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Im from NJ and they like me. I cant think of a more dislike place than NJ. Also I meet very few native people from Raleigh. You will love it. I love it and you will. Come on over and I will cook you dinner!! Marilyn
Raleigh's population has nearly tripled since 1980; Wake County has grown even faster (3.3x). Aside from children born here, they all came from somewhere -- and most of them didn't come from NC. Many of them aren't even from the South. Don't sweat it! Some of the "old" neighborhoods in Raleigh have a high percentage of natives, but that's not true for most of the subdivisions built in the last 25 years.
Im from NJ and they like me. I cant think of a more dislike place than NJ. Also I meet very few native people from Raleigh. You will love it. I love it and you will. Come on over and I will cook you dinner!! Marilyn
Marilyn, I"m in! Whatcha' cookin'? I never show up empty handed, at the very least you always bring Entenmann's!
Is this also true? I'm really very interested in moving there as well (from SoCal) and have done a lot of research, planning a visit next month. But I'm retired with no close family...would it be difficult to fit in? I've heard since the Raleigh area is so family oriented, this might be an issue. I know it's somewhat difficult anywhere for a person in my situation unless one moves to a big city and becomes "invisible".
Sorry, don't mean to hijack the thread but I would appreciate your thoughts.
My brother in law (M.S. civil engineering) was offered a great opportunity in the Raleigh Durham area.
He left Cerritos, CA for Cary, NC in 2006 and has never looked back. He speaks highly of the
area and has convinced a few family members from CA to make the move.
I think the area and it's amenities are appealing (we visit each other often). I find it comparable to where we live
in the Atlanta metro area and it's proximity to the ocean is a plus (for me).
The only thing I've heard my brother in law gripe about is my nephew not being able to attend his
neighborhood school due to a school busing policy which I think has been done away with.
Good luck to you and yours.
Last edited by caragitana; 09-07-2015 at 10:56 AM..
Is this also true? I'm really very interested in moving there as well (from SoCal) and have done a lot of research, planning a visit next month. But I'm retired with no close family...would it be difficult to fit in? I've heard since the Raleigh area is so family oriented, this might be an issue. I know it's somewhat difficult anywhere for a person in my situation unless one moves to a big city and becomes "invisible".
Sorry, don't mean to hijack the thread but I would appreciate your thoughts.
Doubt it. There are tons of single people here of all ages.
Admittedly there is a bias against some transplants from some states here, but California is NOT one of them! This isn't Oregon
I would caution against moving ANYWHERE just "because all the magazines say it's a great place"--magazines have their own bias, reasons for publishing what they do, etc. In fact, it's because of those same magazine articles that some of what used to make this place great has eroded, a little, such as traffic (maybe not as bad as LA but measurably worse than it was before we "made all the magazine lists" causing everyone to move here in droves for no other reason).
But that said, plan a visit and see what you like about the area, first and foremost. Nobody should uproot and move across country without checking out an area firsthand, of course (though some do). The weather is more seasonal (good) and humid (not good) than Calif (My sister lives near LA and I vacation a lot in Palm Springs as well). The population is less Asian and less Hispanic (not that that is necessarily relevant, just an observation) and MUCH more churchy. You may be surprised at the churches on literally every corner in some areas, but in general, people are not "down your throat" with religion, though they might well-intentionedly ask you if you have a church home when they meet you.
The schools systems are county-wide and Wake (Raleigh) is one of the largest in the US (though smaller than LA County!!) so school assignments are more complicated than places where every little "village" and "hamlet" has its own school district. there are lots of threads in thei fourm, if you search, about the school systems. Note that the NC legislature is currently under a very, VERY conservative lock and they have been passing laws that most teachers are not happy with, to the point that a marked number of teachers have left NC for other states. But, the Wake county schools are still considered a pretty good system.
If your biggest worry is being derided for being from California, though, no worries. I think that happens mostly on the West Coast where, I presume, legions of Californians are moving. On the East Coast, it's different states that have that reputation but California is not one, no worries!
I don't usually agree with Francois, but in this case I do pretty much 100%. I lived in Los Angeles for 3 years and we moved to small town Arkansas where I was very well accepted, so I'm absolutely sure you will be accepted just fine here. I know one person from Ventura and another from Long Beach and they're certainly not ostracized.
It is a cross country move, though. I imagine that employers here would be a bit wary when they see a California address on the resume. I agree that you should visit. The weather, as Francois said, is more seasonal with hot, humid summers and mild to cold, slightly less humid winters. Autumn is absolutely gorgeous here, though - 50s-60s with low humidity. Spring will bring a ridiculous amount of pollen unseen in SoCal, and potentially volatile thunderstorms.
Don't know if schools are a concern for you, but I am a product of 3 years worth of LAUSD schooling and I hated it so much you can;t even imagine (especially as a white boy) - going to school in Raleigh or Durham would have been a godsend. Traffic here is nothing compared to SoCal, especially on the highways (freeways ), but the surface streets can get slightly ridiculous.
I think you'd like it here! FWIW, I would never live in California again, even if offered a 125k salary (I'm making 24k here)
I don't usually agree with Francois, but in this case I do pretty much 100%. I lived in Los Angeles for 3 years and we moved to small town Arkansas where I was very well accepted, so I'm absolutely sure you will be accepted just fine here. I know one person from Ventura and another from Long Beach and they're certainly not ostracized.
It is a cross country move, though. I imagine that employers here would be a bit wary when they see a California address on the resume. I agree that you should visit. The weather, as Francois said, is more seasonal with hot, humid summers and mild to cold, slightly less humid winters. Autumn is absolutely gorgeous here, though - 50s-60s with low humidity. Spring will bring a ridiculous amount of pollen unseen in SoCal, and potentially volatile thunderstorms.
Don't know if schools are a concern for you, but I am a product of 3 years worth of LAUSD schooling and I hated it so much you can;t even imagine (especially as a white boy) - going to school in Raleigh or Durham would have been a godsend. Traffic here is nothing compared to SoCal, especially on the highways (freeways ), but the surface streets can get slightly ridiculous.
I think you'd like it here! FWIW, I would never live in California again, even if offered a 125k salary (I'm making 24k here)
I'm with you on that. Lived in downtown Los Angeles in the 70's when it was safe and reasonably priced. Would never return since the Calif weather has become less beautiful and rents are outrageous.
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family or no family.
), but the surface streets can get slightly ridiculous.
