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I have a horrible case of choice paralysis and would love some opinions on which city makes the most sense for me at this point in my life.
About Me:
I'm an early 30s (will be 33 in March; is 33 considered early or mid 30s? ) single female, never married, no children. I've moved quite a bit over the last 10 years: DC for grad school for a year, 2 years in Atlanta, 2 years in Cincinnati, and 5.5 years in Nashville, so I have a fairly good idea of what I want and don't want in a city.
I work in content marketing, and my employer told us the earliest we'd have to return to the office is June 2021. I left Nashville in May and will not be returning, as I had been plotting my exit long before COVID.
In an ideal world, I would relocate to Boston, Denver or Salt Lake City, as I love all three cities' vibes and offerings, but my job does not pay me well enough to live off of my salary in any of those cities while I hunt for a new role. I feel like the dating options would be far more plentiful in those cities than in the ones I'm considering in the Carolinas, since people get married younger in the South, but alas, they aren't realistic choices at this point in time.
Therefore, I've narrowed it down to:
- Charlotte, NC,
- Raleigh, NC,
- Charleston, SC
- Greenville, SC.
I've created a pros & cons list for all four, but I'm still unsure as to how to proceed.
Cons
Charlotte
- Lack of industry diversity - aren't the dominant industries banking/finance and healthcare? I work in healthcare content marketing right now and hate it, so I have no desire to stick to healthcare. Previously created content for a lifestyle media startup and loved it. I feel like Raleigh offers a greater diversity of companies.
- My friends in the area tell me traffic is a bit of a nightmare, though that may have changed with COVID.
- I've been reading that Charlotte has had increasing crime issues, particularly homicides, but I don't know if it's between people who know one another or if it's random crime. Nashville has a really bad crime problem that you likely wouldn't know about if you don't live there (people getting robbed at gunpoint walking their dogs at 8:30p at night in "safe" neighborhoods), so I would rather not relocate to another city with major crime issues.
Raleigh
- Raleigh is the only city where I don't have at least one friend. I have a couple of acquaintances that reside there, but not anyone I would feel comfortable reaching out to if something happened. I have never had an issue meeting friends in any of my previous cities, but with COVID, meeting new people is a lot more challenging, as common interest groups aren't active at the moment.
- I'm a big hiker, and Raleigh is a bit farther from hiking than Charlotte. I believe Roanoke is about 3 hours away, and the NC mountains are 4ish. However, I also love the coast, so being a couple of hours to locations like Wilmington is appealing.
- I love to travel internationally, but Raleigh only offers 2 nonstop European destinations (London & Paris), unlike Charlotte, which has many more.
Charleston
- I was born in Charleston, so I know quite a few people there, but I fear I would face the same issue I had in Nashville: jobs that don't pay well enough to account for the city's skyrocketing cost of living. Charleston also has the highest cost of living of all four cities I'm considering.
- I HATED all the drunk, obnoxious bachelorette parties in Nashville, and I know Charleston attracts a fairly large number of bachelorettes as well. (Though that may not seem like a big deal, you try dealing with drunk bachelorettes ringing your doorbell at 4AM because they can't remember which house is their Airbnb. )
- Other downsides include far from hiking, very hot in the summer/no fall foliage, and only international flight is to London.
Greenville
- I visited Greenville in Fall 2019 and absolutely loved it, but my biggest concern is the lack of jobs for what I do. It may be a city where jobs are publicized more by word of mouth and I just need to move there to hear about opportunities, but I wouldn't want to move there and confirm there are no jobs to be had in my field (short of securing a 100% remote role). Additionally, from the research I've done, the jobs don't pay well there.
- I'd obviously have to drive to Charlotte for any international flights.
Realistically, I think it's down to Charlotte or Raleigh. I was just in Charlotte in early March before COVID upended everything, so I feel like I should visit Raleigh, as I haven't been there since Summer 2017.
What would you do if you were me?!
I'm looking to move in the first quarter of 2021.
Also, if there are other cities I am overlooking that I should be considering, feel free to share! I was interviewing for a job in Richmond, VA on March 12 (you know, the day the CDC declared COVID a pandemic ), but unfortunately, they offered the role to a local candidate. I liked what I saw of Richmond, but I don't really know much about it.
Seems like Charlotte would suite you the best. It's at the center of the Carolina's. It's also the biggest and most cosmopolitan city. That seems to be your thing.
Raleigh
- Raleigh is the only city where I don't have at least one friend. I have a couple of acquaintances that reside there, but not anyone I would feel comfortable reaching out to if something happened. I have never had an issue meeting friends in any of my previous cities, but with COVID, meeting new people is a lot more challenging, as common interest groups aren't active at the moment.
- I'm a big hiker, and Raleigh is a bit farther from hiking than Charlotte. I believe Roanoke is about 3 hours away, and the NC mountains are 4ish. However, I also love the coast, so being a couple of hours to locations like Wilmington is appealing.
- I love to travel internationally, but Raleigh only offers 2 nonstop European destinations (London & Paris), unlike Charlotte, which has many more.
First off I wanted to remind you that Raleigh also exists with Durham, a city of around 230K which is much larger than either of your SC options and provides a wealth of employment options with Research Triangle Park (nearly all of the park is within the city of Durham) and two major universities (Duke and UNC in adjacent Chapel Hill). It's also just a touch over 2 hours to mountain hiking in the NC Blue Ridge Mountains, about the same distance to the beach. Charlotte's about 20-30 minutes closer to the mountains and 90 minutes further (3.5 hours) to the beach.
It sounds like Charlotte would be the best overall fit. Though Charlotte's main industry is banking/finance, it's more diversified than that. Transportation, insurance, and call centers have a big presence here. Hearst Corp. (print media/advertising) has its HQ in Charlotte. My 4 children are 25-29 (3 sons, 1 daughter, we all live in the Charlotte area) have never had issues with dating. So the relative lack of economic diversity and dating options is a bit off. I'd say Raleigh/Durham would be a good second option. Good luck in your search.
First off I wanted to remind you that Raleigh also exists with Durham, a city of around 230K which is much larger than either of your SC options and provides a wealth of employment options with Research Triangle Park (nearly all of the park is within the city of Durham) and two major universities (Duke and UNC in adjacent Chapel Hill). It's also just a touch over 2 hours to mountain hiking in the NC Blue Ridge Mountains, about the same distance to the beach. Charlotte's about 20-30 minutes closer to the mountains and 90 minutes further (3.5 hours) to the beach.
Not to mention; there is no shortage of great hiking spots within the immediate Triangle area itself.
Umstead, Eno, Occaneechi...all state parks that have some great hiking trails; both rugged and "beginner"
And yeah mountains are more like 2.5 hours away.
Biggest reservation for Raleigh/The Triangle over other areas in OP's case IMO would be lack of a network; especially during COVID.
I'm in the same age bracket (just turned 32) and single as well and the dating scene here is....not the best. Though it's not as "everyone is married with at least one kid" as Charlotte.
First off I wanted to remind you that Raleigh also exists with Durham, a city of around 230K which is much larger than either of your SC options...
Only if the OP is limiting his/her options to the city proper, which the vast majority of people don't do when considering relocation to a Southern locale. It's a very misleading statement to make, and if mass annexations or city/county consolidations were to happen today in Charleston and Greenville that would result in them becoming larger municipalities than Durham, it would only reflect a new political reality of shifting corporate limits and not one highly unusual day of an extraordinary number of births and relocations which radically changed their actual growth trajectories.
Durham is located in a substantially more populated region, while Charleston and Greenville (proper and suburban) are a little larger than Durham (proper and suburban).
Only if the OP is limiting his/her options to the city proper, which the vast majority of people don't do when considering relocation to a Southern locale. It's a very misleading statement to make, and if mass annexations or city/county consolidations were to happen today in Charleston and Greenville that would result in them becoming larger municipalities than Durham, it would only reflect a new political reality of shifting corporate limits and not one highly unusual day of an extraordinary number of births and relocations which radically changed their actual growth trajectories.
Durham is located in a substantially more populated region, while Charleston and Greenville (proper and suburban) are a little larger than Durham (proper and suburban).
The OP is single and early 30s, so probably safe to say they're comparing city proper versus areas of tract housing inhabited by overwhelmingly occupied by procreating couples. Durham's city population is (275K), Charleston (133K) and Greenville (68K) so it doesn't take much wizardry to figure out by far which city is better for young single professionals. Especially since it borders another city (Raleigh) with similar demographics that add another 470K to the equation.
(nearly all of the park is within the city of Durham)
Not true. The major portion of RTP is in Durham County, not the city. Also, it's not nearly all, it's more like 60-65%
For the OP, welcome to inter-city rivalry of the Triangle area.
To the OP, I think that you're on the right track with the two NC metros. They are much larger, more dynamic, and offer more opportunities than the two SC metros. I'd challenge the notion that Charlotte is more cosmopolitan than the Triangle. I'd have to see that data. The Triangle, with its foundation in education, technology, biotechnology, and state government, has a more educated populace, a more overall progressive feel (not just one county is blue), and a very dynamic international community that's drawn by the nature of its economy.
Though it's not as "everyone is married with at least one kid" as Charlotte.
If thats what you got in Charlotte you suck at dating. I found the dating scene to be incredibly inviting there. Incredibly...
I don't find Triangle to be poor, lower scale/less inviting than Clt for sure, but its accessible and not the worst I've seen...
Quote:
Originally Posted by rnc2mbfl
I'd challenge the notion that Charlotte is more cosmopolitan than the Triangle. I'd have to see that data. The Triangle, with its foundation in education, technology, biotechnology, and state government, has a more educated populace, a more overall progressive feel (not just one county is blue), and a very dynamic international community that's drawn by the nature of its economy.
Of course I dont know if this is of express relevance to the OP, but the city of Charlotte is significantly more international than any cluster of Triangle which, by the very nature of its region, has its internationalism spread out. That internationalism in Charlotte is larger, more concentrated and easier to see because of it, partly due to Charlotte's economy but also due to the fact that Clt is the top draw for almost any nationality in Carolina...
That alone lends to Clt feeling debatably more cosmopolitan...
And I think we've spoken on this in years past, but I definitely don't get the feeling Triangle is a more progressive area; perhaps my perspective is weighted by having lived in the city of Charlotte and now the city of Raleigh, but thats not something I've really felt at all...
Although Charleston is my favorite city on this list, I would go with Charlotte here. Location, and the city itself, are really transforming. Getting in there at an early age, and setting up shop, sounds pretty attractive to me. Fairly close to Western NC, Eastern TN., and the Upstate of SC. Only about 4 hours to the Charleston area. I do love the Low Country, and all her islands.
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) single female, never married, no children. I've moved quite a bit over the last 10 years: DC for grad school for a year, 2 years in Atlanta, 2 years in Cincinnati, and 5.5 years in Nashville, so I have a fairly good idea of what I want and don't want in a city.
)
), but unfortunately, they offered the role to a local candidate. I liked what I saw of Richmond, but I don't really know much about it. 
