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Speaking as a 20-something, the size of the Triangle isn't as important as the content for me. I moved here from Central FL, which is mostly miles upon miles of characterless, suburban sprawl, big box stores, and the elderly. Aside from places like Miami, there isn't anything nearly as stimulating in FL as there is here.
I absolutely love the Triangle! I wake up every single day overjoyed that I came here. It's a city, but not a huge concrete jungle like NYC, or a sprawled out mess like Atlanta (yet!). It's much more cosmopolitan than where I lived in FL. I can walk my dog around Lake Johnson, and hear 4 different languages spoken! I can go to the store, and see all sorts of people. I love DPAC, I love the museums, I love the cute festivals--even though most of them are geared towards families. I love the local business and restaurants. I love that bands, and shows actually stop here. I moved here in March, and already I've seen more shows (concerts, theater, performances) in these 8 months than I have in my entire life! My favorite band, Alabama Shakes, performed at Koka Booth this summer. Welcome to Night Vale did a show and a book signing in Chapel Hill. I just saw The Read in Charlotte last weekend. I could never find theaters in FL that play indie movies, or art house movies, or documentaries. Here I can see them in IMAX!
Plus, there's all the great nature around. I went to Wings Over Water on Pea Island and it was nothing but nonstop life birds. I visited Grandfather Mountain over the summer, and that was fantastic. I'm out hiking once a week at least at Falls Lake, or Umstead, or something.
I understand this place is having the same issues as FL, with suburban sprawl, and miles of tract housing, spurred by Northern transplants. But the vibe is leagues different in the Triangle. My family moved from Long Island to FL when I was a kid, and I grew up in a boring, characterless ex-urb filled with other people from Long Island. There was no culture inherent to that place. There was no reason to stay, and nothing to do.
Here? There's not enough hours in the day! This place is a paradise compared to FL.
Funny...that's become how I see Western Wake County (where I grew up) now!
Last edited by TarHeelNick; 11-22-2015 at 11:08 AM..
Yeah, I gathered from this board that a lot of people feel that way too. As bad as it might be now, it can get so much worse.
I don't know what exactly to do about the actual people coming here, but I really hope the growth can be managed in a way that controls the sprawl. You don't want to end up like Orlando, or Atlanta, or Dallas or something. Everything is paved over in those cities, traffic is monstrous, there's no real reliable mass-transit infrastructure (unless you count 8 lane highways), and nothing is walkable save for a few super posh places. And the housing stock is McMansions as far as the eye can see.
People love their giant suburban dream houses, and gated communities, and manicured everything, but when it isn't managed correctly that kind of growth creates soul-less places with no viability or 'street culture'. And without street culture and walkability, there's no hope for local business/restaurants. Just traffic, and giant roads and big box stores that suck the money out of a community. That kind of growth is poisonous.
Status seems to have become more important to a lot of people around here. Houses are bigger and flashier, more high-end stores and restaurants; this could be a national trend and isn't "bad"...just a noticeable difference. One thing somewhat unique to the Triangle is that it does seem like a lot of people who have relocated here from more expensive areas tend to almost "brag" about how much bigger and newer their house is here and now they "have more to show for" upon their move.
I see your point about people who brag about how much house they can get here vs where they came from but for me I find this area to less of a "look at me" environment then where I came from. There are tons of big box stores but not high end stores. I need to go to South Point Mall or Crabtree ( Cary Towne Center) to find high end stores. There far less materialism in the schools and neighborhoods then where I came from. Of course, I did not grow up in Cary but I find it a vast improvement.
I see your point about people who brag about how much house they can get here vs where they came from but for me I find this area to less of a "look at me" environment then where I came from. There are tons of big box stores but not high end stores. I need to go to South Point Mall or Crabtree ( Cary Towne Center) to find high end stores. There far less materialism in the schools and neighborhoods then where I came from. Of course, I did not grow up in Cary but I find it a vast improvement.
I don't doubt the Triangle is less of a "look at me" area than where you moved from/grew up; but that doesn't mean that it isn't much more of a "look at me" area now than it was when I was growing up here. It's all relative.
I see your point about people who brag about how much house they can get here vs where they came from but for me I find this area to less of a "look at me" environment then where I came from. There are tons of big box stores but not high end stores. I need to go to South Point Mall or Crabtree ( Cary Towne Center) to find high end stores. There far less materialism in the schools and neighborhoods then where I came from. Of course, I did not grow up in Cary but I find it a vast improvement.
There's a big difference between:
"Hey look at how big and awesome the house I can buy here is! I am so awesome and rich!"
and...
"Hey look I can actually afford a house that was built after 1960, actually fits my family's needs, and doesn't require 20k a year in maintenance and improvements!"
I think most from the northeast would say the latter.
Oh! One thing I haven't seen much of here are gated communities. Those are everywhere in FL. So far I've only seen one gated community in the Triangle, up towards Falls Lake off of Creedmore.
"Hey look at how big and awesome the house I can buy here is! I am so awesome and rich!"
and...
"Hey look I can actually afford a house that was built after 1960, actually fits my family's needs, and doesn't require 20k a year in maintenance and improvements!"
I think most from the northeast would say the latter.
I am from the NE and in my case it is more like "I can buy a house here" vs "I am never going to be able to afford a house where I moved from"! I have read the comments that TarHeelNick is referring to and while they are not made often, they are statements that come across as arrogant or insensitive and they make the rest of us transplants look bad.
Raleigh feels tiny to me. I moved her from London 1.5 years ago. Everyone here seems to know everyone. People in shops remember me. Those things are not a problem. Just an indication of how small it is here. Maybe I'll start to like small. At the moment I feel trapped!
When I moved here from the UK, I thought it was so nice that shopkeepers remembered me (as a customer). I like that sort of customer service. Not necessarily that they remember me, but more so what I like in their establishment whether it be clothing, food, whatever.
Agree with you, it is small compared to London. But it's also way easier to get around For me, once I accepted that Raleigh is its own "animal", not to be compared to anything in the UK, I understood it, and the people better. I also saw that it was a great place for families - safe, plenty to do, good cost of living, et al.
What I did when I first felt as you do, I took weekend trips to DC and NY to shop and get my big city fix. Have you tried this yet?
Coming up on our 6th year anniversary of our move to the Triangle. Things have worked out fairly well for us here and we cant forsee returning to NJ anytime soon...if ever...I have been back several times to NJ and NYC... to me Raleigh is just the right size. Just this past week i was riding my motorcycle downtown at 11 am on a weekday and traffic was not heavy at all. I like the ecclectic feel of downtown and the surrounding older established neighborhoods give Raleigh a charming feeling to it...Of course not all things are charming but theres no doubt in my mind Raleigh has more charm than Trenton NJ...LOL On each occaision of goting back to NJ and NY it always strikes me how much I have slowed down only to be rudely awakened that one is about to get run over if they do the speed limits...that and just the sheer amount of traffic kinda boggles my mind...they can keep it.
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