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Forget the job fist silliness. Live where you want and make it work.
Of these, Raleigh may be the best choice career wise. Charlotte would have more “big city” energy.
They are all good choices, IMO. Welcome to the East Coast. You’re gonna love it.
I really have been conflicted with finding a job first before leaving. I made the decision to just do it as I may not be as bold later to do something risky. Of course I will seek jobs before leaving (hopefully I can land one), but it will not dictate when I will leave. I am leaving by November and I am sticking to it. Thank you! I am really excited to be moving from the mid-west to experience something new.
My wife is a woman of color (raised in the US in a Jamaican family with strict Christian values and a powerful work ethic - strong emphasis on education.) I am Irish-German (or so I think,) and have values congruent with hers, although our backgrounds are quite different. We moved to Raleigh in October 2017 from Syracuse NY. We love our hometown, but it has a struggling economy and long, dark cold winters. For many reasons, we chose NC as the logical destination. We both visited Charlotte numerous times and found it to be oddly lacking in what we think of as "character" (varied and hilly terrain, a mix of older and newer buildings and neighborhoods, sense of history, etc.) Charlotte also has lots of sprawl and a growing traffic problem. We rented in Raleigh but will soon move into our first house here. Durham was on our list, but we researched the city, toured neighborhoods extensively, and found it to have much of the openly visible poverty that exists in Syracuse, with fewer large areas that we found amenable. In its defense - Durham is more racially diverse. Raleigh has a much smaller black population, with the majority of more affluent black folks (i.e. usually professionals) living in suburban areas like Brier Creek, or segregated into an increasingly small area to the southeast of the city center. Overall, we love it here. Traffic is an issue only in morning and afternoon rush on 440 and 540, but there are plenty of alternate routes on local streets. She is 43 and I am 62; both her sons and my daughter are adults. Our perspective may not be helpful for a person in your situation, but keep in mind - affordable high quality rental apartments in good areas are abundant, with more being built every day. I would start in Raleigh but spend time in Durham and Chapel Hill checking out the cultural and social scene. You'll figure it out quickly enough.
You mention a wish for diversity and Durham is definitely the most diverse of the three cities you mentioned, and specifically black people if that is what you are politely trying to ask. Nothing wrong with wanting to be in a place where your culture is represented
Durham county is a large county with one city "Durham" and two small towns. That means there's a huge area called "Durham" that isn't in the city proper. No big deal - but keep that in mind when looking at housing and jobs. With such a huge area covered - as you can imagine that includes bad and good neighborhoods - so be sure to check crime maps for the areas you look at.
There is even a small part of Durham county that has Morrisville addreses - even though Morrisville is technically in Wake county. That area where Durham hits wake is on fire with development - as western Wake county is about out of room. Since that is happening- development is spilling into Durham county there and is a fast-growing spot.
In typical rush hour conditions, a Downtown to Downtown would take about an hour based on my experience. If there is a wreck on I-40 or N.C.-147 then longer, as they are huge bottlenecks with few alternate routes. When it rains, there are always wrecks here. US-70 has lots of lights and congestion, so it takes similar times. Times will only get worse with growth. On a nice Sunday afternoon, 30 min. is reasonable... I was stuck on I-40 during a major “icing event” over a decade ago. That time it took me almost 12 hrs. I still have nightmares. In distance, it’s like driving from the Loop in Chicago out to Highland Park on 90/94.
I laugh about the Bible Belt comments for Charlotte because I live in Charlotte and I know hardly anyone who goes to church regularly. I only go occasionally so maybe that's the problem lol. I have the impression of Raleigh as being more religious. I wonder if UNC-Charlotte has the program you are interested in? UNC-Charlotte may be a lot more accessible to you than the major universities near Durham/Raleigh (Duke, NCSU, UNC-Ch). My spouse got 3 degrees from NCSU (BS, BS, MS), and 1 from UNCC (MBA). I only hear great things about UNC-Charlotte.
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