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I'm a remote worker so I'm not concerned with employment. However, I am concerned with the who would come out the winner given these 5 points: weather, outdoor rec, suburbs, traffic, and overall quality of life.
Weather - Both cities have hot and humid summers but Tampa does not have snowy or cold winters. How bad are the Raleigh winters? Is the heat, frequent storms, rain, and hurricanes in Tampa too much to endure?
Outdoor Recreation - I'm working on being more outdoorsy. Tampa has a lot of water so fishing, kayaking, and swimming would probably be more accessible here. However, are Raleigh's nearby lakes enough to accommodate the same things? How about non water based recreation like horse riding and cycling?
Suburbs - Both cities have excellent suburbs from what I hear. The Raleigh suburbs have easy access to both Raleigh and Durham while Tampa has suburbs with easy access to Orlando and Tampa. Which has better independent suburbs where you could live and rarely need to go to the big city even though you could go whenever you wanted?
Traffic - I am a remote worker so I do not care about commuting to the city. I'm referring to the traffic within the town here.
Overall quality of life - People are moving to both cities in droves I would presume they both rank highly here. Most people move to Raleigh for employment and move to Tampa for other reasons. How is the feel and vibe of these places? Include anything that may be important here that I may not have mentioned specifically.
Living in suburban Tampa, I’m more knowledgeable about Tampa than Raleigh.
Weather: The biggest downside in Tampa is, unsurprisingly, the summer heat. October to March ususally are nice, but occasionally there are heat waves where it can get into the upper 80s even in the winter. I understand Raleigh summers are also hot, but briefer. It’s going to be a much more seasonal city. If you want 4 seasons Raleigh is the choice, if you want hot and otherwise mild then it’s Tampa. As I think most Floridians will tell you, hurricanes aren’t a substantial concern.
Outdoor recreation: I think Tampa wins on this one with all the beaches. The nice thing about Raleigh is it’s somewhat close to the mountains, whereas the nearest mountains to Tampa are an 8 hour drive.
Suburbs: I’m not sure on this one. Tampa has some very good suburbs (Fishhawk, Palm Harbor, East Lake, Westchase, etc). Where I live, I basically never have to go into Tampa itself. That said, I’ve got a feeling Cary et al is probably better.
Traffic: Overall, Tampa has bad traffic. It’s not bad everywhere so there are some suburbs you can go to and avoid the worst of it. I’m not knowledgeable on Raleigh’s traffic situation.
Overall: I’d take Tampa. Raleigh is good too, but it’s nice not having a state income tax in Florida.
Weather: Raleigh hands down.
Outdoor Recreation: Tie. Tampa has watersports/beaches. Raleigh has hiking, walking and trails.
Suburbs: Raleigh. Nothing beats Apex, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, Wake Forest and Cary. Cary is like in the top 3 nationwide.
Traffic: I think Raleigh wins this one.
Overall: Raleigh hands down. Higher quality of life, better jobs, more to do and Raleigh constantly ranks in the top 5 of best metropolitan areas/cities to move to.
Living in suburban Tampa, I’m more knowledgeable about Tampa than Raleigh.
Weather: The biggest downside in Tampa is, unsurprisingly, the summer heat. October to March ususally are nice, but occasionally there are heat waves where it can get into the upper 80s even in the winter. I understand Raleigh summers are also hot, but briefer. It’s going to be a much more seasonal city. If you want 4 seasons Raleigh is the choice, if you want hot and otherwise mild then it’s Tampa. As I think most Floridians will tell you, hurricanes aren’t a substantial concern.
Suburbs: I’m not sure on this one. Tampa has some very good suburbs (Fishhawk, Palm Harbor, East Lake, Westchase, etc). Where I live, I basically never have to go into Tampa itself. That said, I’ve got a feeling Cary et al is probably better.
Traffic: Overall, Tampa has bad traffic. It’s not bad everywhere so there are some suburbs you can go to and avoid the worst of it. I’m not knowledgeable on Raleigh’s traffic situation.
Responding to your post specifically:
Weather: One thing I've noticed, I am currently in East Lake, the weather here is much milder than 2 hours East in Orlando, and even just about 30-40 minutes Southeast-ish in Tampa. I routinely see a 10 degree difference between here and my home (Orlando.)
Worth noting that Raleigh also gets uncomfortably hot during the summer (although for a much shorter time, and cools down much more comfortably at night) and can get cold during the winter, and I've noticed that it can be ugly and overcast for an entire week there without a hint of sunshine at times. So it's a tough one, but because some areas of Tampa Bay aren't as unbearably hot as others, I'm going with Tampa.
Suburbs: Raleigh wins, but not by much. I agree with you that Tampa has some great suburbs as well, including most, if not all, of Northern Pinellas County (such as the aforementioned East Lake, which is dotted with beautiful nature, hiking trails, a huge lake (in addition to the gulf) and wildlife. And as you mentioned, I have little to no reason to ever go into Tampa when I'm here.
Traffic: Tampa has terrible traffic on its highways/expressways. I-4 and I-275 are ALWAYS backed up, even at random times (3PM on a Sunday afternoon, for instance.) The local streets aren't bad, and I find the drivers there to at least be somewhat competent. Driving in Raleigh is a breeze. Raleigh wins this by a landslide.
Tampa has far more enjoyable weather than Raleigh. I personally would take it any day over Raleigh, or even almost all of the US. Miami is perhaps the only other place I'd enjoy more. The winter is more pleasant, for obvious reasons. But the advantage in weather extends through the rest of the year as well - including the summer season.
Yes, it's very humid in Tampa, and with high dewpoints. But the key to the enjoyability is wind, rain, and tropical greenery - lots of it. See, summer is the wet season in Tampa, as with the rest of Florida. And said wet season comes just like it does in the tropics - loads of loads of epic thunderstorms abound. So not only do you get the sheer thrill and excitement of the storms, it's rest assured that the land is quenched and the air freshened and rain-cooled. Combine these sea-breeze driven storms with the prevailing easterly trade winds that can manifest during the summer season, and you end up with the well-moderated summer weather typical of the Florida peninsula. In fact, Tampa is so moderate that it has never reached 100°F in all of its history of weather records - a feat that not even many Northeastern US cities can match, let alone Raleigh.
The spring and fall weather in Tampa is also more enjoyable. This is largely because there is more reliability to the experience. Nice and solid 80°F and sun almost all the way through. This is much in contrast to Raleigh which can still get interruptions and delays in the nicer weather, just like it does in winter - the proximity to the Appalachians accelerates cold airmasses as a density current with upper levels unchanged, causing Raleigh to experience the persistent overcast spells from time to time associated with cold-air damming (CAD). With a particularly cold airmass, you can end up dealing with wintry precipitation like ice storms - not fun at all.
About the only downside to Tampa's climate would be the threat of hurricanes and the associated storm surge. However, hurricanes are perhaps the most enjoyable of natural disasters, due to the great rainfall that they bring across the land. They also come with a more prolonged and obvious period of warning associated with them compared to other disasters, so you have ample time fortifying your possessions, along with other necessary precautions. Not to mention, Tampa specifically has a natural "leeward" shelter like rest of the peninsular Floridian Gulf - hurricanes and other tropical weather systems have a general east to west path in accordance to the path of the trade winds, so the direct strikes to Florida will tend to be towards the eastern Atlantic coast, allowing Tampa and the rest of the Gulf to be spared the full impact regarding storm surge.
The benign overall climate in Tampa also leads to more interesting ecology and wilderness. Lots of palms and other subtropical/tropical evergreen plants and wildlife survive and thrive all around the Tampa Bay area, which leads to more interesting sights in any outdoor excursions. And thanks to the reliable wet-and-dry seasonal cycle, you can actually partake in the recreation with greater certainty throughout the year, whether it is specifically waterside activities, or generalized walking or cycling.
The summer wet-season storms are epic downpours that are relatively brief in duration. They are not the drawn out affairs associated with the mid-latitude cyclones that cross the country and affect Raleigh throughout the fall through spring period. Therefore, even in summer, you still have opportunity to enjoy outdoors, as well as along the pool. Not to mention that you can take a more tranquil approach to activity in the wet-season. For instance, just chilling out back and watching those awesome thunderstorms roll in. The excitement of the dramatic down-pours and lightning. The fresh, rain-cooled scent and air. The greenery abound and the sounds of wildlife. A complete exhilaration -it's literally ASMR.
Having that said, I don't have too much detail with regards to how the suburb or traffic compares in either region. So I simply will not be able to give an informed response on these two subjects. But other posts above have consistently given the edge to Raleigh - which makes sense, due to the presence of the Research Triangle, as well as infrastructure adaptations needed to handle that.
Disclaimer: (imo)
Last edited by kemahkami; 04-13-2021 at 06:25 PM..
Reason: links
Weather: One thing I've noticed, I am currently in East Lake, the weather here is much milder than 2 hours East in Orlando, and even just about 30-40 minutes Southeast-ish in Tampa. I routinely see a 10 degree difference between here and my home (Orlando.)
Worth noting that Raleigh also gets uncomfortably hot during the summer (although for a much shorter time, and cools down much more comfortably at night) and can get cold during the winter, and I've noticed that it can be ugly and overcast for an entire week there without a hint of sunshine at times. So it's a tough one, but because some areas of Tampa Bay aren't as unbearably hot as others, I'm going with Tampa.
Suburbs: Raleigh wins, but not by much. I agree with you that Tampa has some great suburbs as well, including most, if not all, of Northern Pinellas County (such as the aforementioned East Lake, which is dotted with beautiful nature, hiking trails, a huge lake (in addition to the gulf) and wildlife. And as you mentioned, I have little to no reason to ever go into Tampa when I'm here.
Traffic: Tampa has terrible traffic on its highways/expressways. I-4 and I-275 are ALWAYS backed up, even at random times (3PM on a Sunday afternoon, for instance.) The local streets aren't bad, and I find the drivers there to at least be somewhat competent. Driving in Raleigh is a breeze. Raleigh wins this by a landslide.
East Lake, huh? I’m nearby just over the county line in Hillsborough.
I think the reason this area can be milder has to do with the gulf, or even Tampa Bay, influence. It depends on a lot though, sometimes the gulf keeps the temperature mild all the way to I-75 and other days it doesn’t get past Dunedin. Today, for example, all points east of Lake Tarpon were around 90f and west of Lake Tarpon it was closer to 80f. This area is unique in that it experiences characteristics of both inland Florida and coastal Florida depending on the day.
I love both metro areas and recommend them to people all of the time. I live in NC and have family in the RDU area. I lived in Orlando for a year and visited Tampa Bay all of the time. I'm 55 and have visited both areas my whole life.
Weather - Very subjective. In Tampa Bay, I would miss having at least some snow and a 4-season climate. Tampa's heat and humidity wouldn't bother me at all. Tampa has some hurricane risk, but Raleigh can get remnants of hurricanes. It totally depends on what you as an individual are looking for and prefer overall. Tampa's climate would be "bad" for some, but not others (like me).
Outdoor Recreation - My wife and I love the outdoors and kayaking. Both have very good outdoor recreation. RDU has some great greeways, parks, and a couple of lakes. But Tampa wins here. Beaches, LOTS of water recreation, parks, trails. When it comes to overall recreational assets (especially unique assets that most metros don't have), Tampa Bay blows RDU out of the water. That's one of RDU's real weaknesses, unique recreational assets.
Suburbs - I'm going to call this a tie. Both have really good suburbs. Lakeland is one that I just love, having incredible access to both Tampa Bay AND Orlando and a large, gorgeous lake downtown. Personally, I like Tampa Bay's a tad better. But an excellent argument can be made for RDU as well.
Traffic - Very close. I'd probably say that Tampa's is probably a little worse, given that it has 1.5 million residents more in its metro than RDU. As far as just noticing driving around each area, I really haven't seen any differences.
Overall quality of life - Again, very subjective. Just depends on what the individual wants overall. You're right that both rank well. In my 2020 rankings, they're both in my top 10% of metro areas. Both are affordable and the average person can live a very good life in either. "Vibe" will mean different things to different people, so it's hard for me to say. Personally, I would prefer Tampa/Tampa Bay overall. The recreational assets category is really important to us, and Tampa wins here by a pretty big margin. Both metro's Buying Power (annual income vs. cost of living) is the same. People are nice in both areas. Both have good economies, just different. You really can't go wrong with either. No matter where you land, good luck!
Not me. Summers are worse in FL. Raleigh winters are mild. Yeah. it's warmer in Tampa, but if one likes seasons, at least Raleigh has some semblance of winter.
I'm a remote worker so I'm not concerned with employment. However, I am concerned with the who would come out the winner given these 5 points: weather, outdoor rec, suburbs, traffic, and overall quality of life.
Weather - Both cities have hot and humid summers but Tampa does not have snowy or cold winters. How bad are the Raleigh winters? Is the heat, frequent storms, rain, and hurricanes in Tampa too much to endure?
Outdoor Recreation - I'm working on being more outdoorsy. Tampa has a lot of water so fishing, kayaking, and swimming would probably be more accessible here. However, are Raleigh's nearby lakes enough to accommodate the same things? How about non water based recreation like horse riding and cycling?
Suburbs - Both cities have excellent suburbs from what I hear. The Raleigh suburbs have easy access to both Raleigh and Durham while Tampa has suburbs with easy access to Orlando and Tampa. Which has better independent suburbs where you could live and rarely need to go to the big city even though you could go whenever you wanted?
Traffic - I am a remote worker so I do not care about commuting to the city. I'm referring to the traffic within the town here.
Overall quality of life - People are moving to both cities in droves I would presume they both rank highly here. Most people move to Raleigh for employment and move to Tampa for other reasons. How is the feel and vibe of these places? Include anything that may be important here that I may not have mentioned specifically.
Weather - depends. Raleigh has more of a 4 seasons, but also gets much colder/snow. Even though Tampa is known for everyday summer thunderstorms, Raleigh gets more precipitation overall and Tampa has over a month's worth more of sunshine days. And while people will complain about Tampa's heat, the July average in Raleigh is 90 and Tampa its 90. You'll feel the humidity in both. Tampa has never hit 100 degrees somehow. Meanwhile the average January low in Raleigh is 30, Tampa 52.
Outdoors - Tampa was voted the #1 city for dogs so that counts for something. Both cities are good for outdoor things, but I'd say the water gives Tampa the edge. Not even counting the Gulf, just the Bay and river give an edge. Plenty of outdoor activities that dont require water too. When it comes to hiking, Tampa may be flat, but Raleigh isnt exactly in the mountains either.
Traffic - Raleigh. Though if youre mostly going out and about on the weekends or in the evenings, its not that big a deal. Tampa traffic is not great, but also overblown. There's been a considerable difference since the coronavirus. Tampa does have random weekend backups like someone mentioned, but its little chokepoints, its not like the entire highway system is backed up...you can easily do a "sunday drive" around Tampa and Tampa Bay region.
Suburbs - IDK. I feel like both have great ones, theyre just built different. Imo this depends more on preferred housing styles, neighborhood builts, street layouts etc. Raleigh feels more suburban overall. Some people like that, some dont.
QOL - Really depends on what youre looking for. I live in Tampa, but Raleigh has always been a city on my mind. If I someday move to Raleigh, I dont think my QOL will drastically increase or decrease. I'm also young with no kids, and Tampa is fine for my career, so. Really depends on who you are. There's specific reasons people are moving to both cities in droves.
Whoever said though that Raleigh has "more to do"...not even...
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