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Occasionally I'll come across this forum and see quite a bit of negativity from people who move to new cities. I thought it'd be nice if I posted my *positive* experience I've had so far since moving to Raleigh.
I decided to move here because it's closer to my girlfriend's family. My job is fully remote, so I'm able to live anywhere with an internet connection. I have family in NYC, Philly and Atlanta. The small Raleigh airport has direct flights to all of these cities. I moved here from Austin, TX, which is not as convenient. I always use to have expensive, connecting flights whenever I'd go visit family.
The city itself is great. I feel like it has a more laid-back vibe. It's not as flashy as Atlanta and NYC, which I really appreciate. Seems like a bunch of college kids all the time which is whatever.
Some great food too. Amedeo's Italian restaurant has the most authentic Italian food I've had in the south. Similar feel and taste to what you'll find in the northeast. Brewery Bhavana is pure gold and I'd eat there every single day of the week if I could. 42nd Street Oyster Bar is great too except their lobster tail is a bit dry. I'd never had hush puppies until I went to that restaurant. Blew my mind. My girlfriend thought it was funny that I'd rather eat those than my main entree.
I live just south of downtown. It's very easy to get on and off the major highways (I think it's 40 or 440 that's like a 10 minute drive from here) and it looks like they're doing a lot of road work to expand the highways. I don't really think the traffic is bad at all here, even during rush hour.
Being two hours away from Wilmington and other coastal areas is a huge plus as well. Austin was a great city, but man, I hated being so far from the ocean. And all you ever hear about from locals over there is that the Houston beaches are dirty.
Gas is affordable, people are friendly and the rent I'm paying for a 3 bedroom apartment in a safe neighborhood is dirt cheap. The diversity this neighborhood offers is great. I have black, white, Latino, and Asian people all around me. Everyone seems to get along and mind their own business. This was extremely important to me as my girlfriend is of a different race than I am. I don't like being reminded of it by people who feel the need to stare and be obnoxious about it.
I've lived in areas of all types. Poor, rich, black, white, Latino, sprawling, urban. Of all the places I've lived, I definitely feel like Raleigh is where I'll make my long-term home.
Occasionally I'll come across this forum and see quite a bit of negativity from people who move to new cities. I thought it'd be nice if I posted my *positive* experience I've had so far since moving to Raleigh.
I decided to move here because it's closer to my girlfriend's family. My job is fully remote, so I'm able to live anywhere with an internet connection. I have family in NYC, Philly and Atlanta. The small Raleigh airport has direct flights to all of these cities. I moved here from Austin, TX, which is not as convenient. I always use to have expensive, connecting flights whenever I'd go visit family.
The city itself is great. I feel like it has a more laid-back vibe. It's not as flashy as Atlanta and NYC, which I really appreciate. Seems like a bunch of college kids all the time which is whatever.
Some great food too. Amedeo's Italian restaurant has the most authentic Italian food I've had in the south. Similar feel and taste to what you'll find in the northeast. Brewery Bhavana is pure gold and I'd eat there every single day of the week if I could. 42nd Street Oyster Bar is great too except their lobster tail is a bit dry. I'd never had hush puppies until I went to that restaurant. Blew my mind. My girlfriend thought it was funny that I'd rather eat those than my main entree.
I live just south of downtown. It's very easy to get on and off the major highways (I think it's 40 or 440 that's like a 10 minute drive from here) and it looks like they're doing a lot of road work to expand the highways. I don't really think the traffic is bad at all here, even during rush hour.
Being two hours away from Wilmington and other coastal areas is a huge plus as well. Austin was a great city, but man, I hated being so far from the ocean. And all you ever hear about from locals over there is that the Houston beaches are dirty.
Gas is affordable, people are friendly and the rent I'm paying for a 3 bedroom apartment in a safe neighborhood is dirt cheap. The diversity this neighborhood offers is great. I have black, white, Latino, and Asian people all around me. Everyone seems to get along and mind their own business. This was extremely important to me as my girlfriend is of a different race than I am. I don't like being reminded of it by people who feel the need to stare and be obnoxious about it.
I've lived in areas of all types. Poor, rich, black, white, Latino, sprawling, urban. Of all the places I've lived, I definitely feel like Raleigh is where I'll make my long-term home.
Good post, I think you touched on a topic that every city/town is relative to the individual's expectations, past living experiences, and preferences (so, posting on CD for others to "Pick a place for me to live" is quite fruitless). I'm between Baltimore, Annapolis, and DC and like anywhere if I am honest, the positives outweigh the negatives, but you wouldn't know that from most threads here.
Back to Raleigh, when I've visited it seems to be in a steady growth that is actually sustainable, which would give me confidence that the economy will remain strong.
Good post, I think you touched on a topic that every city/town is relative to the individual's expectations, past living experiences, and preferences (so, posting on CD for others to "Pick a place for me to live" is quite fruitless). I'm between Baltimore, Annapolis, and DC and like anywhere if I am honest, the positives outweigh the negatives, but you wouldn't know that from most threads here.
Back to Raleigh, when I've visited it seems to be in a steady growth that is actually sustainable, which would give me confidence that the economy will remain strong.
Definitely! I think the economy is only going to grow. Tons of talent down here. Seems like the tech industry here is booming. From what I've heard, the salaries are on the higher end and the local colleges have tech programs that are very tough to get into.
Drool, drool, drool! We are temporarily in New Jersey and chomping at the bit to move to Raleigh! We have set our sights on this city for a couple of years and we are getting close to making the move. Only wish our family would come with us.
Balanced is a great way to put it! What made you move away?
It was the smallest city I'd ever lived in. Another time in life and I would have been happy buying a home there. I am curious to see how much it grows within the next 10 years, so that's one thing to keep an eye out for. Real estate just keeps going up and up. But it's one of the better cities in the US if you ask me.
It was the smallest city I'd ever lived in. Another time in life and I would have been happy buying a home there. I am curious to see how much it grows within the next 10 years, so that's one thing to keep an eye out for. Real estate just keeps going up and up. But it's one of the better cities in the US if you ask me.
Drool, drool, drool! We are temporarily in New Jersey and chomping at the bit to move to Raleigh! We have set our sights on this city for a couple of years and we are getting close to making the move. Only wish our family would come with us.
I don't blame you. I'm originally from up that way. Regarding the family thing: at least the airport here has direct flights to Newark! You should be just fine as far as that goes. I think the flight is less than two hours although I may be wrong. It could be shorter.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDF
It was the smallest city I'd ever lived in. Another time in life and I would have been happy buying a home there. I am curious to see how much it grows within the next 10 years, so that's one thing to keep an eye out for. Real estate just keeps going up and up. But it's one of the better cities in the US if you ask me.
Totally agree. I hope wherever you ended up is treating you well.
Moved here in July 2017 from San Jose Ca. I lived in that county all my life and it was wonderful. But over the last few decades it's devolved into a real dreadful place - I never thought I'd leave, but it became a very easy decision.
Mind you, us *native* Californians are really quite sane - you wont see us on the news, marching in ridiculous protests or vigils. We don't live in bushes, we certainly don't burn flags, and we actually do eat meat - plenty of it!
Life here so far is like so much better, happier. The people are wonderful, I'm loving it.
However I do not recommend any more Californians move here. But if you must, please be the sane type.
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