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Help us make the move to NC!!
My fiance and I are currently living in Seattle, and we're looking to move East! One of the places we've landed on is Raleigh, NC. I was hoping that some of you from the area might be able to give me some valuable information about the area! I've visited twice and love NC, but my fiance has never been!
I know the usual stuff, and am prepared to do the research...climate, cost of living compared to Seattle, etc... but what I'm really curious in is the "other stuff"...best areas to live for young professionals, best traits of the state (mountains, ocean, golf courses), what makes the area unique? Are the people friendly? Also, what would be some things that you might think would deter people from moving to NC?
Any information/insight you can give us would be great! We're just ready for a real change, whether temporary or permanent, and feel like at this point in our lives we should just...Jump!
So if you don't mind...Sell me your state!! Anything you can share will be appreciated! Even if all you're doing is sending me a cool link to some information I would be forever grateful!
Hoping to move soon... 
Re: Help us make the move to NC!!
We moved to Raleigh from NJ 2 years ago and LOVE it! The weather is wonderful and lets you be outside for the majority of the year. We liked Raleigh, when compared to other Southern cities, because it has the southern charm while still feeling like a small town. The people here are very friendly and welcoming with a few jokes about Yankees. We like the southern feel but appreciate that the pace of life is quicker than in other southern towns. Also, we love that we have all of the perks of big city life (theater, ethnic restaurants, sports, festivals, concerts, etc.) without very many of the drawbacks (crime, traffic, pollution, etc.). And the cost of living was a HUGE plus for us as compared to NJ.
As far as where to live, you need to figure out what you want out of your area. We picked North Raleigh because it is about half way (commuting time) between RTP, where I work, and downtown Raleigh, where DH will probably work. Also we liked North Raleigh because it was established and had a community feel. It also is more family centered, so may not be the best if you want to go out on the town every night. Closer to downtown or off of Glenwood, we found was more a young professionals scene. Cary is a great area as well and many other nesties live there, so I'll let them do the explaining since they know it better.
The job market is very tight. DH has been unemployed since we moved here, so I would strongly encourage you to get jobs before you move.
Are there any other random things you are curious about?
Thank you so much for your response!! It's nice to hear from someone who is new(er) to the area, because in my mind first impressions mean a lot! I'm so glad you like it there! One of the things I've read over and over online is how much Raleigh combines both Southern charm with city life! That's definitely something that draws us to the area. And it's nice to know that the city has a lot going on, because coming from a city like Seattle, where there's a pretty diverse culture, things like theater, restaurants, and festivals really appeal to us!
I think we're looking more for an area that allows us to raise a family, while still being within driving distance of the center of town. We're not really an "out every night" couple, so maybe Northern Raleigh is where we should look.
Also that's great advice on finding a job first. My finance is in the process of looking right now, and I'll be applying to nursing schools so hopefully both things will sort of fall into place simultaneously (fingers crossed)...
Would you say there are any drawbacks? The things I've heard are the bugs and the traffic. Coming from Seattle I'm pretty sure I can handle the traffic problems, but what else? I know the summers are insanely humid, but I love humidity so I don't mind!
Also, having moved from another city was it pretty easy to meet people? All our friends are here in Seattle, but we've lived here all our lives. I can honestly say that people in Seattle are NOT very welcoming and friendly...but we're pretty outgoing and social people, so we're hoping we can find a good social circle when we're out there. What are your thoughts on that?
Thanks again so much for responding! It was very helpful!!
I hear a lot of people talking about how nice people are in Raleigh. DH and I moved to Raleigh from West Virginia and I feel like people in WV were somewhat more friendly. I have heard many people from the west coast say that people are much nicer here. In general I do feel that people in Raleigh are pretty nice. DH and I also live in North Raleigh, near Crabtree Valley mall. North Raleigh is the most expensive area to live in Raleigh, so that is something to take into account when you move. There are a lot of great subarb areas (Holly Springs, Apex, Morrisville, etc)
I think that making friends/meeting people as an adult can be difficult in general. DH and I joined some groups on meetup.com. We've met some great people through that, and we now run a couples group on there. If you are outgoing and get involved in activities then you won't have trouble meeting people.
I really like living in Raleigh. Granted, I grew up here, but the area has changed & grown a lot.
Culturally, it's getting better. Definitely not on par with a big city like DC or Seattle, but we're getting some really great restaurants, arts & the music scene has always been good. DH and I have met a lot of really good new friends by playing in adult sports leagues & kickball. The area is growing up, with a southern twist.
People are friendly & the cost of living is pretty reasonable. I disagree with Jenna though, North Raleigh is not the most expensive area. Inside the Beltline definitely is, but that's also VERY established with a lot of old $$. There are some great deals in housing in North Raleigh right now, with the downturn in the market. The job market is tight, but there are still some opportunities around to be had.
I completely agree that this is probably our biggest negative about Raleigh. I feel like truly embracing diversity is still somewhat of a new concept to this city. Unfortunately there are pretty defined socially economic levels here(which are casually defined by race although not completely accurate) and it can be quite difficult to truely find a diverse group/neighborhood/school/etc. Sometimes we are also surprised at the ignorance to other cultures/religion, but then you have to realize that there isn't as much culture in Raleigh due to the size of the city. For example, one of my neighbors commented that the people who didn't put up Christmas lights on their house must be Jewish.
So I explained that there are tons of other religions that they could be, or they could just be Christians that don't want to decorate. But it is getting better and there are cultural events that you can particiapte in if you seek them out.
You might want to also look in Cary. We preferred North Raleigh to Cary, but that was just personal preference. Cary would also be a great area for raising families but still close to downtown. And I would say close is 15-20 min for both North Raleigh and Cary- sometimes people don't realize how close our suburbs are to downtown. If you are willing to further out, you could get more of the country feel. And like PP mentioned, there are tons of other smaller towns that are very family friendly.
I struggled with this when we first moved here mainly because I'm shy at first and hated going to things alone (DH moved down 6 months after me). But the girls on this board are great and were some of my first Raleigh friends! We are also very active in our HOA and have made tons of friends in our neighborhood. So if you are willing to get out there and be active, you'll make friends.
This website has a prettty cool cost of living comparison
http://swz.salary.com/costoflivingwizard/layouthtmls/coll_metrodetail_141.html
Hi Laura,
You have a lot of fun ahead of you! I agree with all the posts before mine! Raleigh is an excellent place to call home! I'm so excited for you. My family moved to Cary (edge of Raleigh) in 1990 and before that we lived in Chicago and Pennsylvania. We all love it here so much. I went to school for 4 years in Charlotte, NC and then lived there for a year, moved back to Raleigh for 2 years for work, down to Charlotte for one and finally, hubs and I are moving to Raleigh again : ) My job has had me back and fourth. I LOVE RALEIGH. I'm so glad we're coming back here. My husband and I are actually on only my salary for the time being while he searches for full-time employment. (We haven't owned in this area yet.) There are so many things to keep you busy in this area and friendships really mean something here. I find it hard to even have too many friends because there's so many things to do all together! I run out of time!
Plusses: weather, cleanliness, friendliness, country and city life combination, activites, number of parks, schools and businesses, and I'm here!
Negatives: some road conditions can be poor because we're not set up for heavy and frequent snow storms (which we don't often get) and roads get potholes. Little traffic-there's always a way around... and people can't drive here : ) j/k
Enjoy this exciting time!!!
Kari
I totally agree with all of this, especially that last bit. Oh how I miss DC
I am a transplanted NYC native living in Raleigh and love it. We moved here just about 1.5 years ago and really agree with a lot of what the other posters said about weather, combination of city with southern charm etc.
One great thing about Raleigh is there are a TON of great places to live, and much less than Seattle. You really could get a really nice house at any price point (that's something you could never say in NY region).
One other area to consider are some of the established ITB neighborhoods (inside the beltline), like Five Points or Cameron Park. These might be good options for you especially if you are used to "urban" Seattle (v.s the 'burbs). We settled in one of these areas and LOVE it.
For us, coming from an urban area, it's been the perfect mix--we are only a few minutes/miles to downtown but are in a leafy home oriented neighborhood and only minutes to all the suburban amenities (supermarket, Target etc).
When we lived in NY we walked a ton and wanted to continue this (to some degree). We are able to do this, and though I drive more now, I like to know that we can just stroll around the neighborhood or to spots with lots of parks, coffee shops, restaurants.Housing stock is also really varied.
Most of these areas are also very family friendly (we are expecting our first) with lots of civic involvement (park cleanup days, several annual events each year--4th of July parade, potluck, easter egg hunt).
Unlike NYC we have a real house with a nice size yard too. The trade off for the proximity etc is smaller/house per sq/ft or yard then other areas mentioned above.
We looked all over (while renting) for about nine months before we made the decision about where to but and live and this is the BEST advice I can give anyone. We ultimately came back to the part of town we were drawn to at first but it was not without spending a lot of time all over the region. Even now, when we visit parts of town that weren't necessarily a "fit" for us we totally get why they make sense for other people.
Raleigh also has an amazing network of Greenway trails for walking and biking that run around town as well as several lakes/parks, some of these gems are minutes from downtown. Though Raleigh gets great buzz as a livable place I feel like this rarely comes up, so you can easily get a dose of the outdoors without going far.
NC is also a great state and there is so much to explore from TON of beaches (with a great diversity of areas too) and mountains all with an easy day/weekend trip from Raleigh.
Thank you all SO MUCH for all the fantastic information you have given me! It's so nice hearing from people who both grew up in NC, and also the transplants
I found a book online all about North Carolina, so I'm going to do some reading up on it! Because this is the first time (with the exception of college) that either of us will have lived outside Seattle, I want to learn as much about the area as I can! But the best advice and information I can get, I'm sure, is from all you on the board here!
You've all been so great! Thanks again!! I'll definitely keep you posted and let you know how it turns out!!
We get married two weeks from tomorrow, and our next order of business after the wedding is working on making the move! Yay!!
I just wanted to say that my husband and I are planning to move to NC after hearing wonderful things about it and the information you all have given has been VERY helpful! Thank for taking the time.
And to the OP...we're in the same shoes here. We live in MA and we've been saying we'd love to move down someday, but now seems to be the time to just make that jump! Good luck with your move.