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I think the belief that summers here are terrible is a myth. Sure, it gets hot for spells and sometimes with high humidity. But nothing like Florida, where summer starts in April and lasts until October. And Phoenix, where a few days ago the high was 116 and the LOW was 94. The whole southern tier of states can be uncomfortable in summer, but it hasn't stopped millions of people from moving to the sunbelt.
I would agree with this. It is no worse here during the summer than MA summers are...the only difference is the duration.
MA is "really hot and humid" for about 3-4 weeks (Mid July - Mid August). Here you get the "really hot and humid" for 3-4 months.
And yes, this ain't AZ. My roommate in college was from Scottsdale. I went out there a handful of times (Spring and Summer). This is nothing like AZ summer.
Its all a frame of reference thing. I grew up 5 degrees off the equator in a city that was reclaimed rain forest. 12 hours of sunlight everyday, 75-85% humidity everyday, six months of the year it rained everyday, six months of the year it was drier, year round it was 87 degree highs, 74 degree lows.
A few concerns I have about making the move are:
* The dating scene. I wouldn't worry much about this. I moved here 5 yrs ago from SF Bay Area at 27, met my now wife online in Raleigh (she was 29 at the time), the scene was fine and had options (I'm skinny and only 5'6). I also had a 37 yr old roommate, he was 37 (granted and not knowing about you, he is 6'3 and in shape) and he had no problem at ALL- dude was on dates all the time. I have 2 female coworkers say dating at 30 is tough for women, so hell you may have the advantage.
* Summer heat- NOT as bad as people say- everyone told me coming from SF, you will DIE. Is is hot from especially end of June to mid Sept the worst- yes, and do you want to be outside or hiking during the afternoon, no not really. But you could go to a park at 8 AM or so and wrap up by 10 and its fine.
* Snakes, bugs and...gators? No gators. I've seen maybe 5 snakes in 5 years- leave em alone and you're fine. Bugs? Yes- if hiking you got to wear bug spray in the warm months. Cockroaches? yes and bigger, but the big ones are a fact of life and you need to not freak out when you see them, also they don't breed like crazy like the small ones, so every once in a while is not a big deal.
I would agree with this. It is no worse here during the summer than MA summers are...the only difference is the duration.
MA is "really hot and humid" for about 3-4 weeks (Mid July - Mid August). Here you get the "really hot and humid" for 3-4 months.
And yes, this ain't AZ. My roommate in college was from Scottsdale. I went out there a handful of times (Spring and Summer). This is nothing like AZ summer.
Its all a frame of reference thing. I grew up 5 degrees off the equator in a city that was reclaimed rain forest. 12 hours of sunlight everyday, 75-85% humidity everyday, six months of the year it rained everyday, six months of the year it was drier, year round it was 87 degree highs, 74 degree lows.
I agree for most people coming from the east coast summers here aren't exceptionally more oppressive in their intensity but potentially in length.
For OP to be coming from the PNW though...I could see it being a much bigger adjustment
Hey all,
As the title says I'm interested in moving to Raleigh and am looking for some advice on whether this would be a good decision.
I've spent the last 6 years or so in Portland, OR and have been wanting to move for the past couple of years but didn't due to some career moves I wanted to make before I jumped ship. Portland, OR has its good points for sure - relatively mild climate, plenty of outdoor activities and a fair amount of tech jobs. But certain drawbacks of the city are making me consider a change, namely: it's cloudy and rainy for 7-9 months of the year, the housing market is expensive, and the hardcore left, in-your-face politics of the region are starting to get old. I'm politically moderate, if not apathetic, grew up in the midwest and have friends from all over the spectrum, but even for me it's just getting to be too much.
Enter Raleigh.
From my own research as well as anecdotes from friends who have lived there, people have positive things to say about Raleigh. The area has a good mix of educated young professionals from all over, is close to research Triangle Park where there are a good amount of software jobs (I work from home as a programmer), and still provides some of the outdoors activities such as running/hiking trails and the ocean
(I'm a windsurfer, Cape Hatteras looks like fun), plus the warmer climate.
A few concerns I have about making the move are:
* The dating scene. I've read that Raleigh is sort of a tough place to date in your mid 30s - then again that's probably the case for most areas. While I haven't looked up the statistics myself, it appears from afar that there's the 20s college & post college crowd, families with kids, and little in between as far as singles still getting out there enjoying the nightlife in their mid 30s. Is that an accurate picture of the dating and social scene out there? I do know that dating/your social life is generally what you decide to make of it, but certain areas are legitimately just not good for certain things.It isn't New York City, but at the same time it isn't like everyone is hitched to someone from HS/College either. I couldn't give you a reference point on Portland; probably plenty of single folks but also repititive with the Alternative type?
Here at least you'd have somewhat more diversity of people. But that's based on my stereotype of Portland.
* Summer heat. I've heard it's brutally hot and humid for the summer months and you'll want to hibernate inside with the A/C turned on full blast.I moved here from Minnesota, to give you some perspective. I like being outside; I liked ice fishing in Minnesota and I didn't mind their frigid winters or snow, and here I don't mind the heat. If you hate hot weather, don't come here. If you tolerate being outdoors in various climates, it's fine.
* Snakes, bugs and...gators? Haha, call me a wimp all you want but I have a healthy respect/fear of snakes and gators, and mosquitoes tend to favor me for whatever reason. I know that snakes are rarely aggressive unless you are, that you shouldn't swim in muddy waters, and to wear bug spray, but from a few threads on this forum it seems like the area is crawling with bugs and snakes - maybe not so much
gators. I tend to run long distances on trails, and I do think about being out of breath and then wham - I get bit. Now what? Run back? I spend a lot of time outdoors, hunting, fishing, training dogs. I was worried about snakes when I moved down here. I hardly think about it anymore. Just not a huge concern. I've seen more of them near the house in the shrubs than I have in the woods. Gators? Not a concern unless you're swimming somewhere you wouldn't want to be swimming anyway. Bugs? they're bad. Spray up.
Anyway, is my view of the Raleigh area spot on or am I off? Or somewhere in between? I've heard people say that Raleigh is sort of a spread-out suburb with not much to do and that I might have a better time in Durham or Charlotte, but wanted to do my due diligence before picking one place or another. Hope you're all doing well during these times.
Cheers
Raleigh Downtown, broadly speaking, has enough nightlife to keep one occupied; Durham is hipper. Charlotte is a bigger city all around, more banking than tech.
I agree for most people coming from the east coast summers here aren't exceptionally more oppressive in their intensity but potentially in length.
For OP to be coming from the PNW though...I could see it being a much bigger adjustment
True, but the OP says he is from the midwest originally. Midwest summers can be equally hot and humid, although they are shorter, June-August. Plus, if I remember correctly, there are lots of bugs there as well. I would even say that they have more ticks (higher # of lime disease) out there than here. Roaches... hmm, yeah, this place wins unless you are from Houston.
I faced a similar quandary a couple of years ago when deciding to move from San Diego.
Coastal Southern CA is weather nirvana so leaving paradise was tough. But, as you, I grew weary of one-party rule and political insanity.
I thoroughly researched the climate and found it to be an acceptable compromise for the benefits. For one, while the summers are very warm/hot and humid, it's far from among the worst cities.
This chart lists the largest U.S.metros and days where the heat index (temp + humidity) exceeds 95°F:
On average, Raleigh only has 37 days in this range per year (the "oppressive" feel zone).
Although every one has different tolerance thresholds, l personally find it very manageable.
From looking at your objectives, it seems like Raleigh would indeed be the Goldilocks option.
The only other major city that you may consider is Denver: very dynamic, relatively more politically diverse, nicer summers, tons to do, and great for singles. Cost of living, no ocean, and winters are major drawbacks, though.
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