Seattle to Raleigh?

[mlhm5]

Lived in both. No Magnolia in the RTP. Parts of Durham are close, however Durham has its problems. Don't worry about NC being liberal, the legislature and governorship is controlled by the Tea Party. If you are put off by liberals, do not look in Chapel Hill or Carrboro.

Raleigh/Cary is a city that is pretty spread out over probably 20 miles and IMO is pretty sterile compared to Seattle.

Housing costs and property taxes are low in comparison and there are three big universities surrounding the RTP.

You know the Seattle weather from April to mid October, in the RTP you will find 90 degree days from late April into September with high humidity. Winters are sunny and almost free from snow and basically over by end of February to Mid March.

Lots of tech people in the RTP.

Good luck.

[apexniner]

Originally Posted by mlhm5

Raleigh/Cary is a city that is pretty spread out over probably 20 miles and IMO is pretty sterile compared to Seattle.

Agreed. Most of the triangle area is more Bellevue/Redmond like than Seattle.

[Rumina]

Microsoft has an office here, fyi. My husband and I moved here from Seattle a couple years ago and we really enjoy the area and the weather. We do miss some aspects of Seattle such as the great mass transit and the walkability (we lived downtown). We don't miss the high housing or the rain. Traffic has gotten worse here but nowhere CLOSE to Seattle. We are pretty liberal, but again not anywhere close to Seattle.

The food truck culture here is better than Seattle's, which was shocking to us. Dine in restaurants are not as good, but still pretty strong.

I think you'll like it here. Asheville (with moutains!) isn't too far away, and really awesome.There are TONS of parks (Jordan Lake, Crabtree Lake, Umstead, Tobacco Trail). It should definitely satisfy your needs. The Triangle has one of the highest proportion of higher education degree holders between Duke, UNC, and NC State and high retention of graduates.

[Francois]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherUserHere

My family (3 young kids) are planning our next move. We've been in Seattle for 15+ years and are ready to move on. The guys in that forum had almost universal praise for Raleigh. I know next to nothing about the east coast, so here I am. I work at Microsoft and can work remotely in the beginning but will probably want to switch at some point to a company that has a local presence. So strong tech industry is important.

Things we’re really going to miss: the water, the mountains, the outdoor lifestyle, the educated population

Things we’re looking to get away from: traffic, housing costs, grey winters, cost of living (generally costs seem a bit inflated, but maybe that’s unfounded), the ultra-liberal politics. We seem to have avoid the worst of the Seattle Freeze, but definitely noticed that Seattle isn’t the most outgoing/friendly culture.

What do you think? Does Raleigh fit the bill?

If I was poking around on Redfin, what areas should I be looking at? Short commute (assuming there are concentrated pockets of tech companies), good schools, low crime, etc.

Traffic here is pretty bad (except compared to the big metros like DC, Atlanta, NY--don't know about Seattle) and getting worse with each new crop of 10,000 transplants; we had literally the highest population growth of any metro in the US from 2000-2010, and all of those cars have to fit somewhere, and roads can only be built so fast (especially in "low-tax" states). But most of the other things would fit your bill. However, you shouldn't consider moving anywhere just because "people say so"--particularly on an Internet forum! Come down and take a look yourself, especially if you "know nothing about the East Coast". There are many, many subtle differences between the East Coast (not to mention the South) and The West Coast (especially Seattle). Not that you wouldn't like it here, but you just don't know--always keep several places on your radar until you've researched them in person (which I realize you are doing).

We actually do have a pretty educated population here, with 3 large, well-ranked universities in the metro area and one of the highest % of college-educated people anywhere. This area is known for friendly people (though the more of a "city" it becomes, the more people adapt "city brusqueness"). Weather is very nice most of the year, though July and August are hot and humid, and I hope you don't mind bugs. we have the ocean just 2-3 hours away and mountains 3-4 hours the other way (I would love to know what mountain TarheelNick has found that are 2 hours away from Raleigh! 2 hours gets you to Winston-Salem). Politics in the cities is moderately Left, but in the rural areas just outside the cities, very Red. NC is actually among the "Purplest" states there is.

It is a VERY "Suburban" lifestyle here; most people throughout the Triangle live in suburbs and the "family friendly" amenities are what draw many families here. It's much, much less of a place to entertain a single person than Seattle. I've known my share of folks from here who moved to Seattle, in fact.

I presume you will be doing your own research on all of these things like climate, education rate, cost of living, etc. It is hard to say whether somewhere "fits the bill" when we don't know you, but either Raleigh or Charlotte would probably hit a lot of your high points. But, if "the world is your oyster" as far as where to live, you should always cast a wide net and not believe everything people on Internet forums (even me) say.

[Irvinegal]

The traffic here has become steadily worse. New homes are jammed together. The driving is atrotious (think NASCAR on the interstate). Quite frankly it's not that cheap either. Yes, housing prices are still "reasonable" compared to some other states, but services, food etc are just as pricey as anywhere else. You WILL miss water views.

[Irvinegal]

My mom lived in Seattle, by the way, so I'm very familiar with it. Are you sure you want to move??