Raleigh or Greensboro, NC?

[Ciao Mickey]

A friend's husband has put in for a transfer at his job. The choice is either Raleigh or Greensboro. Which is a better choice?

They are a young couple in their 30's with 2 children, one is in grade school the other will start pre-school this year.

They are moving for financial reasons, the main one being NJ is too darn expensive to live in and she wants to be a SAHM for the next few years if possible.

They own a home here but will rent there.

Are both areas the same as far as housing costs and schools? How are the schools there? Where would you recommend living?

She's excited that she'll be closer to WDW.

He was contacted by HR with a job opening and they want a decision by next week.

If anyone has transferred from the NY Metro area how do you like living in NC?

What's the weather like in summer/winter? Do you get snow?

(They also had Texas down as a choice, but aren't sure how long a transfer would take to open up for there.)

Thanks for any help.

 

[bunkkinsmom]

Having lived in both, I choose Greensboro!! I lived in Raleigh for 10 years, but was born and raised in Greensboro, and am back here now.

I have a friend who is a teacher in the Raleigh area and from what I hear the Wake County school district is going through a lot of changes. Seems that district lines are getting redrawn very very often, like every couple of years. There are some really good choices here in Greensboro including a new Charter that opened this year with 2 or 3 more opening next year.

Housing costs vary widely in both areas. And as a Real Estate agent I can tell you that there are some good buys in both areas right now. If their hearts are set on renting, then I could definitely give advice for the Greensboro area.

We have very distinct seasons here. Summer is hot and humid, and we had a couple of inches of snow a couple of days ago. Greensboro is 2 hours from the mountains, 4 from the beach. Raleigh is about 90 miles east, so a little closer to the beach.

I would love to answer any questions your friends might have. Just PM me for my personal email address or ask away and I will do my best to provide info.

 

[disprincessatheart]

Coming from the ny area I think they will prefer a bigger city, which would be Raleigh. No, its not huge, but Greensboro to me is a pretty small city. Yes, the school assignment issue is constant in wake county. We live in holly springs and because we are in a smaller area of wake county our changes are much less than in other areas, and the houses are consideably cheaper.

 

[dis-happy]

Raleigh, hands down. Greensboro is in the middle of nowhere. Raleigh has so much more to offer, especially the influence of 2 major universities there (Chapel Hill and Duke). Cary is a great community to live in if it works out commute wise. The downtown area of Raleigh is fun and vibrant.....much better than Charlotte. Either way, I hope your friend gets to visit before making a final decision.

 

[tar heel]

Raleigh, hands down. Greensboro is in the middle of nowhere. Raleigh has so much more to offer, especially the influence of 2 major universities there (Chapel Hill and Duke). Cary is a great community to live in if it works out commute wise. The downtown area of Raleigh is fun and vibrant.....much better than Charlotte. Either way, I hope your friend gets to visit before making a final decision.

It's not two major universities, it's three. NC State has technical programs the other two don't offer and more students than either. I'm a Carolina grad and I still think this needs to be pointed out!

I personally would choose the Triangle (i.e., Raleigh), but the people I know who live in Greensboro like it. I think they will find a greater concentration of people from "home" in the Triangle.

 

[bunkkinsmom]

Raleigh, hands down. Greensboro is in the middle of nowhere. Raleigh has so much more to offer, especially the influence of 2 major universities there (Chapel Hill and Duke). Cary is a great community to live in if it works out commute wise. The downtown area of Raleigh is fun and vibrant.....much better than Charlotte. Either way, I hope your friend gets to visit before making a final decision.

Chapel Hill is essentially 15 minutes closer to Raleigh than Greensboro. And yes, Raleigh has a better nightlife. And anywhere is better than Charlotte. There will also be a greater concentration of people from their home state in Raleigh.

And not to sound defensive, but Greensboro is NOT in the middle of nowhere. We are about equal distance from Raleigh and Charlotte. We are 50 minutes from Chapel Hill. East of Raleigh there is very little until you get to the beach. Chapel Hill and Duke are not in Raleigh. NCState, Merideth, Peace, and Shaw just to name a few are in Raleigh.

I do think a visit is in order. IMHO if your friends are 25, I would say Raleigh. 30's and kids? Greensboro.

 

[PammyK]

Grew up in NJ and moved to Greensboro where I lived for about 15 months a little more than 10 years ago. I found that Greensboro was not a great place for a single person but would have made a great place to raise a family. I think Raleigh is probably more the opposite - better if you're single (nightlife) or empty nesters (university areas typically have good access teaching hospitals and state of the art medical care).

Raleigh, being larger, does have a larger airport and potentially makes it easier to travel, however, I never had any problems getting great airfare for non-stop flights home to NJ from Greensboro.

That said, I think either one would be fine. Just be prepared for a very different pace and style of life than you're used to in NJ.

 

[J3nn78]

Wow, OP did you write this about me? We are looking to move to NC from NJ in the next year for all those reasons. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread.

 

[GingerJay]

I've lived in NC all my life- I would personally prefer a move to Raleigh rather than Greensboro, but I think your friend would probably benefit from visiting both cities and scoping it out for herself. Different people appreciate different things about each city. That being said, NC is an awesome state (IMHO). We have the beach, and the mountains, and we're almost right in the middle of the east coast- makes it very easy to travel along the eastern seaboard

 

[Sabeking]

I lived in Greensboro for a very short period but have been in Raleigh (Cary) for 45 years. I think they both have something to offer. I will agree that the school district has been through many changes. I used to work for them and feel the schools themselves are very good! My kids currently go to a private Christian school not so much for the academic part but because our faith is important to us. We do have lots of college choices but also lots of really great hospitals. Duke, Carolina , Wake, etc...there is an awesome science museum here as well, skate board park, Pullen park (small kids rides), Marbles museum, and many moe. There is housing for all levels of income and lots of "edge cities/towns." Good luck to your friends. We have never moved because we love it so much!

 

[mrsklamc]

Anyone who thinks Greensboro is the middle of nowhere has never been remotely close to the middle of nowhere.

 

[ditsypixie]

My husband grew up in Greensboro (I grew up in the Mtns of NC) but after college we both moved to Chapel Hill. I worked in RTP (Research Triangle Park) for several years until moving to IL. I would LOVE to move back to the Raleigh area. I just simply love everything about it. We have friends that live in Cary and have children in the public schools there and have never had issues. They are quite happy too.

Good luck with the decision and the move!

 

[marcyinPA]

My husband's cousin lives in Greensboro. They have 2 children- one elementary school aged and one middle school aged. They seem to be very happy there, and very well-connected.

 

[goofyernmost]

After living 63 years in the northeast, I moved to the Raleigh area (Cary) just about 2 years ago. It was the best thing I have ever done. I love it here. The people are friendly, the area is beautiful, well maintained and landscaped, hundreds of walking paths, playgrounds, sporting events, educational opportunities, entertainment venues, shopping areas.

I've only been to Greensboro once and it is a nice place but doesn't offer what this area does. All within 20 miles there is Raleigh, Cary and Durham. All nice cities and they kinda blend together. Jobs seem to be plentiful as well. I'm retired so I haven't kept up with that, but both of my girls and their families also live here now, and that have had marvelous luck. My Grandchild attends Cary school districts and the choices for locations are huge, offering almost everything parents are looking for.

You couldn't pay me to live anywhere else right now.

 

[lecach]

Raleigh. More specifically Cary - it stands for Containment Area for Relocated Yankees.

Not really of course. But there are plenty of people that will be just like you.

I miss the Raleigh Durham area.

 

[bunkkinsmom]

Raleigh. More specifically Cary - it stands for Containment Area for Relocated Yankees.

Not really of course. But there are plenty of people that will be just like you.

I miss the Raleigh Durham area.

Yeah Cary is nice. I graduated from Cary High. And there are A LOT of relocations. The Real Estate is pretty high there, and the "town bi-laws" are strict when it comes to signage and things like that. I didn't fare to well there, punk rock kid in the middle of Cary is like a needle in a haystack. Worked out OK though, I had lots of friends in Sanderson and Milbrook in Raleigh. I'm sure the school has changed a lot, it's been a while (I won't say how long!) I will say that when we take Amtrak to Disney we leave out of Cary instead of Raleigh. I could just about leave my keys in the car in Cary and not worry! It's pricier, that's for sure, but you get what you pay for!!

 

[HonnyDipp]

I lived in both area's. I was 25 pregnant with our 3rd. DH worked in the hotel business took us to Greensboro. I'm from VA so it was a 90 min drive from family. Not much to do there. Kinda boring. DH's job transferred us 8 months later to Cary, NC. LOVED IT! Cary was a small town between Raleigh and Durham. More things to do, especially during college football /basketball sessions.

 

[NC State]

It's not two major universities, it's three. NC State has technical programs the other two don't offer and more students than either. I'm a Carolina grad and I still think this needs to be pointed out!

Thank you Tar Heel.

 

[Ciao Mickey]

Thanks everyone for all of the information! I passed it on.

They have been to both places, years ago, but wanted opinions from people who actually live there.

The husband will go down first and she will follow when schools out.

He found someone who will rent a room to him, so that will give him a chance to scout around for a place to live.

I told her all the positive recommendations for Cary, so I think that will be their first town to check out.

BTW, you made Cary sound so positive that I'm ready to relocate there myself!

Thanks again!

 

[taylor3297]

Also, take a look at Apex. To me I would choose Apex over Cary now.

I have lived in Raleigh and Cary. Currently, I live in Morrisville, which is fabulous. It is easy to get to Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill and Apex. Excellent location to me.