Is Raleigh a Good Fit for a Single Mid-20s Male? (nightlife, area)

[PharmboyinNC]

You will also have access to Chapel Hill and Durham amenities...and dating scene.
OK, mid 20s, with education and a working professional...recommend to stay close to Glenwood Ave leading into Downtown (Hwy 70?). Other pockets of places include in-around the North Hills area and BrierCreek, which puts you in good locations to venture out.

If you wanna walk on the wild side, try Carrboro, an offshoot of Chapel Hill with more young professional crowd.

Those were my hunting...stomping grounds.

[njbiodude]

This area isn't bad but I can't say its nearly as good as LA or NYC or something for a single person in their 20s. I moved here for a job and recently turned 25, and can't say I hate it here.

First the climate: I arrived in fall and will say it *is not* warm here in the winter (and I'm from NJ). On average the daytime temps hover ~50 F in the winter but there are plenty of days with freezing rain and lows in the lower 20s and teens and night. Summer is hot apparently. I also lived in Charleston, SC which was subtropical and have been making rounds down there this winter. Because we're so far inland its not that warm, even though we live in the South. Spring and fall are quite lovely, however.

Job market: Still not bad if you have a degree relating to the fields of medicine, engineering, computer science, or biotech. RTP is a good mecca for tech jobs. Otherwise it's no better than anywhere else.

Beaches: NC has lovely beaches, but they're at least 1.75 hours away. Bummer.

Women: I've had decent luck here, actually started dating someone within 2 months of moving (we'll see how that goes ). I like Glenwood Ave in Raleigh. I've been to Chapel Hill in the day but don't usually go there at night because the drive is too long. At least there's bus service from my area to downtown at night. Downtown Raleigh is quite nice.

Rent prices are reasonable, and crime levels aren't too bad considering you're in the South. The area has everything you "need" and then some (PNC arts center w' cheap concerts etc, some good bars, local music venues, some good museums), but is a bit boring over all. I doubt I'll stay here for the long term.

[RoaminRebel]

This is an older post, but I would add that NCSU is a tech / engineering school and skews heavily towards introverted males for that reason. There are private girls colleges nearby but that never seems to make up for it..

Personally, I wouldn't reccommend the area to a mid 20's single male looking for action. Take advantage of the fact you have no responsibilities and a profession that allows flexibility! There are many more exciting areas in the country to explore!

[UserNamesake]

Originally Posted by tompope

I were in your situation and moving to the Triangle, that's exactly where I'd want to live: somewhere in or around Downtown Raleigh or Downtown Durham, provided it jibes with your work location, budget, and other considerations!

Good post... I'd say downtown Raleigh is pricey, although it would seem soooooo fun to live in one of those downtown condos/apartments... You'd always be around the buzz! And they're building these modern condo highrises at an alarming rate... Was just talking with a friend who moved into one, and she said her condo building (near St. Mary's) was filled within a month or two after it opened.

Not too sure about the salary of a nursing home admin, but I wouldn't wanna make less than 60-70k to support the egregious rent that's comes with living in the heart of downtown. The newer condos and residences right in the heart of downtown are going for 1200 to 1500/mo easy... and that's mid range. Let's not talk about the high end units.

Originally Posted by UFNut

If you wanna see a bunch of attractive ladies, go to Chapel Hill and take a drive down Franklin....let's just say I'm really surprised there aren't more traffic accidents in the area. While I was in Durham, there were a lot of lovely ladies in the downtown area, as well as some of the green spaces and parks near the Duke campuses. Raleigh I didn't really see much "talent", but perhaps it was the wrong time of day or something, with nearly 30k students at NCState I'd be surprised if there weren't plenty of fun & attractive ladies. Sure the locals know more, but thought I'd give my drive by opinion.

lol @ the underlined... It's a major university man...you're gonna see eye candy! lol!

While I will say, UNC has the best "sights" out of the triangle universities... NC State is good, too, tho.

Originally Posted by rnc2mbfl

Back to topic. I'll add the Raleigh's young adult community is highly educated in comparison to most of the country. My place in Raleigh is DT and it's really come alive in the last decade. There are tons of venues to hang out with like minded individuals and more seem to open every month. It's an exciting time to be young and single in the capital city.

That's consistently one of the biggest draws to Raleigh/RDU... it's always tops in "smart cities" ... I read somewhere that Glenwood (regardless of how you feel about its late night revelry and debauchery) boasts a figure of 70 percent college educated residents with at least a bachelors. And yes, if your money is "good," it's an exciting time to enjoy the ever building events/activities downtown Raleigh and Raleigh in general has to offer.

Originally Posted by Francois

We certainly have a lot of your-age folks moving here and the downtown area does not lack things to do. You might find the summers long, hot and humid; it's all a matter of what you're used to. You might find the area too churchy or conservative, or provincial, or too much traffic--all a matter of what you're used to.

Definitely depends on what he's used to. Compared to other cities in NC, Raleigh is one of the more progressive cities. Wake's usually Blue... There are LGBT parades (Amendment 1 to add a hetero def. of marriage was voted down in Wake if I'm not mistaken...), protests, rallies... And as for the traffic, if you're used to Atlanta, DC, NYC, LA or even Charlotte traffic, Raleigh would be a cakewalk. Coming from a smaller southern city, Raleigh traffic might be a bit foreign. But it's not bad at all outside of rush hour, but that's relatively speaking.

Originally Posted by njbiodude

Job market: Still not bad if you have a degree relating to the fields of medicine, engineering, computer science, or biotech. RTP is a good mecca for tech jobs. Otherwise it's no better than anywhere else.

STEM careers are big here...computers are huge...never met so many "entrepreneurs" running upstart computer/technology-related companies. A lot of young upstarts in Raleigh...some of them I still really don't know what they do! lol! But you're guaranteed to get a sleek looking business card from a nicely dress 20-30 something if you're often out mingling downtown.

Originally Posted by njbiodude

Women: I've had decent luck here, actually started dating someone within 2 months of moving (we'll see how that goes ). I like Glenwood Ave in Raleigh. I've been to Chapel Hill in the day but don't usually go there at night because the drive is too long. At least there's bus service from my area to downtown at night. Downtown Raleigh is quite nice.

Congrats! That's another good point about Raleigh...the public transit is decent (not up to par with larger cities of course)...but you can get around the entire Triangle area using the regional transit system, which can be a hassle, but the availability is a plus.

Originally Posted by njbiodude

Rent prices are reasonable, and crime levels aren't too bad considering you're in the South. The area has everything you "need" and then some (PNC arts center w' cheap concerts etc, some good bars, local music venues, some good museums), but is a bit boring over all. I doubt I'll stay here for the long term.

True... as for the underlined, I'd say everywhere is pretty reasonable aside from Downtown Raleigh, North Hills and outside of 540 if you have a "working class" salary (whatever that means to you).

Originally Posted by RoaminRebel

Personally, I wouldn't reccommend the area to a mid 20's single male looking for action. Take advantage of the fact you have no responsibilities and a profession that allows flexibility! There are many more exciting areas in the country to explore!

I disagree.

If you have a "decent" salary, just go downtown and suit up or just look presentable. Smell good. And you're bound to meet a single woman. It helps if you have a wingman or two, tho. Shouldn't be any problem.

But I will say Raleigh (especially downtown) can seem a bit pretentious and a tad flaky if you're coming from a more rural, conservative town.

Sooooooo many Meet Ups around here, too. You can find a group for almost anything.

To each his own.

Raleigh bills itself as a city that still maintains its southern charm with a progressive edge...And I can see that.

Check out the visitraleigh.com. Good starting place.

[ajnucch]

Originally Posted by kingspring85

hello,

i am a 23 year old single male finishing my nursing home admin. Licensure up north. As much as i would love to live in a big city, recent graduates with minimal experience have much easier times finding adequate jobs in smaller cities like raleigh, especially in my field. I've heard great things about raleigh and need your help answering these q's to decide if it is worth pursuit:

- is raleigh weather as good as i think? A lot of sun, temperate
- i play tennis/golf/hike/kayak/etc. Is raleigh an outdoorsy community?
- does downtown raleigh have a high concentration of college age/early 20s adults?
- is there a prevalent population of young, attractive, educated women in the area?
- if you were a single mid-20s male in my shoes would you want to live in raleigh?

Thanks for your help. I am looking for a smaller, somewhat young, active city and from what i've heard raleigh may fit the bill

no

[RoaminRebel]

Originally Posted by UserNamesake

I disagree.

If you disagree that there are more interesting places than Raleigh for a professional, single person to spend their twenties, then you should expand your horizons a bit.

[UserNamesake]

Originally Posted by RoaminRebel

If you disagree that there are more interesting places than Raleigh for a professional, single person to spend their twenties, then you should expand your horizons a bit.

Not saying that at all... I'm just saying that I disagree with your characterization, via comparison, that Raleigh doesn't offer much for a young professional.

Raleigh, as it stands on its own, has much to offer for a young professional.

[RoaminRebel]

Originally Posted by UserNamesake

Not saying that at all... I'm just saying that I disagree with your characterization, via comparison, that Raleigh doesn't offer much for a young professional.

Raleigh, as it stands on its own, has much to offer for a young professional.

You are selling Raleigh very hard as a dynamic, action packed city which it simply isn't. Are you a realtor?

[GotHereQuickAsICould]

Originally Posted by RoaminRebel

You are selling Raleigh very hard as a dynamic, action packed city which it simply isn't.

According to our kids and our neighbor's kids in their mid-twenties, while this area is not exactly action packed, it does have it's own laid back charm. More Full Steam Brewery, craft beers, and trivia nights than dance clubs packed with women who might possibly be models. (Or might possibly be working girls. )

Those that don't live in Durham want to and go there most weekends. Chapel Hill and Carborro have some decent music venues and they go there from time to time as well.

The fellows on match.com, from what I can tell, seem heavily weighted towards tech types. Thanks to RTP no doubt.

The good news is that the area is loaded with retirees, retirement and continuing care communities, so job prospects may be plentiful.

[UserNamesake]

Originally Posted by RoaminRebel

You are selling Raleigh very hard as a dynamic, action packed city...

I believe I'm being misinterpreted.