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It's too much to reply to everyone but thanks for all the info! I didn't realize how much there is in Charlotte. Lake Norman and the whitewater center look awesome, having an amusement park like Carowinds nearby sounds like it could be fun, and the better professional sports is a big plus.
I'm sure there's a lot more I'll find as I continue to research, I might book a flight down for September.
Edit: I forgot to ask, how bad is parking in either city? I'd like to find an apartment with either offstreet or garage parking but I don't know how common that really is in either city. It's kind of hard to find in Pittsburgh at least.
It's too much to reply to everyone but thanks for all the info! I didn't realize how much there is in Charlotte. Lake Norman and the whitewater center look awesome, having an amusement park like Carowinds nearby sounds like it could be fun, and the better professional sports is a big plus.
I'm sure there's a lot more I'll find as I continue to research, I might book a flight down for September.
Edit: I forgot to ask, how bad is parking in either city? I'd like to find an apartment with either offstreet or garage parking but I don't know how common that really is in either city. It's kind of hard to find in Pittsburgh at least.
What you probably don't realize is how different Charlotte and Raleigh are from Pittsburgh in regards to its urbanization and density. NC cities are basically giant suburbs surrounding very small urban cores. Therefore, 90% of apartments will be suburban style "garden apartments" with ample surface parking. Only directly in the downtown area and in small portions of neighborhoods immediately surrounding downtown will there be apartments without parking lots. Newer mid-rise and high-rise apartments in these areas will have garage parking. A small number of older apartments buildings in these areas will be dependent on on-street parking.
Hello OP, what I'm adding has already been stated for the most part, but I am just adding one more perspective.
1. COL is a wash. Both are about the same cost wise. I think if you are buying, Raleigh may be a more expensive but not by a considerable amount. I am pretty sure you can find a spot for say $1,500 in the popular areas (North Hills, DT Raleigh, Uptown Charlotte, NoDa, SouthEnd etc.)
2. I think nightlife may be a wash as well, but that is really a subjective topic. Raleigh's nightlife options are spread out among the whole triangle. DT Raleigh (Glenwood South area), DT Durham, DT Chapel Hill, even DT Cary is getting some bars and restaurants downtown now. For Charlotte, I always hear about SouthEnd, Uptown, and NoDa. The nightlife in Charlotte is more concentrated though, so that may be a plus for you. Transplant wise, Raleigh-Durham is full of NE transplants, and while Charlotte is definitely too, I think Charlotte attracts more transplants from other areas of the South now as well. Charlotte is known as the big city of the Carolinas, so that branding attracts more from a broader area of the SE IMO. Raleigh is pretty strong with cultural options, as it is the State Capitol (NC Art Museum, Museum of Natural Science, Museum of History). Charlotte has more the tourist attractions though (Carowinds amusement park, US Whitewater Center, NASCAR HOF). It's no slouch in museums either though.
3. Charlotte has Lake Norman to the north of town,and Lake Wylie to the South. Lake Norman is the more popular option in that area. Too me if feels like Charlotte utilizes their major lakes more so than the Raleigh area. Raleigh has Falls Lake north of town, with Jordan Lake not too far away in Chatham County.
4. Raleigh is the safer city.
5. Charlotte has better mass transit, as it is a more centralized metro area. They have buses and light rail. The light rail line, as others have already stated, has been recently expanded and it now stretches from South Charlotte to the University City area in NE Charlotte. You will definitely need a car in both cities though. Raleigh has buses as well and is in talks of implementing Bus Rapid Transit in the future, and possibly a commuter rail line connecting it to the other cities of the triangle.
6. Both have ample job opportunities at the moment. Charlotte is more of the business hub in NC , being home to the majority of the fortune 500 HQ's in NC. Charlotte is more skewed towards the financial industry. Raleigh is the tech center in NC, with government and pharma playing a role too. The Raleigh area is the stronger city for healthcare IMO. The region is home to both Duke University Hospital, and UNC-CH Hospitals.
7. My preference is Raleigh, but that is home so that's probably why. I think you can't go wrong with either option though. Both are booming metros and will remain so for the foreseeable future.
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?
You want Charlotte over Raleigh for these preferences listed. You work in finance which is Charlotte's claim to fame, there's NFL, NBA and MLS...I'm not sure how hiking within city limits is (it IS pretty decent in Raleigh with the very extensive greenway system and the VERY large Umstead Park in the middle of the city) but Charlotte is closer to the mountains which will provide an endless amount of hikes. Raleigh is closer to the coast and has Falls Lake and Jordan Lake in close proximity, whereas Charlotte has Lake Norman.
1. There's not a huge COL difference but I do think Raleigh housing is just a tad pricier.
2. Charlotte has more nightlife for sure. Dating is just fine in Raleigh though - I dated several cuties before ending up getting married to one of them lol. Things to do - Charlotte has NFL, NBA, MLS, NASCAR, Whitewater Center, Carowinds. Besides that, Raleigh does have plenty - I'm never bored here. The free NC Museum of Art (large and impressive collection), free NC Museum of Natural Sciences, free NC Museum of History, NC Symphony Orchestra, Duke Energy Performing Arts Center and DPAC (Durham, but has world class shows and is only 25-30 mins away from Ral), plenty of live music from large venues like PNC Arena, Walnut Creek and Red Hat Amphitheater to smaller venues like The Ritz, The Lincoln Theater, Imurj, Kings, The Maywood, Slims...then Durham and especially Chapel Hill nearby, you'll never run out of live music in the metro.
3. Not sure what the swimming situation is at Lake Norman, but it's there.
4. Raleigh is safer than Charlotte.
5. Keep your car. I've taken buses around Raleigh and they're nice, new and clean with wifi, but the bus system really isn't too extensive. Charlotte has light rail - as far as I know just the 1 blue line - 9.6 miles long. Raleigh has no rail yet, though ~20+ years in the future we might.
6. Different economies, I'll say that! Charlotte's bread and butter is finance, fintech, insurance, and healthcare with Atrium Health and Novant. Raleigh's is more focused on government, education, healthcare (WakeMed, Rex, Duke Healthcare System, UNC Healthcare System), life sciences/biotech, and tech tech.
7. Raleigh. I'm not into nightlife at all, so I don't care about that. I like bars, pool halls, live music and Raleigh has more than enough. I like NFL and am a Carolina Panthers fan, but I only attend 0-2 games per season and I'm perfectly happy making a weekend trip out of it to go see a game. I also like the "smartness" of the area with NC State, Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill and then a thriving biotechnology and life sciences industry in Research Triangle Park - I find biotech and tech tremendously more interesting than working for a big bank. Finally, after visiting both cities for a job offer in both, I went with Raleigh (despite Charlotte's offer being more $$$) just because it felt more real, like it has some kind of character and historic charm...unfortunately, Charlotte did not. While Charlotte does have the unquestionably larger downtown and prettier skyline, it felt soooooo hollow and fake because it's all just bank towers and condos, there's no historic buildings at all. Was super meh.
You really can't go wrong with either. They're both very livable, very nice cities with lots of things to do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Screenwriter70
I prefer Charlotte to Raleigh. It's a more hip city.
Can you guess which city has more insecure posters on C-D? lol
It’s not a city, apparently it’s just you.
To the OP:
Just visit the cities. They’re so close just go to both and research things you enjoy or neighborhoods you might like. Overall, they’re so similar as a whole, you should just visit and see which feels more right for you.
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.
1. COL is similar.
2. In my opinion, Raleigh's nightlife is slightly better for a city its size. For me, I prefer the vibe. The presence of the state's largest university near downtown injects a more academic crowd into things. That's just something Charlotte will never have, since it was saddled with a tertiary university on the outskirts of town. You'll get many answers here. Charlotte is twice as large. However, Raleigh has Durham and Chapel Hill right nearby. I don't think it matters *that much*. Everywhere has craft beer and good local food.
3. Central NC has no natural lakes. Lots of large reservoirs instead. Raleigh has a larger choice of reservoirs, with Jordan and Falls right nearby, and then the bigger (and better) Kerr lake just a bit further. Charlotte has Lake Norman and further out there's a chain of more scenic lakes in the Uwharries. And of course Raleigh is closer to the beach--particularly the Outer Banks.
4. Negligible difference on crime.
5. Charlotte has the skeleton of a light rail system but chances are it won't help. Raleigh's buses are inadequate unless you're commuting and working at NCSU. You'll need a car.
6. Similar economies.
7. Raleigh wins for me, though I could live in Charlotte. I prefer the mountains to the beach personally so I envy its proximity, and I envy its size.
Can you guess which city has more insecure posters on C-D? lol
Charlotte hands down, lol. Raleigh doesn't try to compare itself to any other city...neither does Nashville ("Music city"), New Orleans (French/Creole), Memphis (the Blues), Northern Virginia/DC (power high income metro outside the nation's capitol), Orlando (Disney, winter haven), Miami(a diverse latin world capital with gorgeous world class beaches)....they are all secure in their own respective identities just as Raleigh and the Triangle are known for world class universities, research and tech, and are secure with it's identity not trying to be Atlanta or any place else. What Charlotte is mostly known for is NASCAR, mega churches and televangelists and for being just another cookie cutter town with a cookie cutter corporate city center littered with chain restaurants and bars...any city USA basically, so rather than own it they try and compare themselves to other cities...most notably Atlanta...Charlotte should just own what they're known mostly for and not try and run from it. It is what it is.
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