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I plan on visiting the area and wanted to know the difference between the 2. Is one more metropolitan or urban? Considering someone who is 50 and single, what would be the better choice?
Raleigh has a good job, drives a new Camry, is polite to everyone and lives in the suburbs. Durham is a nice guy who works in a coffee shop, smokes a little weed, needs a haircut and drives Raleigh's old '98 Civic. It burns a little oil, but that's OK, because he takes his scooter or bike almost everywhere anyway. Durham shares a loft with Fort Worth, TX.
If you plan to live in the suburbs there is almost no difference between Raleigh and Durham. The downtowns are different, but nice in their individual ways. Hard for me to explain. Being 50 and single would not make one better than the other. It will be more about your lifestyle, the types of businesses you want access to and where you work. I could easily be just as happy in Durham as Raleigh, but my job is in Raleigh so that is where I live.
Raleigh has a good job, drives a new Camry, is polite to everyone and lives in the suburbs. Durham is a nice guy who works in a coffee shop, smokes a little weed, needs a haircut and drives Raleigh's old '98 Civic. It burns a little oil, but that's OK, because he takes his scooter or bike almost everywhere anyway. Durham shares a loft with Fort Worth, TX.
Sounds like you're comparing suburban Raleigh with downtown Durham. Apples and oranges...
I plan on visiting the area and wanted to know the difference between the 2. Is one more metropolitan or urban? Considering someone who is 50 and single, what would be the better choice?
We need to know a lot more about you to know what is a "better choice" for you. Not all single 50-year-olds are alike, of course.
The two cities are close enough together that you should visit both on your scouting trip if you're considering moving. Or, you might not want either, and prefer somewhere like Chapel Hill. Much of it depends on where you job will be?
Raleigh is the Capital city and has lots of state government downtown, and most of its footprint is suburban. Durham is smaller but more "gritty" overall, though its newer suburbs (SW Durham mostly) in the past decade have grown as fast as Raleigh's and look the same. I suspect there are many in Durham who consider Raleigh hopelessly "white bread", while many in Raleigh still think Durham is the South Bronx just because it had a crime problem 20 years ago, long since neutralized. You need to see both and make your own choices.
It depends on what kinds of things you're interested in, which you would find more appealing--strangers on the Internet really can't answer that for you.
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It's one of my favorite Duram spots.
