Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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While I agree with everyone else, Durham is a fine place to live. I worked at Duke for 5 years and lived in DT Raleigh. Used the free bus pass from Duke and was able to take the DRX to work everyday. Not bad.
If you have a grown son now and haven't been here recently Durham has changed so very much in the last 25 years, you wouldn't believe it.
Don't know how long it's been since you've been here, but the best mall in the Triangle is in Durham, The Streets at Southpoint. Durham arguably has more of a "city life" feel than Raleigh/Cary which can be very suburban in places. Fabulous restaurant scene in Durham, again some of the best in the area, and really in the country. Look up the NY Times reviews. Grocery stores are pretty much the same everywhere. Durham has Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Whole Foods, Aldi's, and more.
Spot on, poppy. By OP's definition of "city life," the area near Streets of Southpoint sounds like an ideal match. Heck, even where I am off of Mineral Springs, I'm perhaps 15 minutes from Streets of Southpoint, 10-15 minutes from downtown Durham and all the great restaurants it has to offer, 10 minutes from Brier Creek and the shopping and restaurants out there, and about a 20 minute drive from Duke. This ain't your grandmother's Durham anymore.
If I was 24 years old, worked at Duke, no kids, liked "city life", I would definitely look at living in Durham. If he gets the job, he should visit the area first with an open mind. Most of the area, as noted above, is suburban (mall, chain restaurants, grocery). City-feel and walkable stuff? Downtown Durham or ITB Raleigh (but I wouldn't do the commute with Durham as an option).
If Durham is completely off the table (and I agree with others it would be a my first choice for him), then Chapel Hill or Carrboro may be the next best choice. It has a completely different vibe, of course, but it is a nice place to live. I just don't think a 24 newlywed will find the suburbs all that interesting.
Thanks for all the replies. They will be renting for the first year with a budget around $1100 monthly. Although Durham has nice areas (I went to high school there) it doesn't seem to be ideal for their taste. He and his wife are use too and love city life. By that I mean they are use to being able to be at a mall, grocery store, restaurant all within a couple of min. I don't think a 30-45min drive would bother him because that's what he drives every day now.
Ahhh . . . the city life. You can be at the mall in just a couple of minutes.
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