If you’re thinking of moving to Raleigh, you’re in good company. In 2016, Forbes named Raleigh one of the nation’s next boom towns. In fact, Raleigh is showing up on a lot of lists. Money Magazine named Raleigh the best big city in the Southeast. Plus, it’s been named a top city for young professionals, young families, job seekers, startup companies, and yes, beer lovers. Living in Raleigh definitely has its benefits!
Known regionally as “The Triangle,” the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill metro area is home to acclaimed universities (Duke, the University of North Carolina, and North Carolina State University). You also likely know about our world-renowned Research Triangle Park, which houses some of the largest technology and pharmaceutical providers, such as Dell, IBM, and Merck & Co.
With an extremely high quality of living and one of the most highly educated and diverse workforces in the country, the Raleigh new home market continues to grow. In fact, Realtor.com named Raleigh one of the 10 best housing markets in the nation in 2017. Housing costs have been going up in the area, but relatively low property taxes make homeownership easier than in other major cities. Compared to other technology and research hubs, Raleigh is relatively affordable. As you might expect, buying a new house in Raleigh is an excellent investment!
Employment
What’s bringing everyone to our fair region? Let’s start with the job market. In May 2017, Forbes listed Raleigh third in its list of the best job markets in the nation, with a job market favorability percentile of 100 percent. Top employers in the area include IBM Corporation, WakeMed Health & Hospitals, SAS Institute Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., BASF Corp., Biogen Idec Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline. Plus, Research Triangle Park provides nearly 40,000 residents with full-time work — and has fueled about 1,800 startup firms since the 1970s.
With such a wealth of health care, research, education and tech companies in the area, it’s not surprising that Raleigh has lower unemployment and an annual average income that’s higher than the national average. The region is also expected to continue to have strong job growth for years to come.
Climate
Like much of North Carolina, Raleigh is known for its mild weather and its four distinct seasons. People from all over the Southeast flock to the Carolinas in the fall to see the change of leaves, and spring is just delightful. As throughout the South, summers are hot and humid, but not as pronounced as in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Florida. According to US Climate Data, July is the hottest month in Raleigh, with an average high temperature of 89 degrees. When the summer heat gets to be too much, know that Raleigh is about two hours from the closest of North Carolina’s beaches, and about 3 ½ hours to the state’s famed Outer Banks.
January is the coldest month, with an average low temperature of 32 degrees. The city averages about six inches of snow each winter. Speaking of snow, for those who yearn to hit the slopes in the winter, the region’s ski resorts are a reasonable driving distance from Raleigh.
Great places to live
The Triangle area has a rich diversity of communities to call home, from walkable urban neighborhoods to charming Southern towns. For those interested in buying a home in Raleigh, Niche.com says Morrisville is the best Raleigh suburb for raising a family. Morrisville is called “the heart of the Triangle,” and boasts some of the area’s best schools, the lowest unemployment rate, and one of the quickest commutes to Raleigh. If you have a job prospect in Research Triangle Park and you’re thinking of buying a new house in Raleigh, you’ll want to consider the True Homes new homes community of Sterling in Morrisville.
Apex, named Money Magazine’s No. 1 place to live in United States for 2015, everything you’d expect for that ranking: great schools, a lovely little downtown, and a friendly community spirit. The True Homes luxury townhouse community, Villages of Apex, is walking distance to downtown and also is very convenient to the Research Triangle Park.
Also on the Niche.com list of the top Raleigh suburbs for raising a family is Wendell, home to two True Homes new home communities, Foxborough Crossing and Woods of Blair Hill. If you want to buy a new house in the quiet countryside but still be within 30 minutes of downtown Raleigh, you’ll want to visit these communities in Wendell.
Culture
So what’s there to do in the Triangle region? Honestly, you have your pick from so, so much. The cultural scene is rich and diverse, offering a wide range of performing and visual arts.
As the state capital, Raleigh is home to the North Carolina Symphony, North Carolina Opera, North Carolina Theatre, and Carolina Ballet, as well as the North Carolina Museum of Art, and the Contemporary Arts Museum Raleigh. Plus, there’s the Marbles Kids Museum and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and the North Carolina Museum of History.
Did we mention Raleigh has the most live music venues in the state? For an up-to-date listing of what’s happening on area stages, click here.
Sports
Whatever sport you like to cheer for, you can find it here. The region is home to National Hockey League Carolina Hurricanes; the single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves
Carolina Mudcats, the hard-hitting Carolina Rollergirls roller derby team, the Cary Invasion of the Continental Basketball League, and the North Carolina Football Club and North Carolina Courage professional men’s and women’s soccer teams. And of course, don’t forget all the great collegiate sports from Duke, UNC, and NC State!
If you’d rather be in the action than in the stands, Raleigh also has a wide arrange of sports for you to participate in, as well as 200-plus parks and a 152-mile greenway system for safe biking and hiking.
Dining out
Well, now that you mention it, Raleigh is gaining a reputation as a food lover’s paradise. In 2016, Raleigh won a spot on the Zagat list of the hottest food cities in America, coming in higher than Miami, San Francisco, and even New York. Here’s Movoto.com’s list of 15 Raleigh restaurants that will “blow the taste buds out of your mouth.” Southern Living also named Durham as the South’s Tastiest Town, praising its “scrappy scene of artisans devoted to coffee beans, brews, and the craft of humble foods.”
Did they say “brews”? With nearly 40 local breweries, Raleigh has no shortage of craft beers to satisfy even the most particular palate. Be on the lookout next spring for Brewgaloo Local Beer Fest, held every April in Raleigh.
If you want to try to make some of the great dishes served by Raleigh’s chefs, the Raleigh Downtown Farmer’s Market is a great place to pick up fresh local produce.
And much, much more!
So, that’s an overview of what you might want to know about relocating to Raleigh. Obviously, we’ve just scratched the surface here. It literally could take you a lifetime to explore everything Raleigh has to offer.
Naturally, if you want to buy a new home in Raleigh, True Homes would love to help you! As the leading semi-custom home builder in the Carolinas, True Homes can help make you feel right at home. For more information on buying a new home in Raleigh from True Homes, click here.
