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Hello all! I am currently weighing out a few different options available. I understand my situation and decisions come down to more than just the choice of different locations, however I would really appreciate any help in narrowing this down.
So first, a bit about myself and situation. I am a 26 year old born and raised in south central Connecticut. I grew up in Branford, CT, a quaint New England town outside New Haven, CT. I currently live in my first home in East Haven, CT, which is similar in size to Branford, but being closer to the city of New Haven, it shares more city like traits.
I am currently weighing out two regions, the Charlotte and Raleigh areas of North Carolina. I currently have a job offer located in uptown Charlotte that is a match in pay and benefits to my current job. I spent a day exploring Charlotte and drove through the Raleigh area while visiting, and was able to make some observations and draw a few conclusions but I am very torn.
What I am looking for in moving, lower cost of living, higher quality of life, stronger economy, less extreme political scene, and a more positive environment. I enjoy the outdoors and motorsports, as well as taking advantages of what cities have to offer.. I also have a small business, in equipment & diesel repair, that I will be carrying out in whichever region I do relocate to. In Connecticut, I feel very limited by costs and opportunity in doing so.
I would be renting upon my first year of moving, however will seek to purchase a home on at least an acre lot within hour of either city’s downtown. I do not want to live among suburban sprawl, but understand it will exist within reach of such booming cities. I enjoy the southern culture and way of life, but understand cities are a melting pot, especially with the growth NC is experiencing.
Any input is appreciated! Please do ask any questions to help answer or for clarification on anything!
Hello all! I am currently weighing out a few different options available. I understand my situation and decisions come down to more than just the choice of different locations, however I would really appreciate any help in narrowing this down.
So first, a bit about myself and situation. I am a 26 year old born and raised in south central Connecticut. I grew up in Branford, CT, a quaint New England town outside New Haven, CT. I currently live in my first home in East Haven, CT, which is similar in size to Branford, but being closer to the city of New Haven, it shares more city like traits.
I am currently weighing out two regions, the Charlotte and Raleigh areas of North Carolina. I currently have a job offer located in uptown Charlotte that is a match in pay and benefits to my current job. I spent a day exploring Charlotte and drove through the Raleigh area while visiting, and was able to make some observations and draw a few conclusions but I am very torn.
What I am looking for in moving, lower cost of living, higher quality of life, stronger economy, less extreme political scene, and a more positive environment. I enjoy the outdoors and motorsports, as well as taking advantages of what cities have to offer.. I also have a small business, in equipment & diesel repair, that I will be carrying out in whichever region I do relocate to. In Connecticut, I feel very limited by costs and opportunity in doing so.
I would be renting upon my first year of moving, however will seek to purchase a home on at least an acre lot within hour of either city’s downtown. I do not want to live among suburban sprawl, but understand it will exist within reach of such booming cities. I enjoy the southern culture and way of life, but understand cities are a melting pot, especially with the growth NC is experiencing.
Any input is appreciated! Please do ask any questions to help answer or for clarification on anything!
Thanks in advance!
-Eric
If you accept the job, I'd recommend you move to Charlotte. Both Charlotte and Raleigh are booming cities and because of that there are positives and negatives in both. The good side is that there are many amenities that satisfies anyone looking for an urban lifestyle. The downside is that the traffic is a nightmare in both cities particularly Raleigh/Durham. Charlotte does have a light rail system but its fairly new compared to larger cities up north and is not extensive but is expanding. Raleigh/Durham has no mass transit system. Another negative with the two cities is the rising cost of living. Is there a specific reason why you have only narrowed it down to the two? I say that because there are other cities in NC with a growing urban scene such as Asheville, Winston-Salem or Greensboro. They are not as large as Charlotte or Raleigh but you'll find the cost of living to be a little lower and you still get urban amenities without all the traffic and other negatives associated with larger cities. But if the job you are looking at is in Charlotte, I'd live in the Charlotte area. Plus Charlotte is more centralized whereas you'll see more sprawl in the Triangle area because it's a multi city metro region. If you dont accept the job in Charlotte I would at least spend a little time in the other larger cities in North Carolina. While Charlotte and Raleigh are great fast growing regions with great economies, there is more to North Carolina than those two cities. For example coming from Connecticut, you might like Winston-Salem. It sort of has a New England vibe but is still southern and with the Innovation Quarter downtown, the economy is turning hitech. The only downside to places such as Winston-Salem, Asheville or Greensboro is that there are less job opportunities compared to Charlotte and Raleigh but it really just depends on the kind of field you are working in.
The Raleigh and Charlotte regions are alike than they are different. And be aware that all NC cities are very sprawl-ly and suburban, as they are tiny urban cores surrounded by suburban development.
Your post didn't mention a job offer in Raleigh, so I'm unclear as to why its in the mix.
If you want to be part of a city that's focused on its growth and how big and tall it can get as part of daily conversation, then Charlotte. It is a metropolis visually, and the metro has 500-600K more people than the Triangle.
You will know if it feels right. It's a tad more entrenched in church and organized religion than the Triangle, and it is closer to the mountains, which is rural Appalachia. South Carolina is at the bottom of the list of East Coast States, so there's that adjacency.
The Triangle is small-looking, low-scale cities and towns, and much more family oriented save for Durham and Chapel Hill.
Durham is considered hip right now, but is still crime-filled also.
The three universities keep the area in-step with what's current to a degree.
I've spent plenty of time in Branford. Rural New England is far different from the rural South including NC.
Put it this way, most of rurak NC buys all their home furnishings at Walmart. That should highlight the different levels of sophistication from classy &charming New England.
Big city? Charlotte University culture? the Triangle.
Raleigh and Wake County are now 75% transplants from where? You guessed it, the Tristate region.
If you want to be part of a city that's focused on its growth and how big and tall it can get as part of daily conversation, then Charlotte.
A statement like this is a telltale sign of someone whose conception of reality revolves more around what happens on this forum than what actually happens in the real world.
Quote:
South Carolina is at the bottom of the list of East Coast States, so there's that adjacency.
I guess people haven't gotten the memo that we're at "the bottom of the list" since they keep moving here in droves. And in any case, how has such "adjacency" negatively impacted Charlotte?
You sound like you're the life of the party at social gatherings.
Hello Eric- I agree with the other posters that the Charlotte region sounds like a better fit for you than the Triangle.
Specifically, if you are looking for an acre lot and Southern culture, I think you'd need to get out of the immediate Charlotte area a bit to find that at a reasonable price, unless you have a small fortune to spend and then you still get the suburban sprawl you are wanting to stay away from. A couple of places that come to mind would be Gaston County or maybe Western Stanly County (look at Locust, Oakboro). Albemarle in central Stanly County sounds like a fit but would be pushing the commute to more than an hour to Uptown Charlotte, especially during peak travel times.
25 years ago I would have recommended Concord in Cabarrus County, which is where Charlotte Motor Speedway is technically located, but it's getting more and more suburban sprawl by the day and continues to bleed into Charlotte (being on the Money Magazine "best" list on another thread here in the NC forum won't help that either), and it's seeing some of its previous strong Southern culture being eroded as well, so that wouldn't be my top recommendation now based on your criteria.
I couldn't tell by your post if your diesel repair business was going to be conducted out of your home or in a commercial building but you'd want to check to see if there are any restrictions (city, county, or private deed) on this.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 12valvechevrolet
Hello all! I am currently weighing out a few different options available. I understand my situation and decisions come down to more than just the choice of different locations, however I would really appreciate any help in narrowing this down.
So first, a bit about myself and situation. I am a 26 year old born and raised in south central Connecticut. I grew up in Branford, CT, a quaint New England town outside New Haven, CT. I currently live in my first home in East Haven, CT, which is similar in size to Branford, but being closer to the city of New Haven, it shares more city like traits.
I am currently weighing out two regions, the Charlotte and Raleigh areas of North Carolina. I currently have a job offer located in uptown Charlotte that is a match in pay and benefits to my current job. I spent a day exploring Charlotte and drove through the Raleigh area while visiting, and was able to make some observations and draw a few conclusions but I am very torn.
What I am looking for in moving, lower cost of living, higher quality of life, stronger economy, less extreme political scene, and a more positive environment. I enjoy the outdoors and motorsports, as well as taking advantages of what cities have to offer.. I also have a small business, in equipment & diesel repair, that I will be carrying out in whichever region I do relocate to. In Connecticut, I feel very limited by costs and opportunity in doing so.
I would be renting upon my first year of moving, however will seek to purchase a home on at least an acre lot within hour of either city’s downtown. I do not want to live among suburban sprawl, but understand it will exist within reach of such booming cities. I enjoy the southern culture and way of life, but understand cities are a melting pot, especially with the growth NC is experiencing.
Any input is appreciated! Please do ask any questions to help answer or for clarification on anything!
Thanks in advance!
-Eric
If you take the job in Charlotte, i suggest that you look for properties in northern Gaston County near Dallas, southern Gaston County, or near Kings Mountain.
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