Do Your Research Before You Move Here
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6/12/2007
I was born and raised in Seattle and moved to Raleigh 4 years ago. We were seeking a smaller town (not too small) and a more traditional way of life that embraced old-fashioned morals and values. We found most of that in the Raleigh area. What has been most disappointing about the area are two things. The attitude of the people that move here from big cities (NY, NJ, Philly, LA, Chicago, and others) wanting a more progressive city and pushing a liberal mentality onto others. I don’t understand why these people get frustrated after moving to a southern town where southerners do not think like them – what did they expect? Plus, what is wrong with saying “yes ma’am or no sir?” I find it to be good manners and a sign of respect. Raleigh is a southern city with southern values, however these “progressives” want to change the city to their way of thinking. These newcomers also make fun of the southerners. I have to say in defense of the southerners, Raleigh is their home and if you don’t like how they speak, how they drive, what they eat, or the fact that they have different morals and values than you, than please think about relocating to a different town because you’d be much happier somewhere else. I chose this city because of the existing way of life, I didn’t come here to change their way of life. If you are a “progressive thinker,” I think it would serve you well to do a little more research and seek a more progressive town than Raleigh.
The second disappointment is the luring of illegal aliens. The city seems to want them to come here and welcomes them with open arms. There are pockets of illegals, not just Hispanics, popping up and crime rates have risen. In the short time I’ve lived here, crime has almost doubled. It’s unfortunate to see this happening, especially in the suburbs around Cary, Garner, and Fuquay-Varina, which used to be peaceful safe towns but no longer.
The last items to consider are the job market and cost of living. The jobs are primarily medical, including biotech and pharmaceutical, high-tech, and agricultural research. There are also lots of jobs in the administrative field and service sector. What I have found is that there are two types of jobs here: the high paying, medical research/technical type jobs that pay around 60K+ and require 10-15 years experience, or there are the low paying administrative and service type jobs that pay 20K – 30K a year. There is not much in between (35K-55K). And the only
Jason | Cary, NC