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I would agree that the closest comparison I've found would be Austin b/c of Job opportunities, population and cost of living. I am not sure I agree with the comparison to Rochester or any other city in New York, as I've spoken to so many people who have moved here from that area and all they talk about are the differences…. good, bad and ugly. One thing I think that blindsides people about Cary is that Cary is perhaps the ONLY 150,000+ CITY that still insists on calling itself a TOWN. If the CITY of Cary wants to continue to be in denial…. fine, but we are hardly a suburb anymore as the 7th largest CITY in NC, bypassing Wilmington and High Point and chomping at Fayetteville's heels with only 5,000 people to make that difference.
FWIW, Cary, or any other town for that matter calls itself a town because it is incorporated as such. There is a difference between a Town Charter and a City Charter and it really doesn't have anything to do with population size. There are "towns" such as Hempstead, NY on Long Island which has over 700k in population; as well as "cities" such as Caribou, Maine which only has about 8,000 people.
But I agree, none of he major cities in NY state really resemble Raleigh IMO; at least not as much as cities like Austin, Nashville, Richmond, or Columbus do.
[LEFT]"The Town of Cary shall continue to be a body politic and corporate under the name and style of
the "Town of Cary," and shall continue to be vested with all property and rights which now belong to
the Town; shall have perpetual succession; may have a common seal and alter and renew the same
at pleasure; may sue and be sued; may contract, may acquire and hold all such property, real and
personal, as may be devised, bequeathed, sold, or in any manner conveyed or dedicated to it, or
otherwise acquired by it, and may from time to time hold or invest, sell, or dispose of the same; and
shall have and may exercise in conformity with this Charter all municipal powers, functions, rights,[/LEFT]
privileges, and immunities of every name and nature."
North Carolina does not care if the Town of Cary is a Town or a City, as long as the Town of Cary conducts itself within the charter and any lawful amendments granted by the NC General Assembly.
Last edited by MikeJaquish; 02-27-2011 at 03:05 PM..
Reason: formatting
There are some similarities between Austin and Raleigh but overall the vibe is totally different. Austin is dominated by UT and the goings on in the Capitol. Austin is a very young city. Raleigh has a much wider range of ages. I recently moved to Raleigh (I'm 55). I felt like everyone's mother/grandmother in Austin. Not here.
Austin is a more "hip" city with lots of festivals, music etc. There seems to be less pride in Raleigh when it comes to trash thrown along the roads and the drivers are worse here too. When I moved to Austin I thought it was bad there but many drivers here are just plain old bad. Traffic rules mean nothing. I truly believe Austin is a "smarter" city. I think there is a fair sized population in Raleigh that don't have the advantages that they would have in Austin.
I love the trails in Raleigh and find the people (overall) to be much friendlier, helpful and sincere than in Austin.
I think Austin is a fine place if you are young and single or are raising a family. The Round Rock ISD and some Austin schools are fantastic. At this stage of my life I am thrilled with my new home here in Raleigh.
I moved here from there and I think you're spot on. Raleigh is what Greenville will grow into. The area also has that triumvirate thing going on. Greenville's downtown is far nicer though.
I'll throw out St Louis MO as probably the closest to Raleigh of the cities I have lived in. Mid-sized city, reasonable cost of living, slower paced. Another city where the fastest growth is occuring in the outer suburbs. Lots of culture and history, if you know where to look.
Of course, St Louis is more of a pro sports town than college sports, and the weather there sucks.
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