Is Raleigh/Durham Area Gay Friendly? (Chapel Hill, Carrboro: loft, crime rate, chapel)

[missjess213]

Hi!

My girlfriend and I are planning a move, soon to and were debating on Raleigh/Durham. I wanted to ask for advice on neighborhoods.

In all of my research, I've found so much conflicting information regarding whether or not Raleigh/Durham area has lesbian friendly neighborhoods.

We are looking for in the city living, in perhaps a loft or industrial type building. We are very interested in art, music and trendy areas. We also have a small dog who we love to take for walks, and are avid cyclers and are very health concious. Anything you could provide as far as what areas to check out would be so helpful and appreciated!


Thank you!

[J_Lurk]

There are several old threads in this forum that you might want to read:

//www.city-data.com/forum/ralei...-carolina.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/ralei...eral-city.html

There are more, use the "search" feature in the upper right of your screen.

But the short answer to your question is that you are very welcome in the Triangle. For urban and artsy, I'd be looking at Durham first.

Biking, however, is a whole different subject and you might want to search for some of the threads on that too! For biking you might be more interested in Chapel Hill/Carrboro as a starting point.

[frogandtoad]

I'd agree that the entire area is very gay friendly.

For what you're looking for (more urban/artsy/with biking) I'd second looking first to Durham.

Chapel Hill has great biking but I wouldn't really say it's very urban or artsy. Carrboro a bit more, but Durham wins on that one I think.

Raleigh has the urban bit too of course but it's not at all a great place (in my opinion) to be an avid biker. You'd have to drive outside the beltline or bike through a lot of traffic to get out into the beautiful country areas. Biking is one of the big reasons we chose Chapel Hill over Raleigh. From Chapel Hill (or Carrboro), you head out your door and in 5-10 min. of riding you're on beautiful country roads and can go as long as you want.

I honestly don't know anythng about the Durham biking scene, but as there is no beltway around it, like Raleigh, I'd think it's got to be better than Raleigh. And again--I think it wins hands-down on the artsy/urban/loft side.

[MrsSteel]

I agree with J_Lurk. Definitely check the archives of this forum. There's a wealth of information to be found there.

There are bike trails all over the Triangle. One of the better-known trails is the American Tobacco Trail which starts in downtown Durham & stretches south all the way to Chatham County & over into Wake County. If you search the archives you'll find plenty of info on this subject, too.

Good luck!

[ferrickhead28]

I would strongly suggest you do a google search for "Trianglegrrrls".
I think that might be more of what you are looking for.

Good luck!

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by frogandtoad

I'd agree that the entire area is very gay friendly.

For what you're looking for (more urban/artsy/with biking) I'd second looking first to Durham.

Chapel Hill has great biking but I wouldn't really say it's very urban or artsy. Carrboro a bit more, but Durham wins on that one I think.

Raleigh has the urban bit too of course but it's not at all a great place (in my opinion) to be an avid biker. You'd have to drive outside the beltline or bike through a lot of traffic to get out into the beautiful country areas. Biking is one of the big reasons we chose Chapel Hill over Raleigh. From Chapel Hill (or Carrboro), you head out your door and in 5-10 min. of riding you're on beautiful country roads and can go as long as you want.

I honestly don't know anythng about the Durham biking scene, but as there is no beltway around it, like Raleigh, I'd think it's got to be better than Raleigh. And again--I think it wins hands-down on the artsy/urban/loft side.

Regarding biking, I think people would be surprised how easy it is to get to the Raleigh Greenway trails from downtown. I have done it often. Once on the Greenway, you can go to Crabtree Mall, North Raleigh and most of the city parks without the constant disruption of cars.

[askmisterbrown]

I agree that the Triangle is very gay-friendly.

The downtown area of Raleigh also has plenty of the urban-artsy-lofty scene, and has old neighborhoods that are being revitalized.

I am a daily bike rider, and think Inside-the-beltline Raleigh is a great place to ride a bicycle. No, we don't have easy access to quiet country roads, but it's an easy bike ride to work, the grocery store, the library, bars and restaurants, the hardware store, parks and museums, your friends' houses, movie theatres, concert venues, city and county and state government offices, colleges, etc. I start my car about two or three times a month!

[lovebrentwood]

I wouldn't recommend Durham because the crime stats speak for themselves. Durham has a much higher crime rate than Raleigh, especially for murder and robbery. It's easy to find the info online.

You'd be much happier in Raleigh, especially in the downtown/Glenwood Avenue area.

We'd love to have you as neighbors in Brentwood, a convenient Raleigh subdivision. (Google "beautiful brentwood" as one word for more info.)

Meetup.com is a good place to connect with people with similar interests (biking).

Good luck.

Originally Posted by missjess213

Hi!

My girlfriend and I are planning a move, soon to and were debating on Raleigh/Durham. I wanted to ask for advice on neighborhoods.

In all of my research, I've found so much conflicting information regarding whether or not Raleigh/Durham area has lesbian friendly neighborhoods.

We are looking for in the city living, in perhaps a loft or industrial type building. We are very interested in art, music and trendy areas. We also have a small dog who we love to take for walks, and are avid cyclers and are very health concious. Anything you could provide as far as what areas to check out would be so helpful and appreciated!


Thank you!

[MrsSteel]

Originally Posted by lovebrentwood

I wouldn't recommend Durham because the crime stats speak for themselves. Durham has a much higher crime rate than Raleigh, especially for murder and robbery. It's easy to find the info online.

Time to beat that ol' dead horse again, gang.

It's true that Durham has a higher crime rate than Raleigh. However that crime is not evenly distributed across the entire town. Just as with every other city on the planet, there are some areas that are sketchier than others. Most of Durham is actually quite safe and friendly. It's important not to paint the entire town with a broad brush.

No matter which town or neighborhood catches your interest, be sure to check the crime maps. Compare the stats to the neighborhoods where you've lived before. From there you can determine your own comfort level. There are hundreds of thousands of people who chose to live in Durham - including a number of people on this forum. Most of us are quite happy with our choice to call Durham home. But only you can determine if it's the right place for you. Good luck!

[9/9]

Another vote for Durham here.