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I'm looking at both regions for relocation. The weather aspect aside which region do you think offers the best economic opportunities and overall amount of vibrancy. I thought that Albany being 2 hrs. away from NYC might benefit from this in terms of job opportunities and maybe benefiting from some vibrancy from NYC but I also read a lot about Raleigh as it ranks high on many national surveys. Any one with knowledge on both areas that can give some insight?
What are you looking for in terms of a neighborhood to live in? What kind of activities are you into? Those things may help to form an opinion in terms of where to go.
Raleigh's a cool place and both cities are quite different. Cities in NC aren't really big and if you love NYC as much as I do, you'll probably not mind living in Albany. Search through the forum and you'll find many different opinions of the city. Tons of people like it, tons of people hate it.
I'm looking at both regions for relocation. The weather aspect aside which region do you think offers the best economic opportunities and overall amount of vibrancy. I thought that Albany being 2 hrs. away from NYC might benefit from this in terms of job opportunities and maybe benefiting from some vibrancy from NYC but I also read a lot about Raleigh as it ranks high on many national surveys. Any one with knowledge on both areas that can give some insight?
What kind of employment do you need? Have you visited both? They are EXTREMELY different cities. Yes, they're both state capitols, but that's where the similarities end. Raleigh, to me, is way too crowded. There's much more traffic there than the Capitol Region. Similar shopping - both have mostly the same chain stores and restaurants.
What are you interested in housing? If you like architecture and prefer older homes, Albany and the surrounding area fit that much better than Raleigh since it's a fairly new city and most homes are cookie cutters. If you're interested in only new homes, then Raleigh would be better for that.
Don't read too much into surveys. Using statics I can turn you into a blue monkey from Wales. Seriously. When you take a stats class, they teach you how to manipulate the data and get the result you want. For every survey one can find saying a city is the mecca, you can find at least five that say the opposite.
If you're serious, visit both. And by visit I mean take a week and look around looking for things you need to live. Check out grocery stores, malls, restaurants, banks, neighborhoods to live, talk to locals (may be hard to find in Raleigh). Visit places and things you need to function and don't be a tourist. Keep in mind that a week really isn't enough time to get a really good feel for a place. I relocated 2 years ago to SC and was happy as a pig in mud to leave. Now, I'm working on moving back to NY by Thanksgiving. I visited several times and still didn't find out what I know now. Things I wouldn't have known without living here. It works for some and not for others. Good luck!
Agree with ss20ts above. My family looked to relocate to the Research Triangle a year or two ago. While that's not the same as Raleigh, I found much of what ss20ts said to apply.
I found houses in COMPARABLE neighborhoods to be higher priced in NC than in Albany. I capitalize comparable because lots of people told me that housing & taxes are cheaper in NC, but for what I was looking for - walkable neighborhood; diverse in terms of residents' age, profession, socio-economic group, etc.; close to cultural events and libraries - that that wasn't true. Housing with those sorts of attributes was much more expensive in NC. I looked mainly in Durham because I didn't like Chapel Hill. I'm not sure how Durham's prices compare to Raleigh. Also, look closely at fees when considering cost of living. If you live in a rural area, then housing costs are likely much cheaper in NC than in NYS because of property tax. However, once you move to a town of any size in NC there are often fees for things that taxes would take care of in NYS, so be sure to ask. I found the fees and taxes in NC to be not a heck of a lot less than my taxes in NYS.
Albany has a nice airport and train station, but my bet is that is it easier and cheaper to fly out of the busy Raleigh/Durham airport, so that's a plus.
I don't know if schools are important to you, but I like NC's approach to K12 education. Many districts are funded on the county level rather than locally, so the schools are more equitable among students of different social classes, and schools also tend to be much more racially and socioeconomically integrated than in NYS. I know that there have been several challenges to this system in parts of NC, though, so be sure to research the current background of any NC school district you are looking at. Some NC schools are year-round, which provides a better general learning experience for students.
I have a friend who moved to Charlotte (again, not Raleigh, I know) from the DC area, and she tells me that it is VERY southern feeling compared to DC. This surprised me considering how many northerners have moved to NC, but others tell me it is true. Most kids do (join? not sure of the right word, being a northerner) a cotillion where they learn things like manners, dancing etc. Personally, I think our northern kids could benefit from something like this, but still very different from what we are used to in NYS. People in the professions join country clubs and the like much more than they do up here, and things like how you dress are scrutinized more closely.
Like others have said, Raleigh is much newer and spread out. I love old architecture, streets on grids, history, etc., but I can also see how some people would view Albany as run-down and dilapidated compared to a sparklling newer city like Raleigh in comparison. To me a place like Raleigh feels more sterile and depressing, but I think I'm in the minority.
We're going from the Capital region TO the Raleigh-Durham area. Great job opportunity in NC and the weather was a HUGE factor for us getting out of here. I absolutely hate the winters in New York.
We're going from the Capital region TO the Raleigh-Durham area. Great job opportunity in NC and the weather was a HUGE factor for us getting out of here. I absolutely hate the winters in New York.
Just wondering, but do you think you will like the summers down there in Raleigh?
Just wondering, but do you think you will like the summers down there in Raleigh?
That's what I always wonder when people say they hate winter and wait to move. I knew it was going to be hot when I moved to SC, but 110 degrees is a different level of hotter than hell. I'd rather have the snow. At least, that's not every day nor is it 9 months of the year. It gets old. At least, NY has 4 actual seasons. I really do miss that.
Uh....yeah....wouldn't be going if we hadn't looked into that before hand.
Husband's arthritic knees said no more to doing the cold and snow. I'll take the heat and HUMIDITY any day over the cold.
Visiting and living in it are two different things. With that said, I'm surprised that you didn't look into an area with dry heat.
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