Reason # 1. Businessweek says so! In 2011, Businessweek voted Raleigh America’s Best City. “Among its many attributes, the city sports 867 restaurants, 110 bars, and 51 museums, according to Onboard Informatics, as well as a thriving social scene, good schools, and 12,512 park acres.”
Reason # 2. Money Magazine says so! In 2012, Money magazine ranked Chapel Hill as #10 in the nation on its list of Best Places to Live. See all the stats here.
Reason # 3. Kiplinger says so! Durham ranked #9 in the 2012 list of Best Cities for Singles in 2012, and it’s way more affordable than city #8 (New York).
Reason # 4. Forbes says so! Forbes ranked Raleigh-Cary as the 7th Best Big City for Jobs in 2012. The Triangle’s diverse economy has served us well, even during the recession. Major employers include pharmaceuticals, technology, state government, and academia.
Reason # 5. Milken says so! Not only is the area good for jobs, you don’t need to move away when you retire. The Milken Institute ranked Durham-Chapel Hill as the 9th Best Place for Successful Aging, citing “extensive cultural offerings as well as quality healthcare.” If you eliminate places with serious snowfall -- and who wouldn’t? -- we’d rank even higher than 9th.
Reason # 6. US. News says so! In their Honor Roll of Best Hospitals for 2012-13, Duke Hospital came in #8. Out of 5,000 hospitals, that’s pretty impressive! UNC Chapel Hill also has a well-respected teaching and research hospital. Duke and UNC hospitals are ranked #1 and #2 in North Carolina.
Reason # 7. A Baby-Bear Climate: Not too hot and not too cold. The Triangle has four distinct seasons with colorful leaves in the fall and glorious flowers in the spring. Winters are typically mild. Since this is the South, even a light snowfall -- or the threat of one! -- shuts everything down and we all stay home.
Reason # 8. Good schools! The Orange County and Chapel Hill School Districts have the best test scores in the state. The Wake County School District is the largest in the state and generally considered excellent, though it has been going through some political upheaval the last couple of years. For higher education, North Carolina choices include county community colleges, the 16-campus state university system. and many private colleges and universities, including Duke, Elon, Davidson, Wake Forest, Shaw, Peace, Meredith, Campbell, and others.
Reason # 9: Sports! During football and basketball seasons, the three-way college rivalry is fierce! Pick your team: the NC State Wolfpack, the Duke Devils, or the UNC Tarheels. Professional teams include the Hurricanes (ice hockey) and a long-distance loyalty to the Carolina Panthers (NFL) in Charlotte. A minor-league baseball team, the Carolina Mudcats, play in Durham.
Reason # 9.5: Culture! If you don’t care about sports, maybe you’ll be excited about culture. Raleigh is the state capital, so it’s home to the NC Museum of Art, the NC Symphony, and the NC Ballet. Theater opportunities include performances at the various colleges; community theaters, such as Raleigh Little Theater; and professional theaters, such as Durham's Burning Coal. Touring companies and national artists perform at the Raleigh Memorial Theater complex, or the new Durham Performing Arts Center. Does the NC State Fair count as culture?
Reason # 10: Nice people! The Triangle has a diverse population who have come from around the world as well as around the country -- plus a few who were clever enough to be born here. Since everyone is happy to live here, that makes us mostly cheerful, and I'm sure there's a study out there somewhere that proves cheerful people are naturally inclined to be nice ; )
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