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My wife is originally from the Thomasville area of NC. I have been with her now for 5 years....we go down about 4X a year but we stay in the Thomasville area when we go. We did venture to you Raleigh/Cary 5 years ago to look at some houses. We have also visited the city of Charlotte for the day.
We are seriously considering moving down there in the next year or so. Ive done some homework on each. Both beat the hell out of the cost of living up here in Long island, NY. The overall #s in cost savings look good in both in comparison to where we live now. We are prepared for the culture shock of either location. I have also received numerous job offers at both locations. I see that the offers are about 10% higher in Charlotte.
Please let me know what are some of the major differences for each place to live.
Charlotte is a bigger city. The Triangle is more suburban overall.
What field are looking for jobs in? If Charlotte has more jobs in your field, that may be a better go for now, since competition in NC for jobs is the greatest it's ever been as people try to flock here from other states, NY/LI (so if you think you'd be getting away from Long Islanders, WRONG! They've all preceded you here!). But you need to visit both places and see which feels best for you--that's not something people on a website can tell you.
I was planning on a 3 day trip to Raleigh in August (23rd - 25th). I think I may switch that to Charlotte. Or maybe one day in Raleigh and 2 days in Charlotte.
I have visited both in the past. Very short trips. I scheduled some time with a realtor in Cary 4+ years ago.....took us 20 min to walk through the 3500+ sq ft houses (we saw 5) , didnt leave us much time to see the surrounding areas. I left Raleigh feeling as if it was very cookie cutter but I think that is the way Cary is.....with all the gated communities and the strategically placed TGI Fridays/Ruby Tuesdays on select corners....wasn't much personality to it....but like i said it was a very small sample...we never got to RTP and any of the surrounding areas. Last year we drove down to Charlotte, but all we did was park the car in the city area (where the big buildings were) and walk around...not much of a sample there either. So weve seen both but both very inconclusive for me.
My plan is not to escape NYers. I am a NYer at heart. There are good and bad people here. No different then anywhere else. I want a better life for my family. NY is pricing me out.....
I was planning on a 3 day trip to Raleigh in August (23rd - 25th). I think I may switch that to Charlotte. Or maybe one day in Raleigh and 2 days in Charlotte.
I have visited both in the past. Very short trips. I scheduled some time with a realtor in Cary 4+ years ago.....took us 20 min to walk through the 3500+ sq ft houses (we saw 5) , didnt leave us much time to see the surrounding areas. I left Raleigh feeling as if it was very cookie cutter but I think that is the way Cary is.....with all the gated communities and the strategically placed TGI Fridays/Ruby Tuesdays on select corners....wasn't much personality to it....but like i said it was a very small sample...we never got to RTP and any of the surrounding areas. Last year we drove down to Charlotte, but all we did was park the car in the city area (where the big buildings were) and walk around...not much of a sample there either. So weve seen both but both very inconclusive for me.
My plan is not to escape NYers. I am a NYer at heart. There are good and bad people here. No different then anywhere else. I want a better life for my family. NY is pricing me out.....
Come back to see Cary if you find time. You may have been misled. There are no gated communities in Cary now, and there have been none for longer than 10+ years.
But, you may find that Raleigh, Durham, or Chapel Hill all offer significantly more neighborhood variety than you saw looking at 3500SF Cary homes.
One day in Raleigh and 2 days in Charlotte does not serve you well.
If you are considering a move, I would spend the entire three days in one area.
Come back to see Cary if you find time. You may have been misled. There are no gated communities in Cary now, and there have been none for longer than 10+ years.
But, you may find that Raleigh, Durham, or Chapel Hill all offer significantly more neighborhood variety than you saw looking at 3500SF Cary homes.
One day in Raleigh and 2 days in Charlotte does not serve you well.
If you are considering a move, I would spend the entire three days in one area.
I was there 4+ years ago...gated might not be the right term (although i could have sworn there was a main entrance leading into this private area), but it was a kind of hidden community that had shared amenities (ie swimming pools). It was very nice but the houses were right on top of each other, something I am trying to escape on LI.
I am sure there are other areas that are nice. Like I said my time there was minimal and inconclusive. We have 3 days to spend this trip and we will plan another in a few months (we go down every 3 months or so to visit the wife's family).
Keep truckin. Great topic. My wife has family in Chapel Hill and we've been back twice, both really carefully looking around. We found two condos we liked but right at the moment we're holding back on the decision until we look at Nashville.
We, too, found Cary pretty bland.
Raleigh did not readily open itself up to us. There is a symphony and a surprisingly good art museum. The local church we visited was scholarly with great Sunday music (episcopal)
Since I visited the local recovery communities, I tended to get a more honest appraisal than usual. Lots of culture but it happens during the week rather than the weekends.
Great medical facilities in Chapel Hill. Durham used to be black community as did parts of Raleigh with some gentrification. Durham, like Raleigh, tends to hide itself. If you ask you can find fantastic barbecue!
Charlotte is more transparent. FA (food addicts) has daily meetings 3 xs a day. Good sports. But not for people in 20's and 30's - the word I'm hearing is bland. What I heard over morning coffee was that Charlotte was the 8th most polluted city in America. But I loved Lynx, their mass transit. Keep us posted. Joseph
Having lived in both Charlotte for eight years and now Raleigh for ten, both cities offer terrific opportunities. My wife is from Long Island, so I know what you mean about cost of living. Charlotte is a bit more urban, but Raleigh is the state capital and offers advantages as well. The economy is a bit better in Raleigh now because Charlotte is more based in the financial sector and BOFA just announced another 30,000 layoffs. So be careful if you are in the financial industry.
There is a symphony and a surprisingly good art museum.
Out of curiosity: ".. a surprisingly good art museum"? What about the museum or its goodness was surprising to you? Just wondering.
Also, what did you mean when you said that Raleigh "did not readily open itself up to [you]."? I don't think I've heard a city or a place described that way before, and I can't quite picture what it means. Again, not a big deal, but I was just curious.
The biggest difference is signage. Going from Wake County towns to places like Greensboro or Charlotte, and the first thing that jumps out at you is SIGNS and billboards.
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