We like to keep things real around here, so you have realistic expectations and knowledge, and as much as we love living in Raleigh, we are here to tell you that, no, Raleigh is NOT perfect, it has its flaws and is not for everyone, and if you are thinking of relocating to Raleigh, read this first.
We first moved to Raleigh in 2004 and we’ve said from day one that Raleigh is “America’s best kept secret” and have been singing its praises ever since. But, the secret is definitely out and people are moving here in droves from everywhere, both domestically and internationally.
Show me any list of best places to live in the USA, and for most categories Raleigh is in the top 10, and it has been that way for a long time.
I’m sure most people could move here with little knowledge of the city and just instantly fall in love with it, like we did from Australia – there certainly are worse places to live!
But if you are in the process of making a life altering decision like relocating from out of state that consumes a lot of your time, finances, and mental energy we think it’s important you have as much perspective and awareness as possible!
When looking to buy a home, or move to a new city, it’s important to have a priority list of things important to you personally. What are your MUST haves, your non-negotiable items? That’s what we did recently when buying our home here in Raleigh.
You need to ask yourself, what can’t you live without? And what would be nice to have, but not essential? Keep that in mind when thinking about relocating to the city of Raleigh, NC!
If you’ve been following us on Instagram or have joined our free email community, you’ll know how much we love the Raleigh lifestyle, we even wrote about 34 reasons we love living in Raleigh and I think it would be hard to find a couple from out of state more naturally passionate about the city, than us!
But no place is perfect, and one thing we’ve learned from living in 5 other countries, and traveling through 50+ countries, is that it’s really important to figure out what you like, and what you don’t like, and what are your absolute deal breakers?
When we lived in Dublin, Ireland for 12 months back in 2003 it was one of the most fun periods of our life, but we got to the point where we couldn’t deal with the constant dreary rain any longer. We realized that lifestyle was not going to suit us long-term – yes, the honeymoon period can cool off!
A lot of people contact us and ask, “what is it like living in Raleigh?” And ask us what’s bad about Raleigh, or tell us why they don’t like living here, so a lot of this is from personal experience, plus feedback from others in the community!
If you’d like to hear more of our story, go listen to episode 1 and episode 2 of our podcast which talks a lot about how we ended up relocating to Raleigh, how we got Green Cards and have put down permanent roots!
We’ve also recorded a podcast episode about reasons not to love Raleigh. You can listen at the bottom of the post.
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Yes, this article is a bit tongue-in-cheek because we’re always like, “who wouldn’t want to live in Raleigh?” When people visit Raleigh, even if for only 48 hours, they tend to love it and are pleasantly surprised about how cool Raleigh is.
But there is a BIG difference between visiting a place, and living in a place. We’ve visited a lot of places that we love, but wouldn’t want to live there! And in my opinion, you need a good 6-months to get a real feel for a place and into the community, so keep that in mind!
There certainly are pros and cons to anything in life, and we strongly believe the pros of living in Raleigh far outweigh any of the negatives, and there are many interesting facts about Raleigh and beautiful neighborhoods in Raleigh that make it a lovely place to call home!
But, as liveable as Raleigh is, it’s definitely not for everyone, and here’s why!
1. You can’t go to the beach before, or after work!
If you come from Florida or Southern California, or maybe even Australia like us and you are used to a 10-minute drive, or maybe even a bike ride away from your local beach, I’m sorry to break it to you but you’re not going to get that in Raleigh!
One quick look at a map will tell you this before you move to Raleigh, but I do hear people complain who come from those aforementioned places that Raleigh is not on the beach, which is kinda funny.
We’ve always said that the only thing missing from Raleigh is a beach (or a river running through it). We do miss the beach, we grew up by the beach and literally a bike ride away. But we don’t complain that Raleigh is terrible because it’s not near the beach, because we knew that before moving here!
By the way, the closest beach to Raleigh is a day trip!
Wrightsville Beach is two hours drive each way from Raleigh down I-40. We’ve done plenty of day trips to Wrightsville, and it’s one of our favorite beaches in North Carolina and reminds us of home in Australia.
If you’re a beach-lover like us and researching the area, other nice beaches close to Raleigh include Carolina Beach, TopSail Beach, Surf City and Ocean Isle Beach. And a bit further of a drive is the incredible Outer Banks!
Yes, we have a lot of awesome lakes in Raleigh, and we have learned to embrace lake life and love paddle boarding, kayaking and tubing, but they’re not swimming lakes. There is a decent beach area at Jordan Lake State Recreation Area (we like Ebenezer Beach), but that is a 35-minute drive from downtown Raleigh, and when we think of the beach, we think of the OCEAN!
So if you LOVE the beach and it’s something you have grown up with and CANNOT live without in your daily life, if you must have a swim or surf before or after work, or on the weekends, then reconsider moving to Raleigh!
2. Lack of Diversity in Food
When we first moved here in 2004, the food scene was nothing to write about, but the Raleigh food scene has certainly thrived in recent years and we now have James Beard award-winning chefs, innovative new restaurants and concepts moving in, so it is becoming much more diverse – it’s not just Carolina BBQ and your typical classic Southern dishes!
In fact, Raleigh continues to gain in prominence compared to other Southern foodie cities like Charleston, Nashville and Atlanta, and nearby Durham has been called “the tastiest town in the South” and there is not much we can’t get here!
However, a lot of people who have moved here from, say, New York City, South Florida or California and Texas tend to complain about the quality, flavor and lack of diversity of food options.
If you come from a foodie city, you might be disappointed in Raleigh. But we didn’t move here for the food, and when I think of Raleigh, as good as the food has become and we love our restaurants and I know there is amazing food to be found in the area, I don’t think of it as a food destination. When I think of foodie cities I think of places like New Orleans, San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, and Napa Valley etc.
We totally get “missing the food” situation from home, there are foods from Australia we miss like our incredible fresh seafood for one, and I’m sure you will miss some of your favorites from home too!
So, if you’re from New York or Connecticut and CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT your authentic New York style pizza and NY bagels (which they complain about a lot), or you Texans cannot live without your Tex-Mex, or your breakfast burritos or tacos, or your Latin cuisine from South Florida, or your tapas bars, and are going to constantly complain, then don’t come and live in Raleigh!
Oh, and if you’re British and miss your hot English breakfast fry up, go and see our friend’s Darren and Mike who own the awesome London Bridge Pub in downtown Raleigh, it’s never too early for a pint, right?
By the way, I’m no bagel expert, but I think these are the best bagels in Raleigh and more than satisfy my bagel fix. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
On the flip-side, in my opinion, Raleigh has one of the best craft beer scenes in the nation and that comes from personally drinking many beers in Portland, San Diego, Seattle, Denver and Asheville, the most highly-rated beer destinations in the county, so beer lovers rejoice!
And coffee lovers, you are well taken care of too. As Australians, we are a bit snobbish about our coffee, and if you know anything about quality coffee, you’ll know that Australia (and New Zealand) has one of the best coffee scenes in the world). So no, Starbucks doesn’t cut it and we love to support local, and we have some excellent local coffee shops in Raleigh.
3. Summer is HOT and HUMID
One of the main things people reach out to us about is the humidity, and we get it, humidity is tough to deal with if you’re not used to it.
We might be weird as we love it, but we grew up with it and it just suits our body better and we embrace it.
Not only did we grow up with it in Australia, but we’ve lived in Bangkok, Thailand (talk about HOT and HUMID), and we traveled around Australia for 18-months to the Top End so it’s nothing new to us and we much prefer humid heat vs dry heat.
But humidity is intense and draining when it hits 90%. We don’t want to say to you don’t worry about it, you’ll be fine, and it’s definitely something to think about. Here is the average humidity in Raleigh.
If you like to walk a lot like us, in summer after going for a walk it can feel like we’ve jumped in a lake, we are that sweaty. But, maybe consider it cleansing and getting the toxins out, like a good sauna!
Yes, humidity can make the summers in the Carolina’s uncomfortable.
We know you guys love your air-conditioning over here, but a little too much and there’s nothing worse for us than it being a beautiful 90 degree day, and then having to wear a jacket inside because the a/c is freezing, like sitting in an ice box – that’s what our kids have to put up with at school and Caroline previously did as a school teacher.
Or when you go to a movie theater or a restaurant. It’s annoying to have to carry a sweater in summer because it can be COLD indoors!
So, if you absolutely HATE humidity, or carrying around layers, don’t move to Raleigh!
4. Pollen is a pain in the sinuses!
If you’re not used to pollen in the spring before moving to Raleigh, it can be a pain in the sinuses, literally. It can get so thick sometimes that they call it the pollenpocalypse, and Raleigh ranks fifth in the nation in pollen severity.
It can get everywhere, all over your car, your deck, your roof, your window screens, your clothes, and it can make sitting outside challenging at times.
So, if you have issues with your lungs or sinuses or struggle with allergies related to pollen, consider not moving to Raleigh!
5. Hurricane season
Hurricane season obviously happens every year, but in the 10+ years we’ve lived here we’ve never experienced anything bad, thankfully, just some strong tropical storms.
When they hit the Southeast area they tend to hug the East coast and being two hours drive inland from the coast, Raleigh usually just gets a lot of the heavy rain and some wind. As you know, as soon as hurricanes go inland they lose a lot of strength.
We didn’t grow up in a hurricane zone, and we don’t worry too much about them here. The thing about hurricanes vs say a tornado, is at least you get several days warning so you can plan and prepare, or leave the area, so they don’t really freak us out – the only hurricanes we love around here are these Carolina Hurricanes!
If you want to know what big storms have impacted Raleigh directly, Hurricane Hazel in 1954 took the Wilmington/Fayetteville/Raleigh track. This was the only Category 4 hurricane ever to make landfall in NC, and is regarded as the most deadliest and devastating in NC history.
Hurricane Fran hit in 1996 as a Category 3 and hit Raleigh directly causing the oss of power for 2–3 weeks across the triangle, with thousands of downed trees and power lines.
In 1999, hurricane Floyd hit North Carolina and travelled slightly east of Raleigh. This was a Cat 2 Hurricane at landfall, but caused devastating flooding because of its slow movement across the area and the proximity in time to Hurricane Dennis just a couple of weeks before!
Wherever you live there’s going to be some type of natural disaster that could be a potential problem, in Australia it was bush fires (forest fires).
But, if hurricanes are of particular concern to you, keep this in mind.
6. Capped Schools (and Overflow schools)
Because of the continuing growth of people moving to Raleigh, several Elementary, Middle and High Schools have reached the maximum number of students they can effectively teach. When that happens, the Board of Education may place an enrollment cap on the school.
If you recently moved to your home and are assigned to a capped school, your child may be assigned to an overflow school.
We know ourselves as parents that figuring out where your kids go to school is important and stressful, and many people choose a particular neighborhood to live in based on the assigned base school.
This is just a heads up that your kids may not always be able to get into the school you expected based on your address. If certainty around this is crucial to you, keep this in mind when looking at schools and neighborhoods.
NOTE: you should still contact the data manager at your base school. It is possible there are available seats in certain grades at a capped school.
Learn more about what schools are currently capped on the official Wake County Schools website. And check out this other list for the 2022/23 school year.
- How to navigate the Wake County Public Schools
- Podcast: Wake County Schools: which one is best for your children?
7. Bugs, Mosquitoes, and Flying Roaches
When a place is hot and humid and there is a bit of rain around and water sources like lakes, you’re going to have mosquitoes and other bugs, including flying roaches.
The common species of cockroaches found in NC are the German, American, Oriental, and Pennsylvania wood cockroach. German cockroaches have two black stripes running horizontally down behind their heads. Their bodies are light brown to tan in color. They are capable of flying – but there is nothing dangerous about flying cockroaches!
When we were buying a home here in Raleigh, one of the things at the top of our wish list was a screened in patio, or room to add one! We love to be outside as much as possible and even though we grew up with mosquitos and flies in Australia, the mosquitoes still drive us nuts here!
When you combine the annoyance of mosquitoes and bugs with intense heat and humidity, it can be irritating. I wouldn’t get too concerned about any of this, but understand everyone has their comfort level.
Just a note on window screens (fly screens). Not many people have window screens here, and we like having fresh air come through the windows as we didn’t grow up with air conditioning in Oz – we mostly had ceiling fans or pedestal fans!
But people in the South don’t seem to like window screens, they don’t like the look of them and say that it takes away the aesthetic appeal of the home. But that’s not to say you can’t have screens, we certainly do!
You can get pest control to deal with most bug issues, but if you really freak out about bugs, mosquitoes and FLYING roaches, this is your warning, lol.
8. It Can Rain a Lot (sometimes)
In case you don’t know, Raleigh is literally a city within a forest, just fly into Raleigh-Durham Airport and you’ll get the picture, or drive down I-40. Raleigh is very green and has a lot of trees, which we think is awesome, but it is green for a reason because we do get our fair share of rain!
Embrace it, otherwise it would not be so lush and green here.
NOTE: It doesn’t rain here like in Dublin, Ireland where it constantly drizzles for what seems like 12 months of the year, or rain like it does in the Pacific NorthWest. No, in the summer it’s like a downpour in the afternoon, or an afternoon storm from the humidity which is cooling. It’s tropical like you get in Florida.
Of course, there are times when it might rain for a few days on end, but it doesn’t bother us.
July is typically the wettest month with up to 4.5 inches of rain. Click here for the average precipitation per month.
If you prefer consistent dry weather like in the desert regions, keep this in mind.
9. Copperhead Snakes might scare you?
In Australia, we have 8 out 10 deadliest snakes in the world, among other deadly animals like spiders, crocs, and Great White Sharks so we don’t have a great fear of snakes and have never had an issue in Australia, so Copperheads don’t really concern us too much either.
But we certainly understand the fear around snakes.
The Copperhead snake is the most common venomous snake in North Carolina, and we’ve probably seen one in our whole time here. Obviously it would depend on where you are in the city.
They range between 24 to 40 inches long and have triangular heads. They are usually light brown or tan in color and have dark irregular bands patterned along its body.
And they mostly prefer woody areas and tall grass for cover. You can also find them in garden areas or along the exterior walls of a home. Check areas of your yard where there is a lot of wood, mulch, and leaf litter.
Copperheads are usually out and about during the day in the spring and fall, but during the summer they become nocturnal, so keep your wits about yourself on trails and in your backyard. During the winter, it hibernates.
What can you do? Lay out traps and baits to address rats and/or mice to take away the snake’s food supply. Learn more here.
10. No Big Tourist Attractions
We love Raleigh because it’s not too big and not too small, it’s just about right for us and it doesn’t have many big tourist attractions which we love and makes it very liveable.
It’s a mid-size city (population at time of publishing is 474,708, and metro area 1.5 million) and that number grows by an estimated 67 people per day in Wake County, but if you’re coming from NYC or LA or Chicago, it might be a bit too small and quiet for you if you need to be doing something 24/7.
Whilst we do love to visit big tourist cities, we then like coming home to Raleigh. And just because it’s not a big tourist destination, doesn’t mean you’ll get bored and there’s nothing to do!
From our perspective, there’s plenty of things to do in Raleigh and always something going on like festivals and events, markets, breweries, coffee shops, Greenway trails, lakes and excellent free museums. Here are the top 25 attractions in Raleigh.
And close by are the other two cities in the Triangle area, Durham and Chapel Hill, plus many great smaller towns like Cary, Apex, and Wake Forest.
In our opinion, Raleigh still has that small town vibe, with most big city options and has a nice balance.
But, if you love BIG CITY life and endless nightlife options, Raleigh might be too quiet for you.
11. Life Moves Too SLOW Here
Another complaint we hear from out of state people is that things move too slow here, like customer service for example.
But we find that people are more friendly here and want to talk to you which might slow things down if you’re not used to that interaction.
I just think the Southern way is more relaxed and there’s not as much intensity here. If you’ve ever been to a place like Fiji where it’s super relaxed and basically useless to have a watch as things happen on Fiji time, think of it like that. But it’s not THAT slow!
However, if you prefer hustle and bustle and things happening quickly, like yesterday, you might get frustrated.
12. Competitive Real Estate Market
The real estate market has been on steroids here for quite some time with low inventory, high demand and historically low interest rates. And it seems like people keep coming and I don’t know where they’re coming from.
But, it seems to be competitive in almost every market, domestically and internationally, so I don’t think you can avoid it too much.
The pandemic has obviously changed the landscape some, more people now realize they have the ability to work from home and are not tied to a location job wise, so are moving to more affordable and liveable cities, like Raleigh, for the increased lifestyle.
If you want to listen to our home buying experience in Raleigh, listen to this podcast. And if you’re interested in financing a home, this podcast.
From what I see and hear, almost every home on the market sells for above list price, and is a multiple-offer situation, but again, that’s probably true for most markets currently!
According to Redfin, in December 2021, Raleigh home prices were up 21.2% compared to last year, selling for a median price of $385K.
If you’d like to get pre-approved for a loan, our broker April Young Blackwell from Blackwell Mortgage is excellent. And our realtor, Amanda Williams from AG Williams Realty has a great team in Raleigh and she also owns furnished short-term rentals in Raleigh so you don’t feel pushed to rent for longer than you need before buying.
But if you want to buy a home in a less-competitive market, don’t buy in Raleigh. According to Zillow, Raleigh is projected to be the 3rd hottest market for 2022.
13. Too Many Trees (wait…what?)
I read a funny complaint by a newcomer to Raleigh recently who said that there are “too many trees blocking his view when driving so he couldn’t see any buildings or landmarks to get his bearings”.
Say what? Strangest complaint I’ve heard yet about living in Raleigh NC.
I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather look at trees and nature than an endless concrete jungle or strip malls.
The trees are one of THE BEST THINGS about living in Raleigh, and if we all had more nature and trees in our life we’d be a lot calmer and happier and the world would be a better place.
Honestly, we love the close connection we have to nature here, and I think people came to appreciate that more during the pandemic. In times of stress, go to nature, it makes you feel good, it’s the calming nature effect.
Fly into Raleigh, and then fly over Phoenix and tell me what’s better on the eyes? I know my answer!
But guys, if you don’t like greenery and don’t like a lot of trees, then definitely don’t live in Raleigh!
14. Only ONE Pro Sports Team (no NFL, NBA, or MLB team here guys!)
If you come from cities like Boston, Chicago, Denver, NYC or any of the other major sporting cities that have all four pro sports teams (NFL, NBA, MLB and the NHL), just know that Raleigh only has one pro sports team, the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes (Stanley Cup champions from 2006, with a raving and growing fan base called the Caniacs!)
Raleigh is a college town (North Carolina State University) and this is college sports territory, specifically ACC basketball with in-state rivals the NC State Wolfpack, UNC Tar Heels, and Duke Blue Devils all within a 40-minute drive of each other.
- Nearest NFL team is of course the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte: 2.5 hours drive
- Nearest NBA team is the Charlotte Hornets: 2.5 hours drive
- and the nearest MLB team is the Washington Nationals in D.C: 4.5 hours drive.
We do have the world famous Durham Bulls Baseball team just 30-minutes up the road in Durham which is a great night out – minor league baseball rocks!
However, the NFL seems to be well followed here at sports bars, and several teams have a sports bar headquarters, like the Steelers fan club at Sammy’s Tap & Grill. I think you can find your teams tribe here easily enough.
Also, Soccer is a BIG deal in North Carolina. The area is home to North Carolina FC of the USL (men’s team), and the NC Courage (National Women’s Soccer League).
But, if you love living in a city with ALL 4 PRO SPORTS teams, you won’t find that here in Raleigh!
15. Too Much Traffic (and not enough public transportation)
I think people tend to complain about traffic no matter where they live, and it is always perspective.
Sure, traffic has naturally increased with the consistent growth of people over recent years, and Raleigh doesn’t have a great public transport system compared to other cities and most people get around Raleigh by driving.
Besides having a beach, the other thing Raleigh could do better is improve the public transportation system. We don’t like having to drive everywhere and miss the days of jumping on an efficient train system like the London Underground, the Skytrain in Bangkok, the subway system in Hong Kong and Singapore, or the subway in NYC.
There is a bus rapid transit project in the plans, though. And yes, some type of light rail system that linked up the three main Triangle cities, Raleigh to Durham to Chapel Hill with connections from RDU Airport to downtown would be nice!
But as far as traffic goes, if you have spent any time driving around cities like Los Angeles, Houston, Washington D.C., Boston, or Atlanta for example, then Raleigh traffic is nothing compared to those places.
But if you come from a smaller city or more rural town, sure, you would probably say Raleigh has traffic issues. Again, it’s all perspective!
But for us, it’s only really rush hour in the mornings and afternoons that I would say you can get caught in decent traffic delays. But again, we’re not talking rush hour LA!
However, if you’re someone who doesn’t want to own a car and LOVES getting around your city via public transportation, you won’t find that convenience in Raleigh! You would have to live closer to downtown Raleigh and work from home!
There you have it. A few things to contemplate before moving to Raleigh, some more trivial than others. I hope you found this post helpful, as we understand how much time, mental anguish, and finances go into such a big move so we want you to have as much awareness as possible.
Why NOT Raleigh Podcast Episode
If you’d like to hear us talk about all these points, watch our video below as we recorded a podcast about this very topic. And don’t forget to read our other article on why we LOVE living in Raleigh.
For those who may prefer watching a video of us podcasting, we filmed that for you too, which you’ll find on YouTube each week.
Watch our Video as we talk about Reasons NOT to live in Raleigh
Like I said, Raleigh is not perfect, and the grass is not always greener and it has its own growing pains going on.
We understand growth happens, and you either evolve or die, but hopefully it is well managed growth and plan for it and learn from other cities who didn’t do such a great job of it and Raleigh keeps its uniqueness and identity as the City of Oaks!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we love living in Raleigh because it’s RALEIGH, not because it’s a future Austin or Seattle or Silicon Valley, and we just hope they don’t ruin the whole fabric of the place – and please whatever you do Raleigh, don’t lose the TREES!
And if you do decide not to move here, we’ve heard that Greenville, South Carolina; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Boise, Idaho are other lovely places to live.
Please, if you do move to Raleigh, appreciate Raleigh for what it is, embrace it, engage with it, and don’t expect everything to be like it was back at your previous home, otherwise, what is the point in moving here in the first place!
What have I missed? Share your thoughts, or leave any questions in the comments below. We are here to help!
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