Research Triangle vs Charlotte vs Atlanta vs more (eastern states: CoL, Job market, etc)) (living, best)

[Brenton93]

I'm looking at comparing cities in eastern states like GA, SC, NC, TN, VA, PA, AL.
I know that's a lot so I'll try to narrow it down...


Nashville and Chattanooga TN
Charlotte and the Research Triangle, NC
Greenville, SC
Pittsburgh, PA
Huntsville, AL
Atlanta, GA
Richmond and Roanoke VA



That's still a lot so I dont expect anyone to cover them all in one post.

Here are the comparisons

Cost of Living:
Culture:
Job market/Economy:
Nature and outdoor activities:
Weather:



So I'm looking for a good mix of lower cost of living, booming job market (mainly IT), outdoor activities(mountains>beach), some snow but not a long winter, and for culture I prefer laid back, friendly, and diversity.

I hope this isnt flagged as a duplicate post. I've narrowed things down to the east cost and want to rule out some cities. I'm thinking Huntsville may not fit me culturally, Pittsburgh may be too cold, Nashville high CoL, etc. I'm leaning towards Charlotte being a good place with Atlanta, Research Triangle, and the smaller cities like Greenville and Chattanooga coming 2nd.

Also fyi, I'm ok with Mountains being a weekend trip thing. I'm aware that some of places listed are 1-3 hours away from the best parts of the mountains.

[Shakeesha]

Cost of Living: Chattanooga
Culture: Nashville, Atlanta
Job market/Economy: Atlanta is the most diverse, Nashville is the fastest growing.
Nature and outdoor activities: Pittsburgh, Nashville, Atlanta, Greenville
Weather: Greenville

You cannot go wrong with any of these cities, with the exception of inner city Richmond for crime. You mentioned Nashville may be too high CoL, but not so much if you are ok with the suburbs. Same for Atlanta. Chattanooga wins for being able to live affordably in an urban environment. However, the metro area and outskirts are poor and drug prone. Greenville is like taking the best of Chattanooga (downtown) and the best of Knoxville (metro area) and combining them together. Huntsville is nicer than Chattanooga and has a fast growing economy, but lacks urban character and is a bit more conservative. Huntsville and Chattanooga are equidistant to Nashville, if you need more of a city environment. As a young person, I would consider these things:

Can I afford to own my home and work relatively close by?

Does the area offer a high quality of life and low cost of living?

Is the area safe and not run down or crime ridden?

[Charlesaf3]

you've got a group - Raleigh/Nashville/Richmond/, and a bunch of outliers. Given that, I'd visit all 3 of the peer group and see what you like better.

[march2]

Cost of Living: Charlotte (larger), Roanoke (smaller)
Culture: A little subjective, so I'll skip
Job market/Economy: Charlotte/Atlanta/Nashville/Raleigh (tie - too close to call - larger), Greenville/Huntsville (smaller)
Nature and outdoor activities:Atlanta/Charlotte (larger), Greenville/Roanoke (smaller). You really can find some nice outdoor things to do in all of them.
Weather: Hmm, for me personally, Charlotte (larger), Roanoke (smaller). They seem to have the better balance of summer, winter, fall, and spring.

They're all actually good areas. In some cases, it's like splitting hairs.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by march2

Cost of Living: Charlotte (larger), Roanoke (smaller)
Culture: A little subjective, so I'll skip
Job market/Economy: Charlotte/Atlanta/Nashville/Raleigh (tie - too close to call - larger), Greenville/Huntsville (smaller)
Nature and outdoor activities:Atlanta/Charlotte (larger), Greenville/Roanoke (smaller). You really can find some nice outdoor things to do in all of them.
Weather: Hmm, for me personally, Charlotte (larger), Roanoke (smaller). They seem to have the better balance of summer, winter, fall, and spring.

They're all actually good areas. In some cases, it's like splitting hairs.

COL may actually go to Pittsburgh. I'm also surprised that you omitted Pittsburgh in the nature/outdoor activities category when it most likely takes that one.