Considering a move to North Carolina - Charlotte vs. Raleigh (Durham: transplants, real estate)

[callan06]

Next summer I'm looking to move to either Texas or North Carolina from Pittsburgh. In NC I've narrowed it down to either Charlotte or the Raleigh-Durham area. I've visited Raleigh before, however I'll need to plan a trip to Charlotte before actually moving.

Anyway, I was hoping to get some opinions to help me decide which would be better for me.

A bit about me: 24 year old single young professional, I work in finance in the healthcare industry. It'll just be my dog and I moving, and I don't have any family or friends in either city. Some of my interests and hobbies include running, hiking, swimming, poker, live music, sports (MLB and NFL), and maybe one or two other things I'm forgetting.

1. Is there even that big of a difference in COL between the two cities? It seems ~$1,500 or so in either city will get you a decent 1BR close to or in the popular areas.

2. This is probably hard to answer, but what city has a better social scene (nightlife, dating, things to do)? Does one city have more transplants than the other?

3. I know Charlotte is about 3.5 hours from the coast, but are there any lakes or other places to swim closer to the city? Or is it completely landlocked?

4. They're both cities so there's going to be crime either way, but is one "safer" than the other?

5. Is public transit viable in either city? I haven't seen anything saying it's great so I'll probably keep my car either way, but would prefer public transit more often than not.

6. Does one have a better or more diverse economy than the other? I'd like to continue working for a healthcare related company, but would be happy in tech and if that's not an option then I'll take what I can get. It seems Charlotte has a lot of banks / financial services but don't know too much.

7. What's your personal preference? Why?

[goldenage1]

1. If you are purchasing real estate Charlotte is slightly less expensive than Raleigh, but it varies a lot by neighborhood. Rentals are probably comparable.

3. Charlotte's Lake Norman has a couple public swimming areas.

5. Charlotte has a light rail line, while Raleigh and Durham have only busses.

7. I prefer Raleigh, as Charlotte has so many new buildings it seems sterile.

[CLT4]

In addition to swimming at Lake Wylie and Lake Norman (you could also get kayaks to explore the lakes away from swim areas), you could check out the US National Whitewater Center if you are into active sports outside. It is an awesome facility and I highly recommend an annual pass to just get outside an enjoy everything: https://usnwc.org/play/

You could also float the Catawba River from Lake Wylie damn down to Rock Hill. It is a fun afternoon in the sun.

Charlotte is slightly closer to good hiking and the mountains. About 30 minutes to Crowder Mountain State Park, 1 hour 10 mins to South Mountain State Park, 1 hour 30 mins to Stone Mountain State Park, 45 minutes to Uwaharrie National Forrest, and 1 hour 50 minutes to the mountain town of Blowing Rock.

Charleston area is the closest beach city and about a 3 hour 15 minute drive from Charlotte.

For public transit, Charlotte has the Blue Line which takes you through some of the most active nightlife districts and areas popular with young professionals like South End, NoDa, and University City all connecting into Uptown.

[TarHeelNick]

Oh boy here it goes....

[drrckmtthws]

First just a warning, there's a million Raleigh vs Charlotte threads and people get reallllllllll petty for no damn reason, the longer this thread goes you will see exactly what I mean.
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Now to what you asked.

1: yeah that should get you a place in popular areas in both
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2: I have lived in both and like both(currently in Cary right outside of Raleigh)and regularly visit Charlotte cause that's where the wife's folks are) I'll give the edge to Charlotte only because when it comes to things to do, it's more central, in the triangle there are tons of things to do as well but since you are single, and pretty much are gonna have to make friends it will be easier in Charlotte.
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3: Lake Norman is the largest man made lake in NC

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(will add in that while Lake Norman and Lake Wylie are larger than Jordan Lake and Falls Lake in the Raleigh area, Jordan Lake and Falls Lake have more Lake beaches/less private areas)
But you also have other areas you can check out, like the US whitewater center

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4: Charlotte may have more crime but it's not like people don't feel safe there, not saying just take it lightly buttttt I just have never felt unsafe there,.
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5: Keep your car, public transit is better in Charlotte and real convenient if you live in a area like NoDa or Southend, or Uptown(downtown) that said I would still keep my car because you need it down here.
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6: given your job, you might find something faster in Charlotte .
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7: Honestly I'm only 33 but always been a simple man, I can really live any where as long as there's decent jobs, trails and nature to run and bike, good food, good mix of events to go out, experience culture, take wifey to shake her skittles from time to time lol, etc etc nothing crazy so I can't say I prefer one over the other.

[C85]

Originally Posted by drrckmtthws

First just a warning, there's a million Raleigh vs Charlotte threads and people get reallllllllll petty for no damn reason, the longer this thread goes you will see exactly what I mean

.

To be honest, that's what make the threads enjoyable to read for me.

[murksiderock]

Originally Posted by callan06

Next summer I'm looking to move to either Texas or North Carolina from Pittsburgh. In NC I've narrowed it down to either Charlotte or the Raleigh-Durham area. I've visited Raleigh before, however I'll need to plan a trip to Charlotte before actually moving.

Anyway, I was hoping to get some opinions to help me decide which would be better for me.

A bit about me: 24 year old single young professional, I work in finance in the healthcare industry. It'll just be my dog and I moving, and I don't have any family or friends in either city. Some of my interests and hobbies include running, hiking, swimming, poker, live music, sports (MLB and NFL), and maybe one or two other things I'm forgetting.

1. Is there even that big of a difference in COL between the two cities? It seems ~$1,500 or so in either city will get you a decent 1BR close to or in the popular areas.

2. This is probably hard to answer, but what city has a better social scene (nightlife, dating, things to do)? Does one city have more transplants than the other?

3. I know Charlotte is about 3.5 hours from the coast, but are there any lakes or other places to swim closer to the city? Or is it completely landlocked?

4. They're both cities so there's going to be crime either way, but is one "safer" than the other?

5. Is public transit viable in either city? I haven't seen anything saying it's great so I'll probably keep my car either way, but would prefer public transit more often than not.

6. Does one have a better or more diverse economy than the other? I'd like to continue working for a healthcare related company, but would be happy in tech and if that's not an option then I'll take what I can get. It seems Charlotte has a lot of banks / financial services but don't know too much.

7. What's your personal preference? Why?

1. Not a big difference in COL...

2. Not a big difference in the amount of transplants in either city. Social scene is twice as large and at least three times better in Charlotte...

3. Yes, there's lakes near Charlotte as previously mentioned...

4. Raleigh is considerably safer than Charlotte, but seconding a previous opinion, Charlotte isn't particularly unsafe. There are only a handful of truly bad areas there, where you're coming from in Pittsburgh is a much more violent city than either Charlotte or Raleigh...

5. There's literally nowhere in Raleigh you want to live without a car. You can enjoy Center City Charlotte (Uptown x NoDa x South End) without a car, but be advised it is relatively small compared to where you are coming from. You can live without a car but it's not like any and everything you could ever want is attainable by foot or public transit, it's just that it is better than Raleigh in this regard...

6. Both have pretty diverse economies, Raleigh better for tech, Charlotte better for the financial industry...

7. Preference is Charlotte in a runaway landslide. Its larger, more diverse population, better public transit, better urban core (Raleigh has next no nothing urban about it at all), greater social scene, more women and dating options (Raleigh isn't a slouch here though), and just a greater volume of things and events. For me, Raleigh really doesn't beat Charlotte in anything important...

[superk]

For what it's worth, I've also lived in both. I also regularly go to Charlotte, so I do keep up with everything going on there as well. Charlotte's certainly more urban, whereas Raleigh feels more like a very large suburb. But really, they're so close on most respects it's not easy to choose one over the other. For me, I like Raleigh better, but only by a small margin.

[urbancharlotte]

Originally Posted by callan06

Some of my interests and hobbies include running, hiking, swimming, poker, live music, sports (MLB and NFL), and maybe one or two other things I'm forgetting.

1. Is there even that big of a difference in COL between the two cities? It seems ~$1,500 or so in either city will get you a decent 1BR close to or in the popular areas.

2. This is probably hard to answer, but what city has a better social scene (nightlife, dating, things to do)? Does one city have more transplants than the other?

3. I know Charlotte is about 3.5 hours from the coast, but are there any lakes or other places to swim closer to the city? Or is it completely landlocked?

4. They're both cities so there's going to be crime either way, but is one "safer" than the other?

5. Is public transit viable in either city? I haven't seen anything saying it's great so I'll probably keep my car either way, but would prefer public transit more often than not.

6. Does one have a better or more diverse economy than the other? I'd like to continue working for a healthcare related company, but would be happy in tech and if that's not an option then I'll take what I can get. It seems Charlotte has a lot of banks / financial services but don't know too much.

7. What's your personal preference? Why?

Charlotte is an NBA/NFL city with a fairly popular minor league team (see video below)



1 Cost of living is even with Charlotte having one single big advantage (cheap South Carolina suburbs). In SC, you can live within 30 minutes of downtown Charlotte and enjoy things such as no vehicle inspection, cheaper property taxes, and cheaper gasoline.

2 Transplants are even and night life is very subjective. If you've got game, I'm sure you can stay "busy" in both places easily. I will say this though (I'm a black male 39 years old and very recently divorced); there is not a shortage of dating opportunities here in Charlotte. And the women are educated and BEAUTIFUL (the same can be said about Raleigh).

3 Charlotte has Lake Norman, Lake Wylie, Mountain Island Lake, and the Whitewater center.

4 Charlotte is safer than Pittsburgh and Raleigh is safer than Charlotte.

5 If you reside in the Southend, Dilworth, Downtown, Noda, Madison Park, Pineville, or University areas of Charlotte; you got nearly 19 miles of light rail serving those areas. Trains generally run from 530am to 130am; peak rush hour frequencies are a train every 7.5 minutes. The worst off-peak times (such as 10pm Sunday night) are trains every 20 mins. I would keep a car, but you would use that car less in central Charlotte.

6 I don't have the link at the moment, but Charlotte is a rapidly growing tech center (though it is still a smaller tech center than Raleigh). The video below is one such recent job announcement for Charlotte.



7 My personal preference is Charlotte for the same reasons why I prefer Pittsburgh over Louisville. In some instances, bigger isn't "better"; but in other instances it's THE difference maker.

For example. I've taken some of my dates out to the local amusement park (Carowinds) and I told them to please bring their bathing suits for the water park within Carowinds. It's a really nice 4th or 5th date option for sure (and it's "different"). If she rides a tall and fast coaster with me; heck that's a keeper (for at least 2-3 months ) There's also some really great rooftop restaurants, bars, and clubs in Charlotte. Calvin Harris entertained fans at the most popular roof top spot in town (see video below).



Though Charlotte is an easy choice for me; that's just me. Visit both thoroughly and go with whichever one is closest to the vibe that you seek. Take care and good luck!

[TarHeelNick]

Can you guess which city has more insecure posters on C-D? lol