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I'm hoping someone can help us decide where to live - Raleigh, NC or Nasvhille, TN??!! We are from Colorado and physically active. We swim, bike and run and participate in triathlons. So we are looking for an area that will support that kind of lifestyle (e.g., bike lanes, running paths, sidewalks, etc.). We also have two children in middle school, so we are looking for a good educational system now and in the future (colleges/universities).
This area is not bike friendly except for very small areas (and yes I'm aware of the Greenway trails). The quality of hiking is completely different than what you'd get in Colorado. Here you are hiking at sea level. There are some parks to do walking but it's not what I'm call hiking.
Like Zitsky said, there really is no comparison between Raleigh and many of the outdoor activities of Colorado or the Western US in general. You should also consider the humidity, copperheads, and the safety of some of the hiking areas in the Raleigh area.
its also safe to say that the outdoorsy "culture" of the West doesn't exist in the Raleigh area. Obesity and general indolence are the norm.
I prefer smaller cities, so I'd rather live in Knoxville. However, both Raleigh and Knoxville are lacking in outdoor activities when compared to Colorado.
I realize that not many places can compare to Colorado as far as "outdoorsy." Just looking to see if there are areas in the suburbs of Nashville or Raleigh that can accommodate biking and running. We are moving for a better job opportunity.
There are greenbelts and parks and trails to go biking and running on. Nothing like Colorado, of course. But you won't be stuck inside. You may want to check out some Meetup groups in the area for information as I suspect those of us on this forum are not the triathlon types.
As to educational system, there are numerous threads on this. Recent news is lots of applications for new charter schools.
Just a thought, but you may want to check the Chapel Hill/Carborro area. Reputation for good schools, etc.
Like Zitsky said, there really is no comparison between Raleigh and many of the outdoor activities of Colorado or the Western US in general. You should also consider the humidity, copperheads, and the safety of some of the hiking areas in the Raleigh area.
its also safe to say that the outdoorsy "culture" of the West doesn't exist in the Raleigh area. Obesity and general indolence are the norm.
I think dealing with rattlesnakes while hiking in Colorado might be a little more dangerous than a copperhead. While some of what you say has merit, there are plenty of active people in this area. Although bike paths are something more recent getting started around here, it appears they will become much more plentiful int he near future, so I think that is a big plus moving forward.
I workout hard about 4 times a week (run, crossfit/cardio, insanity, etc.), but to be honest I don't feel too safe running on the roads around here, so I try to keep it to the neighborhoods or I run around NC state's centennial campus a lot. I can still get a 4.5-5 mile run in without having to deal with hardly any vehicle interactions.
I do see tons of bicyclists and runners on the roads around Apex where I live. So I would say while we're not like some parts of Colorado as far as the fitness culture goes, there are plenty of active folks in this area that realize how important is it to take care of their body.
I will say, I'm not a big fan of all those "best of lists", but it does give some sort of indication that there are active and healthy people here and people that want to stay that way can do so rather easily in this area.
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