North Carolina...HELP
 

My husband and I have the opportunity to relocate from Chicago to NC in a few months. We are able to live anywhere in the state, but we're leaning towards the raleigh area. Does anyone have suggestions for another city (Charlotte, Asheville?) or neighborhood information in Raleigh. We don't have kids and would like to live in an area where we could walk to the downtown amenities....thanks!

I like Asheville out of all the cities mentioned. While Charlotte has some great points, it is too spread out. Raleigh is OK but they have the worst weather in the South. If it snows in the south, Raleigh gets twice as much as anyone else. Rains? Raleigh floods. Ice? Raleigh loses trees and power for days.

I'd suggest Asheville or Charlotte.<BR>I have lived in Raleigh for 20+ years, and it has gotten so over-crowded and over-built, the highway system and the infrastructure here are just overwhelmed.<BR>I disagree totally about the weather mentioned by x, but if it keeps more people from moving here, I'll jump on that bandwagon too.<BR>My commute has gone from 20 minutes to more than an hour due to the clogged roads with no end in sight. <BR>The highway (540) they just built to help ease our pain was named &quot;the worst highway project in the country&quot; by AAA.<BR>Any more people coming here is going to just further us on the path to being &quot;Little Atlanta.&quot;

Stacey<BR>North Carolina is a beautiful state. The East from Raleigh east is a flat coastal plane (tobacco country). From Raleigh to just past Charlotte is piedmont rolling hills. The West is mountains.<BR>Coming from Chicago, Charlotte may be the closest match--culture, sports, &quot;big city&quot;. But as has been mentioned it is a large sprawling metropolis and takes forever to get from point A to B. Other options for cities would be Raleigh (State Capital). It is also sprawling somewhat. Other &quot;smaller&quot; cities are Durham, Winston Salem, Greensboro. These are tobacco/mill towns. They are more &quot;quaint&quot;. Asheville in the west is slightly more industial and touristy.<BR>Most cities have Universities which bring in the culture that might otherwise be lacking.<BR>Charlotte is the only &quot;Professional Sports&quot; city. The others it's college sports. (Course if you are into ACC basketball, there is none better).<BR>Another consideration is Chapel Hill where UNC is. It is smaller and one of the quintescential college towns in the USA.<BR>If you want to be on the coast, Wilmington is your only choice. In my opinion, not as desirable as one of the piedmont cities.<BR>Raleigh is not a bad choice. State Capital, NC State Univ, central location, near a good airport. <BR>Happy hunting.

I wouldn't recommend Asheville. It's a beautiful city but it's becoming so crowded and the roads can not accommodate the population overgrowth. Besides that, if you're coming from Chicago I'm afraid that you'd be bored to tears. There's not enough cultural activities to satisfy someone from a big city. I'd vote for Raleigh or Charlotte.

ttt

I must admit that on a recent summer visit to Raleigh, I was highly unimpressed. A friend had heard positive things about the city so I went with her to check it out for a few days. We were both underwhelmed. The downtown is tiny and sleepy (to be fair, we were there in the summer when the colleges weren't busy). There just didn't seem to be a lot to do or much going on.<BR><BR>We even interviewed some of the locals working at the hotel and at restaurants, trying to find out the appeal. They loved Raleigh almost to a person, but their reasons sounded nearly the same: it's safer and cheaper than the place they came from (Miami in two cases). And everyone seemed to live a ways from downtown. Unfortunately, me and my friend both like busy downtowns.<BR><BR>Whether you like Raleigh will depend on what your lifestyle preferences are. The people who live there probably don't care for city life anyway, so they aren't missing much. I live in a place (Portland, OR) with a desirable downtown that I *want* to be near. Raleigh would bore me to tears. But, some people aren't crazy about the city. Depends on what you like. If you would prefer to be in a safe suburb and drive to everything, Raleigh might suit you well.<BR>The people were very friendly - I'll give you that.<BR><BR>Andrew<BR>

A word about Charlotte... Lots of people give it grief for being suburban and spread out, but there's no other major city in America with a stronger commitment to smart growth. Charlotte is in the process of building the neighborhoods that people drool over in places like Chicago and Portland -- the places where you can walk from hither to yon with interesting street life along the way, or take public transit to some other node of hipness on the other side of town. Charlotte's downtown business district is booming like never before, and people are moving in faster than ever, a fact that's also true for Charlotte's historic neighborhoods (yes, it has plenty) like South End and Historic North Charlotte, currently the trendiest places to be in the Queen City.<BR><BR>And now a word about Asheville... I have a very difficult time believing that someone would be bored here, seeing as we do have the best nightlife in the state and our performing arts scene is unsurpassed by any other city our size. Either our natural beauty or our man-made beauty would be enough to seduce anyone, yet here we've got both. Outdoor sports opportunities abound here, from whitewater rafting, to hang-gliding, to skiing, to spelunking. The shopping is excellent in Asheville and so is the restaurant scene. And for the record we've got professional sports here too -- basketball, baseball, soccer, rugby... minor league of course, but professional all the same.<BR><BR>I wonder how a person would get bored here with all of that. If you don't feel like seeing a play, see the symphony or the ballet. If you don't want to do that, go out to eat. If you don't want to do that, go shopping. If you don't want to do that, go hiking. If you don't want to do that, play tourist and see the sights. Bored? I can't imagine it. And with so many people pouring in to live here every year, and Asheville making the news just about every other month in a magazine raving about how hunky-dory life here is, it seems not many other people can imagine being bored here.

Stacey=<BR><BR>THe best city for you to be in that has all your requirements IS Raleigh-<BR>THe neighborhood you are looking for in Raleigh is 5 Points- INSIDE the inner beltline--Older homes renovated and a little city inside the city.....<BR><BR>Raleigh is FABULOUS+ You are close to Chapel Hill and Durham- the theater/social activites are great- there is a LARGE ampitheater for concerts-You have HOCKY....which should be a plus coming from Chicago.<BR><BR>ANd the best part --is the AIRPORT is totally accessible and flies just about anywhere----<BR><BR><BR>I used to live in Charlotte-from '75 to <BR>84 and NOW when I go back I NEED a roadmap from all the growth...IT is HUGE..Like Atlanta.....<BR><BR>Raleigh has more of a small town feel with a big city influence...GO FOR IT!<BR><BR><BR>However, If you are thinking of Asheville, I would opt instead for Greenville ,SC ( 1 hr WE of Asheville)...closer to Atlanta ( 2 1/2 hrs ) for a big city fix....and a city that is truely growing with wonderful affordable awesome housing.....And an easily accessible airport<BR><BR>Hope this helps

Austin mentions that Asheville has wonderful shopping, but only if you're into arts. The malls there still leave alot to be desired. True, they have Ann Taylor and The Gap and Banana Republic (just opened), but that's about it for trendy stores. And there's not a really great department store either. Dillard's and Belk's is about it and neither one holds a candle to Rich's or Macy's. Something to think about.

The shopping in Asheville is also good if you're in the market for furniture or clothing, in addition to art. You jsut have to be willing to shop someplace other than the mall -- if you can imagine. The Asheville Mall isn't a bad place to shop, and certainly trumps the Biltmore Square Mall, but I think downtown blows them both away. I mean, have you SEEN the Grove Arcade lately?<BR><BR>And regarding Greenville, SC. Yeah, the Greenville area is where you might want to go to get your big city fix, because when I lived there I never heard less than three different languages being spoken, and usually heard five, whenever I went out in public. Greenville definitely has a larger international presence than Asheville, whose international communities consist mainly of Mexicans, Ukrainians, Cambodians, and Koreans, with a smattering of others.<BR><BR>Unfortunately, Greenville is the ugliest place I have ever seen, after suburban Atlanta. Downtown Greenville is lovely, and I'd almost put it on par with downtown Asheville, but downtown Greenville doesn't even begin to make up for the rest of the city, which outside of downtown is nothing but a sloppy mishmash of slums and sprawl. I couldn't stand the place, but bear in mind that that's only my personal opinion.<BR><BR>If you'd like Atlanta, Greenville is the place for you. In the time I lived there I never once met anyone who didn't wish that Atlanta would hurry up and get there already (Atlanta's working on that, but Greenville helping the process along by sprawling toward Atlanta just as fast as Atlanta's sprawling toward Greenville). And there were plenty of other things I found not to my liking, but I admit to having that prejudice ingrained in most born and bred Asheville area residents. <BR><BR>I think Asheville definitely holds its own against most communities its size and larger. It's where Charlotte and Raleigh would both live if they could afford the rents up here (saw that on a T-shirt).

Austin: I'm not sure what you mean by Charlotte in the &quot;process of building the neighborhoods that people drool over in places like Chicago and Portland&quot;? Portland is building up the Pearl District here (it is supposedly the hip/trendy place to be now but I don't really care for it), but to me you can't &quot;build&quot; neighborhoods. They evolve over time. Portland has great old neighborhoods with well-preserved houses - certainly other cities drool over these old neighborhoods more than anything you can build today.<BR><BR>Andrew<BR>

Austin, yes I've seen the Grove Arcade and while it has potential to be a really cool place, it has a long way to go. It only has a few shops open and what's there isn't much, just a few local craft-type places and a candle and salsa shop (interesting idea!). But the Grove Arcade is really an awesome building and I hope it evolves into something worthy. As of now, it has a long way to go.

Hi, Stacey,<BR><BR>I think we can safely discount Gina's advice; she finds living near The Gap essential. Austin always posts knowledgeable information on North Carolina. I agree with him that Asheville may be a terrific fit for you, but you'd be smart to consider Charlotte as well.<BR><BR>As for those who posted that they dislike Charlotte for its sprawl -- what can I say? They are the same geniuses who move to brand new subdivisions in the middle of nowhere and then complain about their long commutes. <BR><BR>If you move to an established or intown neighborhood -- Myers Park, Dilworth, Chantilly, South End, Plaza/Midwood -- you'll enjoy a quick commute to uptown, beautiful and friendly neighborhoods, great shops, interesting restaurants and canopies of mature trees. <BR><BR>You may want to live uptown. There is a wide range of housing options -- single family homes, apartments, condos and townhouses. Some of the new townhouses are quite reasonably priced.<BR><BR>Our uptown has become a great place to hang out. I'm hosting out-of-town family this week, and we went uptown and visited the Arts &amp; Crafts Museum; ate by a roaring fire in RiRa's an Irish pub; toured a couple galleries; listened to some street musicians; visited a satellite branch of the Mint Museum of Art; watched &quot;Chimpanzees,&quot; an IMAX movie; saw a great performance of &quot;The Nut Cracker,&quot; and enjoyed a fabulous seafood dinner. All in a four-block area. Had the Panthers been playing, we could have walked to the stadium.<BR><BR>Good luck on your relocation, whichever city you choose. You won't miss those brutal Chicago winters. I moved to Charlotte from Chicago in '94 and love it. <BR><BR><BR><BR>

Andrew: It's actually quite simple to build a &quot;real&quot; neighborhood. You simply build a physical environment that encourages people to interact and get to know one another, in a setting that mixes jobs, commerce, and residences. Presto! Instant neighborhood. The best Charlottean examples of the Pearl Districts of tomorrow are Vermilion in Huntersville, just outside the city, the rebirth of places like South End, Historic North Charlotte (NoDa), and Plaza-Midwood, Birkdale Village, and the unique Charlottean knack for retrofitting sprawl in a new urbanist way, as can be witnessed in the renovations at SouthPark Mall, the proposed NorthLake Mall, and the transformations of many existing old strip malls that will look for all the world like your typical Main Street when all is said and done. <BR><BR>And don't even get me started on all the new urbanist &quot;smart growth&quot; exploding up all along the proposed light rail lines.

I lived in NC all my life and most recently in Greensboro. I love the beach and have always dreamed of moving there. When I come home (I am now living abroad), I always go back to visit Greensboro and going the the coast is also a must (although we choose Surfside Beach, SC). I miss Greensboro so much and enjoyed going to Winston Salem for more artsy type events. The people are friendly and the city has a small town feel to it. There is a lot to do (in my opinion) and it has quite a bit of appeal. Thanks for letting me put my 2 cents in! Good luck with your choice. By the way, my sister lives in Garner and works in RTP (Research Triangle Park) and enjoys the area (after moving from TX and MD). I also enjoy visiting the Raleigh area when I visit.

Arabella, gosh, I was just saying that the shopping in Asheville leaves alot to be desired. Stacey doesn't say how old she and her husband are, but if they're from Chicago they're used to wonderful shopping. I know that shopping is a low priority when you're considering a place to live, but I don't think my advice needs to be discounted just because that's all I was talking about. I've been to Asheville's malls many times because my best friend lives there and I do know what I'm talking about. Sorry if I offended anyone.

Thanks for all the help! My husband (by the way, we're both in our early thirties) is in Raleigh this weekend to see if he likes it enough to relocate. I have been there before, so I am anxious to get his impression. So far, he likes Chapel Hill and N.Raleigh. He will spend some time tomorrow exploring mostly those two areas. Although we are not necessarily &quot;city people&quot; (we don't take advantage of nearly everything that Chicago has to offer except the ability to walk to places), he is concerned that the area might be a bit too &quot;suburban&quot;. We LOVE the outdoors and enjoy hiking, mountain climbing etc (we used to live in the san francisco bay area) and hate that we are limited in the midwest. What are your thoughts about Carborro? How is the housing price? Thank you all so much for the help!!!!!

<BR>Hello Stacey - I've lived in Asheville my entire life, but I'm worried about &quot;cultural shock&quot; if you move to Asheville. We are not quite Mayberry ;-) but unless you are looking for a much more laid back lifestyle, I think Asheville will be too different for you. Charlotte is the largest city in the Carolinas, but without knowing much about you, I'd suggest looking hard at Raleigh. You'll be close to the ocean, and close to the mountains.<BR><BR>Welcome to North Carolina.<BR><BR>Mike Honeycutt

THanks! I just posted an update above..