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Old 03-08-2016, 08:39 AM
 
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North Carolina has some nice suburbs. But that's about it.
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Old 03-08-2016, 09:41 AM
 
37,795 posts, read 41,491,884 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by allenk893 View Post
North Carolina has some nice suburbs. But that's about it.
And nice cities. And great universities. And nice geographical features. And good barbecue.
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Old 03-14-2016, 04:15 PM
 
Location: California
1,726 posts, read 1,695,893 times
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As much I dislike Florida, I actually prefer it to North Carolina.

When I was beginning to grow weary of and dissatisfied with living in South Florida, I briefly contemplated moving to the Raleigh area.

I even went to visit the area for 3-4 days, meeting up with an aunt and uncle from New England who wanted to check the area out as well. Like me, neither of them had ever visited the area prior, but had heard great things.

Of course, my aunt and uncle from New England *LOVED* the Raleigh area because it had a much stronger exurban feel and vibe than, say, South FL where I was currently living (they hated South FL). They also greatly appreciated the similar architecture, scenery, weather and fall foliage.

However, what they liked about the area was exactly what I disliked. Even though I grew up in New England, I was never a huge fan of the weather, architecture, inland/non-coastal scenery, fall foliage, etc.

In my perspective, the Raleigh area looked and felt like a more recently developed version of New England. Because of that, I found the area boring and uninspiring for me personally.

I also didn't find people in the Raleigh area to be nearly as friendly or polite as they're purported to be (I'm very polite, amicable and gregarious). In fact, I found people in Raleigh to be downright rude and borderline hostile, much like people in Florida.

For example, I accidentally bumped into a man in North Raleigh, quickly apologized and excused myself and then kept walking. The way he froze, whipped his head around and stared at me, I thought he was going to pull a gun out at me and blow my brains out.

To this day, that is *STILL* one of the most bizarre social interactions I've ever had with a complete stranger in my entire life.

The icing on the cake, however, was the fact that the high temp was 86-88 degrees in Fort Lauderdale on the early October day I departed, but only 56-58 degrees in Raleigh when I arrived with overnight low temps in the low-to-mid-40's for the rest of that weekend.

I understand that the area was experiencing an unusual cold front for that time of year, but still, the potential exists for it to be *THAT* cold *THAT* early in the year. Overall, it was just way, way too cold for me, especially for early October, and I *HATE* the cold.

That trip to Raleigh definitely made me appreciate South Florida much more, and it reminded me and solidified why I moved there in the first place - because it was radically different from where I had grown up, and I truly desired and needed something very different.

Like the OP stated in his/her initial post, if you value four seasons, a little more elbow room, fall foliage, housing styles that are more similar to those you find up North, etc., then North Carolina is probably a better choice than Florida.

But at the end of the day, North Carolina is a lot more similar to other states than Florida, so I can understand the appeal for some people, especially for people who've only ever lived in Florida and don't know what life is like in a more average, "normal" area of the country.

I can also understand the appeal of North Carolina among people who moved to Florida from up North, didn't realize just how radically different it is and desire a place that's similar to where they're originally from, but not nearly as cold.

However, you will not find warm, sunny winter weather; turquoise-colored waters; white-sand beaches; tropical foliage; exotic flora and fauna found nowhere else in the continental United States; diverse aquatic life; perennially blooming flowers; world-class tourist attractions and destinations; Mediterranean and Caribbean-style architecture; high-density, glamorous, urbane cities such as Miami; high level of ethnic diversity; etc. in North Carolina - or just about anywhere else in the country, for that matter.

However, one thing North Carolina has over Florida in leaps and bounds is a stronger, more diversified, knowledge-driven economy. And for some people, that's the only thing that matters.
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Old 03-14-2016, 06:49 PM
 
Location: Research Triangle Area, NC
6,312 posts, read 5,402,249 times
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Judging by the RIDICULOUS amount of Florida transplants to NC over the past 10 years ago so....it would appear that NC is currently one-uping FL in the QOL category for many people.

Florida is a great place to vacation; some awesome beaches and obviously the theme parks....but not a chance in hell I'd ever live there.

My grandma spent the winter in Palm Beach County FL (Delray Beach) when she retired and that place was awful IMO. Worst drivers I've ever seen, palpable class/racial tension EVERYWHERE, the same exact house copied and pasted on every square inch of land with various shades of stucco and red clay tile roofs.

Nah....I'll stick with NC.
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Old 03-15-2016, 09:27 PM
 
Location: Miami, Floroda
650 posts, read 860,237 times
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Florida. I live here and I love it.
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Old 03-16-2016, 06:53 PM
 
6,772 posts, read 4,420,268 times
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It really depends on what you want personally. I find both states really good in their own rights. I've lived in the Charlotte area all of my life and have visited many other major metros and cities around the nation, including Miami. I'm not sure how you see Charlotte the way you do. In Charlotte, you can have a vibrant, urban feel if you want, or a more calm serine feel if you want. Trust me, you can, lol. There a heck of a lot to do here. Charlotte is one of the cleanest major cities I've ever seen. We're never bored. And yes, Charlotte is the largest NC city (nearlly 800,000) and metro area (2.5 million)..... For me, cost of living matters big time. IF you have to work your butt off just to keep your head above water, nothing else matters. But there are tons of metros in the nation with low costs of living (including Charlotte) where you can have BOTH; a great cost of living and a lot to do...... Wilmington is an awesome city that has beaches......... A 4-season climate is a good thing to a lot of people, myself included, lol. It's not extreme IMO in the Charlotte area. Just enough snow that it's pretty, but not so much you get sick of it. Summers get a bit warm, but not oppressive. Springs and Falls are glorious. A good variety. You can be on the water 9 months of the year here. FL can be brutally hot. Though I prefer NC overall, we love FL so much and visit often (we're visiting again this Fall). We prefer central FL (ORL and TSP areas). Miami is just too far south and makes it a bit too geographically isolated from other areas for us. So it really depends on what the individual person/family wants. Good post : )

Last edited by march2; 03-16-2016 at 07:29 PM..
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Old 03-17-2016, 07:53 AM
 
Location: Research Triangle Area, NC
6,312 posts, read 5,402,249 times
Reputation: 9916
Quote:
Originally Posted by allenk893 View Post
North Carolina has some nice suburbs. But that's about it.
Probably one of the most short-sighted comments I've seen on this site.
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Old 04-19-2016, 10:19 PM
 
Location: Southwest
720 posts, read 800,414 times
Reputation: 770
Default Word choices can be aggression

Quote:
Originally Posted by StreetSmarts View Post
It seems your obsession is with crowded, international feel.
But one thing is for sure, the people in NC are waaaaay friendlier in NC.
Perhaps it isn't an "obsession," but a preference. Is that word choice an example of NC friendliness?
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Old 04-19-2016, 10:30 PM
 
Location: Southwest
720 posts, read 800,414 times
Reputation: 770
Default Like very small towns

Quote:
Originally Posted by _OT View Post
What exactly makes Tampa urban?

Tampa's walkable, but it's not exactly Urban.
The tiny rural towns I grew up in were all highly walkable. Little traffic on any streets, business districts were compact so everything was easy to get to on foot, and a person could walk from one end of town to the other in minutes. (< :
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Old 04-19-2016, 11:16 PM
 
Location: In the hot spot!
3,939 posts, read 6,677,005 times
Reputation: 4091
Quote:
Originally Posted by StreetSmarts View Post
Yeah, it came out wrong. I meant CLT.

And I agree with the attitudes. That's what I hate about FL. Just imagine being down here full time! It's not the natives but we as "Floridians" gotta bad rap due to the transplants that act like *******s.
Florida has tons of transplants, many from the northeast where I'm from. In the northeast we are not easily offended and the coldness (attitudes) is a way of life. Florida, Miami in general, has a lot of people from all over, especially the north. My biggest issue with Florida are the wages. Like the state, hate the low pay.
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