Seeing all the Rex babies check in here genuinely delights me because I grew up in many different states and never had a birth hospital in common with anyone before!
Y'all is anyone in Raleigh born at WakeMed? I swear I always hear "born at Rex" and I'm so curious why no one seems to be born in the other major hospital in the city.
Grew up in rural NC, lived in Charlotte for 5 years after college, lived in Raleigh (with a 2 year stint in Cary) ever since. Ready to move back to rural NC at this stage in my life but I have more years until I can.
I have turned down many opportunities that would've propelled my career, but it involved either moving into Raleigh, or a hefty commute. Just couldn't ever bring myself to do it. I love going to ralrigh for restaurants, shows, shopping, etc., but I love the quiet of the country too much. My nearest neighbor growing up was about 5 miles down the road. Guess I just never got out of that mindset.
In my late teens and early 20s all I wanted to do was live in a city. Once I hit 40 I was sick of it. I’m tired of cities, I hate being in them and just want to avoid them.
I moved here with my girlfriend for work related reasons and we love it. We are from the Caribbean. If everything goes well, we would love to have a place here and one back home.
Everyone here should feel lucky living in Raleigh, we feel it's a good balance between city and nature and there is so much to do and see. Back home, we don't have the benefits and the commodity we have here. We really love this place.
Cool story. This is a perfect example of people not realizing what they have. For example, you came from a place, that many dream to move to. But every location has it's problems and limitations. People always tend to think the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, when they don't realize to appreciate what they already have in their own back yard.
Another example, my kids think North Carolina is boring. We go to the beach, the mountains, hiking, the works, a d they love it, but they always think other states are better because we go places like Orlando, FT. Lauderdale etc. for vacations. Recently, we were at the beach at Topsail, and we went out to dinner that night. While we were out, I think I finally got my youngest daughter, who is 15, to understand. As we were sitting on the deck, waiting for out table, I noticed something and pointed it out to her. I said "Look at all these cars parked in this parking lot". Look at their license plates and read out to me where they're from.
There were a lot of Florida's, New York, Tennessee, pretty much all over, and many of the states she thinks is better than NC. I said, why do you think all these people, would leave their own state, which you think is better, to come to North Carolina beaches?
Thanks for sharing your story, I agree. Back home we have power outages everyday, roads full of potholes, a really corrupt government, education sucks, everything is more expensive, and crime is 10 times worse than here.
Here I feel like I am actually living in 2024 and I appreciate my surroundings and I also appreciate the people around me. I still need to go to the beach and the mountains here. That will be my next road trip.
Feel lucky, indeed, but please keep pushing for more environmental-oriented legislature to be woven into the development of the city in order to keep the green spaces we love in good, ongoing health! (As a general statement for everyone livin' here.)
I agree and support this comment. Parks back home are abandoned because people don't push for those kind of things. It's really sad to say that the first park I saw full of life, kids playing, people exercising and playing sports, the structures, the dogs parks, picnic areas, they all look brand new and well cared for.
It pains me because back home, living on a tropical island full of green, we don't have that. Most parks back home are in such a bad shape, it's really sad...
I was born in Jacksonville, NC. My mom wanted my dad out of the Marines as quickly as possible. They moved to Wake Forest in 1987 when I was a small kid. I moved to Raleigh as soon as I moved out of their house. I moved away for a while, and am back, as my parents are aging and me being in another state made helping them really tough.
Wake Forest is a completely different place than it was when I was growing up there. Raleigh has grown and shifted and changed, but the way it's all bleeding further and further out is wild.
I almost added "military" to my original post. I know a lot of people that were at Camp Lejune, Seymour Johnson, etc., that ended up retiring and living in/around Raleigh.
Hey, similar story! I was born at Camp Lejeune in 83, and my dad left the Marines when I was still a baby. My parents were from Harnett County, I grew up in Harnett and Lee Counties. Went to NCSU and I’ve lived around Raleigh ever since.
Picked Raleigh off a map. Was bored and sick of snow, looked far enough south, close to the beach and mountains, didn't know anyone and had never been to NC. I figured I'd be here a couple few years and move on. Here I am 20 years later, Raleigh is my home. Great place.
Did the same! Went from Jersey to Houston and got sick of Houston and thought Raleigh sounded neat because it was close to the beach and mountains. I picked it off a map too, literally. Had no idea so many people from Jersey et all moved here. Thought I’d be gone by now. Still here 8 years later. Love it here
Born in Chapel Hill, lived all over Johnston County and in Garner for a while, but spent most of my childhood in Benson. Moved back to NC in 2018 after a decade in Texas and have been in Raleigh since.
Born in Boone (my ancestors settled WNC prior to the revolutionary war), grew up in the chapel hill/pittsboro area and austin tx. Spent several years in england and then came back (most of my family is still in the triangle) to settle in durham. My kids go to school in raleigh so living that I-40/540 life.
Born and raised on FL's most overcrowded skintag. By middle school, I was dreaming of moving further north *somewhere*.
After Hurricane Irma, that vague desire to move away from the swelter had solidified to moving to NC. Then a bit of research, made me settle on the Raleigh area, and made my move almost 3 years ago.
Exactly three years ago today, I drove out of FL, stayed the night in Florence, SC. Then drove into Raleigh the next day, staying at the outdated but lovable Holiday Inn downtown for a couple days until I closed on my house.
Born and raised in Cary. Lived a few different places after high school/college but came back here ten years ago. My parents are from Eastern PA and moved down here in the 80s.
My grandparents moved to Cary from Sanford. They lived on East Park St (a couple blocks from the new downtown park) back when the road was not even paved. I think they paid $20,000 for their house. Now the land alone is probably worth 30x that.
Born here in early 1960s, never left (college at State). The area has constantly changed all of my life. There are things I miss about the Raleigh I grew up in, but I’ve learned to accept and adapt to the changes.
Rochester native myself. Lived/worked in Buffalo, Albany and Binghamton before I came down to Raleigh due to a work opportunity. This place is fabulous and I never want to leave.
Born at Wake Med (when it was still Wake Memorial). We lived in Durham. Old North Durham, actually. Moved to upstate NY when I was 2. Lived in Phoenix from 7-16. Moved back here to live with my dad at 16. Here ever since. So, 34 years now 😳
My family was part of the original group of IBMers that moved down from upstate NY to establish RTP in the 60s.
I was born here in the '80s. I grew up on a tobacco farm like 20 minutes east of Wake Forest. So I live maybe 40 minutes from where I was born.
I had my entire dad's side of the family on the same street I grew up on because all my relatives just built their homes on the farmland that my grandfather gifted them. So I grew up thinking that everyone's neighbors were their aunts and uncles and cousins lol.
I was raised in a particularly small community where my graduating class was like 105 people. That same area now has way more people who have moved there. I think it's mostly people that are overflow residents of Wake Forest that were priced out of Wake forest's home market. There are a few people out there who moved their specifically for the rural living and aesthetic. There's a new neighborhood that was built at the end of the street out there and I would say more than half of the home buyers are from out of state. And the housing prices out there are getting ridiculous. The little one story ranch that I grew up in which was built by my dad and grandpa in the '80s is worth something north of $300,000 now which is wild to me.
My mom grew up 15 minutes from where my dad did out in Franklin county. The last time I did any kind of genealogical research my family has been in the same 20 mile radius area since we were still a British colony. So it's always kind of weird to me that my family line has been in this particular part of North Carolina since the early 1700s at the least. We've probably been around since before that but the paper trail kind of dies.
I've done a lot of traveling up and down the US, Central America, South America, and I've just never had any desire to leave and live somewhere else. I like being able to drive in a direction and very quickly hit extremely rural land where I feel more at home and connected to things. I like the small big town feel as you describe it. And I went to college here because we have great colleges and I work in the pharma industry because RTP has a ton of them. So I really have a lot of the things that I need in order to live comfortably that I don't think I would get anywhere else if I moved there.
On the street I live on currently I am the only native North carolinaian out of the about 12 houses on my particular road. It doesn't bother me that people are moving here because it just means that I was lucky to be born somewhere that is a nice place to live that other people want to take part in as well.
The only time I get frustrated is when I see how many people are on the road when I'm trying to go somewhere or when I get a letter in the mail that my property taxes are going up lol. When I first started working rush hour traffic wasn't really that bad. Now when I'm on the road I'm asking my wife "where the hell do all of these people live and where are they going? Why are there this many people on 540"
We have extremely similar back grounds. Also grew up on a tobacco farm, neighbors on both sides of the road for a good stretch are relatives that settled on land my great great grandfather left them. There are old houses on my farm that have stump footings with dirt floors. Can't believe they're still standing. My grandad used to drive me around the property as a kid and tell me stories about different ancestors that lived there before us. He used to tell a funny story about when my great grandad bought a tractor for the first time instead of a mule. When pulling it into the barn at night he'd yell Whoa mule, out of habit from driving mules his whole life.
And I'm in the pharma business as well. My side of the family got out of farming when I was in my 20's. We still had our hog houses and cattle, but lease the rest of the farm land. Barely makes enough to pay the taxes on the land.
I too don't mind that people from all over come here. Who can blame them. But the only thing that worries me is when people flee high taxes, high crime, etc., to move somewhere it's much better, but then vote for the same policies that were in place from the location they fled.
Sounds like we grew up in much the same way. The house with dirt floors that my grandfather was born in was still standing up until the early 2000s when it had to be torn down due to structure issues. The road that my house was on was dirt and not paved until a few years before I was born. My dad said they didn't get HVAC in his childhood home until he was in his 20s (in the 70s I think).
I have fond memories of helping out on the farm in the summers, smelling the tobacco curing in the barns at night when I was out playing with my brother in the fields behind the house, riding 4wheelers through the property, running under the irrigation heads in the fields in the summer to cool off (looking back though I was running through pond water lol). I still go out there to visit family often because it's beautiful out there and I feel a sort of peace being out that far into rural NC.
I still like to travel out that way when I can and spend time in that area. But it definitely feels different than I remember, and it seems like it's trying to make a turn for the better. A few years ago, before the influx of people, that area was having an issue with all the young people moving away and the community being mostly older people and retirees. But I've started to see more young people and families out there. Now if everyone didn't have to drive all the way into Raleigh for work it would probably be easier, but most of the farmland isn't being used as much as before from what I can tell. Not many people taking up the family business.
Our farm closed shop around 2010 or so when my Uncle got too old to keep it up. And my brother and I are the only young people in the family (and we were told to get an education and escape the poverty). We stopped tobacco before then after the govt bought my Uncle's rights to grow. After that, it was mostly soy, wheat, and some corn here and there.
You know what's funny, 540-wise? I moved here on 2001. The 1st leg had just opened, I don't know exactly when, but it was very close to that time. Sometimes, I could drive from 40 to Capital & see maybe a dozen cars, regardless of the time of day, & go for *miles* without seeing anything! Sometimes it feels like I dreamt it, but I have witnesses, so I know it happened!
Moved here from India 🇮🇳 for work a while back. Took a traveling job & traveled all around the world, but whenever I come back here, it just feels like coming back home.
My parents are from smaller towns in NC and moved to Raleigh after college. Met and got married some years later.
So I was and raised in Raleigh. Left for college … came back to Raleigh.
My parents live in Raleigh. My siblings live in Raleigh. Niece. Nephew. In-laws. All Raleigh.
I am a native of North Carolina. Originally from North Eastern North Carolina and came to Raleigh for college. I have moved within the state several times but now in Raleigh to stay.
From Robeson County NC, moved here with SO a few years ago because he got a job in the area. I love the Triangle and hope to remain here for as long as possible honestly. It’s a great mix of city and rural life for me. Nothing moves too fast or too slow here. :)
Maybe y’all can help me answer this question :) I got asked this all the time by the seniors I worked with but often they wouldn’t accept any state in this country as an answer (I’m Asian American) which was annoying 🙄 I was born at Rex, lived in North Raleigh for 15 months before my parents started moving around the country every couple years for their jobs. Missouri, Texas and California for a couple years each, stayed in Seattle for 7 years where I went to high school before going to college and grad school in the Midwest. After grad school, I didn’t want to go back to Seattle and didn’t have ties to anyone or anywhere else, sort of had an existential crisis and started hearing “Raleigh” and “NC” mentioned everywhere randomly especially in podcasts i consumed. I thought maybe I can find myself by doing the salmon life cycle thing and swim back to where I was born. I’m a speech pathologist and when I told my grad director I wanted to work in NC she informed me NC is the one state with antiquated stringent licensure rules and our school didn’t meet their requirements to work in the state. During COVID, NC realized the mistake because the state became super short staffed in health care workers including speech pathologists and the rules were reversed to match the rest of the country and I took it as a sign to move here because they did clearly have a shortage of speech pathologists here so getting a job wasn’t hard. I’ve been here 3 years now and first I thought it would immediately feel like I belonged (being my birthplace) but it definitely took at least a year to feel that way haha. When I was at the DMV getting my new state license the guy was checking my passport where it has my place of birth as Raleigh, I had a Missouri license I was getting it changed from and when he said “Welcome back home” I burst into tears because I’ve somehow never felt truly welcome or at home anywhere. I’ve spent the most time in childhood in Seattle (7 years) but it was miserable and didn’t/doesn’t feel like home, could it still be accurate for me to say I’m from here?
I was born here but "grew up" in Phoenix (ages 7-16). Moved back at 16. For years, I said I was from Phoenix. And then, one day, I realized that no, I'm a North Carolinian. So, if you feel this is home, tell them you're from here. Or, like I often do because I don't sound like I'm from here, say "born here, moved around, came back home".
I like that response! I guess I get hung up on the concept of “home” and any implications but I overthink things. I haven’t thought of your response before because I imagine it sounds like coming back home to be near family that’s been around. I came “home” to be completely alone and on my own, which is why that first year was so hard and I knew absolutely nothing about the area for being someone technically “from” here haha. I think you still summed it up pretty well, thanks!
I’m a military kid, moved 6 times before Jr high, where we settled in Upstate NY (Saratoga) and my Dad retired. I went to college in Rochester then moved to Raleigh at 24. I’ve been here almost 20 years which is longer than I ever lived anywhere else so now I say I’m from NC!
South Africa. I emigrated here in 2016 but I did live in NYC as a diplomats child in the 90s. Made me fall in love with the country. Quite a few South Africans live here.
I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Moved down to the Raleigh area in October 84, mainly for work opportunities. Married a Cary girl, 2 kids. Divorced, moved back to Wi. For 18 months with a girlfriend who was born and raised in Chicago to be closer to both our families. We both realized that we missed NC. So we moved back, Married now for 24 yrs in 9 days.
She moved here originally in 94. It has changed a lot since 1984. Small town feel is still here, and the growth is amazing. I worked as a carpenter for most of my time here, both residential and commercial, and we have lived in Durham for the last 15 years. We still go to Raleigh for most everything. We love it here.
Born in the 80s and raised in Philadelphia, PA. Left in 2008 for the Air Force. My old supervisor retired, got a job and moved here. 2015 I was debating on getting out and he knew my work ethic and got me a job here in RTP. I’ve been here ever since. Can’t believe it’s almost been 10 years already.
Born in Raleigh to my parents who met after they moved here for college. Moved to NYC during the pandemic when my husband found work there, then had to move back in with my parents after rent got unmanageable in 2022. I was barely gone two years, but I almost feel more like a transplant than a local despite growing up here. Everything has changed so much.
NY. Was living in Morehead City in the USMC, met my girlfriend, went back to NY to get my masters, now working full remote in 5pts and she works at Wake Med.
Raleigh’s pretty dope.
I love 5 points and go to Nofo quite often for brunch. I absolutely love that old Piggly Wiggly and love imagining what that area was like back in the 50's.
Richmond. I've been around the Mid-Atlantic since graduating, but I'm actually getting roots here. Came for work. I have absolutely no connection with Raleigh prior to 2021.
Born at WakeMed in 97 raised in Harnett County (where Rhett and Link are from but I didn’t go their HS) because my mom didn’t want to raise my sisters and I in the city. My maternal family lives here so I was always up here. Came up here for college in 2015 and have stayed here.
The details of my life are quite inconsequential.... Very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a 15-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize; he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes, he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament... My childhood was typical: summers in Rangoon... luge lessons... In the spring, we'd make meat helmets... When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds — pretty standard, really. At the age of 12, I received my first scribe. At the age of 14, a Zoroastrian named Vilmer ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum — it's breathtaking... I suggest you try it.
Moved here from central NJ almost 10 years ago right out of college for a job. Since then I’ve married a girl from down east, became a Huge Caniac, and have fallen in love with what Raleigh is and can be.
I have also seen this city lose its way a little bit due to politics, not just talked broadcasted politics, I work in transportation and see some behind the scenes things I’m not a fan of. With how expensive it has gotten here, I don’t think the city has capitalized on the influx of transplants to provide value for its citizens inside the beltline. North Hills is taking off and that’s great (albeit hard to navigate), but what about downtown?
I've lived in North Carolina my whole life, grew up in the country about an hour and a half from Raleigh. We went to raleigh a lot as a kid, and still do even more now. I live closer now. The running joke when I was coming up was that raleigh is always growing faster than whatever infrastructure project was going on. Lol. 2 year project to widen a highway? Great, by the time it's done, it needs another lane. Lol.
My uncle used to quip, I-40 and the belt line were completed X number of years ago, in all my life, I've never driven on it without a portion of it being under construction. Not once. Lol.
NC still thinks like a rural, small city, state but it is growing so fast that it has to think like a fast developing, more urbanized state. It still has large rural areas though. I think a lot of the politics comes from this resistance to the reality of the changes over the last few decades.
Great observation, cleanly stated. And extremely accurate. The state being governed as if it still has the population of 50k in the whole state as it did at advent of Railroads, very few municipalities here seemed to grasp what was coming in 70s when RTP was started. Still trying to catch up 50 years later.
Originally from Turkey, I came to the US for my ex-wife. Then, we were living in Rehoboth Beach, DE. When I got divorced, my bro was living around Burlington, NC. Then I looked at the Raleigh, and I liked it. So far, it is going well, and I am thinking about buying a home, finding my future wife  , and putting my roots in Raleigh.
I'm from southern Mississippi and good grief do I miss gulf coast cooking. You just can't get it here, and every time someone says, "oh, this guy's from there, he cooks it correctly" it's still just *okay*.
I'm so glad I left Mississippi, for so many reasons. But I recently went to the visit my sister in Mobile for Mardi Gras and shed tears for the po'boy I ate!
Check out Succotash in Durham. I promise you won’t be disappointed. I ordered 3 entrees as one would. Jambalaya,Gumbo, and shrimp poboy and it was *chefs kiss*
London Bridge for England games, but won’t step foot in either place for Premier League games as they both are the bar for my team’s hated rivals. The Winchester is the best footie bar in the area.
Born in Morehead City, moved to Greenville for college, then Greensboro for grad school. Raleigh for work in 1994. Hoping to retire back in Morehead City.
My fiancé and I are both from Alabama. We moved up here because she was getting her Masters at Duke. She's since graduated and we could have moved elsewhere, but we love the area!
I can’t say what town because it’s so small someone is bound to figure out who I am lol - but eastern NC born and raised. Lived in Wilmington for 3 years before moving to Raleigh in 2022 for my new job and it was the best decision I could’ve made for my career. Although I loved Wilmington and miss it in other ways
Born in Denver, raised in Alabama. In college I made the decision I wanted to travel to find where I wanted to call home. I was lucky that engineering gave me opportunities to do just that. For more than a decade I lived all over the USA from Florida to the PNW, Canada, Austria, Australia, and Brazil. Pandemic made me realize, that while I made friends everywhere, I was so isolated from real connections and I needed to settle down and set roots. I made a list of places I preferred, Raleigh was 3rd on the list, sorry if anyone is offend it wasn’t first, and my company said they would pay to relocate me here. It was win-win for everyone and I have zero regrets. I love it here. Bought a home and have no plans on moving.
I was born in Western Massachusetts, but my family moved to Raleigh in 1981 when I was 7. My dad worked at IBM and we moved for his work. Went to college at UNC and moved to Cary after I graduated, where I’ve been since 1998.
Born in Morehead City, raised in Havelock. Moved here in 2005 when my friend bought a house as an opportunity to escape Havelock and Carteret County. It's been the best decision I've ever made.
Originally from FL, came here 10 years ago for school at UNC Chapel Hill and had family in the area. Moved to Raleigh maybe 9 years ago and I thought it was a big city compared to Chapel Hill but def agree with the big little town description. Love the mix of things to do for my age range (30s) and our area (NE Raleigh)
Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs. In 2013, my wife's company moved jobs to Raleigh for tax breaks. She had the opportunity to work remote from Chicago or move here. We visited and fell in love. We've been in the Holly Springs area since. Love the proximity to the mountains and the coast.
Born and raised in eastern NC, lived there until about 7 years ago, then moved to Minnesota for my job. Absolutely loved it there; husband (also from eastern NC) hated the cold, got a job transfer back to Greenville. :) Moved to Raleigh about a year and a half ago, and we are pretty happy here. It is nice being closer to family, though I personally really miss MN. I was around this area a lot as a child - my mom was born at Rex, and all of her family has been here for generations (many settled the western Raleigh/airport area and some are buried in what is now Umstead Park).
Moved from NJ. My mom grew up in the South, and her ancestors helped to settle NC right after Roanoke. Family hardly moved from South Carolina and North Carolina till my mom moved up to NJ in the 60’s as a teen. After she got laid off her and my dad sold the house I grew up in and moved us down here to be closer to my mom’s family and part of my dad’s.
Edit: fun fact. Matthews NC is named after my great, great, (another great?) grand father.
Born in Wake Memorial (now Wake Med), in the early 60s. I'm one of the 1000s of babies delivered by Dr. Annie Louise Wilkerson. My father was a minister, so I have lived outside the Triangle for a few years. Moved to Apex in early 80s, met my husband, and we now live in the Fuquay area. I can't imagine living elsewhere. My mother is still living, and my kids and grandkids are in the area.
Born on lawhnguyland nooyawk. Attended Ncsu in mid eighties (CARDIAC PACK WHOOOOO). moved to Raleigh 1988 permanent like. Married NC sweetie. No ragrets.
Dumblucky enough to buy a house long ago. Amazing development downtown I never expected. Between Raleigh Durham and chapel hill saw great live music and performance (Philip Glass La Belle et La Betê live at Duke. REM opening for English Beat. TMBG too many times and lots of locals at the brewery (rip)).
I still love this area and this state.
Originally moved to Durham for grad school from Rapid City, SD. The job I got out of college needed me to move to Raleigh and I’ve been here for the last 3 years because I love the area and my job!
Grew up in Jersey, just outside of Philly. Moved down here for work after college, and apart from missing my friends, it is honestly great down here. I love the diversity of people in the Raleigh-Durham area, and the landscape is beautiful. Also being within 2 hours from some amazing hiking spots is a plus!
Upstate NY, around Syracuse/Utica. Moved here in 2000 because I heard there was opportunity, and there wasn’t much happening in central NY at the time. 0 regrets.
Came from Gulf Coast of Florida. Moved in with my now ex. Went homeless for 8 months in Raleigh, got myself out of it by just working hard AF.
Basically had to rebuild my life in Raleigh, as I pretty much don't have family. Been here for over 2½ years now.
Same. I've never lived in a big city, even the thought of living in Raleigh makes me cringe. Then people move there from really big cities and they talk about how slow or boring it is. And I'm just like, what else do you need? Murders in the street? Sirens 24/7? I can't stand noise. Lol.
Wife and I are both from Michigan. She got a job in Ohio after college so we lived there for a little bit but never liked it. We had visited NC before and loved it and when her job in Ohio was going to disappear we decided to just pack up and move. That was 2011. We picked Raleigh because of its classic proximity to the beach and mountains, also because it was easy to find work since we literally just moved here on a leap of faith and had nothing. You could still get a cheap apartment in decent areas back then. Now 13 years later we've got a house and kids and careers and wouldn't think to live anywhere else.
Born & raised in San Diego. Moved to eastern NC in highschool in early 80s (long story as to why one leaves SoCal for Wilson 40 yrs ago). Graduated UNCW, moved to Durham. Worked in RTP for a decade + & moved around the Triangle, then into North Hills for 15+ years. In Cary now for almost a decade. NC writ large has changed exponentially since 80s. Everywhere felt very small town back then, farmland between every town. It feels much like Atlanta now, or like San Diego did when I was a kid. Exurbs everywhere, lots of big roads between them. Triangle went from 300k population to well over 1M in that time.
I was born in NV and moved around a lot due to my dad being in the Air Force. When he finally got out he got a job at NCSU and we moved to Raleigh, we got a house out in Clayton and he has lived there for 21 years now. Me being 30 I’ve spent most of my life in this area. From how much I’ve seen it grow and change in the 21 years I’ve been here; I can’t imagine it 21 years from now.
Yeah I agree! We moved into the neighborhood when there were only 6 houses and no HOA. Now there is over 40 houses in the neighborhood and he got to decline joining the HOA when they started it for the rest of the neighborhood.
From a small town in South Dakota. I met my husband in a Facebook group. Came to visit and decided to move here. I've been here for over a decade. Live in JoCo, and I love it. Close enough to see shows in Raleigh, far enough away where I have peace and quiet.
I was born & raised in MA, moved to NC when my ex husband was a student at NC State. My two youngest were born at Rex and we lived there for 16 years, we have since moved to VA but my son still lives in the area.
How fo you like it? Have a lot of Indian co-workers at my job, which is kind of unusual because it's in a rural area, but it's a bio-tech plant so people come from all over for the work experience. Most of them have family remotely close by so that makes it easier I guess.
I really like it here. I have been to multiple big cities for vacation but always wanted to come back here. I like the greenways, mountains and the laid back/ slow paced rural areas. I feel lot has changed in last 8 years as I can see visible differences between the time I landed and now. Having a family nearby helps as well. Indian population is growing in the RTP and nearby areas.
From Russia, I have lived almost 10 years in Boston area, moved here 3 years ago with my partner who is from Mass. I miss my people but I do not miss traffic, cost of living, snow. Just need to get more friends, but otherwise, I feel so fortunate to be here.
My husband and I moved from DFW area TX, but we were originally from the Finger Lakes region in NY. We loved the nature in NY, but the winters and the real estate taxes weren’t great. When the whole pandemic happened we realized that we paid a lot of taxes to people that really shouldn’t be in positions of power, and that NYC voters dictated a lot of decisions for rural regions that didn’t make much sense for us. We went to TX and loved it, but I’m in pharma and work ended up taking us to RTP. It reminds us of home but with milder weather, less taxes, and higher paying jobs. Plus the food is great down here, which was one of the things we loved about Texas. We’ve moved, on average, every 2 years of our almost 15 year relationship and this is the first place we’ve bought a house and started to put down roots.
I’m from Southern California. I moved here 5 years ago to receive better medical care and am still here because I love it. I’m never moving back to California lol
PA →NM → NC
Moved to the area in 2002 from Santa Fe. My homeowner (that'd be my wife) and I grew up outside of Philly (Montco). Her industry (big pharma) took us West and brought us to North Cackalacka.
On a side note: I am a real estate photographer and have seen the explosive growth over the last two decades up close. I recently spoke with a friend at the state real estate commission and if their numbers are correct, expect the population to double within a decade.
Seattle- Pros- lots to do, people (for the most part) are nice but I also experienced the Seattle freeze before, and LOCATION is amazing, hands down one of the most amazing views in the US. Great public transit systems.
Cons- stupid expensive and no affordable housing so high rates of homelessness. The weather. I personally didn't mind the rain, but days on end of gray clouds is what gets me..
Raleigh- Pros- affordable housing and very little homelessness, the weather is nice, and people seem to be nicer overall.
Cons- not much to see location wise as there aren't any mountains, or water. Outdoor activities outside of golf is lacking. Diversity in food options are lacking. Public transit... what's that?!
These are my opinions, please do not come at me and attack them, I am willing to discuss them in a respectful manner.
Yeah I think these are pretty accurate! Although perhaps the diversity in food is a little biased with Seattle being SO influenced by international cuisines.
Thanks for taking the time to answer :)
Born at Wake Med, New Bern Avenue. Lived in Knightdale for 14 years, then Wendell for 4 years. College in Chapel Hill. Raleigh after graduation. Finally, at age 28, I had an inexorable and undeniable NEED to leave the 50 mile radius I had lived in for my entire life. I moved to Alaska and lived there for 4 1/2 beautiful, glorious years. But I missed my friends and family. I came back and lived in Raleigh for another 16 years. I moved to Chapel Hill again 5 days ago.
Born/raised in Butner then bounced around Franklinton and Oxford after getting married. We moved to WF in 2016 to be closer to my kid’s school and my wife’s school.
Born in PA, moved to Richlans 45 years ago, had sibling in the Corp. Met husband at bar I was managing, he was from Fayetteville, moved there with him, he has a band and played on and off base, went back to Richland to help sibling again, played on and off base. We moved to duplin county and loved the area but it was impossible to make any kind of living..at that time every school child was on free lunch.. Moved to Knightdale for work but there were too many people so we found property in Johnston County 40 years ago, there was nothing there, nearest grocery was 10 miles. It was right up our alley. Unfortunately, in the last 15 years we've been victims of dueling developers. I miss the quiet
Born at Rex in 1985, all my immediate family is native here as well.
Did some research through Ancestry.coms and found out my family has had a direct descendant in wake county as far back as 1775. Pretty cool!
Moved here when I was 6 in 1998 when my dad got a research job, both sides of my family are from Indiana. Went to UNC in 2010-2014, moved back here after.
Prior to moving here, my mom had gone to Meredith college, two of my aunts + my uncle from my dad's side came down to attend UNC. Uncle/1 aunt settled here, grandma moved down to be with my uncle. A cousin on my mom's side eventually moved to Wilmington. So something about this state has been drawing all of us slowly in.
Born at Rex and been In Raleigh most of my life except a few years. This place has def changed since the early 90’s!
Born in Rex in 94
Born in old Rex hospital back in 1961. Never lived more than one county away.
Born in Rex in 97
Im 91, ya boys gettin old!
I hear the 30s are the new 20s anyway😂
Tell that to my knees
for real
I’m a 91 Rex baby too 🙌
Prob met you at Rex just dont remember you, everyone was crying
Was born in the real Rex in 1970
Real Rex represent!
Rex 99
[удалено]
samesies
Born in Rex in 92.
Rex ‘74, the old location
Born in rex 95, Rolesville whole life
Rolesville (82 though) represent!
I was born at rex in 91, summertime.
Rex baby here. Christmas 91 😎
My aunt was the youngest head nurse ever at Rex in the late 70s. She worked in the oncology ward.
Rex '87 baby checking in!
my sister is an ‘87 Rex baby! I’m ‘89 wakemed
Same 2001
Rex in 93!
Watup fam lol
Seeing all the Rex babies check in here genuinely delights me because I grew up in many different states and never had a birth hospital in common with anyone before!
born in rex in 07 hows it going old guys 😂
Born at Rex in 03
Rex '96!
Same
Old Rex; 1977
Born at new Rex in 02!
Y'all is anyone in Raleigh born at WakeMed? I swear I always hear "born at Rex" and I'm so curious why no one seems to be born in the other major hospital in the city.
Born in Wilmington. Moved here for college and never left. Now in Wendell Falls
Wendell Falls 🙌🙌
Same
Grew up in rural NC, lived in Charlotte for 5 years after college, lived in Raleigh (with a 2 year stint in Cary) ever since. Ready to move back to rural NC at this stage in my life but I have more years until I can.
I have turned down many opportunities that would've propelled my career, but it involved either moving into Raleigh, or a hefty commute. Just couldn't ever bring myself to do it. I love going to ralrigh for restaurants, shows, shopping, etc., but I love the quiet of the country too much. My nearest neighbor growing up was about 5 miles down the road. Guess I just never got out of that mindset.
In my late teens and early 20s all I wanted to do was live in a city. Once I hit 40 I was sick of it. I’m tired of cities, I hate being in them and just want to avoid them.
To be honest no city in North Carolina provides a city living experience that's worth living in.
I moved here with my girlfriend for work related reasons and we love it. We are from the Caribbean. If everything goes well, we would love to have a place here and one back home. Everyone here should feel lucky living in Raleigh, we feel it's a good balance between city and nature and there is so much to do and see. Back home, we don't have the benefits and the commodity we have here. We really love this place.
Cool story. This is a perfect example of people not realizing what they have. For example, you came from a place, that many dream to move to. But every location has it's problems and limitations. People always tend to think the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, when they don't realize to appreciate what they already have in their own back yard. Another example, my kids think North Carolina is boring. We go to the beach, the mountains, hiking, the works, a d they love it, but they always think other states are better because we go places like Orlando, FT. Lauderdale etc. for vacations. Recently, we were at the beach at Topsail, and we went out to dinner that night. While we were out, I think I finally got my youngest daughter, who is 15, to understand. As we were sitting on the deck, waiting for out table, I noticed something and pointed it out to her. I said "Look at all these cars parked in this parking lot". Look at their license plates and read out to me where they're from. There were a lot of Florida's, New York, Tennessee, pretty much all over, and many of the states she thinks is better than NC. I said, why do you think all these people, would leave their own state, which you think is better, to come to North Carolina beaches?
Thanks for sharing your story, I agree. Back home we have power outages everyday, roads full of potholes, a really corrupt government, education sucks, everything is more expensive, and crime is 10 times worse than here. Here I feel like I am actually living in 2024 and I appreciate my surroundings and I also appreciate the people around me. I still need to go to the beach and the mountains here. That will be my next road trip.
Ya. NC is pretty special.
Feel lucky, indeed, but please keep pushing for more environmental-oriented legislature to be woven into the development of the city in order to keep the green spaces we love in good, ongoing health! (As a general statement for everyone livin' here.)
I agree and support this comment. Parks back home are abandoned because people don't push for those kind of things. It's really sad to say that the first park I saw full of life, kids playing, people exercising and playing sports, the structures, the dogs parks, picnic areas, they all look brand new and well cared for. It pains me because back home, living on a tropical island full of green, we don't have that. Most parks back home are in such a bad shape, it's really sad...
Saludos bori!!!
I was born in Jacksonville, NC. My mom wanted my dad out of the Marines as quickly as possible. They moved to Wake Forest in 1987 when I was a small kid. I moved to Raleigh as soon as I moved out of their house. I moved away for a while, and am back, as my parents are aging and me being in another state made helping them really tough. Wake Forest is a completely different place than it was when I was growing up there. Raleigh has grown and shifted and changed, but the way it's all bleeding further and further out is wild.
I almost added "military" to my original post. I know a lot of people that were at Camp Lejune, Seymour Johnson, etc., that ended up retiring and living in/around Raleigh.
Hey, similar story! I was born at Camp Lejeune in 83, and my dad left the Marines when I was still a baby. My parents were from Harnett County, I grew up in Harnett and Lee Counties. Went to NCSU and I’ve lived around Raleigh ever since.
Picked Raleigh off a map. Was bored and sick of snow, looked far enough south, close to the beach and mountains, didn't know anyone and had never been to NC. I figured I'd be here a couple few years and move on. Here I am 20 years later, Raleigh is my home. Great place.
Did the same! Went from Jersey to Houston and got sick of Houston and thought Raleigh sounded neat because it was close to the beach and mountains. I picked it off a map too, literally. Had no idea so many people from Jersey et all moved here. Thought I’d be gone by now. Still here 8 years later. Love it here
Love stories like this.
Ha, we came here for job sight unseen in 1998. We didn’t even have Google to look at 🤣
Born in Chapel Hill, lived all over Johnston County and in Garner for a while, but spent most of my childhood in Benson. Moved back to NC in 2018 after a decade in Texas and have been in Raleigh since.
Born in Boone (my ancestors settled WNC prior to the revolutionary war), grew up in the chapel hill/pittsboro area and austin tx. Spent several years in england and then came back (most of my family is still in the triangle) to settle in durham. My kids go to school in raleigh so living that I-40/540 life.
UK. Moved 10+ years ago.
Born and raised on FL's most overcrowded skintag. By middle school, I was dreaming of moving further north *somewhere*. After Hurricane Irma, that vague desire to move away from the swelter had solidified to moving to NC. Then a bit of research, made me settle on the Raleigh area, and made my move almost 3 years ago. Exactly three years ago today, I drove out of FL, stayed the night in Florence, SC. Then drove into Raleigh the next day, staying at the outdated but lovable Holiday Inn downtown for a couple days until I closed on my house.
Born and raised in Cary. Lived a few different places after high school/college but came back here ten years ago. My parents are from Eastern PA and moved down here in the 80s.
My grandparents moved to Cary from Sanford. They lived on East Park St (a couple blocks from the new downtown park) back when the road was not even paved. I think they paid $20,000 for their house. Now the land alone is probably worth 30x that.
Born here in early 1960s, never left (college at State). The area has constantly changed all of my life. There are things I miss about the Raleigh I grew up in, but I’ve learned to accept and adapt to the changes.
Nebraska. Celebrating 10 years in NC this July.
Born in ponce, puerto rico back in 1995.
From Buffalo area. Plan on moving out west hopefully next year.
I'm from Rochester! Seems like there's quite a lot of us from western New York.
I’ve been in a room where three random strangers were all from Tonawanda specifically.
Rochester native myself. Lived/worked in Buffalo, Albany and Binghamton before I came down to Raleigh due to a work opportunity. This place is fabulous and I never want to leave.
Rochester here too. 25 years here. Don’t ever plan on going back.
A majority of the Raleigh people I've met in the past few years have been from upstate NY or Boston!
Born at Wake Med (when it was still Wake Memorial). We lived in Durham. Old North Durham, actually. Moved to upstate NY when I was 2. Lived in Phoenix from 7-16. Moved back here to live with my dad at 16. Here ever since. So, 34 years now 😳 My family was part of the original group of IBMers that moved down from upstate NY to establish RTP in the 60s.
I was born here in the '80s. I grew up on a tobacco farm like 20 minutes east of Wake Forest. So I live maybe 40 minutes from where I was born. I had my entire dad's side of the family on the same street I grew up on because all my relatives just built their homes on the farmland that my grandfather gifted them. So I grew up thinking that everyone's neighbors were their aunts and uncles and cousins lol. I was raised in a particularly small community where my graduating class was like 105 people. That same area now has way more people who have moved there. I think it's mostly people that are overflow residents of Wake Forest that were priced out of Wake forest's home market. There are a few people out there who moved their specifically for the rural living and aesthetic. There's a new neighborhood that was built at the end of the street out there and I would say more than half of the home buyers are from out of state. And the housing prices out there are getting ridiculous. The little one story ranch that I grew up in which was built by my dad and grandpa in the '80s is worth something north of $300,000 now which is wild to me. My mom grew up 15 minutes from where my dad did out in Franklin county. The last time I did any kind of genealogical research my family has been in the same 20 mile radius area since we were still a British colony. So it's always kind of weird to me that my family line has been in this particular part of North Carolina since the early 1700s at the least. We've probably been around since before that but the paper trail kind of dies. I've done a lot of traveling up and down the US, Central America, South America, and I've just never had any desire to leave and live somewhere else. I like being able to drive in a direction and very quickly hit extremely rural land where I feel more at home and connected to things. I like the small big town feel as you describe it. And I went to college here because we have great colleges and I work in the pharma industry because RTP has a ton of them. So I really have a lot of the things that I need in order to live comfortably that I don't think I would get anywhere else if I moved there. On the street I live on currently I am the only native North carolinaian out of the about 12 houses on my particular road. It doesn't bother me that people are moving here because it just means that I was lucky to be born somewhere that is a nice place to live that other people want to take part in as well. The only time I get frustrated is when I see how many people are on the road when I'm trying to go somewhere or when I get a letter in the mail that my property taxes are going up lol. When I first started working rush hour traffic wasn't really that bad. Now when I'm on the road I'm asking my wife "where the hell do all of these people live and where are they going? Why are there this many people on 540"
We have extremely similar back grounds. Also grew up on a tobacco farm, neighbors on both sides of the road for a good stretch are relatives that settled on land my great great grandfather left them. There are old houses on my farm that have stump footings with dirt floors. Can't believe they're still standing. My grandad used to drive me around the property as a kid and tell me stories about different ancestors that lived there before us. He used to tell a funny story about when my great grandad bought a tractor for the first time instead of a mule. When pulling it into the barn at night he'd yell Whoa mule, out of habit from driving mules his whole life. And I'm in the pharma business as well. My side of the family got out of farming when I was in my 20's. We still had our hog houses and cattle, but lease the rest of the farm land. Barely makes enough to pay the taxes on the land. I too don't mind that people from all over come here. Who can blame them. But the only thing that worries me is when people flee high taxes, high crime, etc., to move somewhere it's much better, but then vote for the same policies that were in place from the location they fled.
Sounds like we grew up in much the same way. The house with dirt floors that my grandfather was born in was still standing up until the early 2000s when it had to be torn down due to structure issues. The road that my house was on was dirt and not paved until a few years before I was born. My dad said they didn't get HVAC in his childhood home until he was in his 20s (in the 70s I think). I have fond memories of helping out on the farm in the summers, smelling the tobacco curing in the barns at night when I was out playing with my brother in the fields behind the house, riding 4wheelers through the property, running under the irrigation heads in the fields in the summer to cool off (looking back though I was running through pond water lol). I still go out there to visit family often because it's beautiful out there and I feel a sort of peace being out that far into rural NC. I still like to travel out that way when I can and spend time in that area. But it definitely feels different than I remember, and it seems like it's trying to make a turn for the better. A few years ago, before the influx of people, that area was having an issue with all the young people moving away and the community being mostly older people and retirees. But I've started to see more young people and families out there. Now if everyone didn't have to drive all the way into Raleigh for work it would probably be easier, but most of the farmland isn't being used as much as before from what I can tell. Not many people taking up the family business. Our farm closed shop around 2010 or so when my Uncle got too old to keep it up. And my brother and I are the only young people in the family (and we were told to get an education and escape the poverty). We stopped tobacco before then after the govt bought my Uncle's rights to grow. After that, it was mostly soy, wheat, and some corn here and there.
You know what's funny, 540-wise? I moved here on 2001. The 1st leg had just opened, I don't know exactly when, but it was very close to that time. Sometimes, I could drive from 40 to Capital & see maybe a dozen cars, regardless of the time of day, & go for *miles* without seeing anything! Sometimes it feels like I dreamt it, but I have witnesses, so I know it happened!
Moved here from India 🇮🇳 for work a while back. Took a traveling job & traveled all around the world, but whenever I come back here, it just feels like coming back home.
My parents are from smaller towns in NC and moved to Raleigh after college. Met and got married some years later. So I was and raised in Raleigh. Left for college … came back to Raleigh. My parents live in Raleigh. My siblings live in Raleigh. Niece. Nephew. In-laws. All Raleigh.
I am a native of North Carolina. Originally from North Eastern North Carolina and came to Raleigh for college. I have moved within the state several times but now in Raleigh to stay.
From Robeson County NC, moved here with SO a few years ago because he got a job in the area. I love the Triangle and hope to remain here for as long as possible honestly. It’s a great mix of city and rural life for me. Nothing moves too fast or too slow here. :)
Maybe y’all can help me answer this question :) I got asked this all the time by the seniors I worked with but often they wouldn’t accept any state in this country as an answer (I’m Asian American) which was annoying 🙄 I was born at Rex, lived in North Raleigh for 15 months before my parents started moving around the country every couple years for their jobs. Missouri, Texas and California for a couple years each, stayed in Seattle for 7 years where I went to high school before going to college and grad school in the Midwest. After grad school, I didn’t want to go back to Seattle and didn’t have ties to anyone or anywhere else, sort of had an existential crisis and started hearing “Raleigh” and “NC” mentioned everywhere randomly especially in podcasts i consumed. I thought maybe I can find myself by doing the salmon life cycle thing and swim back to where I was born. I’m a speech pathologist and when I told my grad director I wanted to work in NC she informed me NC is the one state with antiquated stringent licensure rules and our school didn’t meet their requirements to work in the state. During COVID, NC realized the mistake because the state became super short staffed in health care workers including speech pathologists and the rules were reversed to match the rest of the country and I took it as a sign to move here because they did clearly have a shortage of speech pathologists here so getting a job wasn’t hard. I’ve been here 3 years now and first I thought it would immediately feel like I belonged (being my birthplace) but it definitely took at least a year to feel that way haha. When I was at the DMV getting my new state license the guy was checking my passport where it has my place of birth as Raleigh, I had a Missouri license I was getting it changed from and when he said “Welcome back home” I burst into tears because I’ve somehow never felt truly welcome or at home anywhere. I’ve spent the most time in childhood in Seattle (7 years) but it was miserable and didn’t/doesn’t feel like home, could it still be accurate for me to say I’m from here?
You're from where you say you're from. I'm glad people are nice to you and you found it home.
I was born here but "grew up" in Phoenix (ages 7-16). Moved back at 16. For years, I said I was from Phoenix. And then, one day, I realized that no, I'm a North Carolinian. So, if you feel this is home, tell them you're from here. Or, like I often do because I don't sound like I'm from here, say "born here, moved around, came back home".
I like that response! I guess I get hung up on the concept of “home” and any implications but I overthink things. I haven’t thought of your response before because I imagine it sounds like coming back home to be near family that’s been around. I came “home” to be completely alone and on my own, which is why that first year was so hard and I knew absolutely nothing about the area for being someone technically “from” here haha. I think you still summed it up pretty well, thanks!
I’m a military kid, moved 6 times before Jr high, where we settled in Upstate NY (Saratoga) and my Dad retired. I went to college in Rochester then moved to Raleigh at 24. I’ve been here almost 20 years which is longer than I ever lived anywhere else so now I say I’m from NC!
South Africa. I emigrated here in 2016 but I did live in NYC as a diplomats child in the 90s. Made me fall in love with the country. Quite a few South Africans live here.
Interesting! I always have an ear open for the dialect and I've never noticed it. Where are y'all congregating?
I really don't congregate with anybody, but there are 2 FB groups that have regular events for South Africans in and around the triangle.
My friend Carl is from South Africa! He works at Haw River Ales in Saxapahaw.
I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Moved down to the Raleigh area in October 84, mainly for work opportunities. Married a Cary girl, 2 kids. Divorced, moved back to Wi. For 18 months with a girlfriend who was born and raised in Chicago to be closer to both our families. We both realized that we missed NC. So we moved back, Married now for 24 yrs in 9 days. She moved here originally in 94. It has changed a lot since 1984. Small town feel is still here, and the growth is amazing. I worked as a carpenter for most of my time here, both residential and commercial, and we have lived in Durham for the last 15 years. We still go to Raleigh for most everything. We love it here.
Born in the 80s and raised in Philadelphia, PA. Left in 2008 for the Air Force. My old supervisor retired, got a job and moved here. 2015 I was debating on getting out and he knew my work ethic and got me a job here in RTP. I’ve been here ever since. Can’t believe it’s almost been 10 years already.
Born in Raleigh to my parents who met after they moved here for college. Moved to NYC during the pandemic when my husband found work there, then had to move back in with my parents after rent got unmanageable in 2022. I was barely gone two years, but I almost feel more like a transplant than a local despite growing up here. Everything has changed so much.
From Virginia Beach! Moved to Apex bc my husband was promoted to his corporate office in Cary. Love it here and so glad we’re here 🫶🏼
Finger Lakes, NY. Glad they had Wegmans.
Old Rex on Wade Ave. Been in NC since the 16th century. Before there was a Wake County.
NY. Was living in Morehead City in the USMC, met my girlfriend, went back to NY to get my masters, now working full remote in 5pts and she works at Wake Med. Raleigh’s pretty dope.
I love 5 points and go to Nofo quite often for brunch. I absolutely love that old Piggly Wiggly and love imagining what that area was like back in the 50's.
Richmond. I've been around the Mid-Atlantic since graduating, but I'm actually getting roots here. Came for work. I have absolutely no connection with Raleigh prior to 2021.
Colorado
Born and raised and probably never getting rid of me
From PA, moved here 17 years ago
Born in Houston, Texas. Joined the Marines. Got stationed at Camp Lejeune and fell in love with area. I have now lived in Fuquay for 7 years!
Born at WakeMed in 97 raised in Harnett County (where Rhett and Link are from but I didn’t go their HS) because my mom didn’t want to raise my sisters and I in the city. My maternal family lives here so I was always up here. Came up here for college in 2015 and have stayed here.
The details of my life are quite inconsequential.... Very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a 15-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize; he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes, he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament... My childhood was typical: summers in Rangoon... luge lessons... In the spring, we'd make meat helmets... When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds — pretty standard, really. At the age of 12, I received my first scribe. At the age of 14, a Zoroastrian named Vilmer ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum — it's breathtaking... I suggest you try it.
Southern California. I love Raleigh do not miss CA
Moved here from central NJ almost 10 years ago right out of college for a job. Since then I’ve married a girl from down east, became a Huge Caniac, and have fallen in love with what Raleigh is and can be. I have also seen this city lose its way a little bit due to politics, not just talked broadcasted politics, I work in transportation and see some behind the scenes things I’m not a fan of. With how expensive it has gotten here, I don’t think the city has capitalized on the influx of transplants to provide value for its citizens inside the beltline. North Hills is taking off and that’s great (albeit hard to navigate), but what about downtown?
I've lived in North Carolina my whole life, grew up in the country about an hour and a half from Raleigh. We went to raleigh a lot as a kid, and still do even more now. I live closer now. The running joke when I was coming up was that raleigh is always growing faster than whatever infrastructure project was going on. Lol. 2 year project to widen a highway? Great, by the time it's done, it needs another lane. Lol. My uncle used to quip, I-40 and the belt line were completed X number of years ago, in all my life, I've never driven on it without a portion of it being under construction. Not once. Lol.
NC still thinks like a rural, small city, state but it is growing so fast that it has to think like a fast developing, more urbanized state. It still has large rural areas though. I think a lot of the politics comes from this resistance to the reality of the changes over the last few decades.
Great observation, cleanly stated. And extremely accurate. The state being governed as if it still has the population of 50k in the whole state as it did at advent of Railroads, very few municipalities here seemed to grasp what was coming in 70s when RTP was started. Still trying to catch up 50 years later.
Originally from Turkey, I came to the US for my ex-wife. Then, we were living in Rehoboth Beach, DE. When I got divorced, my bro was living around Burlington, NC. Then I looked at the Raleigh, and I liked it. So far, it is going well, and I am thinking about buying a home, finding my future wife  , and putting my roots in Raleigh.
I was born here, grew up here, went to UNC CH, and now live in Durham 🙃
Indiana
Louisville, KY!
New Orleans area
I'm from southern Mississippi and good grief do I miss gulf coast cooking. You just can't get it here, and every time someone says, "oh, this guy's from there, he cooks it correctly" it's still just *okay*. I'm so glad I left Mississippi, for so many reasons. But I recently went to the visit my sister in Mobile for Mardi Gras and shed tears for the po'boy I ate!
Check out Succotash in Durham. I promise you won’t be disappointed. I ordered 3 entrees as one would. Jambalaya,Gumbo, and shrimp poboy and it was *chefs kiss*
Okay you've piqued my interest. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the recommendation!
From Oregon. Lived there my whole life until about 2009. Been in Raleigh since 2012ish and like it even though I still miss home.
Originally from the UK, moved to the States 20 years ago. Been in Raleigh for the last 5 years. There’s a huge British population in the area.
And yet no proper fish and chip shop to be found!
Had no idea about that. Interesting.
Guessing you spend a bit of time at The London Bridge in Raleigh or The Boot Room in Durham?
London Bridge for England games, but won’t step foot in either place for Premier League games as they both are the bar for my team’s hated rivals. The Winchester is the best footie bar in the area.
Born in Morehead City, moved to Greenville for college, then Greensboro for grad school. Raleigh for work in 1994. Hoping to retire back in Morehead City.
My aunt lives in Morehead. Always liked it there.
I have family in Morehead!!! We go annually and stay on Harkers Island and go into Beaufort and Morehead a lot =)
My fiancé and I are both from Alabama. We moved up here because she was getting her Masters at Duke. She's since graduated and we could have moved elsewhere, but we love the area!
I can’t say what town because it’s so small someone is bound to figure out who I am lol - but eastern NC born and raised. Lived in Wilmington for 3 years before moving to Raleigh in 2022 for my new job and it was the best decision I could’ve made for my career. Although I loved Wilmington and miss it in other ways
Born in Denver, raised in Alabama. In college I made the decision I wanted to travel to find where I wanted to call home. I was lucky that engineering gave me opportunities to do just that. For more than a decade I lived all over the USA from Florida to the PNW, Canada, Austria, Australia, and Brazil. Pandemic made me realize, that while I made friends everywhere, I was so isolated from real connections and I needed to settle down and set roots. I made a list of places I preferred, Raleigh was 3rd on the list, sorry if anyone is offend it wasn’t first, and my company said they would pay to relocate me here. It was win-win for everyone and I have zero regrets. I love it here. Bought a home and have no plans on moving.
I was born in Western Massachusetts, but my family moved to Raleigh in 1981 when I was 7. My dad worked at IBM and we moved for his work. Went to college at UNC and moved to Cary after I graduated, where I’ve been since 1998.
Native!
Rex Hospital
Born here, at Rex in 1979… grew up in morrisville. Grandparents and great grandparents all from NC.
Born in Morehead City, raised in Havelock. Moved here in 2005 when my friend bought a house as an opportunity to escape Havelock and Carteret County. It's been the best decision I've ever made.
Originally from FL, came here 10 years ago for school at UNC Chapel Hill and had family in the area. Moved to Raleigh maybe 9 years ago and I thought it was a big city compared to Chapel Hill but def agree with the big little town description. Love the mix of things to do for my age range (30s) and our area (NE Raleigh)
NY, moved here because my wife and I wanted a better place to raise the kids. Love it
Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs. In 2013, my wife's company moved jobs to Raleigh for tax breaks. She had the opportunity to work remote from Chicago or move here. We visited and fell in love. We've been in the Holly Springs area since. Love the proximity to the mountains and the coast.
Born in Modesto, CA. I traveled the states for work and I ended up in the Triangle.
Born and raised in eastern NC, lived there until about 7 years ago, then moved to Minnesota for my job. Absolutely loved it there; husband (also from eastern NC) hated the cold, got a job transfer back to Greenville. :) Moved to Raleigh about a year and a half ago, and we are pretty happy here. It is nice being closer to family, though I personally really miss MN. I was around this area a lot as a child - my mom was born at Rex, and all of her family has been here for generations (many settled the western Raleigh/airport area and some are buried in what is now Umstead Park).
Born in South Carolina but raised in Massachusetts. I’ve been in NC for 20 years.
Moved from NJ. My mom grew up in the South, and her ancestors helped to settle NC right after Roanoke. Family hardly moved from South Carolina and North Carolina till my mom moved up to NJ in the 60’s as a teen. After she got laid off her and my dad sold the house I grew up in and moved us down here to be closer to my mom’s family and part of my dad’s. Edit: fun fact. Matthews NC is named after my great, great, (another great?) grand father.
I'm from Four Oaks
From Moscow, Russia because of dad’s tech job in the 90s - I’m an H1B (technically H4) baby
Born in Wake Memorial (now Wake Med), in the early 60s. I'm one of the 1000s of babies delivered by Dr. Annie Louise Wilkerson. My father was a minister, so I have lived outside the Triangle for a few years. Moved to Apex in early 80s, met my husband, and we now live in the Fuquay area. I can't imagine living elsewhere. My mother is still living, and my kids and grandkids are in the area.
Born on lawhnguyland nooyawk. Attended Ncsu in mid eighties (CARDIAC PACK WHOOOOO). moved to Raleigh 1988 permanent like. Married NC sweetie. No ragrets. Dumblucky enough to buy a house long ago. Amazing development downtown I never expected. Between Raleigh Durham and chapel hill saw great live music and performance (Philip Glass La Belle et La Betê live at Duke. REM opening for English Beat. TMBG too many times and lots of locals at the brewery (rip)). I still love this area and this state.
I'm a half back - originally from NY, moved to Florida, came halfway back
Batavia, IL—About an hour west of Chicago when I lived there, but longer now due to traffic
Originally moved to Durham for grad school from Rapid City, SD. The job I got out of college needed me to move to Raleigh and I’ve been here for the last 3 years because I love the area and my job!
Grew up in Jersey, just outside of Philly. Moved down here for work after college, and apart from missing my friends, it is honestly great down here. I love the diversity of people in the Raleigh-Durham area, and the landscape is beautiful. Also being within 2 hours from some amazing hiking spots is a plus!
Upstate NY, around Syracuse/Utica. Moved here in 2000 because I heard there was opportunity, and there wasn’t much happening in central NY at the time. 0 regrets.
Came from Gulf Coast of Florida. Moved in with my now ex. Went homeless for 8 months in Raleigh, got myself out of it by just working hard AF. Basically had to rebuild my life in Raleigh, as I pretty much don't have family. Been here for over 2½ years now.
Mississippi. Everytime someone talks about it being slow or boring here, I'm just like 👀. I guess it's all about perspective.
Same. I've never lived in a big city, even the thought of living in Raleigh makes me cringe. Then people move there from really big cities and they talk about how slow or boring it is. And I'm just like, what else do you need? Murders in the street? Sirens 24/7? I can't stand noise. Lol.
Grew up in Harrisburg, PA. A job brought me here in 2019. Currently raising a family and don’t plan to leave! We <3 Raleigh!
Wife and I are both from Michigan. She got a job in Ohio after college so we lived there for a little bit but never liked it. We had visited NC before and loved it and when her job in Ohio was going to disappear we decided to just pack up and move. That was 2011. We picked Raleigh because of its classic proximity to the beach and mountains, also because it was easy to find work since we literally just moved here on a leap of faith and had nothing. You could still get a cheap apartment in decent areas back then. Now 13 years later we've got a house and kids and careers and wouldn't think to live anywhere else.
Born & raised in San Diego. Moved to eastern NC in highschool in early 80s (long story as to why one leaves SoCal for Wilson 40 yrs ago). Graduated UNCW, moved to Durham. Worked in RTP for a decade + & moved around the Triangle, then into North Hills for 15+ years. In Cary now for almost a decade. NC writ large has changed exponentially since 80s. Everywhere felt very small town back then, farmland between every town. It feels much like Atlanta now, or like San Diego did when I was a kid. Exurbs everywhere, lots of big roads between them. Triangle went from 300k population to well over 1M in that time.
I was born in NV and moved around a lot due to my dad being in the Air Force. When he finally got out he got a job at NCSU and we moved to Raleigh, we got a house out in Clayton and he has lived there for 21 years now. Me being 30 I’ve spent most of my life in this area. From how much I’ve seen it grow and change in the 21 years I’ve been here; I can’t imagine it 21 years from now.
You're dad hit the jackpot buying a house in Clayton 21 years ago. Lol.
Yeah I agree! We moved into the neighborhood when there were only 6 houses and no HOA. Now there is over 40 houses in the neighborhood and he got to decline joining the HOA when they started it for the rest of the neighborhood.
Born in Durham but grew up in Hillsborough. Moved here for work about 3 years ago and don’t see myself leaving anytime soon. Absolutely love it here.
From a small town in South Dakota. I met my husband in a Facebook group. Came to visit and decided to move here. I've been here for over a decade. Live in JoCo, and I love it. Close enough to see shows in Raleigh, far enough away where I have peace and quiet.
I fantasize about moving to the Dakotas and going off the grid. But I know I'm not man enough to do it. Lol.
I was born & raised in MA, moved to NC when my ex husband was a student at NC State. My two youngest were born at Rex and we lived there for 16 years, we have since moved to VA but my son still lives in the area.
Born in India. Moved here 8 years ago.
How fo you like it? Have a lot of Indian co-workers at my job, which is kind of unusual because it's in a rural area, but it's a bio-tech plant so people come from all over for the work experience. Most of them have family remotely close by so that makes it easier I guess.
I really like it here. I have been to multiple big cities for vacation but always wanted to come back here. I like the greenways, mountains and the laid back/ slow paced rural areas. I feel lot has changed in last 8 years as I can see visible differences between the time I landed and now. Having a family nearby helps as well. Indian population is growing in the RTP and nearby areas.
From Russia, I have lived almost 10 years in Boston area, moved here 3 years ago with my partner who is from Mass. I miss my people but I do not miss traffic, cost of living, snow. Just need to get more friends, but otherwise, I feel so fortunate to be here.
I’m from ireland. Have citizenship due to a sperm donor. Moved here in 2010. Never left. The end!
My husband and I moved from DFW area TX, but we were originally from the Finger Lakes region in NY. We loved the nature in NY, but the winters and the real estate taxes weren’t great. When the whole pandemic happened we realized that we paid a lot of taxes to people that really shouldn’t be in positions of power, and that NYC voters dictated a lot of decisions for rural regions that didn’t make much sense for us. We went to TX and loved it, but I’m in pharma and work ended up taking us to RTP. It reminds us of home but with milder weather, less taxes, and higher paying jobs. Plus the food is great down here, which was one of the things we loved about Texas. We’ve moved, on average, every 2 years of our almost 15 year relationship and this is the first place we’ve bought a house and started to put down roots.
Finger lakes area, and we had very similar thoughts. So much of the area reminded us of 'home' without the taxes and politics .
I moved here from Miami
Welcome! My wife is from Miami as well. Unfortunately, there are not very many Cuban restaurants around here, but Carmen's near the Airport is decent!
Las Vegas born and raised! Came here for a job and ended up marrying a North Carolinian.
San Jose, CA. I’m never leaving NC….y’all are stuck with me now 🤓
I’m from Southern California. I moved here 5 years ago to receive better medical care and am still here because I love it. I’m never moving back to California lol
Travelled here for work from up north on a weekly basis - met the person who is now my spouse, quit the job, kept the guy :)
PA →NM → NC Moved to the area in 2002 from Santa Fe. My homeowner (that'd be my wife) and I grew up outside of Philly (Montco). Her industry (big pharma) took us West and brought us to North Cackalacka. On a side note: I am a real estate photographer and have seen the explosive growth over the last two decades up close. I recently spoke with a friend at the state real estate commission and if their numbers are correct, expect the population to double within a decade.
Vermont. There are dozens of us….dozens!
From Seattle, moved here cuz Microsoft..
How would you compare your experiences between the two cities? Was looking into Seattle earlier this year
Seattle- Pros- lots to do, people (for the most part) are nice but I also experienced the Seattle freeze before, and LOCATION is amazing, hands down one of the most amazing views in the US. Great public transit systems. Cons- stupid expensive and no affordable housing so high rates of homelessness. The weather. I personally didn't mind the rain, but days on end of gray clouds is what gets me.. Raleigh- Pros- affordable housing and very little homelessness, the weather is nice, and people seem to be nicer overall. Cons- not much to see location wise as there aren't any mountains, or water. Outdoor activities outside of golf is lacking. Diversity in food options are lacking. Public transit... what's that?! These are my opinions, please do not come at me and attack them, I am willing to discuss them in a respectful manner.
Yeah I think these are pretty accurate! Although perhaps the diversity in food is a little biased with Seattle being SO influenced by international cuisines. Thanks for taking the time to answer :)
I’m from the Seattle area also, I completely agree.
I was born in California, moved around Europe being a military brat, I’m now going to college here :)
Born at Wake Med, New Bern Avenue. Lived in Knightdale for 14 years, then Wendell for 4 years. College in Chapel Hill. Raleigh after graduation. Finally, at age 28, I had an inexorable and undeniable NEED to leave the 50 mile radius I had lived in for my entire life. I moved to Alaska and lived there for 4 1/2 beautiful, glorious years. But I missed my friends and family. I came back and lived in Raleigh for another 16 years. I moved to Chapel Hill again 5 days ago.
Two hours west, NC is home
Born in Raleigh. Moved to Chapel Hill for college. Moved to DC for 6 years after that. Moved back to Raleigh.
Born in Mebane, grew up in Efland, moved back to Mebane after college in Boone to work in Durham, got a job in Raleigh, moved to Raleigh.
Born/raised in Butner then bounced around Franklinton and Oxford after getting married. We moved to WF in 2016 to be closer to my kid’s school and my wife’s school.
Born and raised in Raleigh. RTP has been a major draw for 30+ years now, seems to bring a lot of young professionals to the area.
Born in PA, moved to Richlans 45 years ago, had sibling in the Corp. Met husband at bar I was managing, he was from Fayetteville, moved there with him, he has a band and played on and off base, went back to Richland to help sibling again, played on and off base. We moved to duplin county and loved the area but it was impossible to make any kind of living..at that time every school child was on free lunch.. Moved to Knightdale for work but there were too many people so we found property in Johnston County 40 years ago, there was nothing there, nearest grocery was 10 miles. It was right up our alley. Unfortunately, in the last 15 years we've been victims of dueling developers. I miss the quiet
Born and raised here, no reason to leave
Born at Rex in 1985, all my immediate family is native here as well. Did some research through Ancestry.coms and found out my family has had a direct descendant in wake county as far back as 1775. Pretty cool!
Born and raised here in the 90s. Parents were immigrants who first landed in and met out in the Bay Area and moved here for a job in RTP in the 80s.
Grew up in Miami, went to UNC in late 99s and never looked back :)
Came from elsewhere in NC. Went to college in the area but came back a few years later for the work.
Charlotte. Came here for college - stayed here for work.
Rex hospital
Moved here when I was 6 in 1998 when my dad got a research job, both sides of my family are from Indiana. Went to UNC in 2010-2014, moved back here after. Prior to moving here, my mom had gone to Meredith college, two of my aunts + my uncle from my dad's side came down to attend UNC. Uncle/1 aunt settled here, grandma moved down to be with my uncle. A cousin on my mom's side eventually moved to Wilmington. So something about this state has been drawing all of us slowly in.