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Wife and I are 36 and want to move. The state of NC is on our list specifically Chapel Hill, Durham, and Charlotte. We like the idea of a city( Charlotte) since we live outside of Chicago. Yet we also like the idea of a college town( the other 2) since we're still kind of young. Should we look at the coastal areas as well?
Wife and I are 36 and want to move. The state of NC is on our list specifically Chapel Hill, Durham, and Charlotte. We like the idea of a city( Charlotte) since we live outside of Chicago. Yet we also like the idea of a college town( the other 2) since we're still kind of young. Should we look at the coastal areas as well?
Job opportunities are much more limited in the coastal area than in Charlotte or the Triangle. Please research where your best job opportunities would be before you look at other criteria.
I grew up in Charlotte and currently live in Durham/Chapel Hill so I have experienced both areas. I would say that Charlotte and Durham are fairly similar in that they are both medium sized cities with many different neighborhoods that have different personalities. GENERALLY, Durham is more artsy, progressive and culturally diverse, although there are areas in Charlotte that are similar (NoDa, Plaza Midwood ect). This is just from my experience. I think the Durham/Chapel Hill area has more going on, there is always something to do here in the triangle. When I lived in Charlotte, I often found myself wishing I could find something interesting to, here I have to regularly remind myself to say no to activities occasionally so I can have at least one relaxing evening/weekend in every now and then. I have been here about 6 months and there are still tons of bars/restaurants/parks ect that I have on my list to try out.
Either way, both areas have a lot to offer, you just have to find the right area within the city that fits your personality and lifestyle. I am a little partial to Durham just because I chose to move here from Charlotte because I was tired of Charlotte, but I do still visit Charlotte a lot and I love the atmosphere of many of the neighborhoods there.
Another thing to consider if you like the coastal towns is that the triangle is only about 2 1/2 hours from the Wilmington area, an easy weekend trip. From Charlotte the closest coastal town would be Myrtle Beach I think, about 3 1/2 hours. Wilmington is not much further than that though from Charlotte.
Its true...heck, just look at the size of the communities in your comparison. Yet, I wouldn't rule it out...where you move should be where you can find a job...if you can find one in Wilmington, so be it.
Durham is not a college town, BTW....Chapel Hill is...and is a good one, but you better like the college and the folks "way about them" there.
IMO, I much prefer a Charlotte or Wilmington to the RDU area...I find RDU to just be a collection of differing cities with differing agenda's and uncohesiveness. Its fractured to me. Same thing with the Triad, IMO. Wilmington and Charlotte (and Asheville & Greenville) are all regional cities that operate with one purpose in mind...bettering itself. They function as larger than they actually are and have supporting towns and counties around them that feed off of the larger city. IMO, you can have more community impact in a city that way...because it supports a larger general area. I find the Triad and Triangle to be a hodge podge mess of folks looking out for their own interests and everyone's interests vary....call that diversity if you want...I call it a big mess..
Lots of different people with lots of different interests is a big mess? I think you are making a lot of generalizations about the triangle area. The triangle cities dont compare in that way to Charlotte, Asheville, Wilmington or Greenville because none of those cities have another large city so close to it. The triangle is made up of 3 significantly large cities, whereas all of those areas are focused around the city because everything around it is much smaller, obviously those small areas around the large city will feed off of it.
I grew up in Charlotte and currently live in Durham/Chapel Hill so I have experienced both areas. I would say that Charlotte and Durham are fairly similar in that they are both medium sized cities with many different neighborhoods that have different personalities. GENERALLY, Durham is more artsy, progressive and culturally diverse, although there are areas in Charlotte that are similar (NoDa, Plaza Midwood ect). This is just from my experience. I think the Durham/Chapel Hill area has more going on, there is always something to do here in the triangle. When I lived in Charlotte, I often found myself wishing I could find something interesting to, here I have to regularly remind myself to say no to activities occasionally so I can have at least one relaxing evening/weekend in every now and then. I have been here about 6 months and there are still tons of bars/restaurants/parks ect that I have on my list to try out.
Either way, both areas have a lot to offer, you just have to find the right area within the city that fits your personality and lifestyle. I am a little partial to Durham just because I chose to move here from Charlotte because I was tired of Charlotte, but I do still visit Charlotte a lot and I love the atmosphere of many of the neighborhoods there.
Another thing to consider if you like the coastal towns is that the triangle is only about 2 1/2 hours from the Wilmington area, an easy weekend trip. From Charlotte the closest coastal town would be Myrtle Beach I think, about 3 1/2 hours. Wilmington is not much further than that though from Charlotte.
Wife and I are 36 and want to move. The state of NC is on our list specifically Chapel Hill, Durham, and Charlotte. We like the idea of a city( Charlotte) since we live outside of Chicago. Yet we also like the idea of a college town( the other 2) since we're still kind of young. Should we look at the coastal areas as well?
Charlotte is the larger city of the two areas, with enough for people around your age to do. Charlotte isn't a Chicago by any means, but it's closer than Durham or Chapel Hill for sure. Maybe look into Uptown or somewhere just outside of Charlotte.
Last edited by Austincool; 08-21-2013 at 03:22 AM..
Charlotte is not a college town. We do have 1 university listed, but outside of that immediate university area, there's not much outside of the smaller schools that pepper the area. When I think of college town, I think of more Chapel Hill, or Columbia, SC
Someone I worked with lived in the Outer Banks for a couple years. He was a graphic artist (in his early 30s). As stated above, jobs can be hard to come by on the coast. I loved going to the wonderful Outer Banks growing up and so when this guy told me he'd had a job there it sounded like a dream.. live on a pretty beach and work your dream job. He said it's nice in the summer, but imagine it during the other parts of the year. He said it was boring as paste, for his own sanity he had to leave.
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