Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Wife and I are planning a move to Chapel Hill, Raleigh area from North Scottsdale and would like impressions from someone who has lived in both places. Have just retired so job and commute are not an issue. Am more concerned about good healthcare, nice friendly community with good neighbors. Want to be closer to the beach but far enough so I don't have to worry about the hurricanes. Getting tired of the extreme heat of the summer, snowbirds (35% of the houses in the development are vacant most of the year) and brown. Looking forward to the green, seasons, smaller town atmosphere and from limited experience so far have found people to be extremely friendly in NC. The area matches our goals on paper but neither one of has lived there (have lived in Denver, Seattle, D.C., Philadelphia) so we are a little anxious about making the move without more info. Have considered renting for 3 months but that would be a really involved considering that we have two dogs and its a 3 day drive from here. Renting may still be worth it. Has anyone done this? We are a little anxious about the weather (heat and humidity), winter (ice storms), insects, finding a house we like (not ready for a retirement community) and the numerous little things that can go wrong when you move to a new area. I would really appreciate any thoughts from anyone who has lived in both places.
Wife and I are planning a move to Chapel Hill, Raleigh area from North Scottsdale and would like impressions from someone who has lived in both places. Have just retired so job and commute are not an issue. Am more concerned about good healthcare, nice friendly community with good neighbors. Want to be closer to the beach but far enough so I don't have to worry about the hurricanes. Getting tired of the extreme heat of the summer, snowbirds (35% of the houses in the development are vacant most of the year) and brown. Looking forward to the green, seasons, smaller town atmosphere and from limited experience so far have found people to be extremely friendly in NC. The area matches our goals on paper but neither one of has lived there (have lived in Denver, Seattle, D.C., Philadelphia) so we are a little anxious about making the move without more info. Have considered renting for 3 months but that would be a really involved considering that we have two dogs and its a 3 day drive from here. Renting may still be worth it. Has anyone done this? We are a little anxious about the weather (heat and humidity), winter (ice storms), insects, finding a house we like (not ready for a retirement community) and the numerous little things that can go wrong when you move to a new area. I would really appreciate any thoughts from anyone who has lived in both places.
Ice storms won't happen every year and bad ones once or twice a decade. Heat and humidity will bug you from may to september. Other than that NC weather is amazing! We are located in the best geographic location, far enough south to avoid the yearly bitter cold of the North but far enough north to still experience seasons! Hurricanes you won't worry about especially if you live in Chapel hill, they will affect you but most likely it will just be heavy rain and gusty winds, so having a back up generator would be in handy for ice storms and severe thunderstorm/hurricanes.
Although there is a misconception that we can't get hit bad this far inland, we are a little less than 2 hrs north of Wilmingtonton, strong hurricanes can and do have severe impacts this far inland. This is what I have to say about weather, everything else the rest of the people will take care of for you lol. Hope you make the move here!
If it was me better QoL lower CoL in Greensboro Winston Salem. You will be wasting money in chapel hill for property taxes to support schools compared to other places
The confluence of professional jobs and ongoing relocation from the NE we are having growth pressures. But it all depends on what's "normal" for you
I've never lived in Scottsdale but I lived in Cali and am quite familiar with the "brown" that you're tired of. Plus the heat. You'll be pleased to know that the Triangle is extremely green and hilly! Especially Chapel Hill! Raleigh is too, though - I love driving on Wade Avenue because of all the curves and green, long hills, but still you can tell you're in an urban area with sleek looking office buildings and modern styled apartments on either side of you. Even the highways here - usually off either side of the highway you will see urban infrastructure and billboards galore, but in the Triangle it's trees. No billboards. It's very aesthetically pleasing.
The weather, well it is different than Scottsdale. I've lived in North Carolina for 4.5 years, and we've had ice or snow that closed work or school at least once per winter. Usually in January or Feb, and in the winter here we very rarely get all snow - ice is usually in the mix. Rain, to sleet, to snow, to ice, to snow etc is a common pattern. Makes for a frozen wasteland with no salt or plows. Typical high would be maybe 43-55, but even 68 or 70 degree days are not unheard of...might dip down to single digits at night once a year. The summer will be hot and humid - highs typically in the 88-94 range, with a few 95-100 days. 101+ maybe 2-4 times per year. Humidity will have that heat index up above 100 frequently, though. Hurricanes we usually just get the rain and some wind, but nothing crazy. Not since I've lived here. I know that stronger hurricanes can have devastating affects though...hasn't been a very strong hurrican to make landfall in the Carolinas for awhile, though. Tornadoes happen too - Raleigh, Fayetteville and Sanford were all hit by EF3's in April 2011. Eastern North Carolina gets them more frequently. We had some tornado warnings this year, but it was big news - everyone was prepared for it and schools even released a few hours early, announcement at work etc. There ended up being a large tornado out in the country about 40 minutes NNW of Raleigh. Spring is nice, lots of pollen. Fall is my favorite - driving down some of these curving hilly tree-y roads in late October with the windows down and a crisp 45* outside, riding into the sunset, man there is nothing better than that.
Healthcare is certainly top-notch here - Raleigh has WakeMed and Rex, Durham has Duke University Healthcare System, Chapel Hill has UNC Healthcare system. Duke and UNC are within 15-20 mins of each other and interact like crazy - there is a proposed light rail system that is supposed to run in between both hospitals (other posters - correct me if I'm wrong there, I haven't looked in awhile and that's going off memory). Healthcare and biotechnology, health technology are massive industries here, truly cutting edge. You won't be disappointed.
Just know that the area is growing like crazy. Computer and information technology, health technology, biotech, research parks, 3 very good universities, be prepared for all that! Competitive job market and as you can see, very tech oriented. Raleigh and Chapel Hill are about 40 minutes apart. Chapel Hill and Durham are about 15 minutes apart but completely mesh together. Durham and Raleigh are about 20-25 minutes apart, also mesh pretty hard with Cary and Morrisville being relatively affluent suburbs in between. Super diverse area. In my department alone we have an Ethiopian, Ertitrean, 3 Indians, 4 Pakistanis and 1 girl from Ghana. 5 people from NYC metro. Everyone gets along perfectly though, it's completely normal. There is no racial tension, except maybe some parts of Durham that are getting gentrified.
All in all, a fantastic area and I think you would like Raleigh better. Chapel Hill is a much younger crowd. You mentioned retirement, so thought I'd put that out htere.
DH and I retired and moved from the East Valley to Raleigh in 2012. He had been in Phx for 30 years, I had been there for 25 years. You can search on my name for many posts I've made on this topic, and I'm happy to answer any specific questions.
I suspect you think CH is the high end district of The Triangle like Scottsdale is the high end of Phoenix netro. I would STRONGLY suggest you consider Cary and Raleigh as well as CH. And IF you are one of the residents who prefer that area of AZ because it's "Snotsdale," you will be disappointed in Chapel Hill. Though higher cost, CH more closely resembles Tempe (a college town).
Weather wise, our issues have been the humidity in summer and remembering to have a Plan B in case of rain.
PS - plan on doubling your prooerty taxes and bar/liqour/wine /beer expenses.
I've never lived in Scottsdale but I lived in Cali and am quite familiar with the "brown" that you're tired of. Plus the heat. You'll be pleased to know that the Triangle is extremely green and hilly! Especially Chapel Hill! Raleigh is too, though - I love driving on Wade Avenue because of all the curves and green, long hills, but still you can tell you're in an urban area with sleek looking office buildings and modern styled apartments on either side of you. Even the highways here - usually off either side of the highway you will see urban infrastructure and billboards galore, but in the Triangle it's trees. No billboards. It's very aesthetically pleasing.
The weather, well it is different than Scottsdale. I've lived in North Carolina for 4.5 years, and we've had ice or snow that closed work or school at least once per winter. Usually in January or Feb, and in the winter here we very rarely get all snow - ice is usually in the mix. Rain, to sleet, to snow, to ice, to snow etc is a common pattern. Makes for a frozen wasteland with no salt or plows. Typical high would be maybe 43-55, but even 68 or 70 degree days are not unheard of...might dip down to single digits at night once a year. The summer will be hot and humid - highs typically in the 88-94 range, with a few 95-100 days. 101+ maybe 2-4 times per year. Humidity will have that heat index up above 100 frequently, though. Hurricanes we usually just get the rain and some wind, but nothing crazy. Not since I've lived here. I know that stronger hurricanes can have devastating affects though...hasn't been a very strong hurrican to make landfall in the Carolinas for awhile, though. Tornadoes happen too - Raleigh, Fayetteville and Sanford were all hit by EF3's in April 2011. Eastern North Carolina gets them more frequently. We had some tornado warnings this year, but it was big news - everyone was prepared for it and schools even released a few hours early, announcement at work etc. There ended up being a large tornado out in the country about 40 minutes NNW of Raleigh. Spring is nice, lots of pollen. Fall is my favorite - driving down some of these curving hilly tree-y roads in late October with the windows down and a crisp 45* outside, riding into the sunset, man there is nothing better than that.
Healthcare is certainly top-notch here - Raleigh has WakeMed and Rex, Durham has Duke University Healthcare System, Chapel Hill has UNC Healthcare system. Duke and UNC are within 15-20 mins of each other and interact like crazy - there is a proposed light rail system that is supposed to run in between both hospitals (other posters - correct me if I'm wrong there, I haven't looked in awhile and that's going off memory). Healthcare and biotechnology, health technology are massive industries here, truly cutting edge. You won't be disappointed.
Just know that the area is growing like crazy. Computer and information technology, health technology, biotech, research parks, 3 very good universities, be prepared for all that! Competitive job market and as you can see, very tech oriented. Raleigh and Chapel Hill are about 40 minutes apart. Chapel Hill and Durham are about 15 minutes apart but completely mesh together. Durham and Raleigh are about 20-25 minutes apart, also mesh pretty hard with Cary and Morrisville being relatively affluent suburbs in between. Super diverse area. In my department alone we have an Ethiopian, Ertitrean, 3 Indians, 4 Pakistanis and 1 girl from Ghana. 5 people from NYC metro. Everyone gets along perfectly though, it's completely normal. There is no racial tension, except maybe some parts of Durham that are getting gentrified.
All in all, a fantastic area and I think you would like Raleigh better. Chapel Hill is a much younger crowd. You mentioned retirement, so thought I'd put that out htere.
More like 43-59. Average high in Jan is 51. Average yearly minimum temp is 12, this year it was 15. Most years will not drop to single digits, especially inside raleigh. I agree, Raleigh is very diverse, many with established African, East African, middle eastern, South Asian, and any racial and cultural group you can think of reside in Raleigh especially in the diverse suburbs of chapel Hill, Cary and morrissville.
Chapel Hill is a much younger crowd. You mentioned retirement, so thought I'd put that out htere.
I have to disagree. Apart from the downtown area which is where the university is, every day is senior citizen day here. I've considered moving because of it.
Ice storms won't happen every year and bad ones once or twice a decade. Heat and humidity will bug you from may to september. Other than that NC weather is amazing! We are located in the best geographic location, far enough south to avoid the yearly bitter cold of the North but far enough north to still experience seasons! Hurricanes you won't worry about especially if you live in Chapel hill, they will affect you but most likely it will just be heavy rain and gusty winds, so having a back up generator would be in handy for ice storms and severe thunderstorm/hurricanes.
Although there is a misconception that we can't get hit bad this far inland, we are a little less than 2 hrs north of Wilmingtonton, strong hurricanes can and do have severe impacts this far inland. This is what I have to say about weather, everything else the rest of the people will take care of for you lol. Hope you make the move here!
Lizard Lick? Where the towing company is from that was on TV?
LOL! I used to watch that show all the time. They are a riot. Do you know them?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.