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Do you want to be near the beach, or the mountains? IF the Beach, Raleigh. IF the mountains, CLT.
Do you have a Pro Sports preference? CLT has the Hornets (NBA) and the Panthers (NFL). The Triangle has the Hurricanes (NHL) and big time ACC Athletics (basketball, at least.)
I might give Raleigh a slight edge for IT jobs, but only just. You'd probably know better than I do.
I've had enough beach. I'm a Panthers fan too, hehe.
IT and healthcare jobs are the top industries in the Raleigh area, but you can find them in Charlotte as well. Both areas have great, thriving economies. Both have about the same climate and really nice people. Both areas are highly ranked nationally. I'd personally choose the Charlotte area. More to do recreationally (especially unique recreational assets that many metros don't have) and Charlotte's Purchasing Power (cost of living vs. average salaries) is better. Though the Mooresville/Huntersville area is nice, I wouldn't recommend it. The commute into the city is one of the 2 busiest in the metro (Union County being the other) and I-77 will start charging tolls soon. I would recommend Belmont (west) or Ft. Mill (southwest). They're beautiful areas, you'll get more bang for your buck, and the commutes are easier with no tolls. Good luck in your search!
The Triangle area has a great amount of jobs in the tech industry, and Charlotte has a lot of jobs in the financial industry. Apex has tremendous growth right now according to a 2018 article in the News and Observer that it is America's fastest-growing suburb, and in 2015 it was named by Money magazine to be the number 1 best place to live in the United States. If you are looking to get a foothold into the real estate business, I highly recommend it.
If you move to the Mooresville area, you have the option of living on Lake Norman. If you want to own a boat and have lake life, that is the place to be.
I think either place could work for you. Raleigh and Charlotte are like Granny Smith and Gala apples. They are definitely more alike than they are different. I prefer Raleigh, but a lot of people love Charlotte. If you are into pro sports Charlotte has the edge there. Raleigh and the Triangle has the edge in College basketball for sure. I'm sure you could find a Healthcare IT job in either place. I think many people do do remote interviews and if they pass that hurdle then they do an in-person interview.
More people are relocating to Charlotte faster than RDU. We have an international airport. We are surrounded by lakes and land. We are perfectly located between Mountains, Beaches, Atlanta and DC. Our population is more diverse.
Are you sure about more people relocating the Charlotte? I thought the last thing I saw said the Triangle and Raleigh were growing faster.
Durham's population is the most diverse.
The Triangle also has lakes and land!
Quote:
Originally Posted by LendingBliss
Most of the people you'll meet are originally from elsewhere, so you'll fit right in....
There are a lot of transplants in both locations and I'm sure either place could work for you. Closer to the beach in Raleigh, closer to the mountains in Charlotte!
IT and healthcare jobs are the top industries in the Raleigh area, but you can find them in Charlotte as well. Both areas have great, thriving economies. Both have about the same climate and really nice people. Both areas are highly ranked nationally. I'd personally choose the Charlotte area. More to do recreationally (especially unique recreational assets that many metros don't have) and Charlotte's Purchasing Power (cost of living vs. average salaries) is better. Though the Mooresville/Huntersville area is nice, I wouldn't recommend it. The commute into the city is one of the 2 busiest in the metro (Union County being the other) and I-77 will start charging tolls soon. I would recommend Belmont (west) or Ft. Mill (southwest). They're beautiful areas, you'll get more bang for your buck, and the commutes are easier with no tolls. Good luck in your search!
I am hoping to find a position North of Charlotte to reduce my commute (if we pick that area). As for traffic, you haven't seen anything until you have seen traffic on the Palmetto Expressway and I-95 in Miami-Dade County.
I am hoping to find a position North of Charlotte to reduce my commute (if we pick that area). As for traffic, you haven't seen anything until you have seen traffic on the Palmetto Expressway and I-95 in Miami-Dade County.
It seems to be true of Charlotte and its definitely true of Raleigh, but unless you want acres of land, there's no reason to have more than a 20 minute commute. In the Triangle metro at least, one part of town doesn't have anything that the other part of town has, broadly speaking. You can live close.
I am hoping to find a position North of Charlotte to reduce my commute (if we pick that area). As for traffic, you haven't seen anything until you have seen traffic on the Palmetto Expressway and I-95 in Miami-Dade County.
Have you been to DC lately.
You are sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on a Saturday morning
For me it came down to the music scene between Charlotte and the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill)... and The Triangle won out. Charlotte is the 'bigger' city, although as someone mentioned if you mashed up Raleigh, Durham and Chapel hill into one you would have the same size city.
However, I found many indie, medium size bands tend to play Triangle area because of the Universities, etc. Charlotte tends to get the 'major' acts, but so does Triangle. Many bands play both. With Triangle, you are close to Richmond for shows, Charlotte you are near Greenville, SC... both area near Winston-Salem and Greensboro which get a decent amount of bands. Charlotte has the Asheville advantage as well (although Triangle is an easy drive, just not back at night).
Again, when I searched the bands I'm into (about 100) touring history; The Triangle came on top. Charlotte just does not have as good a local music scene either. Again, I think it's because of NC State, UNC, and Duke, and you have three cities bands can choose from versus one. Hell even Cary gets a decent amount of shows at the Koka Booth.
Overall, across the Charlotte/W-S/Greensboro/Triangle 2.5 hour radius - most bands make a stop at some point. And this year the Epicentre festival in Rockingham is a big draw. NC has a solid music scene.
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