Which has better schools? Is more liberal? Charlotte or the Triangle (Raleigh: crime rate, chapel)

[Minier]

Between Charlotte and the Research Triangle....

Which has better schools in general (as in elementary, and secondary)?

Which is more politically/ socially liberal?

Which has less crime?

Which has more affordable housing (in city proper vs. suburbs)?

[DanielleNC]

Triangle. Chapel Hill/Carrboro would be the most liberal and best schools in the state, and pricey for that reason. Durham is also liberal, affordable, safe, and also has great schools. You will hear from those that don't know any better that the schools aren't good and Durham is dangerous. The area southeast to downtown is the area that isn't the safest and some schools test low b/c of socioeconomics since Durham is also the most diverse city in the state. Wake County also has great schools and price wise falls between Chapel Hill and Durham. The problem with the schools are reassignments and bussing, which is why many are looking to buy in Durham and Johnston Counties if that is a concern of yours. For a small town that also leans liberal is historic Hillsborough which has a great location near Durham and Chapel Hill.

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by Minier

Between Charlotte and the Research Triangle....

Which has better schools in general (as in elementary, and secondary)?

Which is more politically/ socially liberal?

Which has less crime?

Which has more affordable housing (in city proper vs. suburbs)?

Overall, the Triangle has better schools. This is especially true if you compare the measured performance of Mecklenburg vs. Wake County schools. These are the most comparable since they are almost identical in size. They are the two largest systems in the state. Chapel Hill/Carrboro (a small system) has really outstanding performance of its students but it's in a more expensive housing market.

Overall, the Triangle is more politically liberal. There are parts of each metro that are more liberal than other parts. But, overall, the Triangle is more socially progressive and liberal. Chapel Hill and Durham are the most liberal areas in the Triangle. The counties for Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill all voted for Obama by wide margins in the last election. The Triangle is represented almost completely by 3 Democrats in the US House. Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill all have Democratic mayors. I am not sure about the Representation for the entire Charlotte metro but I do know that Charlotte has a Republican mayor.

I don't have the metro stats but I'd guess that the Triangle has a lower crime rate than Charlotte. In particular, I think you'll find that Wake County (Raleigh) is going to have a lower overall crime rate than Mecklenburg (Charlotte).

I am going to say that Charlotte is going to be slightly more affordable than the Triangle. However, prices of housing swing wildly in both metros among very specific locations. So, it's certainly possible to find affordable and very expensive housing prices in both metros. In either case, good locations in the cities will be more expensive than most good locations in the burbs. But, be advised that some of the most affordable areas are also the most conservative politically and socially. And, depending on where you are now, both areas might seem really cheap or really expensive.

[rnc2mbfl]

North Carolina State Districts - NC School District Rankings

I found this website that ranks 113 systems in the state. Here's a list per ranking with corresponding "blue" or "red" based on the 2008 vote and whether it belongs to the Charlotte or Triangle metro.

2. Chapel Hill-Carrboro: 11,083 students - Blue County (Triangle Metro)
6. Mooresville City: 5252 students - Red County (Charlotte Metro)
18. Union County: 35,616 students - Red County (Charlotte Metro)
20. Lincoln County: 12,243 students - Red County (Charlotte Metro)
22. Iredell County: 21,023 students - Red County (Charlotte Metro)
23. Wake County (Raleigh): 128,748 students - Blue County (Triangle Metro)
33. Johnston County: 29,307 students - Red County (Triangle Metro)
37. Orange County: 6907 students - Blue County (Triangle Metro)
56. Chatham County: 7599 students - Blue County (Triangle Metro)
67. Gaston County: 32,800 students - Red County (Charlotte)
70. Charlotte-Mecklenburg: 128,789 students - Blue County (Charlotte Metro)
99. Durham County: 31,260 students - Blue County (Triangle)

The best performing school systems are smaller systems. The two huge systems, Wake and Charlotte-Mecklenburg are ranked 23rd and 70th respectively.

One big difference between the Triangle and Charlotte is that only Mecklenburg is the only blue county in the metro area. In contrast, most of the counties in the Triangle were blue with a few red. That said, most of the state is trending more Democratic over time.

Here's another article that might interest you. How did North Carolina end up the ultimate toss-up state? Reviewing county data | Observationalism

[urbancharlotte]

^^^Great post! Reps for you on this one.