What's up breh. Before I ask my question, you're solid poster. Appreciate your posts.
Quick Question: I'm considering the move to NC, but I was thinking Charlotte. How's Releigh and would recommend living there over Charlotte?
I've really grown to love Raleigh. In May it'll be 5 years here, and it took awhile to grow on me, but it has...
I lived in Charlotte a little over a decade ago, for a year. It's one of my favorite cities in the country...
First rule of advice I'd give anyone, is don't come here expecting it to be comparable to where you're from. By your name I'm assuming you're coming from NY? Coming to either city and expecting the activities and aura of NY is setting yourself up to dislike the place and not enjoy your time here. You could still end up disliking your stay, but don't let it be because you come here comparing "here", to "there"...
We all move for a reason. We can't be looking in the rear view and lamenting about how much unlike where we come from it is, because, duh. This isn't there and it has its own positives and negatives...
I would say the city you prefer depends on what you're looking for. In general you get more of a big city vibe in Charlotte for sure, and if that's tantamount to you, go Charlotte. I'm more of a big city guy, and would've moved back to Charlotte but my kids are here...
I also learned I don't need the best and most of everything, I just need enough to feel comfortable and thrive. While Charlotte is definitely more of a big city than Raleigh, Raleigh isn't a
small city. After Charlotte, its the second biggest city between DC and The A, so realistically, there's a 25-million person's radius that spans VA, NC, SC, and into GA, of which the two largest cities in this span are Charlotte and Raleigh...
If one needs a practical vision of what they feel like from a size frame of reference perspective, Raleigh is roughly in the same weight class as:
Salt Lake, Richmond, Memphis, Louisville, OKC, Milwaukee, and Providence. Raleigh is the largest media market of these cities because it's media market is combined with Durham and Fayetteville...
Charlotte is in the same weight class as: Sacramento, Austin, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Antonio, Orlando, St Louis, Baltimore, Denver...
To be honest, both cities have a lot in common in general culture, the landscape and layout and architecture of both cities. Both have a large white collar element, Charlotte slightly more big business but both feel kinda corporate, not heavy on the blue collar vibe (though certain parts of both cities are). Raleigh has more of an academic air to it. Charlotte has a more popping music scene, both do the visual arts fairly well...
Charlotte has more luxury dealers, from dining to retail to cars, but Raleigh is a more fashionable city, people dress better and get fly better in Raleigh. Both are really safe cities, a huge contrast from many major cities across the country are that the hot areas in both are pretty limited and contained. Charlotte is a little rougher and grimier in its hoods than Raleigh, this is true but like Raleigh it isn't a city where it's wild violent. This ain't Memphis...
Another similarity is the reach of black representation, wealth, and middle class in both cities. Both are some of the best cities for black people in the entire US, Top 10 cities for black people. We are represented in both across all platforms from city hall to police and fire services to black cultural festivities and events...
Both are sports cities, NCAA athletics is definitely a bigger deal in Raleigh, something I don't care much for, while Charlotte is more into the major leagues, but there's an element of all in both cities. Charlotte is a football first city, Raleigh us basketball first, and when I say this I mean from the prep level up to pro, those are the major interest of both cities. But the Panthers are the biggest attraction in both cities...
Ton of transplants in both from across the nation. Charlotte has more transplants from across the South, Raleigh has more from the Northeast, both have a lot of Midwest people (Ohioans really seem to love NC
), and both have some West Coast transplants, Charlotte I think a few more. But if course, you can find all of these in both cities...
Charlotte is a much more international city of the two, just more people from more places there, more languages spoken, more foreign brands represented in business. Raleigh is certainly growing in this aspect, and I live in a pretty blended section of North Raleigh but if you put a premium on diversity and international flair, Charlotte has more---->though it shouldn't be expected to look like Northeast or West Coast cities in this regard. It's just really international for the inner South and is more international than Raleigh...
So much mobility for us in both, Raleigh I think is a bit more exotic and innovative, there's just a hustler's culture here to a different degree. In comparison Charlotte is more big biz and workman-like, still about money but there's a different personality here...
I think both are elite when it comes to women. Charlotte just for the more diverse variety is at a higher tier, but trust me on this, you won't be disappointed by the quality of women in Raleigh. Charlotte is better but you can eat in both
any flavor you're interested in...
Raleigh is whiter but Charlotte has more of everything else...
Both dope cities, both are more family oriented than singles oriented. But honestly the biggest difference between the two, is Charlotte is a major city, Raleigh isn't that. Charlotte gets major city tours, has the major league sports (NBA, NFL, MLS), Raleigh does have NHL...
Charlotte has tge larger downtown and inner city core, more shopping, more restaurants, busier and bigger airport, light rail, it's just a bigger, more bustling version of Raleigh. While there are some noticeable contrasts, there are many ways that they are more alike than not!
Nasty views. Better off listening to freeway
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