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I'm moving to the area for a new job in the engineering field. I'm 32, single, have a big stupid dog. I'm not sure if I want to live in Raleigh or Durham. I lived in Chapel Hill about 6 years ago for around 6 months, so I'm vaguely familiar with the area.
Despite being an engineer I'm more of a crunchy granola type. I like to brew beer, grow houseplants, talk to my dog, hike, run; I want to do most of my shopping at farmer's markets or at least from stores with locally sourced foods. I play the violin and piano so, as not to annoy my neighbors, I'm looking to rent a single family home, for under $1300/month.
My job is on the northeast side of Raleigh, so I understand there would be a commute from Durham. I'm not really concerned about the "crime" in Durham, as where I live it's pretty commonplace and I'm used to it.
A quick glance at the housing situation gives me the impression that Raleigh is more suburban and Durham is more hipster, so I'm leaning towards the latter, but I wanted to get some locals opinions first. I do want to make sure I end up somewhere that will facilitate a social life. I'm pretty outgoing so I plan on doing meetups and whatnot but I don't want to find myself in an area that's going to isolate me from social events.
If you live around downtown Raleigh and the immediate areas surrounding it or NC State/Cameron Village you can still find people that are "hipster-ish" like you - not to the degree like Durham but it'll save you a crazy commute to work.
If you live around downtown Raleigh and the immediate areas surrounding it or NC State/Cameron Village you can still find people that are "hipster-ish" like you - not to the degree like Durham but it'll save you a crazy commute to work.
Haha, I immediately regretted my usage of the word hipster but there it is.
I actually love driving, right now my commute to work is 5 minutes and I hate it. I like to have at least 20 minutes to jam out to my tunes and just prep for work, so a commute isn't a huge problem. My only issue with a long one would be if my dog needed attention in the middle of the day as she is an older gal.
Haha, I immediately regretted my usage of the word hipster but there it is.
I actually love driving, right now my commute to work is 5 minutes and I hate it. I like to have at least 20 minutes to jam out to my tunes and just prep for work, so a commute isn't a huge problem. My only issue with a long one would be if my dog needed attention in the middle of the day as she is an older gal.
I'll check that area out, cheers.
There's a difference between driving that is enjoyable and driving in stop and go traffic. That is definately a consideration around here.
A quick glance at the housing situation gives me the impression that Raleigh is more suburban and Durham is more hipster, so I'm leaning towards the latter, but I wanted to get some locals opinions first.
Raleigh is the more urban of the two cities, and Durham is the more hipster, but both have elements of the other, and both are more similar than they are different.
Raleigh is the more urban of the two cities, and Durham is the more hipster, but both have elements of the other, and both are more similar than they are different.
This is good to know, thank you. If there isn't a HUGE discernible difference between the two I think I'd rather stay in Raleigh just because there are a few amenities in the city (the climbing gym for sure) that really appeal to me.
I think you can find what you're looking for in Raleigh. I'd look more around downtown than North Raleigh, but there might be some stuff up that way, too.
Oh gosh its a hipster!!! Stay away you terrible hipster! CapitalBlvd get the hipster-a-way spray! Im messing with you, its an inside joke OP. Durham sounds like its your fit... and yes your weird for liking traffic... in Raleigh i would consider Downtown for sure. Maybe Cameron Village? If outside downtonw north hills is the spot i guess. In terms of farmers markets, if your in downtown raleigh you wont be far from the state farmers market.
East of downtown (hello Longview) would fit your bill. Brentwood (just north of beltline, just west of US1/Capital) would fit your bill. The key is rent rates. You won't find detached in Cameron Village or anywhere east of US1 downtown that's $1,300 or less.
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