Everybody knows about the tech scene in the Research Triangle (Raleigh is one of the three in the triangle) but what most are surprised by is that when you fly into Raleigh it is hard to even see the city through the dense trees that line the streets. This makes the city spectacularly green and beautiful and creates a smaller-town feeling as a result of how each block is protected by the massive oaks. It also gives the city a suburban feel, and so particularly family-friendly. They also provide homes, yards, walks, and parks with lots of shade during the hotter months of summer.

The toughest thing for Raleigh is the fact that there are such popular cities nearby. Durham and Chapel Hill, the other two cities in the Research Triangle are better places for the younger professionals looking for more active social scenes and a greater diversity of activities and culture. It means that Raleigh can feel transient as people slide through on their way to these other cities.



Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round That Old Oak Tree

LookyLOO Review of Raleigh

Newcomers and old-timers consistently talk about the “Southern Warmth” of Raleigh. By this they mean how kind and relaxed everyone is here rather than a remark on the southern heat. Expect conversations with strangers at stores, persistent greetings on the streets and neighbor offers of support. Living in Raleigh is more about the greenery and access to the outdoors than a hardcore downtown nightlife but know that Raleigh is fighting hard to build up a social and cultural alternative to Durham and Chapel Hill and they’re getting there. 

Great foodie options are here with BBQ an obvious part of the scene but fancier fare is also available. Downtown has a growing arts scene and plenty of craft breweries, bars, farmer’s markets and community events should that be your vibe. Getting back to that outdoor scene, Raleigh has 180 miles of Greenway Trails for everyone to walk, ride or hike and it has amazing parks, both downtown and in most of the neighborhoods so everyone can throw a frisbee, or baseball or just run around with the doggos. 

If you want to see what happens in Raleigh check out the [**calendar of events**](https://www.visitraleigh.com/events/).

Lifestyle 

Raleigh is ranked the 4th most educated city in the country, not surprising given it is surrounded by great universities, and this drives both tons of professional residents as well as an exploding entrepreneurial scene. Tech is at the center of the business boom here but there are also plenty of homegrown startups including clothing labels, craft breweries, creative restaurants and artists setting up in the downtown art galleries. 
The Research Triangle Park drives much of the area’s economy, which makes sense given it is one of the great tech research parks in the world, and employers there include: IBM, Cisco, GlaxoSmithKline, Nortel, Sony and Lenovo, among dozens and dozens of others. The drive to RTP from Raleigh is just ~20 minutes so while traffic can be bad in the area it’s pretty mild compared to other bigger cities. 

Worklife 

**[Wake County School District**](wcpss.net/site/default.aspx?pageid=1) includes schools in the city of Raleigh. It is a highly regarded school district, receiving an [**"A" on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/wake-county-schools-nc/).

The district assigns schools from elementary through high school based on address so it helps to pay attention to performance if you're targeting high-performers. There are plenty of excellent magnet, charter, and private/Catholic schools for those who want to attend out of their zone. 

There are "A" rated schools all over the district but the greatest concentration is in the city center and west/southwest sides of the city. The schools that receive the highest ratings include:

-[**Raleigh Charter High School**](raleighcharterhs.org) is the [**#3 rated high school**](https://www.niche.com/k12/raleigh-charter-high-school-raleigh-nc/) in the state. It receives "A+" grades for Academics, Teachers, College Prep & Administration. 
-[**Wake Early College of Health & Sciences**](wcpss.net/site/default.aspx?pageid=1) is also an [**"A+" rated school on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/wake-early-college-of-health-and-sciences-raleigh-nc/). It receives highest grades for Academics and College Prep. 

Schools

Let’s assume for a minute that North Carolina is going to keep growing and nothing is going to slow it down. Given that circumstance, Raleigh is possibly the best choice among the other “hotter” cities. It’s prices have risen for sure but relative to Charlotte, Chapel Hill, or Durham, you’re still getting in pretty early in Raleigh. 


It Ain’t Slowing Down

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**Plasticman4Life**
Living in Raleigh
6mo ago
✭✭✭

I grew up in Pittsburgh, but have lived in the Raleigh area for about 30 years. I agree with the others here who have lived in both places.

I’ll add that Pittsburgh (and the surrounding area) has a similar population to the Raleigh-Durham area, but it’s concentrated in a smaller geographic area, so it feels like a real city. It’s much older too and has a totally different vibe with many different ethnicities and cultures - especially European. (Raleigh is diverse too, but limited more to Indian, Chinese, and Hispanic.)

Pittsburgh is on the western edge of the Appalachian mountains, and is definitely quite hilly. Raleigh’s topography is much flatter, with (barely) rolling hills.

Pittsburgh’s weather is gloomier in the winter. It’s mostly deciduous trees, and it’s often cloudy in the colder months, so it feels gray and dead outside for months. Raleigh has mostly pines so it stays green, and the winter is shorter and sunnier, making it feel much warmer.

Pittsburgh has rebounded well since the collapse of the steel industry in the late 70’s, and is cleaner and more vibrant than ever.

For cost of living - especially housing costs - Pittsburgh beats Raleigh hands down. You can find reasonably priced places to live in the Raleigh area, but not anywhere in Raleigh itself. But if you’re willing to be 20-30 minutes out of town, you can still find houses in the $250k range.

For more reviews of what living in Raleigh is like from locals check out: [**The Reviews**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/raleigh/reviews)

Reviews of Raleigh from Locals

**The Best Thing About Raleigh?**  Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round That Old Oak Tree

Everybody knows about the tech scene in the Research Triangle (Raleigh is one of the three in the triangle) but what most are surprised by is that when you fly into Raleigh it is hard to even see the city through the dense trees that line the streets. This makes the city spectacularly green and beautiful, and creates a smaller town feeling as a result of how each block is protected by the massive oaks. It also gives the city a suburban feel, and so particularly family friendly. They also provide homes, yards, walks, and parks lots of shade during the hotter months of summer. 

**The Worst Thing About Raleigh?**  Competition
The toughest thing for Raleigh is the fact that there are such popular cities nearby. Durham and Chapel Hill, the other two cities in the Research Triangle are better places for the younger professionals looking for more active social scenes and greater diversity of activities and culture. It means that Raleigh can feel transient as people slide through on their way to these other cities. 

**How You Living?**  Treelined Streets

This is a bit redundant but it goes without saying that the big selling point about the type of home and neighborhood you’re likely to live in is the stunning oaks that make your city neighborhood feel like a suburb. The Five Points neighborhood might be the best example of this: dominated by colorful Craftsman bungalows surrounded by beautiful parks, but also with newer apartment buildings popping up, and emerging artsy commercial spots within walking distance. 

**Why You Should Move Here Now?**  It Ain’t Slowing Down

Let’s assume for a minute that North Carolina is going to keep growing and nothing is going to slow it down. Given that circumstance, Raleigh is possibly the best choice among the other “hotter” cities. It’s prices have risen for sure but relative to Charlotte, Chapel Hill, or Durham, you’re still getting in pretty early in Raleigh. 


Raleigh isn’t a “college town” in the traditional sense, meaning one dominated by a University, but there are a ton of schools here with NC State the one with the largest student body. Cameron Village is a great neighborhood for NC State students although conversion of apartments to condos has driven up pricing beyond many budgets. Just west of Downtown it has an amazing outdoor shopping center, close access to all the bars one could ever want to visit, and still some reasonable rentals for the student budget. Glenwood South is another interesting option for collegiates. It’s the entertainment district of Raleigh so if you plan to go out a lot then a short walk to the bars, breweries, restaurants and nightclubs is nice. Renovations of warehouses have resulted in plenty of apartments and lofts for the kiddos to rent. 
- NCSU
- Cameron Village
- Glenwood South


College Students

NCSU

It probably goes without saying that Downtown is the area most young professionals target when they move to Raleigh. The Warehouse District in Downtown is one of the hottest spots, with six full blocks dedicated to converted warehouses filled with apartments, condos, lofts, restaurants, bars, boutique shopping and a growing group of tech firms that offer short walks to work. If you truly want to be part of the party then also check out Glenwood South. Also filled with rental and condo purchase options it is the entertainment center of Raleigh. 
- Warehouse District
- Glenwood South
- Oakwood


Young Professionals

Warehouse District

Oakwood is a historic district has the most magnificent oak trees and Grand Victorians in the city. It also has cool bungalows from the 1920’s so if your taste runs to restoring a Victorian or a bungalow this neighborhood is “choice”. It’s also only 1 mile east of downtown Raleigh so you get all the escape you might be ready for without abandoning your more adventurous youth. 
- Historic Oakwood
- Cameron Park
- Cameron Village
- Mordecai


DINKs/SINKs

Historic Oakwood

Boylan Heights is a really interesting neighborhood to start your search. It’s one of the first planned communities filled with craftsman bungalows, Queen Anne and Dutch Colonials all towered over by the city's trademark Oaks. It’s also a 10 minute walk to downtown so if raising the kiddos in a suburban vibe place but with walkable access to civic and social activities is more your speed then look at Boylan Heights. The Five Points neighborhoods offer a bit more of a retreat from downtown if that is your preference. Look at Hayes Barton if stunning homes, beautiful greenways, great schools and plenty of open park areas is more your speed. 
- Boylan Heights
- Five Points Neighborhoods / Hayes Barton
- North Hills


Families 

Boylan Heights

Raleigh isn’t a retirement location like say the Phoenix Metro but the weather, outdoor lifestyle, great healthcare and reasonable cost of living means plenty come (or stay) anyway. Neighborhoods that are popular for retirees include Boylan Heights, for those who want great homes and a quiet area but close proximity to downtown. Brier Creek is the suburban alternative: Newer homes and condos keep the maintenance responsibilities to a minimum and the Brier Creek Country Club is ideal for the golfer, tennis player, swimmer and socializers out there. 
- Boylan Heights
- Brier Creek
- Lassiter Mill
- Oakwood


Retirees

Brier Creek

Raleigh

**Plasticman4Life**
Living in Raleigh
6mo ago
✭✭✭✭

I grew up in Pittsburgh, but have lived in the Raleigh area for about 30 years. I agree with the others here who have lived in both places.

I’ll add that Pittsburgh (and the surrounding area) has a similar population to the Raleigh-Durham area, but it’s concentrated in a smaller geographic area, so it feels like a real city. It’s much older too and has a totally different vibe with many different ethnicities and cultures - especially European. (Raleigh is diverse too, but limited more to Indian, Chinese, and Hispanic.)

Pittsburgh is on the western edge of the Appalachian mountains, and is definitely quite hilly. Raleigh’s topography is much flatter, with (barely) rolling hills.

Pittsburgh’s weather is gloomier in the winter. It’s mostly deciduous trees, and it’s often cloudy in the colder months, so it feels gray and dead outside for months. Raleigh has mostly pines so it stays green, and the winter is shorter and sunnier, making it feel much warmer.

Pittsburgh has rebounded well since the collapse of the steel industry in the late 70’s, and is cleaner and more vibrant than ever.

For cost of living - especially housing costs - Pittsburgh beats Raleigh hands down. You can find reasonably priced places to live in the Raleigh area, but not anywhere in Raleigh itself. But if you’re willing to be 20-30 minutes out of town, you can still find houses in the $250k range.

**MrDubTee**
Living in Raleigh
6mo ago
✭✭✭

There’s probably a lot of posts about it. In short for me, it’s home.

The culture, community, food, and overall variety here provides a warm invite to anyone willing to step in.

Cost of living is a little subjective, overall it’s average to the US except housing is pricey (similar to everywhere) I would say 65K a year you can do well but may be better off with a dual income. My wife and I make a combined total of 110K and with a bit of a budget we are happy.

Overall, you can get great outdoor walking, with better hiking out west, or you can drive east and be at the ocean. Food is quite good at many spots, beer scene is good, and plenty of events held by the city.

Hope this helps and regardless of your choice, best of luck and safe travels.

**bush-leaguer**
Living in Raleigh
3y ago
✭✭✭

My wife and I moved back here a few years ago after 7 years in Charlotte.

Charlotte was a tremendously fun place to be child-free and in our 20s. It definitely has more of a big city feel and I think a lot more to do. That said, Raleigh is fine? It doesn't get me excited, it feels very sprawled, but there's nothing particularly bad about Raleigh either. It's pretty safe and people are usually personable.

As with any city, you need to locate to an area that fits your interests and age group. When we first moved to Charlotte and were just starting out, we lived in the north part of the city and didn't go out a lot. Then we moved downtown and did tons of stuff and had a much more enjoyable experience. There are definitely places to live/hang out in Raleigh where you'll be happy. So it depends on what you're into and where people your age tend to congregate.

If you're looking for specific neighborhood recommendations, they are building a ton of apartments in the Glenwood/Glenwood south area and that would put you pretty central to everything.

**Off_register**
Living in Raleigh
3y ago
✭✭✭

I moved here (from Chicago suburbs) at the beginning of the pandemic so my wife can be close to her family. Got super lucky and got a townhouse down the street from Lake Johnson. Love my area which is super convenient to the lakes, downtown, breweries and surrounding sights. I love all the greenery here. Even in winter, it is still somewhat green with all the pine trees. The greenways trails are a great and seems people use them a lot. Everything is 15 minutes-ish away. Go see the Canes at PNC arena, hit up the farmers market on the weekend. Tried lots of great restaurants and some not so great lol. Burial beer is amazing and a great spot to post up.

What I don't like?, the drivers. Havent seen so much disregard for pedestrians before. Nearly got ran over a few time exiting stores. Nobody wants to stop. As Ricky Bobby says, if you're not first, you're last. It also sucks how insanely expensive housing has become. I know the whole country is a hot market right now but houses have gone up nearly 100-150k since I've moved here. Oh and the humidity is absolutely insane. Never felt anything like it before haha.

Raleigh, North Carolina

City Of Oaks

Looklyloo Score: 89