The girlfriend and I have come to the conclusion that it is too difficult for me to acquire a good job in the Huntsville AL region. Many of the positions I find require more experience than I have, or require a current SECRET clearance. Plus when they see my Pittsburgh employment they probably throw away the résumé even though I use an Alabama address (girlfriend's apartment) as recommended by a recruiter. I try calling the companies I apply to and only get to leave voicemails that do not get answered.

The GF doesn't like the cold winters of PA nor the cost of living near Pittsburgh, and compared to what it is near her I can't blame her. I also find myself hating the cold and the recent increases in the gas tax put a hurtin on my 72 mile commute everyday.

We decided on the Raleigh/Durham area due to its technology and nursing opportunities. As a nurse she can find employment where she pleases, it's a little more tricky for me as a programmer, but Raleigh seems to offer more than Huntsville.

I was just wondering what the locals on ARFCOM could tell me about areas to avoid, commutes, places to find an apartment, outdoor recreation, nightlife and things like that. Would a Pittsburgh guy and Alabama girl fit in?

The other plus with Raleigh is it is almost equidistant between Huntsville and Pittsburgh and my parents are planning a move to the area to escape the taxes and gas prices up here.

I appreciate the input everyone!

Ever considered Charlotte?  Anyhow, don't live anywhere in Raleigh/Durham.  Chapel Hill is nice.  If you have children, ensure that you check out the schools as they are hit and miss up there.

We would be looking outside the city towards the suburbs, neither of us could stand city-living...A gentleman I work with also recommended Chapel Hill when he was down there about 10 years ago.

Thank you

Raleigh/ Wake county is good. Durham/ Chapel Hill not so much if you like guns, red meat, and the opposite sex as bed buddies.

Do you want to live in town, suburbs or country?

Edit: just saw suburbs.

I would look at Fuquay, Holly Springs, Apex, Pittsboro, Kinghtdale, Wake Forest, Garner.

All are in the 30-50 min commute range, have enough big box stores ( Walmart, Home Depot), chain and small restaurants, and lost of housing.

If you can get in Harnett, Chatham, Johnson, or one of the out lying counties, taxes are better.

If you hit Harnett county you are half way between Raleigh and Fayetteville- more places to hunt work

I'm more worried about the girlfriends commute. She seems to have her eyes set on some RN positions at Duke University Hospital...and I did a quick look at some apartments in the Cary area... Both of them had "Bexley" in the name and rent was $200 cheaper than my "Luxury" apartment I had in the North Hills area in PGH...

I seen someone call Cary

Concentrated
Area
of
Relocated
Yankees



I appreciate the input, especially since I enjoy my guns, red meat, and wimmens...I'll look into those areas as well.
Just checked gas buddy and it would appear gas is anywhere from 20-40 cents less a gallon there than up here.

What is the local sales tax of the area? I currently pay 7 percent now.

Wife grew up in North Raleigh, its a nice area. I do think the area has a lot of programming jobs from my impression of RTP. I know several people that live in the Brier Creek Area near the airport, they all seem to like it there.

check out Lee county.  easy commute to RTP,Chapel Hill,Pinehurst and Fayetteville

Duke is nice, but there is also UNC medical center.

Be very careful about "commute" times. Mine get's worse every day.

I respect the members opinions here, but y'all must be driving different roads or at different times of day than I do.

My advice, add 15 minutes to whatever anyone tells you. Even me.

If she is dead set on Duke and you can find programming position in RTP, then very western wake north of hwy 64 would work for you both. Maybe far eastern edge of Chatham county in the same general area as well.

There is no "country" living here anymore. It's very suburban at best, becoming more urban fast. Just a FYI. That's not to say you can't find something to suit you, just don't get trapped into spending an hour+ in your car one way every day.

This is a truth, commutes in the Triangle, especially between the cities, was a nightmare. No matter which way you were going.

 

Orange County is nice, overall the Raleigh area is nice. Durham has a great minor league baseball team, The Bulls, see the movie Bull Durham.  Tons of local beer!  Check Alamance County as well.

I live in the Charlotte area which is nice and perhaps you might want to look into the area.

I have family in southern Person County that has one or both spouses commuting as far as Raleigh.  Two are commuting to the Duke campus and another commutes to RTP.  Crossing the county line from Durham into Person see a major drop in prices and taxes.  Plus there is still a lot of land available for someone who wants to buy enough acreage to allow backyard shooting.

I have lived in Pittsburgh and have recently moved to wake county. I'm in Fuquay but I work on the northern side of Raleigh. As a Pittsburgh guy you will have no problems with the roads down here, they make no sense, you can go left or right and get to the same place, the only difference between Pittsburgh and Raleigh as far as driving goes is it's much flatter and there aren't 3 giant rivers in the way of everything. So far the only time it's taken me 2 hours to go 12 miles was because of a sudden out break of Southern Ice, not because it was a random tuesday afternoon








 

Durham is fine as long as you are not a drug dealer or gang member. The downtown area has improved drastically.

I still live in Raleigh and commute

Duke has a good reputation for level and quality of care for patents but they treat their staff like crap. Duke is very prestigious on the resume and they know it and will take full advantage of employees as a result.

As for IT, what is your skill set? DBA's are in high demand but there are a lot of IT jobs going to India as a result of a lack of qualified Americans in the area

Also look at Rolesville  or anywhere along hwy 401..