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I may take a job with NC State in the near future and I was wondering what Raleigh was like, compared to Charlotte. I will start by saying, I grew up in Chicago, went to school in Iowa, and am a midwesterner for life (you can tell by my accent). However, after college I took a one year internship with UNC-Charlotte and it was my first time out in the Carolinas. I felt a little outta place being a midwestern guy at first, but came to really love North Carolina. I've been living back in Chicago the past year. It's home, but I know I will most likely have to move elsewhere. So, I'm not asking to compare Raleigh to Chicago, but rather to Charlotte, the city I only spent a year in. I am a male, recent college grad, who works in the sports industry. Thanks for your help.
This is a huge can of worms, but in my experience when it comes down to it they are really pretty similar. Both are mostly spread out suburbs with jobs and neighborhoods in multiple centers. Charlotte has a slightly better downtown but you have Raleigh and Durham with distinctive personalities here.
I tend to agree, but that only happens when silly statements are made by folks who know very little about the "other city".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sherifftruman
Charlotte has a slightly better downtown but you have Raleigh and Durham with distinctive personalities here.
^^^Silly statement alert.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bjferg21
Hey all,
I may take a job with NC State in the near future and I was wondering what Raleigh was like, compared to Charlotte. I will start by saying, I grew up in Chicago, went to school in Iowa, and am a midwesterner for life (you can tell by my accent). However, after college I took a one year internship with UNC-Charlotte and it was my first time out in the Carolinas. I felt a little outta place being a midwestern guy at first, but came to really love North Carolina. I've been living back in Chicago the past year. It's home, but I know I will most likely have to move elsewhere. So, I'm not asking to compare Raleigh to Chicago, but rather to Charlotte, the city I only spent a year in. I am a male, recent college grad, who works in the sports industry. Thanks for your help.
The Triangle is more of a college sports area while Charlotte leans more towards the pros. Outside of Central Charlotte (which the Triangle has no such area to compare) the two are very similar. In Charlotte, there are little things like Concord Mills, Carowinds, South Park, US Whitewater Center etc. The Triangle has some of those amenities too, just on a smaller scale. Flights out of RDU are typically cheaper, but Charlotte offers way more direct flights. Raleigh is closer to the coast while Charlotte is closer to the mountains. Raleigh is slightly more humid and warm, but it's nothing your skin will notice; both are fairly hot (and WET) cities this time of year.
Crime in Raleigh is lower, but Durham more than makes up for the crime that Raleigh lacks (LOL, sorry Durham but it's true). In Charlotte, it is a similar situation. West Charlotte and East Charlotte are where most of Charlotte's crime happens. In other words, if you never venture into those parts of town, Charlotte is a fairly safe city.
IMHO, the two areas differ the most in their directions rather than what they currently are. In Charlotte (for example), the downtown/central area of town is BOOMING. Light rail is being constructed from UNC Charlotte to downtown (service starts in 2017). A 1.5 mile streetcar "starter line" is being constructed downtown from Presbyterian Hospital to Time Warner Cable arena (service starts in 2015). Thousands of apartment units are being constructed in both downtown and South End. In short, central Charlotte is evolving into a "true city" in the more traditional sense; Raleigh/Durham's central areas are still quite a ways off from seeing this type of evolution. Other than the centralized urban development around uptown Charlotte (and the few amenities like Carowinds) the two areas (along with NC's Triad) are pretty much the same. However, I'd say that the Triangle and Triad are more similar to each other than the Triangle and Charlotte are. Good luck and welcome back to NC!!!
Last edited by urbancharlotte; 07-11-2013 at 07:26 AM..
The biggest difference between the two areas is likely how there economies are driven. Charlotte has traditionally been very heavy on banking and related industries and as witnessed in the crash of '08 and paid the price for it with the job losses. Also Charlotte is big on Transportation/trucking industries sitting on two interstates 77/85. And is doing well with tourism due to the major league sports there.
Raleigh/Durham has a far more diverse industry base and that should serve the area well in the long run. Higher Education, Government, Healthcare Bio Pharma, Research & IT.
Both areas are nice. You might consider a few days to come down and tour them both briefly to get more of a feel.
Charlotte has traditionally been very heavy on banking and related industries and as witnessed in the crash of '08 and paid the price for it with the job losses.
This is true, but those who fall fast sometimes are the fastest to bounce back.
The nicest thing about Charlotte (in my opinion) is that you can live around the Lake Norman area!
Charlotte's housing market used to be a bit less expensive than Raleigh's housing market. Not sure if that is the case right now. I had lots of clients moving from Charlotte to Raleigh a few years ago and that is what we found. I haven't checked recently. Those clients were moving for jobs and had no choice.
I may take a job with NC State in the near future and I was wondering what Raleigh was like, compared to Charlotte. I will start by saying, I grew up in Chicago, went to school in Iowa, and am a midwesterner for life (you can tell by my accent). However, after college I took a one year internship with UNC-Charlotte and it was my first time out in the Carolinas. I felt a little outta place being a midwestern guy at first, but came to really love North Carolina. I've been living back in Chicago the past year. It's home, but I know I will most likely have to move elsewhere. So, I'm not asking to compare Raleigh to Chicago, but rather to Charlotte, the city I only spent a year in. I am a male, recent college grad, who works in the sports industry. Thanks for your help.
I would definitely go with the Charlotte area, I feel it has much more going on there than the Raleigh area. You would think the Opposite being Raleigh is the Capital ? Good luck!
See ajnucch's other thread about regrets. He's not been happy here for years, which is valuable info, but not the norm for most people.
My in-laws all live in Charlotte and we visit frequently. To me, Charlotte is more mainstream Americana, although, both cities are great family locations. I think Raleigh and the Triangle in general has a little bit more academic vibe. This is more apparent in Chapel Hill and parts of Durham, but you get a little more of that flavor in Raleigh, too. In Charlotte you get a little more pro sports (not a fan myself, much prefer ACC basketball and the Durham Bulls), NASCAR. In Raleigh you get a little more arts, technology, government, academia, but the differences are really subtle. I think most folks from out of the region really wouldn't see much difference at all between the two. Charlotte has a bigger skyline if tall buildings are important to you.
To sum it up, Raleigh is much more like Charlotte than Charlotte is like Chicago.
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