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I'm very familiar with both. I have a home in the Charlotte area and have several relatives in the Raleigh/Durham area. Both are good in their own ways, but I'd much prefer Charlotte. Much more to do and a tad more affordable.
I'm always fascinated by statements like these when comparing somewhat comparable cities. Can you elaborate on what Charlotte offers that is "much more"..?
I'm always fascinated by statements like these when comparing somewhat comparable cities. Can you elaborate on what Charlotte offers that is "much more"..?
Almost guarantee the answer will be Carowinds, NFL, NBA, Nascar. Without those 4 things the two cities would have the same amount of things to do. For me personally, none of those amenities (all of which have off seasons) would be a deciding factor...and I'm a huge Panthers fan. I just drive 2 hours to get there. not a big deal.
Almost guarantee the answer will be Carowinds, NFL, NBA, Nascar. Without those 4 things the two cities would have the same amount of things to do. For me personally, none of those amenities (all of which have off seasons) would be a deciding factor...and I'm a huge Panthers fan. I just drive 2 hours to get there. not a big deal.
I actually like the whitewater center and that Charlotte is one city versus the 3-node RTP. However I prefer RDU because it's a bit more laid back. I dunno those are some big ticket items to sort of "dismiss". I think having Time Warner Cable downtown is a big advantage, not just basketball but concerts and other events, then toss in the light rail, it adds a lot more buzz to the downtown area. Raleigh missed the boat on PNC.
RDU has college sports but they don't unite the city/metro like pro sports. PNC downtown with Hockey would've been a big hit.
Think about events like this in PNC in downtown Raleigh (which I know they have).....it would've been a huge catalyst:
I actually like the whitewater center and that Charlotte is one city versus the 3-node RTP. However I prefer RDU because it's a bit more laid back. I dunno those are some big ticket items to sort of "dismiss". I think having Time Warner Cable downtown is a big advantage, not just basketball but concerts and other events, then toss in the light rail, it adds a lot more buzz to the downtown area. Raleigh missed the boat on PNC.
RDU has college sports but they don't unite the city/metro like pro sports. PNC downtown with Hockey would've been a big hit.
Think about events like this in PNC in downtown Raleigh (which I know they have).....it would've been a huge catalyst:
I forgot about the Whitewater center, I agree that's a pretty cool place. I don't mind so much that Charlotte is one city and the Triangle is 3. Arbitrary, imaginary lines IMO. Charlotte is 300 square miles and Raleigh is 140. Driving Ballantyne to uptown Charlotte takes longer and is more miles than downtown Cary to downtown Raleigh.
Those are big ticket items to some, but honestly how many games are you going to go to even if you are a sports fan with the money to qfford tickets? Theyre expensive and home games relatively infrequent. Carowinds as well. When I lived 10 mins from Six Flags Great Adventure I still only went 2 or 3 times per season. Completely depends on the person. If theyre planning on going to every home game and frequently visiting Carowinds, Charlotte would be better just so you dont have to drive a few hours.
I grew up in Raleigh, have spent plenty of time in Charlotte and now live in Atlanta. I don't think you could make a mistake with either city. Both are growing cities that have a lot to offer. To the OP, if you want a laid back lifestyle I think you would be in fine in either city, and both cities have top notch medical services for Asthma. If you are coming from the Atlanta area, both cities are more laid back than Atlanta. It mainly just depends on what you like to do in your day to day life.
I'm always fascinated by statements like these when comparing somewhat comparable cities. Can you elaborate on what Charlotte offers that is "much more"..?
Pro sports is one. More centralized location. Closer to mountains and other major cities. Raleigh is really only closer to the coast.
Pro sports is one. More centralized location. Closer to mountains and other major cities. Raleigh is really only closer to the coast.
Can you elaborate on this? Charlotte is 4 hours to Atlanta, Raleigh is 4 hours from DC. Charlotte is 5.5 hours from Jax, Raleigh is 6 hours from Philadelphia and 7.5 hours from NYC.
Charlotte is closer to the mountains, Raleigh is closer to the beach.
Can you elaborate on this? Charlotte is 4 hours to Atlanta, Raleigh is 4 hours from DC. Charlotte is 5.5 hours from Jax, Raleigh is 6 hours from Philadelphia and 7.5 hours from NYC.
Charlotte is closer to the mountains, Raleigh is closer to the beach.
Charlotte is closer to most of what you'd want to see in SC. It's also much closer to WNC and the mountains. Yes, Raleigh is closer to the beach, but it's still a couple hours away.
There just seems to be much less in eastern NC than around Charlotte.
I think an argument can be made that Charlotte has a better location than Raleigh. As far as location goes, I prefer Raleigh's location closer to 95 and the coast, and East Coast/Mid-Atlantic cities, but an argument can be made for Charlotte...
Lol at questioning what Charlotte offers more of. The insecurity of Triangle boosters never ceases to amaze. Again, people value things differently, so one may not value the things that Charlotte has at a higher frequency, and that's completely fine. But Charlotte offers more than Raleigh, period. From shopping to entertainment to public transit to museums...
I think an argument can be made that Charlotte has a better location than Raleigh. As far as location goes, I prefer Raleigh's location closer to 95 and the coast, and East Coast/Mid-Atlantic cities, but an argument can be made for Charlotte...
Lol at questioning what Charlotte offers more of. The insecurity of Triangle boosters never ceases to amaze. Again, people value things differently, so one may not value the things that Charlotte has at a higher frequency, and that's completely fine. But Charlotte offers more than Raleigh, period. From shopping to entertainment to public transit to museums...
I'm still checking for that Saks Fifth Avenue and top rated colleges in Charlotte...
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