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My partner and I are originally from the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT). We moved down to Orlando, FL in 2010 and have very much gotten accustomed to the COL here. Various reasons have kept us here this long, but we are ready to move. The #1 reason for the move is the weather. It is plain and simple way too hot here for way too long. We first considered moving back to the tr-state area, but (1) want to experience something else and (2) not ready at the moment for the expensive housing and insane traffic.
We are not looking for much. Housing costs seem to be in line with Orlando - actually might even be lower because housing has increased significantly in the Orlando area in the last few years. We have a 1 year old daughter, so schools will become an issue in a few years. We are looking for a city feel, but not as big as NY city and we would live in the suburbs. We are looking for a balance between having things to do outdoors (hiking, biking etc.) and being in close proximity to museums (for kids), performing arts and sports. We feel that Raleigh can be a good fit for us.
We would secure jobs before coming, at least one of us. I work in corporate finance and my partner is in the tech field. We both have good experience. We are looking to move within the next 2 years - faster depending on the job situation.
Former NYer here, I moved in 2012. The COL is way lower here than NY, but I can't compare to Florida because I am not familiar.
I am in the Cary area and there are plenty of parks,playgrounds and trails. We frequent the museums in Raleigh and have been having fun checking out historical sites. (My 9 yr old loves history) Schools are also very good in Wake County.
I think the weather here is great. 4 seasons and none too extreme. Longer summers, shorter winters. My NC friend always says "If your not enjoying the weather, wait 20 minutes and it will change"
Overall it is a nice place to raise a family.
Good Luck!
Former NYer here, I moved in 2012. The COL is way lower here than NY, but I can't compare to Florida because I am not familiar.
I am in the Cary area and there are plenty of parks,playgrounds and trails. We frequent the museums in Raleigh and have been having fun checking out historical sites. (My 9 yr old loves history) Schools are also very good in Wake County.
I think the weather here is great. 4 seasons and none too extreme. Longer summers, shorter winters. My NC friend always says "If your not enjoying the weather, wait 20 minutes and it will change"
Overall it is a nice place to raise a family.
Good Luck!
Thanks for your feedback. I looked at the unemployment rate and it is very low in Raleigh area which is a great sign. I am just itching to get out of Florida, but we want to make a smart move.
Another former NYer here. Agree with what Laura posted, however your statement "looking for a city feel" jumps out at me - there isn't really any such thing here. However, there are performing arts, museums (art, science, history) and anything you could want in a city on a much smaller scale. It's just not an urban hustle and bustle type of feeling (which is fine with me).
Hi Katestar. I was recruited to this area from north central Florida 'out of the blue' in '07. If you dont like the central Florida heat, then you'll be in for a better time here in the Triangle. Even in north central Florida, we got several more *months* Per Summer of 90 to 95 degrees and muggy everyday than we do here in the piedmont of NC. Here in the piedmont of North Carolina, the summer temps relent now and then. They don't in inland Florida, as you know. I'm not sure about cost of living here compared to Orlando. Rural north central Florida is about the same as here in the Triangle, but I'm not sure about Orlando.
The oppressive humidity we get, especially in July and August, will remind you of Orlando. We just don't get the brief showers every day like they do.
Raleigh's Summer is not nearly as bad or as long as Orlando's. Being in both Miami and Raleigh and having been in Orlando many times in the Summer, I say this with experience.
Another former NYer here. Agree with what Laura posted, however your statement "looking for a city feel" jumps out at me - there isn't really any such thing here. However, there are performing arts, museums (art, science, history) and anything you could want in a city on a much smaller scale. It's just not an urban hustle and bustle type of feeling (which is fine with me).
What I meant by city feel wasn't like NYC where everyone is running somewhere all the time. I don't know if you are familiar with New Haven, CT or Stamford, CT, but I am looking for something a little bigger than that. We were also looking at Greenville, but from what I see Greenville has about 60K population, Raleigh is showing about 450K, which sounds like what we're looking for. My main concern with population is jobs, but I'm also not looking for a Metropolis with 5M people. It doesn't really matter that much as long as we are not in a tiny town far away from everything. I am more looking for COL and weather.
Thanks everyone. As far as weather, I live in CT and NJ for a bunch of years and we get heat there too. The months of July and August can be very hot. My issue with Orlando is that we will start hitting 80 degrees everyday in March and although it will cool down at night, starting in April/May it will be above 70 night and day. This will go on until October. The months of July and August I can't bear to be outside and it is awful. If we can cut down the heat to 3 months with May and September already being reasonable, then I'll take that.
The thing is that I want to stay on the east coast and it seems like the Carolinas are the only thing that fit our two requirements which is weather as I mentioned above and COL. I would move to like Ohio or Michigan but I don't want to be that much inland. My parents will be in NJ for some time and I would like to be driving distance.
What I meant by city feel wasn't like NYC where everyone is running somewhere all the time. I don't know if you are familiar with New Haven, CT or Stamford, CT, but I am looking for something a little bigger than that. We were also looking at Greenville, but from what I see Greenville has about 60K population, Raleigh is showing about 450K, which sounds like what we're looking for. My main concern with population is jobs, but I'm also not looking for a Metropolis with 5M people. It doesn't really matter that much as long as we are not in a tiny town far away from everything. I am more looking for COL and weather.
You should try to visit...I would probably compare Raleigh to Hartford type vibe over New Haven/Stamford...
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