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im talking on a pro level. clearly we have unc and duke and state. but so does every other city darn near in america. they all have their universities.
Oh yeah, because UNC and Duke just have your run-of-the-mill, typical basketball programs that you see at any other university in any other city in America. Nothing special.
My first instinct was to say "Is this really a question?" But then you went on about the family and kids thing, so I digress....
I am from Atlanta, but moved to the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area 7 years ago. I wanted to return to Atlanta in the first year. Maybe because I'm single with no children, I found it deathly slow and boring. I mean, I have a great job because medicine is big here, but what am I supposed to do AFTER work?? Now I'll be returning to Atlanta next year for sure, and have never been sure-ER that I'm doing the right thing. For me anyway.
Raleigh area is for families, retirees, and students; none of which apply to me. Most families come here because somebody got offered a job, or got transferred by there existing job, and it's great for child rearing. The educational options are excellent, (from head start on up) it's safe, and there's plenty of activities. The thriving jobs industries here are government, medicine, tech companies, education, and anybody that wants to start a business; especially if you're a woman or a minority. I think what I appreciate most is being 1hr and 45mins literally from the nearest beach, because I love water. The mountains are awesome too, but if I had a choice, I'd choose beach every day of the week, but that's me.
A lot of folks come here thinking it's so much cheaper than Atlanta; not necessarily. For instance: I pay $770 per month for a 1bdrm/1bath apartment with 736 sq ft., but that was on a special. The market rate starts at $940 and goes up, and I don't even live in town. I mean, $940+ dollars (on the low end) isn't far off for what I'd pay for the same space ITP in Atlanta. To buy a home intown Raleigh, (the most trendy neighborhoods being Mordecai, Cameron Village ($250k is a condo only price here) Hillsborough, North Central, and Five Points) just plan to start at $300K on the low end, and that's something renovated but smaller, or older and needing updates at that price point. If you prefer the suburbs, it depends.
Atlanta has more to do, (for everyone) has the best airport, has more cutting edge real estate developments, more of a national presence, is more relevant, an affluent African-American presence, and a bit more cultural diversity.
Raleigh is safer, but more of a bit town than a city; better traffic, (but public transportation sucks; bus routes are limited, & trains are non-existent), better beach access, very family friendly, fierce college sports presence, and better job opportunities.
It's really all relative to what you're looking for. Good luck.
This is a bit off topic but I have been comparing ATL and RTP areas as well. I am single and 40, an Engineer in Tech so both areas are teeming with opportunities. Both areas are a magnitude of order cheaper to live than my current location (Orange County, California) where the rent for a 1bd is around $1,800/month or about 200% more than the highest price you quoted in your response. Strangely, the salaries are not that much lower in ATL or RTP, perhaps around 10% less which after taxes is nothing.
In addition, overall taxation is lower both in ATL and RTP since California has the highest taxes in the entire United States. Finally the cost of homes in this area is so high only rock stars can afford to buy a home with the median home price in the county being around $700,000 and the average listing price in a nice area around $1 million.
Anyway, sorry for my rant, I digressed. Between ATL and RTP, as an outsider, I have been given the perception that ATL has crime and RTP is much safer. That is the thing I keep hearing from many. As a single guy I would love to live in a large city like ATL but the crime stats are off putting. I hear that even nice parts of ATL have heavy property crime such as burglaries etc. which is downright scary. And I have heard downtown ATL borders on lawlessness, the crime is so bad there.
By contrast, Orange County, California where I live has some of the safest neighborhoods in the entire country - Irvine, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo etc. consistently get high marks for safety and have extremely low crime yet are in the 2nd largest metro area in the country.
Another negative point i've heard about ATL is that large swaths of the city are predominantly black. I have nothing against black people and I am a minority myself, however I would rather be in a place with racially mixed demographics rather than 1 single minority dominating.
Atlanta will have more crime than Raleigh becuase we are more than double the metro area as Raleigh-Durham combined. Atlanta is a great city! We are growing and are trying to keep up with the growth. So, the downside is traffic, pollution, and things of that nature. Raleigh will obviously have the upper hand in that arena. As for Atl having huge swaths of black people, that is untrue. The south is just an area that is dominated by a lot of AA due to todays culture and a lot of the past history. A lot of people have a hard time swallowing the pill that we are not going anywhere. Whether in the hood or the suburbs. But besides that it's no different from cities like Dallas/ L.A. who have huge percentages of Hispanics or cities who have another major ethnicity. I think if you are into a city that truly has a good mix of diversity in terms of culture you'll have to look at cities like T.O. or NYC. I say come on down and check the city out for yourself. Everyone will have a different opinion, and if you read these boards all day you will think the only good things about metro Atlanta are Midtown and North of that.
This is a bit off topic but I have been comparing ATL and RTP areas as well. I am single and 40, an Engineer in Tech so both areas are teeming with opportunities. Both areas are a magnitude of order cheaper to live than my current location (Orange County, California) where the rent for a 1bd is around $1,800/month or about 200% more than the highest price you quoted in your response. Strangely, the salaries are not that much lower in ATL or RTP, perhaps around 10% less which after taxes is nothing.
In addition, overall taxation is lower both in ATL and RTP since California has the highest taxes in the entire United States. Finally the cost of homes in this area is so high only rock stars can afford to buy a home with the median home price in the county being around $700,000 and the average listing price in a nice area around $1 million.
Anyway, sorry for my rant, I digressed. Between ATL and RTP, as an outsider, I have been given the perception that ATL has crime and RTP is much safer. That is the thing I keep hearing from many. As a single guy I would love to live in a large city like ATL but the crime stats are off putting. I hear that even nice parts of ATL have heavy property crime such as burglaries etc. which is downright scary. And I have heard downtown ATL borders on lawlessness, the crime is so bad there.
By contrast, Orange County, California where I live has some of the safest neighborhoods in the entire country - Irvine, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo etc. consistently get high marks for safety and have extremely low crime yet are in the 2nd largest metro area in the country.
Another negative point i've heard about ATL is that large swaths of the city are predominantly black. I have nothing against black people and I am a minority myself, however I would rather be in a place with racially mixed demographics rather than 1 single minority dominating.
That's what you get when you ASSume. I hear the same about LA that it's mostly illegals and gangbangers. With the Mexican gangs putting hits on blacks in LA I would not feel safe. With the gangs, the illegals, police beatings, race riots, lifetime alimony if i divorce after 10 years, etc i would not feel safe in LA
That's what you get when you ASSume. I hear the same about LA that it's mostly illegals and gangbangers. With the Mexican gangs putting hits on blacks in LA I would not feel safe. With the gangs, the illegals, police beatings, race riots, lifetime alimony if i divorce after 10 years, etc i would not feel safe in LA
Yes, parts of LA is as you describe but there are large sections both in LA and Orange counties that are ultra safe... safe enough to walk on the street at midnight with a stack of cash taped to your head, I kid you not!! As I mentioned cities in Orange County and LA frequently make the list of the safest cities in the entire country. Irvine, CA in Orange County, CA has claimed #1 spot of safest cities in the US for many years in a row. As someone who has lived in the vicinity of Irvine, it's an ultra affluent neighborhood where the average home is close to $1 million and taxes are astronomical, yes it costs a bomb to live there but police enforcement is nazi like. You are not going to do anything in Irvine and get away with it... in the night you see cop cars patrolling all over.
I have yet to see a single city in and around Atlanta area that is on a list like this. We all know any big city has crime in certain sections and LA is no exception. However from what I have heard ATL has crime all over including the good parts like Dunwoody. One person that lived there told me neither Dunwoody nor Buckhead is safe from burglaries which are common. This is scary.
In contrast I have lived in the Southern California area for 18 years and have yet to meet anyone who's house was burglarized. And if I have heard in the news about burglaries it was only in the worst parts of the city. These types of things are virtually unheard of in SoCal in the good parts.
Yes, parts of LA is as you describe but there are large sections both in LA and Orange counties that are ultra safe... safe enough to walk on the street at midnight with a stack of cash taped to your head, I kid you not!! As I mentioned cities in Orange County and LA frequently make the list of the safest cities in the entirresponsery. Irvine, CA in Orange County, CA has claimed #1 spot of safest cities in the US for many years in a row. As someone who has lived in the vicinity of Irvine, it's an ultra affluent neighborhood where the average home is close to $1 million and taxes are astronomical, yes it costs a bomb to live there but police enforcement is nazi like. You are not going to do anything in Irvine and get away with it... in the night you see cop cars patrolling all over.
I have yet to see a single city in and around Atlanta area that is on a list like this. We all know any big city has crime in certain sections and LA is no exception. However from what I have heard ATL has crime all over including the good parts like Dunwoody. One person that lived there told me neither Dunwoody nor Buckhead is safe from burglaries which are common. This is scary.
In contrast I have lived in the Southern California area for 18 years and have yet to meet anyone who's house was burglarized. And if I have heard in the news about burglaries it was only in the worst parts of the city. These types of things are virtually unheard of in SoCal in the good parts.
Whatever. Me nor most of the peoole in this forum dont care about California so posting links is just a waste of your time. Go to the TX forum and post them because we don't care. The last place most people in this forum will want to live in is California so stop talking about it because no one on this side of the country cares. Btw I didnt read your response. Thank you
I would think Atlanta would have far more/better shopping and dining options. Raleigh would be better if you don't want to live in as big a city and closer to beach access.
Whatever. Me nor most of the peoole in this forum dont care about California so posting links is just a waste of your time. Go to the TX forum and post them because we don't care. The last place most people in this forum will want to live in is California so stop talking about it because no one on this side of the country cares. Btw I didnt read your response. Thank you
What is so wrong with California??? It is a beautiful state with beautiful iconic parks, cities, beaches, wineries, etc. The folks there are just as nice as folks anywhere.
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