Visiting Raleigh soon, want to move by next year
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8/13/2006
My family and I are visitng the Triangle area in about a week to check things out there and we want to move by the end of next summer. On paper, Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill looks pretty good, especially for low cost of living and rising economic opportunities. Being 2 hours from the Atlantic ocean is a huge plus. Our reasons for going? Tired of winters, tired of the 1-2 hour commute one-way when it snows, tired of the exploding high cost of living, especially housing, and a strong desire to live somewhere with four seasons, mild winters, a good economy and a strong education system, and a high quality of life. Raleigh/Durham seems to fit the bill on all accounts for us. Housing costs are quite reasonable compared to anywhere in the Twin Cities. I've read the negative comments and I can understand their points of view. The Twin Cities has a far smaller black population than Raleigh/Durham so diversity would be greater for us i we were to move there. The lack of public transportation plays such a small factor in our lives it's not even an issue. The Twin cities has one VERY expensive light rail line but has a pretty decent bus system. Traffic here is horrendous at times but not nearly as bad as it is on the east coast and the comments I've seen about the increasing traffic in Raleigh must be taken into context by the reader. The Twin Cities is a metro area of about 3 million whereas Raleigh/Durham is about 1.5 million. I think more than one Twin Citian would love to drive in traffic again when we were half the size. We were considering Houston, TX very seriously at one point but decided to go to Raleigh instead. There is a high quality of life in the Twin Cities but if we can get about the same in Raleigh/Durham for far less cost (and no snow or below-sero weather) then it will be a move well made. Would appreciate any comments. Thank you.
michael | Fridley, MN