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I'm comtemplating a move away from the Triangle region of Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill. As part of my analysis of where to go, I'm trying to gain some perspective on the area I currently live.
What city or regions in the US would you say the Triangle is similar to? I'm having a hard time finding comprable areas because the region is unusual (esp. in the southeast) given how liberal durham/chapel hill are, how educated the region is, and how spread out the region is (otherwise I think it'd be comparable to Austin maybe).
I think there are cities/regions that are similar but they are either much bigger or just one principle city. Maybe Austin? Minneapolis-St. Paul? Anywhere I'm leaving out?
I'm not saying I want to move to somewhere exactly like it. I'm just curious as to what area's it's most similar to. That might provide some perspective on if i'd want to move somewhere more similar or possibly somewhere very different.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutiny77
Austin comes to mind first and foremost.
Disagree completely. Look at the downtown building boom in Austin and the whole hipster draw along with the music scene. Raleigh/Durham doesn't have anything like that on a scale that Austin does.
The dynamics of the triangle as a "region" is truly unique. Most metro areas are anchored by a centralized city/downtown area. The Triangle being anchored by a giant research park and three major research universities (Which are all at opposing "points" of the "triangle") is something that you don't really find anywhere else. I think if you are talking about a left-leaning state-capital region with a highly educated population/high-tech economy in an otherwise more conservative state....the closest would be Austin, TX for sure. Runner's up may be the Twin Cities, MN and Columbus, OH.
Disagree completely. Look at the downtown building boom in Austin and the whole hipster draw along with the music scene. Raleigh/Durham doesn't have anything like that on a scale that Austin does.
Aside from the downtown building boom in Austin, everything else is the same actually. The Triangle has its own hipster draw and our music scene is on par with Austin's. Both are major tech centers. Both are progressive enclaves in conservative southern states.
It is likely that Raleigh and Durham will experience downtown building booms similar to Austin in the future. Raleigh was on the verge of getting one; there were a lot of planned projects that got canceled, scaled back, and delayed because of the recession. I am fairly confident that downtown Raleigh, at the very least, will pick up steam in the coming years.
Disagree completely. Look at the downtown building boom in Austin and the whole hipster draw along with the music scene. Raleigh/Durham doesn't have anything like that on a scale that Austin does.
I didn't say they were clones. But the high tech economy, state capital status, liberal political environment, and higher ed scene makes them quite similar.
Aside from the downtown building boom in Austin, everything else is the same actually. The Triangle has its own hipster draw and our music scene is on par with Austin's. Both are major tech centers. Both are progressive enclaves in conservative southern states.
It is likely that Raleigh and Durham will experience downtown building booms similar to Austin in the future. Raleigh was on the verge of getting one; there were a lot of planned projects that got canceled, scaled back, and delayed because of the recession. I am fairly confident that downtown Raleigh, at the very least, will pick up steam in the coming years.
Agreed. Austin is the first to come to mind.
Lots of similarities:
State Capital
Technology Center
Insane Growth
University town
Bluest/most liberal area of respective state
Highly educated
CSAs are similar size
Being a multi-core metro is a differentiator with the Triangle. However, as the Triangle grows, more and more of the growth is focused on Raleigh/Wake County. So, the future might provide a stronger sense of a central core in Raleigh. I suspect that Raleigh will experience (this decade) the sort of rapid core development that some perceive as a differentiator from Austin.
Some other areas that come to mind but on a different scale are the Twin Cities and Denver/Boulder. Both of these areas combine education, state government and some parallel industry and growth patterns.
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