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Even though Raleigh feels mostly suburban, it has a dynamic, corporate, white collar presence and energy to it in some areas. The triangle adds a larger suburban vibe too, and is reminiscent of the type of scientific, tech and corporate parks you'd find in the DC or NYC suburbs.
Tucson still has a bohemian, upscale desert getaway resort (in the foothills), college and military "big town" vibe. Add in the huge snowbird/retirement town vibe, and Tucson can feel sleepy in a way in its cozy in-town neighborhoods. Downtown is getting better, but feels like a laid back, western big town, still.
Raleigh is part of a triangle with Greensboro and High Point, North Carolina. With over 1,000,000 residents, it's a pretty major place and a center of furniture making. It's a pretty green lush place. And the area has many absolutely great universities with great basketball--within 75 miles.
Tucson is more desert like, and it has a very diverse population. And it's not some place I would prefer to live.
Wow these are polar opposites. Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill (Research Triangle) forms a fairly descent metro area and a lot more livable than Tucson. Raleigh is very up and coming and has been for some time now and it’s location is ideal. It’s close to several beaches, lush and green, and a days drive to several other cities. Tucson is quintessentially southwestern and has a unique culture of its own but it’s very dull and boring as a city. University of Arizona is its only saving grace and pretty much drives the whole city. Raleigh wins with jobs, diversity (Tucson isn’t diverse at all), education, and pretty much everything else but Tucson beats Raleigh when it comes to outdoor activities. Tucson sits at the base of the Catalina Mountains which offers not only a gorgeous backdrop but hiking and skiing in the winter at Mt. Lemon. Raleigh doesn’t have anything like that. I’m from Phoenix originally and honestly you forget all about Tucson being there. Just my 2 cents.
Raleigh is part of a triangle with Greensboro and High Point, North Carolina. With over 1,000,000 residents, it's a pretty major place and a center of furniture making. It's a pretty green lush place. And the area has many absolutely great universities with great basketball--within 75 miles.
Tucson is more desert like, and it has a very diverse population. And it's not some place I would prefer to live.
Additionally, he/she vastly underestimated population. Wake, Raleigh's county, has over 1.1 million alone, and the Triangle area is over 2 million.
Tucson's county also has 1.1 million. But it doesn't have the surrounding counties like Raleigh does.
Raleigh certainly "feels bigger" but in terms of just absolute distance from one end of the metro to the other Tucson would give it a run for it's money. The Tucson metro is about 50 miles from one end to the other going SE to NW and about 50 miles from south to North.
Counties in Arizona are huge compared to North Carolina's, and much of what is technically "metro Tucson" consists of empty mountains and desert, with a few small communities elsewhere. Thus the Tucson urban area is much more compact than metro density figures would suggest.
Tucson would probably be more fun for a sightseeing vacation, but it is not remotely in Raleigh's league as a place for education and careers. Sectors such as software development and biotech research are much more dominant than furniture making, despite North Carolina's history. Raleigh residents are much better compensated than those of Tucson on average and the area is mostly clean, safe and prosperous. Tucson appears very stratified between the wealthy foothills and poorer south side of the city with a less substantial middle class.
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