DC vs Raleigh vs Atlanta

Originally Posted by yousharenow

One of our main vendors (Cisco) has a HQ there that is massive. I've gotten half a dozen offers from them in the past year, and there's a TON of work to be done there for people in tech or healthcare.

I'll finish school here in ATL, then I'll most likely end up in Raleigh for all the reasons mentioned in this thread. I've done the "big city" thing living in the city, I want somewhere a little more quiet with less traffic and job security, and a NHL team.



I love the people attitudes there, and I like how clean/safe the downtown is. I was looking around Real Estate prices for a nice area like Wake Forest and it reminds me of prices in Dallas. Prices in ATL and DC for a nice area to live in are just straight retarded, and they both have terrible traffic



Raleigh fits that bill!

Depending on your needs/wants/standards and price range I highly recommend Wakefield, Falls River, Heritage, and a neighborhood I used to live in called Dansforth off Burlington Mills road. Great neighborhood but I moved farther out of town into the country near Youngsville, love it!

Raleigh FTW. Moved here on a whim 7 years ago and have never looked back. TONS of tech jobs. Cowmoo32 and I gave some insite to someone else a few weeks ago. gonna look for that thread for you.

Damn...we all need to get together in Raleigh.

Raleigh, NC FTW!!!

the only difference, apparently, between DC and Atlanta is the NHL team.

Raleigh !!!!!!

I Love it here now that I'm older than 21. Down town raleigh night life is awesome because it's a little city smack dab in the middle of suburbia. You can live in a nice neighborhood outside of the city and never even know it exists, yet on the weekends drive there in minutes. There is something for everyone there. Hipster area, college dive bars, the guido spots, the fratty spots, all within the same vicinity. Just big enough to not get bored, and small enough to get to know everyone. The PNC arena is great for hockey (if it comes back), and NCSU football is also really big here. The location is about 2 hours from the beach, and 2 hours from the mountains so if you ever feel the need to get away you have really good options available. You can't really beat it, voted the #1 city in america by bloomberg business week.

Originally Posted by Vinnie Vega

Raleigh !!!!!!

I Love it here now that I'm older than 21. Down town raleigh night life is awesome because it's a little city smack dab in the middle of suburbia. You can live in a nice neighborhood outside of the city and never even know it exists, yet on the weekends drive there in minutes. There is something for everyone there. Hipster area, college dive bars, the guido spots, the fratty spots, all within the same vicinity. Just big enough to not get bored, and small enough to get to know everyone. The PNC arena is great for hockey (if it comes back), and NCSU football is also really big here. The location is about 2 hours from the beach, and 2 hours from the mountains so if you ever feel the need to get away you have really good options available. You can't really beat it, voted the #1 city in america by bloomberg business week.

Sounds like Colorado sans beach. Of the three choices, Raleigh sounds the most appealing.

Originally Posted by Ynot

Sounds like Colorado sans beach. Of the three choices, Raleigh sounds the most appealing.

He isn't lying when he says 2 hours each way. Well, maybe 2:30. Wilmington for the beach and Boone or Asheville for the mountains. Freaking love NC (minus some of the taxes ).

Originally Posted by ryanwhite74115

He isn't lying when he says 2 hours each way. Well, maybe 2:30. Wilmington for the beach and Boone or Asheville for the mountains. Freaking love NC (minus some of the taxes ).

Asheville is a cool town- it almost has sort of a west coast feel to it. Family went to to Grove Park Inn (that place is amazing) last October and did some of the touristy stuff but the downtown area was nice to walk around and have dinner and drinks, and the Blue Ridge Parkway and NC Arboretum were amazing.

If you decide on moving down you might want to check out the Cary area as well. There are plenty of nice homes to be had at reasonable prices and you're right in middle of the triangle.

Originally Posted by blacksport325

If you decide on moving down you might want to check out the Cary area as well. There are plenty of nice homes to be had at reasonable prices and you're right in middle of the triangle.

Only thing about Cary is over crowding. You can get a much nicer house in Wake Forest for the same money. Depends on what the OP has in mind for a community. I agree, Cary is very nice. My grandparents have a rental house there that I maintain.

Originally Posted by NOVAbimmer

the only difference, apparently, between DC and Atlanta is the NHL team.

And cost of living, ATL is the price of Raleigh/Dallas.

Originally Posted by blacksport325

If you decide on moving down you might want to check out the Cary area as well. There are plenty of nice homes to be had at reasonable prices and you're right in middle of the triangle.

I'd be looking at something nice like Wake Forest or something. I love how Raleigh has the feel of a city in the middle of suburbia!

It would be at least a few years away, but something about Raleigh keeps calling me. And as I grow tired of the big-city lifestyle, I love a smaller city with everything I want AND an NHL team.

Originally Posted by yousharenow

And cost of living, ATL is the price of Raleigh/Dallas.

Huh, a local hockey team substantially drives up the cost of living

Originally Posted by NOVAbimmer

Huh, a local hockey team substantially drives up the cost of living

...But it doesn't lol. Teams in Columbus, OH, or Raleigh, or Dallas, or Nashville, haven't driven up prices mang.

I like DC but it's as much of a mess as ATL, and its nice suburbs are even pricier. Raleigh I feel did it right in a lot of area's, AND they got a NHL team

I live/work in DC area so I'm biased, but its a good city. Has the hectic, party, social scene if you want it, but its also a place you can step back an enjoy a slower pace of life if you want that. Nightlife/restaurants have really exploded in recent years and I'd say we're probably one of the top 5 places to eat out in the country right now. Overall quality of life is very good for a "big" city.

Traffic can be bad but also can be avoided. You can live in the city or in the very close burbs and have little to no commute. Most of my co-workers walk or bike to work. Metro system is good. I think its much more diverse and dynamic than ATL/Raleigh.

The main downside is the cost of living. If you're looking to live in a nice place, save money and enjoy all that the city has to offer, you need to make well over $100K. DC may be behind only NY and SF in terms of cost of living...

Originally Posted by oie77

I live/work in DC area so I'm biased, but its a good city. Has the hectic, party, social scene if you want it, but its also a place you can step back an enjoy a slower pace of life if you want that. Nightlife/restaurants have really exploded in recent years and I'd say we're probably one of the top 5 places to eat out in the country right now. Overall quality of life is very good for a "big" city.

Traffic can be bad but also can be avoided. You can live in the city or in the very close burbs and have little to no commute. Most of my co-workers walk or bike to work. Metro system is good. I think its much more diverse and dynamic than ATL/Raleigh.

The main downside is the cost of living. If you're looking to live in a nice place, save money and enjoy all that the city has to offer, you need to make well over $100K. DC may be behind only NY and SF in terms of cost of living...

Meh, I'd rather keep my $100k and live somewhere else TBH. Dallas/ATL have same cost of living so your money goes far. Someplace like Raleigh it would go far as well.

I left Dallas when I was 24 to live IN the big city in the core of it all.

I'm over it. ATL's suburb prices are retarded, traffic is ridiclous, and they lack a NHL team.

5 years from now I'd like to own a nice home I could raise a family or something in, and not have to deal with a retarded commute. I like the suburbia culture of Raleigh..DC is just too "big" and attracts crowds, trash, noise, high prices etc.

I've looked around even at places like Pittsburgh, but I keep coming back to Raleigh.

Originally Posted by yousharenow

...But it doesn't lol. Teams in Columbus, OH, or Raleigh, or Dallas, or Nashville, haven't driven up prices mang.

I like DC but it's as much of a mess as ATL, and its nice suburbs are even pricier. Raleigh I feel did it right in a lot of area's, AND they got a NHL team

damn, and here I was thinking I had a new economic theory for keeping down cost of living. Back to the drawing board

Originally Posted by yousharenow

Meh, I'd rather keep my $100k and live somewhere else TBH. Dallas/ATL have same cost of living so your money goes far. Someplace like Raleigh it would go far as well.

I left Dallas when I was 24 to live IN the big city in the core of it all.

I'm over it. ATL's suburb prices are retarded, traffic is ridiclous, and they lack a NHL team.

5 years from now I'd like to own a nice home I could raise a family or something in, and not have to deal with a retarded commute. I like the suburbia culture of Raleigh..DC is just too "big" and attracts crowds, trash, noise, high prices etc.

I've looked around even at places like Pittsburgh, but I keep coming back to Raleigh.

It totally depends on what you want. If you want to live in a nice house, like the burb life and have access to good jobs, anytown USA would fit the bill.

If you're looking to enjoy a very active social scene meet interesting people from all over the world with very diverse backgrounds, etc, there are few places in this country that you can really do that. I think DC is one of those cities.

As you mention though, its a cost/benefit choice and every city comes with some downside...

All the big points have been mentioned already. There are bars for everyone, always something to do, a HUGE beer culture, and sports. Raleigh has been voted the best place for singles to live for a few years running, but I still maintain that it's a dude ranch. There are girls, but they're outnumbered. Wilmington is the place to be for an easy catch.

I know you've said you like living in the city before, and keeping that in mind, I would stay away from Wake Forest; it isn't Raleigh. Keep in mind that while things might look close on a map, it's a different story when you're living there. I have friends in north Raleigh that I rarely see because they're 20 minutes away. You said you like the traffic in Raleigh; try getting on the belt line around 5pm and get back to me. I seriously don't leave my house between 5 and 6 because traffic sucks. Then again, I'm not used to Atlanta traffic so it's probably all relative.

If you're looking at renting/buying a house and not living closer to downtown, prices inside the belt line (I-440 on the map) are going to be more expensive than outside the belt line. Even a half mile can make a big difference in price. It's ridiculous, but a lot of Raleigh natives live and die by ITB & OTB. All the money is ITB and I've heard that the kids at the rich highschool even mock the ones that live OTB during basketball games; it's retarded. You can PM me or anyone else here for more specifics, but I would say if you're wanting to live in Raleigh, there's a ~5 mile radius where you'll want to look. South of campus is cheap housing for students and a lot of families. East of campus can get ghetto real fast. And too far north and you're surrounded by nothing but neighborhoods.

Originally Posted by blacksport325

If you decide on moving down you might want to check out the Cary area as well. There are plenty of nice homes to be had at reasonable prices and you're right in middle of the triangle.

CARY = Corral Area for Relocated Yankees
Seriously, I hear more northern accents there than anywhere south of NYC. And fvck whoever is responsible for their road design. I swear to god every road just does circles around the city. The cops there blow too because they have nothing to do.

Originally Posted by cowmoo32

All the big points have been mentioned already. There are bars for everyone, always something to do, a HUGE beer culture, and sports. Raleigh has been voted the best place for singles to live for a few years running, but I still maintain that it's a dude ranch. There are girls, but they're outnumbered. Wilmington is the place to be for an easy catch.

I know you've said you like living in the city before, and keeping that in mind, I would stay away from Wake Forest; it isn't Raleigh. Keep in mind that while things might look close on a map, it's a different story when you're living there. I have friends in north Raleigh that I rarely see because they're 20 minutes away. You said you like the traffic in Raleigh; try getting on the belt line around 5pm and get back to me. I seriously don't leave my house between 5 and 6 because traffic sucks. Then again, I'm not used to Atlanta traffic so it's probably all relative.

If you're looking at renting/buying a house and not living closer to downtown, prices inside the belt line (I-440 on the map) are going to be more expensive than outside the belt line. Even a half mile can make a big difference in price. It's ridiculous, but a lot of Raleigh natives live and die by ITB & OTB. All the money is ITB and I've heard that the kids at the rich highschool even mock the ones that live OTB during basketball games; it's retarded. You can PM me or anyone else here for more specifics, but I would say if you're wanting to live in Raleigh, there's a ~5 mile radius where you'll want to look. South of campus is cheap housing for students and a lot of families. East of campus can get ghetto real fast. And too far north and you're surrounded by nothing but neighborhoods.



CARY = Corral Area for Relocated Yankees
Seriously, I hear more northern accents there than anywhere south of NYC. And fvck whoever is responsible for their road design. I swear to god every road just does circles around the city. The cops there blow too because they have nothing to do.

I was on the beltline coming back from Greensboro around 5:30 last time I was there and it really wasn't THAT bad. ATL traffic is like DC/LA/Chicago/NY etc. It chokes the entire city down and is literally the worst feature of this city. If ATL had roads like Texas it wouldn't be such an issue.

I met a TON of people from Jersey in Raleigh last time I was back, I was drawn back lol.

We have the same here in ATL, ITP/OTP (in the perimeter/outside the perimeter) which is the same. I want a nice neighborhood with good schools and nice houses ITB, does such things exist? Typically when you get outside a loop into the burbs you get cheap housing, good schools, nice houses.