I’m going to go on a bit of a rant, and it’s not entirely directed at you. I don’t know you, and I can’t speak to your intent or point of view, and it would be wrong of me to make assumptions. That being said, this is a bit of a common theme for people who don’t live here, and I think it also hits a nerve with natives here. Being someone who is not a native, but does live here (by choice), I wanted to put a few things out here.
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Raleigh is its own city. It’s not going to have the specific characteristics of a different city, like a river running through the middle of it, or the architecture of the capital of the “greatest country in the world.” It’s also not going to have amazing baguettes or people speaking French. You have to recognize Raleigh and the Triangle for what it is…a tech hub of transplants and locals all trying to build a modern, medium-sized city while honoring the local traditions and flavor, and also dealing with unprecedented growth.
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No one is forcing anyone to move here, yet a lot of people choose to. There must be something positive about it. I’m honestly a bit surprised when I see this place on lists. I’m like, um, it’s just Raleigh. There isn’t necessarily a specific one thing that draws people here or makes it a great place to live. I think it’s different for everyone. The cost of living is pretty low (compared to many desirable other locations, maybe not for people who lived here in the 80s when it was a bit of a backwater. No offense to people who lived here then and enjoyed it.); the weather is decent if you don’t like the cold and don’t mind some muggy, hot summer days; there’s a ton of high paying, modern jobs here. I personally moved here because it’s a biotech hub. There’s also a good amount of colleges here which feed that. But it’s not like “hey they have Mardi Gras” or “wow the Rocky Mountains are right here, so beautiful!” Which brings me to my next point…
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“Raleigh’s a great place to live, but a terrible place to visit.” Who said that? Well it’s me, and I don’t mean it so literally. But when I checked this area out about 15 years ago, I was looking for a medium sized, affordable, manageable city. I was familiar with NYC and Boston, but wanted something a little easier (and warmer), and I was also very familiar with the crap that exists an hour or two outside of those cities. I wanted the best of both worlds, which is a smaller city that has museums, cool restaurants and bars and breweries, a downtown and also suburbs, but is easy to get around, and you randomly see people you know. Just tonight I was having a $5 beer downtown in Durham with a friend, and 2 more friends walked by and we all had a chat. That’s harder to do in bigger cities. So living here is really pleasant and fun, but it’s not going to wow a conference visitor who hasn’t done their homework, if that makes sense.
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To your specific points about architecture and culture/museums: I am getting a bit of a “why don’t you cater to me since I’m moving here” vibe, which may be unfair of me, but it may also be an unfair expectation of you. The NCMA is a little outside downtown (close to where I live actually), but it’s got 2 galleries, a whole outdoor park, movie nights, and greenway trails that connect to the rest of the city, including bike shares. There’s a children’s museum with IMAX theater, city museum, natural history museum, and a 2 building science museum downtown. There’s also a performing arts center complex with different features. Just outside downtown are the college sports stadiums. College sports are huge here, though as a transplant, I only have a mild interest in all of that. PNC Arena hosts our pro hockey team, currently finishing the season with the 2nd best position in the NHL. Boylan Heights and a number of other neighborhoods are filled with historic homes, and there’s a number of Victorian mansions on Blount St. Obviously this fairly new city of half a million people isn’t going to compete with NYC or DC or Boston or Philly, but it’s about the balance between quality of life and what is offered.
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The location is probably my favorite part about living here. It’s so close to so many other places that are very different from Raleigh, so depending on your mood, you can do almost anything. Durham is definitely grittier but perhaps more quirky fun (some say better restaurants, but that’s a whole separate discussion). Chapel Hill is the quintessential college town, with nearby Carrboro as its weird kid brother. Wilmington is a great coastal city with a bunch of beaches. The Outer Banks are great, but a bit more of a long weekend thing. Asheville is a fantastic mountain town with great restaurants, breweries, hiking, etc. Charlotte is great if you like that sterile big banking city clubbing atmosphere (kind of kidding, it’s fun for a weekend). Greensboro and Winston-Salem have their own unique vibes. You can take a pretty quick, cheap train to Greensboro for a day trip, or to Charlotte for a weekend trip. DC, Richmond, Charleston are all close for weekend trips.
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The other little things. There’s great breweries, wineries, greenway trails, parks, theaters (Carolina Theater, DPAC), minor league sports (Durham Bulls), etc. scattered all around the area. Again, if you’re looking for the Louvre or Fenway Park or Disney World, this isn’t going to be the place. But you wouldn’t expect lobster rolls in Paris or authentic Italian food in New Orleans. Raleigh is not DC, but it’s got plenty for you to enjoy.
That all being said, I sincerely hope if you’re moving here, you find things you like and make some happy memories. I think all of us here would certainly welcome you with open arms to any of our meetups, and certainly to participate on this forum. We all learn from each other’s experiences and points of view, and we certainly have a range of them on here, and in our city at large. We’re also happy to provide any specific recommendations you might want. Cheers!
