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Southern college culture in cities is fairly rare. Most southern colleges are in small towns, or they have limited pull in the big cities (Charlotte, Nashville, Atlanta). Austin is probably the most comparable.
As far as the rest, fair enough, I was overly broad. There is a general sameness to American life in the 21st century. But Southern food mixed with college-tinged art scene form the backbone of my point. There is definitely a relaxed air of unpretentiousness here, not far removed from being Barney Fife’s idea of a big city. That said, Brewgaloo being one of the top beer festivals in the country, and Raleigh’s percentage of land set aside for parks/greenways being close to double the national average are definitely a part of the story here as well.
Raleigh is ambitious, fly, intelligent, modern, creative. The collective persona of the city is that it challenges itself to be a better version of itself. This isn't the city that rests on its laurels. People here are workers, they are earners...
I've lived in alot of places, visited even more. There are only three of the ~15 cities or so that I've lived in, that I would say are great American cities for black people----->one of them is Raleigh. The other two are Virginia Beach and Charlotte, the order can be interchangeable depending on specific interests to specific black folk, but those three are levitating above every other city I've ever lived in, or in proximity to...
It goes unquestioned that Raleigh is one of the ten best large cities for us in the US. Not even debatable...
Lived in Memphis, worked in Raleigh while living in Durham.
Memphis was an over all horrible experience for me. From the people to the local culture.
I moved to North Carolina hoping that I would experience something different than what the area could offer. I did find a nice city with lots of intellectualism and options to make a good life. I made a lot of friends that made up for the lack of things to do.
I've learned not to claim one city is better than the other because we all come from different perspectives but have no love for Memphis or Tennessee.
This comparison is a little unfair because Raleigh doesn't have anywhere near the urban blight that Memphis has. And obviously the Research Triangle is booming.
That said, there are some nice areas of Memphis. Downtown, Midtown, and Harbor Town have lots of character and great river views. Downtown is on the rise and evolving into a genuine urban neighborhood, increasingly connected to a very upgraded riverfront.
Also there is the Germantown/Collierville area which has about 100,000 people and is extremely clean and safe.
And DeSoto County, Mississippi is increasingly very nice, a very big area, and growing quickly.
With these options in mind, the main difference really involves economic growth. If a time comes when Memphis is booming once again, it has the ingredients to be a terrific place to live.
This comparison is a little unfair because Raleigh doesn't have anywhere near the urban blight that Memphis has. And obviously the Research Triangle is booming.
That said, there are some nice areas of Memphis. Downtown, Midtown, and Harbor Town have lots of character and great river views. Downtown is on the rise and evolving into a genuine urban neighborhood, increasingly connected to a very upgraded riverfront.
Also there is the Germantown/Collierville area which has about 100,000 people and is extremely clean and safe.
And DeSoto County, Mississippi is increasingly very nice, a very big area, and growing quickly.
With these options in mind, the main difference really involves economic growth. If a time comes when Memphis is booming once again, it has the ingredients to be a terrific place to live.
When will that time come? It seems like Memphis has been stagnant for decades. I see the growth downtown, but it is going to take more than that to catch up to Raleigh.
But IMHO, you live and work in Raleigh, and visit Memphis. Sure, you can live in Germantown or Southaven but that's not really "Memphis"...
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