Questions about the Research Triangle (Charlotte, Raleigh: chapel, broker, home)

[Wolfpacker]

I've been thinking of making a move from upstate New York, with an eye on two areas: DFW and the Research Triangle.

I've been to DFW a few times, but I've never been to the Research Triangle area (I would of course check it out in-person first; I've been to Charlotte a few times.). Why am I attracted to idea of the Triangle:

1) An economy that seems in very position for the 21st century. Tech, R&D, Education, and health care/medicine. I've also attracted to the entrepreneurial spirit and a solid ecosystem (such as access to human capital) that seems to exist in the area, along with the business-friendly policies of North Carolina. I'm currently in the process of launching an online-based tech company, so it seems like RT has a big edge over the DFW on that.

2) Population is growing, correct? Due to the RT's economic makeup, I'm guessing there is a bit of wealth (millionaires/billionaires) for a region of it's size. Am I wrong on this?

3) The area just seems to be beautiful in terms of it's natural beauty. Is this accurate? The weather is appealing, as I would take over hot summers over snowy, cold winters. Cost of living seems very reasonable. How is driving in the area?

4) Do you enjoy living in the area? Restaurants? Entertainment and recreation? Close to everything? Friendly, smart people?

5) One thing that gives RT an edge is that it's a drive from Atlanta and Charlotte. I have family that lives in both areas.

4) Cost

[Francois]

We actually say "RTP" for the Research Triangle Park, not "RT". But referring to the area as a whole, just say "The Triangle" (RTP refers specifically to the business/research employers located in the RTP entity, "The Triangle" means the whole area and its people).

Most of your perceptions are pretty right-on (though I don't think of it as a place full of "millionaries and billionaires", per se. No doubt there are some very wealthy people here but wealth is generally not "flaunted", so it's hard to know who, exactly, is or isn't a millionaire.)

The overall culture is very suburban, not nearly as much "urban core" as DFW or even Charlotte.

I would peruse old threads or search by specific keywords in thei forum to get a lot of "feel" for things. Also just plain old Googling on "Research Triangle Park" or the cities in the area will turn up a lot.

[static_g]

You might want to search Google News for "Durham startups." There's been some stuff lately worthy of a read. There are some incubator options for tech here, and this is a very high-tech area.

Good luck.

[tompope]

Originally Posted by Wolfpacker

I've been thinking of making a move from upstate New York, with an eye on two areas: DFW and the Research Triangle.

I've been to DFW a few times, but I've never been to the Research Triangle area (I would of course check it out in-person first; I've been to Charlotte a few times.).

Hello, Wolfpacker,

I agree with Francois that thew acronym "RT" is simply never seen or used to refer to anything around this region. It is true, though, that the area can have a bit of an identity crisis. There are at least two main anchor cities, Raleigh and Durham, and then Chapel Hill and Cary are also sometimes included in the name of the region. And yet arguably the single most important distinguishing feature of the area is the Research Triangle Park, which is located partway in between Durham and Raleigh, but not within the boundaries of either. So, the entire region is sometimes referred to as "the Research Triangle," or more commonly "the Triangle" (though that term still always reminds me of female anatomy somehow even after all these years). The abbreviation "RTP" is a frequent shorthand for the Park itself, but never for the larger metro area around it. And "RT" is unlikely to be recognized at all by anyone here. Just so you know.

In answer to your questions:

Originally Posted by Wolfpacker

Why am I attracted to idea of the Triangle:

1) An economy that seems in very position for the 21st century. Tech, R&D, Education, and health care/medicine. I've also attracted to the entrepreneurial spirit and a solid ecosystem (such as access to human capital) that seems to exist in the area, along with the business-friendly policies of North Carolina. I'm currently in the process of launching an online-based tech company, so it seems like RT has a big edge over the DFW on that.

I assume you meant "in very good position" or "in a very favorable position," or something like that. In that case, I agree. I've had people on this forum disagree with me about this, but I think the long-term economic outlook here is about as positive as anywhere in the United States. By sheer numbers, the "human capital" here is not as abundant as in bigger cities, of course, but it's not bad. And other than that, I think this would be an excellent place for you to go in to business.

Originally Posted by Wolfpacker

2) Population is growing, correct? Due to the RT's economic makeup, I'm guessing there is a bit of wealth (millionaires/billionaires) for a region of it's size. Am I wrong on this?

Yes, the population is growing extremely rapidly. Some would say too rapidly, but naturally there are pros and cons to it. And yes, it does tend to be a pretty affluent region. I don't know exactly how many millionaires and billionaires there are here (I personally know three millionaires in the Raleigh area, but no billionaires!). As Francois said, this is also a very easy-going, down-to-earth kind of place where even the rich people mostly don't flaunt their wealth all that much. And again, bigger cities have more wealthy people by sheer numbers. But there's lots of money in this region.

Originally Posted by Wolfpacker

3) The area just seems to be beautiful in terms of it's natural beauty. Is this accurate? The weather is appealing, as I would take over hot summers over snowy, cold winters. Cost of living seems very reasonable. How is driving in the area?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course. And I've known people who don't care for the look of the landscape around here. But personally, I and many other people really like it, and I think the area is "beautiful." The terrain tends to be gently rolling, with lots of little creeks and streams in between. And there are lots and lots and lots of trees everywhere, far more than in the Dallas area. Plus, the adjacent countryside is very appealing as well, with mostly hilly and forested land to the north and west, and flatter, more agricultural areas to the south and east. And it's only two to three hours from here to the Atlantic Ocean coast, and three to four hours the other way to the most rugged mountains east of the Rockies. A great place, if you ask me.

Not everybody likes the weather here, but I do. And it's certainly far better than the climate in Dallas. It gets fairly hot here in the summer, but only for two or three months or so, and it's not usually that bad. At least we often get some nice thunderstorms at the ends of long, hot summer days. From what I've seen of Dallas in the summer, it's excruciatingly miserable 100+ degree heat day after day for months and months, with very little rain. Yuck. You'd be better off here.

Cost of living here is not as low as it used to be, but still lower than the big cities up North and on the West Coast, and comparable to other Sun Belt metros.

And I'm not sure what you meant by "How is the driving in the area?".

Originally Posted by Wolfpacker

4) Do you enjoy living in the area? Restaurants? Entertainment and recreation? Close to everything? Friendly, smart people?

Yes, I really enjoy living in the area. I've lived here off-and-on for almost twelve years, and I like it a lot. There are a lot of good restaurants, but not as many as in bigger cities like Dallas. There are lots of entertainment and recreation opportunities here also, but again, noticeably fewer than in bigger cities. I'm not sure what you mean by "Close to everything?". And yes, I consistently find people here to be extremely friendly, and I meet a lot of smart people here, too, although we certainly have our share of dummies as well.

Originally Posted by Wolfpacker

5) One thing that gives RT an edge is that it's a drive from Atlanta and Charlotte. I have family that lives in both areas.

That's purely a personal matter, but being close to family (without being too close) is typically a valuable thing.

Originally Posted by Wolfpacker

4) Cost

Did you mean for this one to be number 6? And do you mean cost-of-living? If so, didn't you cover that in question number 3? If not, what are you asking about?

The bottom line of this is that I love the Raleigh-Durham/Triangle area, and it sounds like it could be a very good fit for you. To me, the one clear advantage that Dallas-Fort Worth has is that it's just a much, much larger city, with a lot more big-city amenities and a much more exciting urban vibe. But Raleigh is growing, and it has a decent array of amenities for a city its size, and even a bit of urbanness, although you kind of have to seek it out. And Raleigh is only a three hour drive from Charlotte, five hours from D.C., or seven hours from Atlanta or Philly, so you can certainly still have access to some bigger cities relatively easily.

By the way, just out of curiosity, I notice that your username is "Wolfpacker." But since you're posting here to ask about some basic information about the Triangle area, I assume that your handle doesn't allude to you having gone to N.C. State. In that case, I would say that that us a fortuitous coincidence, since Raleigh is, of course, the home of the Wolfpack. What does your username refer to? Just wondering.

Best of luck!

[Wolfpacker]

Wow...

Thanks for the response. The name Wolfpacker is just a pure coincidence, as I was waiting for that to brought up. It was the name of a rec soccer team I played on the last few years.

Blah, I need to get a better night's sleep. Lot of errors I posted.

Thanks for the clarification on the proper nicknames of the area. I won't make that mistake again.

Tom, you hit the first question right. Interesting that people disagree with you on the future of the economy. Manufacturing isn't going to drive a successful 21st economy, it will be a knowledge-centered economy that will. This area appears to have the assets to do that.

Any idea of what the The Triangle's average population growth per year is?

Any sizable lakes in the area? I know the Charlotte area has Lake Norman and Lake Wylie, which are nice. By close to everything, you answered it. Close to the ocean, mountains, other cities, ect.

I like the "Not too close" comment. It's a reasonable day's drive back up to Upstate NY, and I like the east coast in general.

As far the restaurants, DFW has a lot more, but it's pretty full with the chains. Isn't Durham highly regarded by the "foodies" for it's restaurants?

By driving around, is it easy to get from place-to-place in regards to traffic and how the road system flows?

[Francois]

Originally Posted by Wolfpacker

Any idea of what the The Triangle's average population growth per year is?

A google search could pull that up, or maybe Wikipedia or the Census, that you could do as easily as us. I think it was around 40% for the past decade, though it slowed down a little in the past two years since the recession hit (which definitely DID hit here, despite many people's popular opinion).

Any sizable lakes in the area? I know the Charlotte area has Lake Norman and Lake Wylie, which are nice. By close to everything, you answered it. Close to the ocean, mountains, other cities, ect.

Go to Google maps, put in Raleigh or Durham, pull back a little for perspective, and you'll see what's here.

Isn't Durham highly regarded by the "foodies" for it's restaurants?

Yes, as is Chapel Hill.

By driving around, is it easy to get from place-to-place in regards to traffic and how the road system flows?

The road system has not kept up with the population growth by a long shot. I notice my commute increasing by about 1-2 minutes a year, not so noticeable in small doses, but it will add up. Many highway expansions built around 2000 are already laughably crowded. But, those who come from larger cities say it is not as bad as what they come from, so it is definitely a "relative" thing to where you're coming from.

[CHTransplant]

I'm kind of puzzled by the knocks against the OP for using "Research Triangle" to refer to the area. It is, after all, a correct term - and the one from which "Research Triangle Park" and even "the Triangle" derived. So he shortened it to "RT" in an internet posting after having used the term a couple of times to save some typing - big deal.

[tompope]

Originally Posted by CHTransplant

I'm kind of puzzled by the knocks against the OP for using "Research Triangle" to refer to the area. It is, after all, a correct term - and the one from which "Research Triangle Park" and even "the Triangle" derived. So he shortened it to "RT" in an internet posting after having used the term a couple of times to save some typing - big deal.

Oh, well, I for one certainly didn't mean to "knock" the OP. I was just trying to inform him or her that the use of the phrase "Research Triangle" is sometimes used to refer to this metropolitan area, but it's not the most common or widespread term. And the abbreviation "RT" is not ever used (to my knowledge), so it's unlikely to be understood readily by most locals. But I wasn't meaning to give him or her a hard time, and of course it's a free country, so anybody can use whatever name they want to for anything. No big deal.

[Wolfpacker]

Originally Posted by CHTransplant

I'm kind of puzzled by the knocks against the OP for using "Research Triangle" to refer to the area. It is, after all, a correct term - and the one from which "Research Triangle Park" and even "the Triangle" derived. So he shortened it to "RT" in an internet posting after having used the term a couple of times to save some typing - big deal.

It was short-hand for Research Triangle.

For who are also posting here for "re-location" purposes, did you get a spam PM from a Realtor in the area? He has zero posts I believe, but he apparently is a broker in the area. Any way I can forward this to a mod?

Thanks Francois. I did the maps, but I wasn't sure how popular the lakes are and what the activity (in terms of recreation and people) and quality levels are of them

[Green Irish Eyes]

Originally Posted by Wolfpacker

For who are also posting here for "re-location" purposes, did you get a spam PM from a Realtor in the area? He has zero posts I believe, but he apparently is a broker in the area. Any way I can forward this to a mod?

Please forward it to one of the senior moderators, Marka or Yac.

Thanks!