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Hi I fell in love with these 2 cities. I decided to stay where I am (NJ) for a little while longer to earn more money, but I loved Frederick and Raleigh! I'll be a registered nurse, and was wondering if anyone would please compare/contrast these 2 cities for me. I look for low crime, air/water quality, city feel but plenty of nature activities to do, day-trips, and good for young people!
Frederick is a small town. Close enough to D.C and Baltimore to draw some influence but still a small town. Raleigh would have more opportunities. Frederick does have good mountain access though and it's not too far from the ocean.
Frederick is a small town. Close enough to D.C and Baltimore to draw some influence but still a small town. Raleigh would have more opportunities. Frederick does have good mountain access though and it's not too far from the ocean.
Thanks! I know... the Pros I give Frederick are better weather (well, for me that means cooler and less humid) higher salary by almost 10k/year, mountains, and no black widow spiders
Pros I give Raleigh are Duke, opportunities, size, great parks.
Thanks! I know... the Pros I give Frederick are better weather (well, for me that means cooler and less humid) higher salary by almost 10k/year, mountains, and no black widow spiders
Pros I give Raleigh are Duke, opportunities, size, great parks.
You have good taste; both are delightful communities. Frederick is, of course, a popular weekend destination for DC and Baltimore residents; Raleigh is more of a stand-alone metro. Frederick, to me, has more of a touristy, 'boutique' quality to it as well.
I recently visited Frederick for a few days. It was absolutely perfect weather, both when I went to Raleigh and when I went to Frederick. Makes a decision kind of hard because weather is a big part of my choice. I'm a very outdoorsy person...love hiking and being outside. When it's 80% humidity and higher I just want to go back inside. I know Raleigh has humid summers but better year round weather.
Anyway my impression of Frederick: Huge place, nice downtown, plenty of stores around, beautiful parks, busy hospital ( I'll be looking for employment as a rn), lots of traffic to go to DC or Baltimore
Impressions of Raleigh which I visited in april: exciting city, beautiful parks, friendly people, spread out towns, did not like the downtown areas I saw, love Duke.
I found people in Frederick to be busier and more business oriented I think anyway. I liked the more laid back feel of Raleigh and that it was still a city.
I feel like Raleigh has more to offer in terms of furthering my education (i want to become a nurse practioner) and employment options, and I liked the feel there. I don't like the humidity and giant bugs...that seems dumb to say but my interests are all about being outdoors so it matters a lot to me.
Salary in Frederick is nearly 10k more a year.
Which would you pick, for a 21 year old female graduating with a bsn, who loves camping, hiking, lakes/boating, jogging, being outside doing anything haha. Not into the bar scene. Only do that when my friends drag me.
Thanks for putting up reading my thoughts about moving! I am coming from a bad area in nj so I want somewhere I'll be happy because I put a lot of work in school, needing scholarships to afford it and things, and soon I can move to a better area so I want to choose right.
They are both very nice places to live in and they both offer good employment opportunities. You haven't discussed this, but if you are ever interested in a federal job, Frederick would be a better option (NIH, FDA, CMS are not super close, but they're doable from Frederick). I agree with your assessment that Raleigh might have better nearby universities to become a nurse practitioner. The closest options to Frederick would be UMD school of nursing in Baltimore (pretty good school too) and some of the universities in DC (Georgetown, Catholic University), which might be more expensive. In terms of parks / hiking /camping, Raleigh has very nice options, but I think Frederick has even better ones. There are some very nice state parks near Frederick with nice trail networks for hiking and biking, the Appalachian trail and C&O Canal are also very close, and the Chesapeake Bay is an easy weekend trip (or a long day trip, for example St Michaels is 2.5 hrs away).
Thanks! I know... the Pros I give Frederick are better weather (well, for me that means cooler and less humid) higher salary by almost 10k/year, mountains, and no black widow spiders
Pros I give Raleigh are Duke, opportunities, size, great parks.
FYI, Frederick probably has just as many if not more black widow spiders than what I have seen in the Raleigh area. I have lived in Frederick and just 20 miles south of there in Leesburg, Va and have seen more black widow spiders in my few years there than in my 11 years in Raleigh. I believe Black Widows range all up and down the east coast.
21 years old? Go to Raleigh. Its not a big city but it is a city. Frederick is great for what it is but seems like a choice for an older person. Now if you were planning to use Frederick as a jumping off point to get more integrated into the DMV or Bmore areas i.e. moving closer to either city in a year then my answer would be different but Frederick on its own at your stage?...nah
I lived in Frederick for two years. I think Frederick has a nicer downtown and downtown park than Raleigh.
I would say Frederick is better for outdoors stuff. Gambrill State park 10 minutes from downtown has a great mountain overlook of Frederick and another overlook looking to the west. There are numerous other mountain areas, and Potamac Falls down closer to DC is about 40 minutes from Frederick.
Cost of living is higher in Frederick so that 10K difference in salary might not mean much.
I interviewed for a job in Frederick, MD in 2005. I thought it seemed very small townish, also very historic and stately. Raleigh seems much bigger, and part of a much larger metro. While Frederick is close to Baltimore/Washington, it doesn't feel like part of that metro.
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raleigh nc vs frederick md part 2
