Raleigh vs Austin

[Californian12345]

Originally Posted by 8to32characters

Coming from San Jose, the transition to Austin would be less extreme than the transition to Raleigh, IMHO, especially in terms of economy, local culture, people, recreational opportunities, and to a lesser extent, weather.

See, I was actually thinking the opposite. Raleigh (west Cary, specifically) seems to be built up with lots of shopping, restaurants that we're used to. For better or worse, there's lots of 'comfortable stores' (aka national chains) around there, where Austin is more of the Austin culture.

being that Austin has a TON of people moving from California, specifically the Bay Area, it does feel like a 'safer' move. The big thing is the heat, though. I dont know if I can do 90+ every single day from mid-may through Halloween! At least Raleigh has the seasons so the hot/humid summers don't last for too long. Bottom line, I'm moving away from the best weather in the country, I get that and I have to deal with it.

People are really...passionate about the traffic, especially from Steiner to downtown. I'm not sure if the commute is a reason to not move somewhere, but it's definitely a factor.

[JFriend]

I currently live in Cary and do business throughout Wake and Durham counties. First let me say shopping in Cary isn't all that it's cracked up to be. There are a few box stores here and yonder though out the area. You have to know where to go in order to find them or have a GPS. If I want to go to a decent restaurant in Raleigh you have to travel 30-50 minutes to get there. Brier Creek area in Raleigh, everyone complains about being isolated and terrible traffic to get to and from there. Just about everyone from Durham comes in that way to Raleigh for work so you can guess the traffic is always backed up in that area near 540. If we want something to do you have to drive. The roads are unsafe when it comes to cyclist. There are no real crosswalks to cross at. I see people on Capital Blvd trying to run across 6 & 8 lanes of traffic or they get stuck in the middle and have to wait for the lights to change again so they can begin their life or death run! Seriously it's that crazy here. The job market here in Raleigh isn't as good as they say. I have friends who struggle trying to find employment. There are pro's for this area although. You do have the beach with in a few hours. If your in Cary it takes 2.5 to 3 hours to get to the beach. I can go to Myrtle Beach in 3.5 hours. They have a few more things to do down there then in Carolina Beach or Wrightsville Beach. When my brother visits he likes going to Atlantic Beach which is about 2-2.5 hours away. I've been to the mountains.... well it wasn't anything that blew me out of the water. It is pretty during the fall and the hiking is fun even though you will sweat like a waterfall because of the humidity. If your looking for nightlife in Raleigh, Glenwood Ave is the best you'll get here. Honestly, your better off asking your friends to bring beer over. In Apex they are finishing up the baseball field. That will attract a few more people. But seriously they need a football team here in Raleigh. You have to drive 3 hours to get to Charlotte to see the Panther's play. That depends on if Cam Newton is going to be Superman if the game is going to be any good or not. Raleigh does have a couple of places that you can catch a concert. I've seen the "MonsterJam" and I about fell over with laughter after seeing it was such a small event. We do hold "NC State Fair" here. More people have been injured going and I don't recommend it. The food is awesome there but the rides will have you visiting the chiropractor the next day.

As for Austin, I've visited it and lived there for 6 months. The rent is the same as Raleigh's but you get a nicer place in Austin. I loved going downtown. The people in Austin were very welcoming compared to Raleigh. The traffic in Austin wasn't as bad as Raleigh's because they have the side roads that allow you to jump off I35 and drive over or under I35 to get to the other side. Hands down the food rocks. It does take a good hour depending on the time of day to get from Round Rock to the south side of Austin. I love hot weather and found that the heat wasn't an issue there. It felt better than Raleigh because the humidity wasn't bad. I did find going jogging there to be fun but you had to travel to the trails. In order to fly from Austin you always seem to have a layover somewhere.

All in all Austin really beats Raleigh. However if you compare Raleigh while including the beaches then Raleigh wins. I do like how you can travel up and down the east coast and be in NYC in a day or travel to Orlando and be there within a day.

In Austin you can travel to Dallas (people from Austin don't like people from Dallas, I don't know why) or Houston in a matter of a few hours. I did find the view of the rolling hills very beautiful. My sister wants to retire in Austin and I in Dallas.