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homeownership is much better in NC hands down. Im not sure where you are from, but NC and FL are VERY different places. I am originally from NY, and now live in gainesville fl, me and my wife cannot feel at home here, and you definately need to take that into consideration. If you cannot be happy with the general scenery, then nothing else matters.
Gainesville is more of a college town than Sarasota, and is really not much like any of the bigger cities/towns in FL. I went to school there, and honestly, the Triangle sort of reminds me of Gainesville in some ways. However, Raleigh is a much bigger city than Gainesville, so the college concentration is not as high and there are more options for everything. But scenery-wise, I find the two to be rather similar, except Raleigh has more hills.
Anime? I don't really know about anime in the Triangle.
Dance? Dancing is pretty big here, from swing and Carolina shag to salsa, I know there are a lot of classes and weekly dances. I have also seen a few dance schools for children. There is the Carolina ballet and other dance troupes that visit the area to perform if that is what you're interested in.
Visual and Graphic Arts? Not sure exactly what you're looking for here, but there are a lot of art related events and venues. ArtSpace in downtown Raleigh has first Fridays each month open to the public, and many galleries have openings in conjunction with this.
Technology? Just google "Research Triangle Park" and SAS.
Tennis? Don't have a clue
Mexican Food? Yes, there are a few good Mexican restaurants here. (The best Mexican places in FL are in Homestead).
Chinese? Haven't found a real good one yet. Not so great in FL either. There are no Chinatowns in either place.
Parks? Lots of parks in the Triangle, and tons of outdoor activity possiblities across the state as well.
I live in Orlando and am moving to Raleigh next month. Unfortunately, it's all about what you like and what's priority. Orlando is more exciting and it's dowtown is thriving. Along with that the road system has never kept up with the amount of people that live here. If you look at city statistics they are deceiving. You have to realize that Orlando takes in 3 counties and is much bigger than looks on paper. The traffic can be very annoying. Natives to Raleigh will warn you about their traffic but it's really not that bad. One good thing is that a lot of friends and family visit because of Disney. When we first moved her six years ago it was really fun but now it's kinda feels like a vacation that's gone on to long. I think as far as raising a family Raleigh wins hands down. I compare the Orlando forum to Raleigh and there is a gentleness of spirit that the Orlando board doesn't have. Even though the Orlando housing market has come down you can still buy more for your money in Raleigh. However, watch the state taxes Florida has none but maybe that's not an issue if you mostly stay at home. Good Luck!!!
I live in Orlando and am moving to Raleigh next month. Unfortunately, it's all about what you like and what's priority. Orlando is more exciting and it's dowtown is thriving. Along with that the road system has never kept up with the amount of people that live here. If you look at city statistics they are deceiving. You have to realize that Orlando takes in 3 counties and is much bigger than looks on paper. The traffic can be very annoying. Natives to Raleigh will warn you about their traffic but it's really not that bad. One good thing is that a lot of friends and family visit because of Disney. When we first moved her six years ago it was really fun but now it's kinda feels like a vacation that's gone on to long. I think as far as raising a family Raleigh wins hands down. I compare the Orlando forum to Raleigh and there is a gentleness of spirit that the Orlando board doesn't have. Even though the Orlando housing market has come down you can still buy more for your money in Raleigh. However, watch the state taxes Florida has none but maybe that's not an issue if you mostly stay at home. Good Luck!!!
Right on about feeling like being on vacation all year long, thats exactly how we feel.. all about what scenery you feel comfortable in.
Hi. Thanks for answering my questions. Due to not reading in reverse order for once, I am responding to your first post.
Wow! I never thought there would be that much Anime in NC. I knew there was a good bit in FL and a lot in CA. I have done a quick Google search and discovered that there are even possible scholarships in reference to Anime. Yeahhh!!!! Just what the doctor ordered. :^D I also discovered that MIT OpenCourse offerings include an Anime one. While that is MA, it is online, and I belive is also free. I am going to see whether or not my dd is interested in that course.
For dance, I was mainly talking about non-club dance opportunities; however, I might go clubbing with some friends of mine in the area, since I am happily sinlge/divorced.
With the area being "the Silicon Valley of the South", how would you say the men are? Basically are they fine with confident ladies like the guys are in CA? In my hometown, most of the men say they like confident women who are assertive as needed, but then act like they are scared to death of us. I found that to be the opposite in CA (something that was a wonderful change of pace, imo). I hope that makes sense to ya.
I'm glad to hear about the Mexican and Chinese food there. It is delicious and very inexpensive (excluding some meals). We will miss not having a China Town, though.
I did the exact same thing as you--looked at both areas. Sarasota has exploded in popularity and the housing has gotten very, very expensive. I love the ocean and love nature and sunshine, so I thought Florida was a good choice. Well upon closer inspection there is a lot of trouble with drugs in the teens there, it's horribly HOT about half the year, mosquitos and huge palmetto bugs, VERY HIGH property taxes now, and a lot of people are leaving. I would suggest you visit both areas. Sarasota is a WONDERFUL place to visit but maybe not to live. There were few jobs that I could find. Mostly retirees. A teen might not be thrilled. I would suggest going there and vacationing on Siesta Key, but I prefer the Raleigh area as a place to raise kids.
Bargainmom,
Hi. We also love the beaches and, of course, Disney and Sea World. I love how much cheaper the theme parks are for FLers and the opportunities available to them that usually are not available to out of staters such as performing the parades and internship opps for the kids.
The hot weather does not bother us, but we have never enjoy the those "lovely', huge, flying bugs (which we have in SC). The mosquitos don't bother us like they do a few of our best friends here in SC. I guess, we are lucky in that respect. :^D
Drugs are a huge factor. We don't care to even be around drugs, especially since we can smell a mile away with our allergies. We remember having to get off of the ligh rail a few times due to someone had lit up. Not all of of CA has the drugs, but the big cities by their definitions tend to have the drugs. I have heard that drugs are a problem in Tampa's city area, too. Are really that bad on the northern to central gulf? Why is that? Is it the being on the coastline like Miami is a huge gateway for drugs and other things good and bad, is it for some other reason? How are the police down there? Do they actual come when called?
At first, I would not be worrying about property taxes, since we would be renting; however, that is a good point for long term consideration. What are FL's taxes really like (sales tax to car property tax, tax taken out from paychecks, etc)? The same question for NC?
Our problem is that we don't have enough excess money to spend on a couple trips down to check out both areas. Actually, I am wanting some cushion room in our finances before we move, which looks like will happen --- just how much I don't know yet, since we gotta finish selling off the rest of our no longer needed treasuers (pretty much everything you can think of from collectibles, clothes, dance stuff, hs stuff, printer, furniture, etc.).
Sarasota for retirees?!?! What gave you that impression? Obviously, I had gotten a different impression of it. What about your impressions for teens for other areas above Sarasota on the gulf?
What kind of jobs were you looking from down there, if you don't me asking?
Thanks for the idea of vacationing on Siesta Key. We will keep that in mind for a vacation later on. Since we are planning a Disney trip with the rest of our family in the Fall, Siesta Key might have to wait until next year or so.
Overall I see Raleigh (not neccessarily Durham) as a safer place to raise kids than the bay area of FL and some other parts of FL. Have you noticed other reasons why it is easier and better to raise kids in NC than FL?
Here are the approximate populations of the cities in question:
Charlotte 650,000
Raleigh 360,000
Durham 220,000
Greenville 75,000
Atlanta 430,000 (found it hard to believe, but was right)
San Fran 750,000
San Jose 912,000
Columbia 150,000
As for the distance between Raleigh and Charlotte, its about 169 miles. The bus system in Raleigh is great. Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill also jointly own an Agency that operates buses that go between the 3 cities, making travel between the cities really easy. Their website is www.ridetta.org (broken link) . Charlotte has a light rail system now and Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill are hashing one out that will let you ride through the entire triangle area. As of right now, no cities in NC have a subway.
Hope that helps
Thanks, Gard. Yes, I definitely agree that those figures appear to be wrong at first site. I assume that Atlanta is not including its towns around and outside of the bee ways (or is it bways) in its figure above. With putting Raleigh and Durhams figures together one gets basically the same amount as Charlotte and thus even bigger than Atlanta. I am surprised to see that SF has lower figure than SJ, but then again SJ is more spread out than SF. I am amazed to see that Columbia has a lot higher figure than Greenville.
A great bus system. I never knew such a thing existed. No offence to be taken to the bus stations or employees. What makes them great? How many different route choices there are? How clean they are? How many different routes they area? How safe the bus stops are? How convient the bus stops are? Are the bus drivers helpful to newbies to the area -- such for which bus and directions?
It is nice to hear that travel between the cities is easy. How about to the surrounding towns such as Cary or Bear Creek (or something like that)?
Thanks for the link.
Subways are nice assuming they have an elevator (for when one has a heavy suitcase or have already walked a couple miles)and are clean; however, my first choice in transportation is light rail and regular rail, since there is no need to go down a flight or two of stairs just to get to the platform. Having to go down a floor or two does take up one's precious time. Well, it was nice to think of possibly having subs as an option.
Hi. Thanks for answering my questions. Due to not reading in reverse order for once, I am responding to your first post.
Wow! I never thought there would be that much Anime in NC. I knew there was a good bit in FL and a lot in CA. I have done a quick Google search and discovered that there are even possible scholarships in reference to Anime. Yeahhh!!!! Just what the doctor ordered. :^D I also discovered that MIT OpenCourse offerings include an Anime one. While that is MA, it is online, and I belive is also free. I am going to see whether or not my dd is interested in that course.
For dance, I was mainly talking about non-club dance opportunities; however, I might go clubbing with some friends of mine in the area, since I am happily sinlge/divorced.
With the area being "the Silicon Valley of the South", how would you say the men are? Basically are they fine with confident ladies like the guys are in CA? In my hometown, most of the men say they like confident women who are assertive as needed, but then act like they are scared to death of us. I found that to be the opposite in CA (something that was a wonderful change of pace, imo). I hope that makes sense to ya.
I'm glad to hear about the Mexican and Chinese food there. It is delicious and very inexpensive (excluding some meals). We will miss not having a China Town, though.
Thanks again.
mshs2
Hi Mshs,
I would say that the men are the pretty much the same as in CA. Raleigh is a city with alot of single professionals, so you would fit right in here. There are also many people here who have moved from CA to Raleigh because they could work in their field and enjoy alot lower of a cost of living that CA at the same time. Its possible that eventually Raleigh could end up with a Chinatown. Raleigh is the fastest growing city east of the Mississippi and the population goes up around 45 people a day. We also have, according to a recent article in the News & Observer, a "little India" taking shape, which could certainly attract other ethnic enclaves to take shape.
Moderator cut: competitor's website is a good place to go.
Thanks, Gard. Yes, I definitely agree that those figures appear to be wrong at first site. I assume that Atlanta is not including its towns around and outside of the bee ways (or is it bways) in its figure above. With putting Raleigh and Durhams figures together one gets basically the same amount as Charlotte and thus even bigger than Atlanta. I am surprised to see that SF has lower figure than SJ, but then again SJ is more spread out than SF. I am amazed to see that Columbia has a lot higher figure than Greenville.
A great bus system. I never knew such a thing existed. No offence to be taken to the bus stations or employees. What makes them great? How many different route choices there are? How clean they are? How many different routes they area? How safe the bus stops are? How convient the bus stops are? Are the bus drivers helpful to newbies to the area -- such for which bus and directions?
It is nice to hear that travel between the cities is easy. How about to the surrounding towns such as Cary or Bear Creek (or something like that)?
Thanks for the link.
Subways are nice assuming they have an elevator (for when one has a heavy suitcase or have already walked a couple miles)and are clean; however, my first choice in transportation is light rail and regular rail, since there is no need to go down a flight or two of stairs just to get to the platform. Having to go down a floor or two does take up one's precious time. Well, it was nice to think of possibly having subs as an option.
Thanks again for all the help and information.
mshs2
Hi Mshs,
As far as what makes the bus system great...it is not too expensive and it will take you to many of the popular destinations. The TTA is more or less a connector between the cities. It will take you Raleigh to Cary or Apex, etc. Pretty much all of the surrounding towns are tied into it as well. The areas the TTA drops riders off are at stops where the City bus systems pick up riders. Basically, each city has its own bus system and TTA kind of links them all together. As for Raleigh's city bus system, Capital Area Transit (CAT), they have alot of stops all over the place. Some range from little stops with places to sit to just a sign post in the ground. The buses are generally well kept and the TTA is upgrading their buses pretty soon to a new model, so all of theirs will be new. The bus stops are all pretty convenient to the major areas of interest. There are stops at all the malls, Walmart and about any other place someone may want to go. I would say that the bus drivers are pretty friendly and helpful. Here is another link you might find useful, it lets you plan your bus trip through the triangle: http://www.gotriangle.org/
As far as safety is concerned, Raleigh takes public safety VERY seriously. Raleigh ranks lower than the national average for crimes in comparable cities to its size. A while back, Raleigh had a kidnapping from a downtown parking garage one night and the victim was found murdered. As a result of that one incident, the city enacted new ordinances that required all but one entrance of a parking garage to be closed at night and for cameras to be installed inside parking garages. They also put together a new part of the police force that does nothing but patrol parking garages and other places that these things could occur. The city vowed to never let this happen again. The population of the Raleigh MSA(Durham is in its own MSA) alone is around 1 million now.
I moved to the Tampa Bay area (St. Pete/Pinellas County) about 2 years ago, from western New York, right before the housing "bust" and am sorry that I didn't move to Raleigh instead, which was our second choice. I love the water/beaches and winters are nice here, but the cost of living is outrageous (as other posters have stated) and property taxes and homeowner's insurance is crazy high.For example, our homeowner's insurance is a little over $2000 a year (compared to $500 in NY) and we have one of the "lower" costs for homeowners insurance. I know people whose insurance is double and triple that amount! Housing prices are falling. I don't know if you plan to rent or buy...rents are a little less than they were when I was looking here two years ago. We were recently in Raleigh just a couple weeks ago and to give you an idea, I looked at a 3 bedroom 2 bath apartment (in a complex) that was renting for $849; I think it was about 1200 sq. ft. Something similar here in Florida is over $1000 a month. We currently own a small house here in Florida, which we've been trying to sell for almost a year - and compared to what we could get for the same price in NC, the size is double, the lot is bigger and taxes and insurance are much, much less. There are some beautiful parks here and there's always something to do, either free or low cost, but it's too hot most of the year to be outside and do much. As far as education goes for your daughter (?), Florida's public education is less than desirable -- private education is better. I taught when we first moved here so I have some "inside" knowledge about the school system here, and Tampa/Hillsborough County School District is worse than Pinellas. I don't know what Sarasota's schools are like, but my son attended high school in Port St. Lucie a few years ago and all the school districts are about the same - they s**k. In researching teaching opportunities in NC, I've read and heard that the school districts are improving from where they were and they're taking proactive steps to improve the quality of their education as well as anticipated growth. There's a lot of art, culture, history in St. Pete/Tampa, but I'm sure there is in the Raleigh area too. You said you work from home...didn't say what you do, but I can tell you that the Tampa Bay area has tremendous networking opportunities...you just have to know how to tap into that resource (I can and would be happy to help you with that, should you decide to move here, to Florida). I have found some networking resources in the Raleigh area, doing limited research. Also, I agree with the other poster who said there's no sense of community here. This is a major frustration for many of us northerners who relocate here. When we visited NC in April, it felt very much like where I'm from in New York; much of the same small town feel and very friendly people. Okay...I'm rambling...hope this helps.
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