POSTED BY: Reggie (May 29, 2008 11:26 AM)
I live in Cary and I hate it. ...everything is WAY too expensive and we have the worst traffic problems ever. I work as a chemical engineer making a decent salary, too. I hate it so much I'm actually moving next month. Raleigh should NOT be on this list.

POSTED BY: Espee (May 29, 2008 04:09 PM)
Part of the problem is in the perception. The amenities that are present and developing in downtown Raleigh certainly make it an exciting place to be now and in the future. However, one thing that makes this (Research Triangle) region attractive...is that there are multiple centers of urban environments, each of their own scale, and made up of diverse cross sections of people from all over the country and the world. Each town in the region has the opportunity to develop its own character...which reflect the values of the people in those communities. Cary is what its residents want it to be. As are Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Durham...To conclude, the Triangle, or the Research Triangle region, should be on this listing because Raleigh alone is but a pea in a pod.

POSTED BY: Andy Taylor (May 29, 2008 05:20 PM)
Raleigh is a great town for young college educated professionals who aren't looking for the high prices and 60-120 minute urban commute of New York, Chicago or DC, but a great place to live where one does not have to worry about crime statistics or urban gentrification. The previous poster mentions how much he hates Cary, but many people from around the country and world find comfort in its restrictive covenants and cookie-cutter feel...they have lived in areas where growth was managed poorly and real estate values have dropped 20% over the last 2 years. Not a problem in Raleigh/Cary...

POSTED BY: Angela (May 30, 2008 08:09 AM)
This list does not take into account the public school system for Raleigh/Cary/Apex, etc...Wake County Public Schools. The Raleigh areas has tons to offer IF you do not have school age children. If you do, think long and hard before moving here. You never know where your child will go to school, it can change year by year even if you live within walking distance to a school, AND your calendar can change without your consent. You can find yourself a family with children on different calendars, Traditional (9 months) or Year round,(9 weeks on, three weeks off continually) without any say-so...The drought, the traffic, the infrastructure, the roads, why doesn't this list and criteria encompass all of these features?

POSTED BY: IrishEyes (May 30, 2008 10:38 AM)
To Reggie: I'm sorry that you don't like Cary but, come on, no one forced you to live there. Yes, it can be somewhat cookie cutter and has too many cul-de-sacs, but the pros far outweigh the cons. As for traffic problems, you must be one of those folks around here who complains when rush hour traffic slows down from 65 to 45. Try the daily commute in Charlotte or Atlanta (let alone New York, DC, Philly, LA or Chicago), then you'll understand how good you have it.

POSTED BY: DJ (May 30, 2008 12:00 PM)
living in st. louis for most of my life i can back it up that raleigh is lacking a few world class amenities, but as i've seen over the years, it is slowly making up for that. the triangle region does deserve to be on this listing...

POSTED BY: HookemHorns (May 30, 2008 10:56 PM)
Whether or not a person likes a particular city really depends more on the person rather than the city. When I lived in DC, a town that I found thoroughly enjoyably, I had a coworker from Raleigh who just hated the DC area. Now that I'm here, I can say I understand why someone who likes Raleigh may not be partial to DC, and vice-versa. Personally, I can't understand the attraction here; property and sales taxes are relatively high, as are food costs. The schools are in complete disarray, and the local government is terribly disorganized, at least with respect to growth management. Most importantly, the area lacks a focus , vibe or energy. I particularly don't understand why people keep lumping Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill into the same sentence, as these individual cities are really a day-trip apart from each other. People seem to be proud of the proximity to the beach and the mountains, but again, these are both well over three hours away. To be fair, if someone enjoys college sports, hunting, fishing, and NASCAR, I can understand why this is a great spot for them. For me personally, I tend to think Joe Queenan's article "New York Observed" pegs Raleigh dead-on.

POSTED BY: Michael (June 01, 2008 05:23 PM)
Raleigh # TWO????...this city has ZERO life, culture, great for scientists, economists but not people that are alive.

POSTED BY: Diane (June 02, 2008 04:41 PM)
A minor quibble: unless they've moved since last week or we've redefined what "corner" means, Raleigh Times isn't on the corner of *any* street. And there are plenty of other communities around the Triangle area where you can get a 2,500 sq ft house for a good bit less than $400K. Cary "affordable"? It is to laugh. But I shouldn't say too much or where I live will be "Cary-fied" too...I will agree with other commenters about the Wake County school system...Thank goodness I'm not in Wake County...

POSTED BY: John (June 02, 2008 11:04 PM)
I have lived in Atlanta and Asheville. Raleigh is the happy medium. Big city amenities without the big city hassles. I can also get to the beach in an easy two hours. Sure beats the drive from Asheville to the beach...

POSTED BY: Joe (June 05, 2008 09:54 PM)
If you have kids stay away from Raleigh or Wake County schools...Otherwise nice place to live. We tried it and unfortunately we have kids so we will be leaving. Try Chapel Hill...

POSTED BY: Curt (June 09, 2008 09:56 AM)
Raleigh is awesome, we love it, we take advantage of all it has to offer hockey games, great music and venues for any night of the week, restaurants galore at all price points with new ones opening every day. Our neighborhood has a community pool that is more on the side of a water park and we shop weekly at, The Fresh Market, Harris Teeter, and Trader Joes. ...great place to raise a family...Raleigh is the true melting pot of America.

POSTED BY: James (June 10, 2008 04:45 PM)
I have lived and traveled all over the United States for business and have selected Cary to raise my family. For me it has been a wonderful experience. The kind of place where neighbors are friendly and neighborhood cookouts occur frequently. A wholesome place to raise a family...

POSTED BY: Not Sure (June 12, 2008 01:04 PM)
I've been in Raleigh for a little more than two years, and can't say that I love it, but can live with it. Coming from New York I find Raleigh to lack energy and organization. No public transportation system, accept if you live in and around the downtown area. The school system can be wonderful, if you get your child(ren) into a great school. If your child(ren)gets into a Magnate program they will not be redistricted. I also like the school choices of traditional, year-round, and charter. I believe Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill does offer alot to families. On the other hand, I wouldn't be living in the Triangle area without children as it would not live up to my expectations coming from New York.

POSTED BY: RJ (June 13, 2008 10:10 AM)
As the writer said, Raleigh is at the turning point. Compare it now from ten years ago, and it has changed so much from the sleepy state-worker town it used to be. And where you choose to live really matters - Cary and Raleigh should never be compared. Beige Cary lacks any character, as the leadership likes to keep it that way. Raleigh has many more choices for different lifestyles: urban condos, historic homes, older suburbs near multi-use centers, and McMansions in the exurbs. Property values have remained stable through the nation's real estate bubble bursting.

POSTED BY: JC (June 19, 2008 07:42 AM)
Raleigh is having growing pains, to be sure! But I have watched it evolve just in the three years I've lived here. Families have adjusted to the school calendar changes, the city survived the drought and the realestate crisis, and growth is everywhere! We have kids and we have found the area has so much to offer that we can't seem to get around to all of the choices (museums, sports, extra-curricular offerings and camps, school choices, worship, dining, etc). We live in Wakefield Plantation in North Raleigh (near the town of Wake Forest) and couldn't imagine a better place to raise our young kids.

POSTED BY: Bob (June 19, 2008 02:08 PM)
I encourage all that are unhappy to feel free to leave. This area still has enough of the old southern hospitality to suit me. Yes there are a few too many city folk but I like to think I am southern enough help them see the error of their ways. My wife and I have lived in 21 different states and a few foreign countries so we speak from experience. This is the best place to settle down and relax a little.

POSTED BY: KS (June 19, 2008 02:46 PM)
Having moved to Raleigh from Atlanta in 1999, I find it a far better place to live. When I hear of people complain about traffic I just shake my head and laugh. By large city comparisons, we have no traffic problems to speak of. And for school systems, Wake County Schools rank very high in all testing categories and yes, redistricting is a pain but you can't deny the quality of the education here. Also, flying from RDU is not only easy, it's inexpensive too. In the past 20 years, I've lived in Syracuse, Richmond, Atlanta and Raleigh (and traveled to most other major cities for work) and there is no better place to start and raise a family. Oh, home prices are creeping up too, but still very affordable compared to other cities with much less to offer.

POSTED BY: GrewUpHere (June 19, 2008 02:55 PM)
My wife and I grew up in North Carolina where we both went to public school, college at NC State and now are raising our four kids, all born in Raleigh. Needless to say, we love this city and never plan to leave. The part about the growth we are glad about is that there is more to do and we think downtown has changed for the better. The part that saddens us is the continued loss of Southern culture. 10-20 years ago, Southern accents abounded and life here seemed to have much more of a "Mayberry" feel to it. We live in the suburbs of Raleigh and mourn everytime we see another patch of farmland sold and replaced by yet another $500K+ neighborhood. My hope and prayer is that whatever hint of Southern culture remains, that it renews and grows just as fast as our area is growing.

POSTED BY: Gray (June 19, 2008 03:30 PM)
Living in Charlotte now... will move back to Raleigh one day. Check your spelling "Not Sure," there are better schools in NC than NY apparently! I loved growing up in Raleigh and everyone I know is still friends with the kids they went to Elementary School with. If you live near downtown Raleigh there is plenty to do... live in Cary or N Raleigh if you want cookie cutter suburbia lifestyle.

POSTED BY: Carlos (June 19, 2008 03:32 PM)
As a born and bred native of Raleigh, I can truly say I am proud and excited about the growth of my home town. after college I immediately moved to Atlanta for the big city life, just to find that I would miss Raleigh even more as I return periodically for family functions. It is a great area to have a mix of different cultures, backgrounds, and living choices, and a great area to raise a family. The colleges in the area are great institutions (UNC, Duke, NC State, etc.) along with a developing nightlife sceen. I hope to see a ML baseball team relocate there soon, and for the community to support it. I look forward to moving my family back to my hometown and eventually watching my kids grow up there.

POSTED BY: JayBee (June 19, 2008 03:40 PM)
I'm one of the few folks that has been in the Triangle all my life, and Raleigh has definitely gone from sleepy town to bustling city. Sure downtown is still growing - the revitalization really got going in earnest in the mid-1990s. One thing we can all agree on is if you are here in Raleigh, we don't really care about how great New York is, or how great (insert large east coast city here) is. We are here because of what one of the other posters mentioned - big city amenities without all the hassle. I'm not saying I'll stay here forever, but after traveling all over the US there is a short list of places that I would move from here. There's an old saying for those who come from elsewhere that want to be derogatory about our area - I-40 and I-95 both lead back out of town, too.

POSTED BY: durhamBull (June 19, 2008 04:16 PM)
local joke: what does CARY stand for? Containment Area for Relocated Yankees! Sounds nice, huh? That said, to agree w/ Espee there is a city or community for everyone in the "triangle" region, no matter what your situation. I've lived in 3 other cities on this list (Austin, C-Spgs and Omaha) and this area (esp. Durham) wins hands down. Just don't move here, OK - its perfect how it is and we don't need anyone else;) Also, the guy who said that Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill are all a day-trip apart must either not own a car or never leaves his gated community....

POSTED BY: Carl (June 19, 2008 05:21 PM)
Yes, Raleigh is a great place to live, but not for long. For the last several years, it has been making this sort of list. Since that time, we have seen an influx of people from other states that refuse to become a part of the community. If you don't like southern living, DON'T MOVE TO THE SOUTH. In the south, we try to be polite. We say odd things like "please" and "thank you". If you can learn to appreciate sweet tea and grits, slow traffic on a sunday afternoon, and invest your time, money and heart into a beautiful city that has something to offer everyone, then come on in. You are welcome here. BUT, if you want to holler at store clerks when you are trying to get your way, talk really loud on your cell phone while in a store, and drive like you are in a bumper car while you throw trash out the window, then please stay where you are...We like how life is around here. We realize things are growing. That doesn't mean that we have to grow to become just like some other city, or do things the way outsiders think they should be done.

POSTED BY: DK (June 19, 2008 06:35 PM)
Raleigh was a great place to be 10-20 years ago. It is too big now. I've been here for 23 years and the traffic is now ridiculous, there are way too many Yankees... Cary used to be the best place in the area to live, but growing from 30,000 in 1985 to over 120,000 now, it too has lost its charm. Have you experienced the long hot humid summers? How does 100 degrees and 98 percent humidity strike you? Home prices are too high and lot size is too small. I'll be leaving in 5 years when I retire and I'm not saying where...

POSTED BY: PE (June 19, 2008 06:45 PM)
It's not easy to capture the full flavor of an area with just a brief superficial visit. For example, few people would consider The Raleigh Times Bar as the "cultural epicenter". It's a nice bar, but not the cultural epicenter. And Bob (the author), I hope your meal at The Pit tasted better than it looked in the picture. We can suggest a whole host of better restaurant experiences. For starters, try the downtown walking food tour at www.trianglefoodtour.com and you can also learn some new insights about the downtown area. From my experience, there is a very small percentage of people who dislike or have issues with this area. In my mind, anyone who is bored here in the Triangle is a boring person. We won't miss these folks that are leaving and hope they find whatever it is they are looking for. Regardless of which community the 1.5 million people live in the Triangle area, there are always opportunities to take full advantage of the breadth of what is available in every corner. It's all accessible. One of the shortcomings is that people don't know what they don't know. Therein lies the problem in such a vibrant, diverse area.

POSTED BY: Darren Steinhilber (June 19, 2008 06:47 PM)
No offense to Raleigh, but I'm wondering why Charlotte, NC constantly gets ignored in these polls. I've lived in Charlotte for 10 years now and absolutely love it, as do many of the families and singles that live and work here. I've heard many people that now live here in Charlotte say that Raleigh does not have much to offer singles but is a good place for families, whereas Charlotte is a good place for all. Considering the fact that Charlotte's housing market is still doing relatively well, especially in comparison to most cities around the country, I'm surprised that Charlotte is not considered in the Top 10 while somehow Raleigh is consistently considered in these Top 10 lists, despite hearing from a consistent number of people that it's more of a family atmosphere and less of a place to "play."

POSTED BY: ManDude (June 19, 2008 10:46 PM)
Like many recent converts, I recently moved to the Triangle from the far away lands of the big city. I have to say, I love it here. I came here for a slower i.e. SANE pace of life. Reasonable housing prices and a good job market. If you're looking to party all night long, move to Miami. The Triangle is a very diverse area for different types of lifestyles available within a relatively short distance. Country property within 20 minutes, growing downtown/urban area, artsy/college areas, etc. It's good by me, a welcome change.

POSTED BY: Stephen (June 29, 2008 11:59 AM)
Raleigh is nice, but still pretty conservative. Durham is up and coming and a good long term real estate investment. Chapel Hill is the place we lived and loved, excepting the heat. That finally drove us away and we now live in Seattle. Chapel Hill- best schools, fairly quiet if not right on campus, a slow growth plan by the citizens to prevent runaway growth (ala- Apex, Cary, Garner), and best restaurants for the small town it is... We kept our beautiful townhouse in Chapel Hill as a long term real estate investment, once UNC's new research campus opens, prices will skyrocket near the airport... Also, if you are angry liberal (versus happy liberal, that's us), check out Carrboro... ;)

POSTED BY: Lydia a Jackson (July 26, 2008 07:19 AM)
I'M 52 YEARS OLD AND I LIVED IN CINCINNATI, OH ALLLLLLL MY LIFE. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR ANOTHER CITY TO LIVE IN, I HAVE HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT RALEIGH. AS I WAS CHECKING MY EMAIL I SAW AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN, AND BEHOLD RALEIGH WAS THE SECOND BEST PLACE. I'M SOLD SEE YOU IN RALEIGH.

POSTED BY: Sherry (July 30, 2008 05:42 PM)
Hi Lydia: Drop me a line I will find you a deal, I am realtor in Raleigh area. Antickquity@aol.com

POSTED BY: Shirley (August 19, 2008 02:44 PM)
Years ago I looked into moving to Raleigh but backed out because of family commitments. As far as housing goes I don't need a four bedroom home but would be looking into possibly a condo. What is the median cost?

POSTED BY: Kate (September 04, 2008 06:04 PM)
Hurray for the folks that have a 10 minute walk/2 minute drive to their jobs in downtown Raleigh. Unfortunately, most area jobs aren't in downtown Raleigh. Most of them are a 45 minute drive to Research Triangle Park through horrible traffic. I relocated from Raleigh to Boise last year and really have a 2 minute commute where the businesses are centrally located downtown. I no longer have to drive 30 minutes for mountain biking and road biking, and no longer have to drive 4 hours to get to the mountains. These things are now right out my front door.

POSTED BY: Preston (September 07, 2008 08:40 PM)
We have lived in Raleigh for 13 years and we love it. I have lived in several other states and a couple other cities in NC and have never found a city I would rather to live in. On top of that, I travel to California every month and have seen most of the state as well as 45 other states. Raleigh stil remains my first choice. It constantly makes the top list for numerous reasons.

POSTED BY: tony (September 21, 2008 04:25 PM)
I have lived in Cary for 11 years. I have to say there are so many snobs here... wish my house would sell so I can get out of this place.

POSTED BY: Tracie (September 21, 2008 05:22 PM)
I am considering relocating to the Charlotte North Carolina area. I have also looked into the Raleigh/Durham area. Which would you recommend and why?