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So I am planning to move from New York in June. I am looking for something a little more low key and not so ridiculously expensive. I've narrowed down the cities I want to move to to Indianapolis and Raleigh.
Pros and Cons about Raleigh:
- The weather. I like that the winters will be A LOT more mild than NYC winters.
- I like that it is within a days drive of NY. I'll still have a lot of family living here so I like that I'll be relatively close.
- I've been to Raleigh before and while I liked it, it did not seem like much of a city at all. Walking around during the day, there were barely any people around (it was Labor Day weekend so that may have played a role) and from what I saw, it didn't seem to have much of a downtown area. Maybe I just missed it.
Pros and Cons for Indianapolis:
- I've never actually been to Indianapolis but I have heard a lot of good things about it. I'm planning to go there for a long weekend the end of this month to check it out.
- I like that you are around a lot of other cities/places. With Raleigh, I feel like you're in the middle of nowhere.
- One of the not so great things I've heard about Indy, is the crime rate. That honestly does make me a little nervous.
- I'm scared of the winters. If the winters are comparable to New York, I can handle it. But if it gets below freezing basically everyday during the winter, I am not sure how I feel about that.
I'm really torn between the two cities and could go either way. Here are my three main deciding factors:
1. Money. If possible, I'd like to find a 2 bedroom apartment for $800 in a decent neighborhood.
2. Jobs. While I will be working remotely for my current job when I first move, this will not be a long term thing. I will eventually need to look for full time work where I live so I want to move where there are more job opportunities. I am looking for jobs in the media/communications/PR field.
3. Things to do. While I know no place can compare to NY in terms of things to do, I want a place that has a decent amount of dining/entertainment options.
Unless you have a fondness for Chicago, I can't see Indy being the winner for location. Yes Indy has Louisville, Cincy and Columbus for weekend trips, but Raliegh has Charlotte for big city shopping and lots better weekend destinations. Including the beach!
But if you aren't a nature lover and mid-major cities are more interesting to you for destinations, then Indy could be the right choice.
Unless you have a fondness for Chicago, I can't see Indy being the winner for location. Yes Indy has Louisville, Cincy and Columbus for weekend trips, but Raliegh has Charlotte for big city shopping and lots better weekend destinations. Including the beach!
But if you aren't a nature lover and mid-major cities are more interesting to you for destinations, then Indy could be the right choice.
Unless you have a fondness for Chicago, I can't see Indy being the winner for location. Yes Indy has Louisville, Cincy and Columbus for weekend trips, but Raliegh has Charlotte for big city shopping and lots better weekend destinations. Including the beach!
But if you aren't a nature lover and mid-major cities are more interesting to you for destinations, then Indy could be the right choice.
I have a very difficult time thinking proximity to Charlotte somehow trumps proximity to Chicago.................. though I doubt I would make a choice based on that anyway.
- One of the not so great things I've heard about Indy, is the crime rate. That honestly does make me a little nervous.
- I'm scared of the winters. If the winters are comparable to New York, I can handle it. But if it gets below freezing basically everyday during the winter, I am not sure how I feel about that.
I'm really torn between the two cities and could go either way. Here are my three main deciding factors:
1. Money. If possible, I'd like to find a 2 bedroom apartment for $800 in a decent neighborhood.
2. Jobs. While I will be working remotely for my current job when I first move, this will not be a long term thing. I will eventually need to look for full time work where I live so I want to move where there are more job opportunities. I am looking for jobs in the media/communications/PR field.
3. Things to do. While I know no place can compare to NY in terms of things to do, I want a place that has a decent amount of dining/entertainment options.
Most crime in Indianapolis happens between people who do illegal things.
Winter.................yes it gets cold here.
Money.........................$800 should not be problem.
I wouldn't say Charlotte is better than Chicago - not hardly. But it may be a substitute, depends on what the OP wants. Good point about the Indiana dunes.
Something tells me the OP and his buddy mcm are trolls acting on an intra city rivalry.
I would go with Indy. While Raleigh has a relatively large MSA population, it feels very small and way to quiet to me.
Indy is more active and busy with more to do and is closer to more large cities, especially Chicago.
Indy is not one of my favorite cities by any stretch, but I would choose it over Raleigh in a heartbeat. And Durham is flat out tiny. I find it odd that it's always mentioned as if it's a larger more urban place.
Des Moines feels twice the size of Raleigh and places like Peoria and Harrisburg feel much larger and more urban and more interesting than Durham.
The Raleigh/Durham area is mostly suburban sprawl with lots of trees and the colleges. Just not really my thing I guess.
Thanks to everyone for the input, even the guy who randomly assumed I was a troll. I definitely am looking for more of a city feel, which I just didn't get from Raleigh.
And I've never actually been to Charlotte but I really can't imagine it comparing to Chicago. Chicago is one of my favorite cities. If money wasn't one of the biggest deciding factors in where I move, I'd go there in a heartbeat.
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