Why the Raleigh-Cary Area of North Carolina?

Raleigh, North Carolina and the surrounding areas continue to be voted one of the most desirable places to live in the nation!

#1 Raleigh-Cary, N.C., The 25 Best U.S. Cities For Jobs - Forbes.com

Median Household Income Rank: 30
Unemployment Rank: 13
Income Growth Rank: 12
Cost Of Living Rank: 45
Job Growth Rank: 10

Raleigh has a lot to offer, mainly the fact that it has nothing bad to offer. Unlike Florida, North Carolina's housing market has been relatively stable, so Raleigh probably doesn't have a downturn to look forward to. The three universities in the area--Duke, the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University--help attract highly educated workers and technology firms. Says Steven Cochrane, an economist with Moody's Economy.com: "It has a lot of the amenities of Florida, except not the hurricanes."

14.5% Increase in Median Home Prices, Raleigh-Cary, N.C., Home Prices Decline in Majority Of Cities Across the U.S. - Wall Street Journal RealEstateJournal.com

Home prices declined from a year earlier in about half of all metropolitan areas in the fourth quarter, the National Association of Realtors reported.

It was the first time the trade group has recorded declining or unchanged prices in the majority of cities covered since it began collecting the data in 1979, a Realtors spokesman said.

On a national basis, the median home price during the quarter was $219,300, down 2.7% from a year earlier. Prices began falling in many areas last year after a boom that pushed prices up at double-digit annual rates in much of the country in the first half of this decade.

Raleigh, N.C. on the other hand bucked this trend actually increasing in 2006-2007.

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC - The Triangle

Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill is often referred to as the Triangle.
The Triangle is appropriately named because lines drawn between the cities of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill create just that .... a triangle! This area is affectionately known as the land of tees, trees, and Ph D's. Our highly successful and world-renowned Research Triangle Park with its campus like setting is nestled in the center of the triangle.
POPULATION: 1.2 million
COST OF LIVING INDEX: 107.7
KEY EMPLOYERS: State of North Carolina; International Business Machines (IBM); Wake County Public School System; North Carolina State University; GlaxoSmithKline, Inc.; WakeMed; Nortel, Inc.; Rex Healthcare; SAS Institute, Inc.; Progress Energy; Wake County; Hansen Aggregates; City of Raleigh; Cisco Systems; Waste Industries; WorldCom; Dorothea Dix Hospital; Research Triangle Institute; Verizon; First Citizens Bank & Trust Company; Longistics; Wachovia Corporation; Food Lion Stores; Kroger Stores; Invensys/Secure Power; United Parcel Service; The Capital Area YMCA, Inc.; U.S. EPA Environmental Research Center; Harris Teeter Stores; American Airlines Reservation Center; Ericsson, Inc.; Keebler, Inc.; The News & Observer Publishing Company; TriArc Food Systems/Bojangle's Restaurants; Wal-Mart; Freight Handlers; KMart Stores; WinnDixie Stores; Golden Corral Corporation; Nationwide Insurance Company; Wake Technical Community College
HOUSING COSTS: Average home price is $200,000.
TAXES: Personal income tax starts at 6 percent.
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 5.5 percent
PROJECTED JOB GROWTH THROUGH 2008: 33 percent
EDUCATION: Ten top-quality colleges and universities are in the Triangle region.
HEALTHCARE: The Triangle offers a fine array of well-respected facilities, including two of the top medical teaching and research hospitals.
ARTS: North Carolina Symphony, North Carolina Museum of Art, North Carolina Museum of History, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Walnut Creek Amphitheater, North Carolina Theater, Raleigh Little Theatre and Rose Garden, Theatre in the Park, Raleigh Ensemble Players, Raleigh Oratorio Society, National Opera Company, Moore Square Arts District, Raleigh Civic Ballet Company, Raleigh Dance Theatre, Easy Moving Dance Company and The Dance Project, The Carolina Ballet, American Dance Festival, Royall Center for the Arts, Duke University Museum of Art, North Carolina Central University Art Museum, Carolina Theatre of Durham, Museum of Life and Sciences, Carolina PlayMakers Repertory Company, Ackland Art Museum, Morehead Planetarium, Chapel Hill Museum, Kenan Football Center Hall of Honor, Artspace
RECREATION: Carolina Hurricanes Hockey, The NIKE Golf Tour, Carolina Mudcats, Atlantic Coast Conference college sports, Durham Bulls, hunting, fishing, camping, hiking.

It should not come as a surprise that Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill has earned the No. 1 spot on our list of best places to live and work for the second year in a row. This is a place that 1.2 million people are content to call home, and for so many good reasons. The area offers a great quality of life, a low crime rate, affordable housing, top-notch educational institutions, some of the best healthcare facilities in the world, a diverse industry base, and an environment in which it is ideal to raise a family.

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill has a thriving business sector. The area is anchored by one of the nation's largest research parks and three nationally renowned research universities. Industry giants in pharmaceuticals, computer software, telecommunications, and biotechnology call the Triangle home. Having recently celebrated its 40th birthday, Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the premier address for relocating and expanding companies that want access to technology-transfer opportunities made possible by the Park's close ties to Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University. RTP is the largest planned research park in the United States, consisting of some 45,000 employees on 7,000 acres. Some of the most notable tenants include Cisco Systems, EPA, Ericsson, IBM and Nortel.

The industry base here is quite diverse. Manufacturing, for instance, accounts for 12 percent of the industry base, employing approximately 80,000 people. Information technology has played a major role in the Triangle's development and success since the early 1960s. Today, the Raleigh-Durham area is ranked 20th in the country for its concentration of high-tech personnel.

Healthcare is extremely important to those who live and work in the Triangle. Two of the nation's top teaching and research hospitals are located here. Known as the "City of Medicine," nearly one in three people in Durham's work force is in a medical or healthcare-related field. Chapel Hill is also a strong center of medicine, with UNC hospitals, while Raleigh and Wake County offer several well-respected facilities, including Rex Healthcare and Wake Medical Center.

Residents in the Triangle have many opportunities to enjoy the area's beauty. Centrally located between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west and the Outer Banks and Atlantic Coast to the east, the climate here is pleasant year-round. There is also plenty to see and do: theater productions, art museums and great collegiate sporting events keep everyone busy.

Our well-publicized quality of life plus thriving business opportunities attract people to our community from all over the world. Our area is now rich with cultural diversity and yet we retain and cherish the beauty, charm and gracious hospitality of our southern heritage.

Arts, entertainment and sports, both collegiate and professional, thrive in our major cities and smaller communities. Museums, sports arenas, ballparks, concerts, symphony orchestra, theatre, ballet and art festivals abound.

The Triangle is within a couple hours of all of North Carolinas natural and manmade playgrounds! The Blue Ridge Mountains, beautiful coastal beaches, fresh water lakes and rivers, state parks and trails for walking, biking and hiking support and encourage an active life style.

The Triangle offers educational options for everyone. Three major research universities, many liberal arts institutions and several community colleges provide opportunities for students of all interests and ages. Come see what you have been missing!