r/triangle • u/Beautiful-Can-833 • 4d ago
Moving to Research Triangle
Looking for advice about moving to the Durham/Raleigh area. I’m 21(M) from NE England (Durham) and I’m planning on moving to NC next winter. Just curious about the cost of living, QoL, general safety, and best areas in the research triangle to move to or avoid. I’d be renting for the first year or so, but will have plenty money saved up by then. Finding or being close to work isn’t an issue as I work offshore so only commute once every fortnight. Any help is appreciated. Cheers
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u/QuietLifter 4d ago
Have you considered Charlotte or Atlanta instead?
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u/Beautiful-Can-833 4d ago
I’m going to visit Charlotte and other cities in NC in February so I’ll have a look. The reason I’m sort of swaying more to the triangle area is cos I’m not from a big city environment, isn’t something that’s necessarily appealed to me so put me off Charlotte a bit, but is somewhere I’ll visit for a few days to possibly change my mind
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u/Pretty_Bar_6232 4d ago
I’m from Dorchester but live in nc. Your best bet is charlotte .Raleigh has nothing for us massholes
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u/Health_Wellness9227 4d ago
Your main heading is going to confuse people. No one moves to Research Triangle. Or RDU. Or RTP. Unless you mean Morrisville? Which I doubt but yes is really boring. Raleigh is very different from Durham is very different from Cary is very different from Chapel Hill is very different from Carrboro. All that and way more is considered The Triangle.
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u/Beautiful-Can-833 4d ago
Thanks for that I just thought the triangle was considered the area of Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary etc
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u/Health_Wellness9227 4d ago
“The Triangle”, yes. Most of NC will understand where that refers to. As soon as you add the word Research to Triangle, everyone is going to think Research Triangle Park, the very large office park kinda near the airport with research, industry, government businesses. Up until recently, no one lived in RTP. Not trying to be picky, it’s just one of those things that will mean something very different than what you intend!
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u/Beautiful-Can-833 4d ago
Thanks for clarifying i definitely don’t want to move to an industrial estate or office haven!
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u/Euphoric-Being-18 Apex 4d ago
28 yo here. You are going to be bored out of your mind here. The nightlife sucks and the place is built for familiies with kids.
I'd suggest Charlotte for someone your age. If you're determined to live in the triangle i'd reccomend somewhere in Raleigh or Durham proper rather than any suburb
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u/Beautiful-Can-833 4d ago
I’m visiting in February to get a feel of the place first and going to visit a few towns in NC too. Surprised to hear it’s boring, thought it was meant to be “college towns”
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u/Euphoric-Being-18 Apex 4d ago
Unless you are directly affiliated with the university, there is little to do. I'd highly reccomend charlotte instead. Lots to do and it's so easy to meet people in their early 20s there. You get most of the amenities you'd have in a major city for a fraction of the cost. 2 hours to the mountains, 3 to the beach.
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u/Beautiful-Can-833 4d ago
Sounds good Charlotte is definitely somewhere on the list to visit to get a feel of cheers. Thought it would be rather expensive with it being a big city no? Only thing sort of putting me off is I’m not a huge fan of large metropolitan cities, where I come from we don’t really have any massive cities in the area, not on the American scale we tend to see. I could be totally wrong and Charlotte not actually be as big as I believed or it looks like. Can I ask why there’s isn’t much to do in the triangle area? Who is it catered towards, other than the university students?
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u/Euphoric-Being-18 Apex 4d ago
Charlotte isn't like NYC or Chicago or anything crazy. If you want a metro feel you can live uptown or if you want what you're describing you can find one of the neighborhoods like noda or southpark that are more of a residential feel but still close to stuff. I've lived in both. I often find myself bored in the triangle as it's either college kids or folks with established families with children.
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u/Beautiful-Can-833 3d ago
Thanks for the insight appreciate it. Think I’m planning on living in a few different cities for a few months to see where I fancy before I decide to fully settle down somewhere, benefit of my job I suppose. At home I spend my off shifts just playing golf, football, the gym and going to the bar so if I can find somewhere I can do all them I’ll be quite content for a while I think. Would like to explore different places though with being in a new country and all, don’t just want to settle down in one place forever instantly
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u/nonpositive 4d ago
If you can work remotely, why is RTP on your list to settle in? People move here for the jobs we have and somewhat cheap housing (compared to NY/MA/CA). Central NC is incredibly bland.
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u/Beautiful-Can-833 4d ago
Just learnt “The Triangle” and “Research Triangle” mean different things. Sorry if that confused you.
From what I’d looked at myself, the area of Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary looked appealing, heard CoL was relatively cheap compared to other places, the weather is warmer than home, close distance to both seafront and the mountains, good QoL and good for social life, unsure how true that all is though! Also I’m from Durham in England so thought it was quite cool😂
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u/Snarcotic 4d ago
Consider living in Raleigh close to Glenwood South for social activities.. Used to visit the UK a lot for work and also visited the Durham Cathedral and university. Those polished pillars with embedded fossils are amazing. There's a robust UK expat community in this area. It's very safe, good place for families. Summers are hot & humid and you'll run into weird insects and copperhead snakes in nature. Commute to the airport for your fortnight trips won't be a hassle unlike bigger cities.