What NC cities are LGBT friendly?

[witchseavey]

Trianglegrrrls would be a better place to ask this. My partner and I are out in the country so we have limited knowledge of the urban scene. I am told that North Durham is very popular. 9th Street in Durham seems to be a cafe/dining destination. Carrboro has walkable dining, cafe's and entertainment as does Chapel Hill (but lots of college kids). All are very gay friendly. Carrboro had a gay mayor for 10 years.

Pride is coming up on September 26, 2009. The Parade here is (compared to major cities) adorable and well worth a visit.

[Francois]

Originally Posted by voodis33

I am a professional female that travels a lot for work and am considering moving to the Triangle area. Looking for neighborhoods that are gay/lesbian friendly, have some character, and plenty of good dining, cafes, coffee shops. Suggestions? Experiences?

If you've got it narrowed to the Triangle area, then come to the Triangle forum (not the "general NC" one). But to answer your question, there aren't really any parts of the Triangle that are gay-hostile overall, though some of the more rural/blue collar areas such as Garner or Wendell (which I can't imagine you moving to in the first place) might not be so welcoming. But any of Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, or Cary should be fine.

Durham has always tended to me more of a "gals' town" while Raleigh was more of a "boys' Town" as far as the gay communities and networks, but that's not to say there aren't plenty of both, in both. This metro area has appeared on lists of "best places for gay professionals" in the past. If you travel a lot for work, you're going to want to be near the airport, which means North Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, or Southern Durham--but these are more of the "suburb" type places.

"Character" + proximity to cafes etc says to me Chapel Hill or Carrboro, near downtown Raleigh, or parts of Durham especially near Duke/Ninth Street. The climate for GLBT folk is not something to worry about in the region at large, though.

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by Francois

If you travel a lot for work, you're going to want to be near the airport, which means North Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, or Southern Durham--but these are more of the "suburb" type places.

The airport is central to the metro and not incovenient to DT Raleigh, DT Durham, Chapel Hill or Cary. I wouldn't live close to the airport for that reason alone. It only takes me 12-15 minutes to get there from DT Raleigh. I imagine the same is true for Durham (though you do have to pass through RTP to get there via I-40). Chapel Hill is probably 20 minutes from the airport.
In the end, I think the airport is convenient enough to not worry about it. In many metro areas, getting to the airport might take an hour or so. That's just not the case for most of the Triangle.

[lumbollo]

Originally Posted by Francois

.....
"Character" + proximity to cafes etc says to me Chapel Hill or Carrboro, near downtown Raleigh, or parts of Durham especially near Duke/Ninth Street. The climate for GLBT folk is not something to worry about in the region at large, though.

I would agree. Carrboro elected NC's first openly Gay mayor close to 20 years ago. This is a broad generalization but generally the Eastern side of NC is better educated and more progressive than the Western side. Exceptions do exist. Before anyone shoots me for making that statement I do live in Charlotte which is in the West.