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People's opinions about the Raleigh/Triangle area depend upon these things:
a) where they came from and what they're used to
b) what they like
So someone can come from NYC (or another major metropolis) and hate it because it's not what they're used to. Or they love it because they didn't like aspects of their big city.
If you're from a small town, this is the Big City. (Just like it was to Andy and Barney on Mayberry. )
Before I moved here 17 years ago, I had all kinds of images in my head of what Raleigh was. They were all misconceptions (thank goodness!).
It would be well worth your time and resources to visit here before you make the decision to move.
There's plenty of stuff to do in Raleigh (Triangle area). Raleigh (Triangle) has the following available: there is the North Carolina Symphony, the Carolina Ballet Theatre, African American Cultural Complex, the Contemporary Art Museum, the Raleigh City Museum, and the North Carolina Museum of Art. There is the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts and it houses many theatres and halls. We also have the National Opera Company and the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute .There is the North Carolina Center for Cultural Resources and plays at Peace College, Meredith College and Shaw University. We also have the Raleigh City Museum, Marbles Kids Museum, Exploris, Memorial Auditorium, North Carolina Museum of History, North Carolina Museum of Natural Science and quite a few great events at the Raleigh Convention Center. We also have the Pullen Park Theatre, Meymandi Theatre at the Murphy Auditorium and the North Carolina Theatre and Theatre Conference as well as wonderful cultural events of some of the best universities around to include Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill and NC State. We also have the Carolina Potters Guild. On top of that, Raleigh has the North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre and the Burning Coal Theatre Company. The Triangle also has the Broadway Series South which brings Broadway plays to the area. If you lean toward the literary arts, there are weekly sessions at the Cameron Village Library, Quail Ridge Books, and Border Books. If you like independent movies and film expositions, we have the Carolina Theatre, the Rialto, and the Colony theatres. For orchestra, visit Baldwin Auditorium, Wright Auditorium and Carolina Theatre. For concerts, go to RBC Center (Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena), Memorial Auditorium, Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, Koko Booth Amhitheatre, DPAC, Lincoln Theatre and the Pour House Music Hall. . If you are not into culture but tend to lean more toward sports, Raleigh-Durham also has a great baseball team, the Durham Bulls, which was profiled in the movie, Bull Durham, with Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon. We also have a Stanley Cup winning NHL team, the Hurricanes. Of course we have winning national title basketball teams at Duke, UNC and NC State. Raleigh also offers plenty of nice parks and one of the best greenway systems in the country for walking, jogging, and biking. There are also two lakes, Falls Lake and Lake Jordan for plenty of boating and water recreation.
Yeah, the bar scene here is soooooooo boring. That must be why I had such an awful time at the PUB CRAWL last weekend. Sensing the sarcasm yet? I am laying it on thick.
I am 25 and am from NY and Raleigh is ok night life wise. It really is hard to find good places....especially if you prefer dancing. It def more spread out....so I would visit before moving here to make sure it is right for you. It is a great area for families though! To me it is more country, but that is my perspective.
You won't be disappointed unless you are someone who just doesn't make an effort. This area is so transient that you'll meet a lot of people in the same boat as yourself. They've left family and friends and headed here because of all the accolades the Triangle receives. Once here most find it very friendly, easy living, with a lot to choose from for things to do, employment opportunities, shopping, education, and more.
Hope you find your happy place here - it's a very desirable place to live!
28 yr old from Detroit who moved down here about 2 years ago now. I love it here! I live between Cameron Village and Glenwood South so I'm walking distance to groceries, bars and downtown. Plenty to do on the weekends and during the week. I've been stuck in Sweden for business for the better part of 6 months and I cannot wait to get back! The weather in the winter actually lets you get outside of the house and there are actual jobs here - coming from the North that's pretty awesome. I actually met my fiance last year after hanging for a year so that might have colored my view of the area. When I finally get bored in a few years I don't know, Portland OR, the coast somewhere? No clue but for right now there is plenty to explore around here and keep you busy.
If you like spending your day driving everywhere and like living in an area with miles and miles of malls and urban sprawl, you will love Raleigh-Durham.
I would stay in Pittsburgh, but I like living in a city where you can walk to things and there is a lot going on and people don't automatically categorize you as another Yankee invading their city.
How come I always get the sense that there are lots of people who have moved to the suburbs of the Triangle and then complain all the time that they are in a suburban area and that there's nothing to do and nowhere to go without a car?
If this describes you and you want to live in the suburbs, fine...go for it. But, please don't project YOUR experiences as the only one that exists. Some of us live in the cities and near plenty of things to do and places to go. We walk to restaurants and clubs. We take the public transit available to us. We ride our bikes to stores and the gym. We explore the nuances of the various city districts. We attend DT festivals and monthly art walks. We hit the bars, lounges, clubs then eat gyros from street vendors at 2:00 in the morning. We ride bicycle rickshaws, listen to live bands and hang out with friends. We walk home to our small apartments and condos and enjoy our lives because we know that it's our foot traffic and patronage that are the reasons why businesses continue to open and flourish in the more urban areas of our cities.
So, either "get busy living or get busy dying" as was said in the Shawshank Redemption. If there's all this pent up desire for something that you don't seem to think exists, go out and be part of the solution to make it happen. That's what I did 15 years ago when everyone told me that I was crazy for buying a condo in DT Raleigh.
I can say that I have to drive everywhere in Pittsburgh. So its not something new to me. I avoid driving downtown at all costs b ecause I absolutely hate it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jmiccey
I would stay in Pittsburgh, but I like living in a city where you can walk to things and there is a lot going on and people don't automatically categorize you as another Yankee invading their city.
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