s of Raleigh? Any help and advice is welcome. Thank you in advance.

[CHARLOTTEVANGELIST]

Well I can't say much about Raleigh other than my friend move there this year and misses Charlotte. Raleigh has Wake Teck - a CC. But instate fees at NCSU are some of the lowest in the county! Like less than $5000 a year.

A Lot of my freinds work in IT in Charlotte, (I ran an Apple Dealership untill about 3 years ago). They work for Wachovia, Bank of America, Time Warner Cable, and some small internet/network co. The Banks are wonderful to work for and pay well. CPCC is the cc in charlotte and we have UNCC that has computer Si and Eng. UNCC is even cheaper than NCSU.

IMO trafic is less in Charlotte.

[DawnW]

We actually chose Raleigh and were set to look there but we found that the job for DH was in Charlotte. I think it is a better fit for us overall I think.

Dawn

[NC_Investor]

I have lived and worked in both areas. Its hard to argue that Raleigh does not best schools for higher education(DUKE, NCSU, UNC). If you are seeking and an AS degree you can achieve those in either city. The job market in both areas are challenging you would be wise to secure employment before you come. As Charlottevangelist said the IT jobs in Charlotte are mostly with the banks, MS and cable companies unless you intend to support the small retail business. Raleigh has the Research Triangle Park(RTP) which houses a ton of huge and growing businesses (SAS, Red hat and other software, biomedical and research companies). They also have the universities and small retail that need support. I know many people that have left Charlotte to take permanent positions in these businesses. Charlotte does not have a RTP and many of our companies have shifted to less secure (if you own a home) contract workers. Cary is located just out side of RTP and is expensive to live in. The area also hosts some of the best college sports to be seen. Like Charlotte there is still a ton of land to build on. Lastly, Raleigh has a modern road system (with belt ways) that is in good shape but it does not have light rail (wait either do we). Both areas are nice places to live. Good luck in your decision.