Source: Wikipedia.
Nicknamed the “City of Oaks” for its many oak trees Raleigh is an attractive city with lots of green space, parks and golf clubs and is home to around 416,470 people. Raleigh is a historic city, founded in 1792 and it’s the capital of the state of North Carolina. There are several historic districts where the heritage of the city has been preserved, but Raleigh has plenty of modern buildings and conveniences too. But is it a good place to live?
Crime and Safety in Raleigh
The Raleigh Police Department takes care of law enforcement in the city, serving all areas within the city limits. As with any city there are some neighborhoods of Raleigh that experience more crime than others. Around downtown, such as North Central, there’s more crime committed than in the more residential areas but on the whole, Raleigh is actually a fairly safe city to live in. The crime index is 29 percent lower than the North Carolina average – violent crime is about the same as for the state as whole, but property crime is 31 percent lower. You have a 1 in 28 chance of being a victim of crime in Raleigh.
Employment and the Economy in Raleigh
Being part of North Carolina’s Research Triangle, Raleigh benefits from its involvement in one of the largest and most successful centers for high-tech and biotech research in the country. The city hosts numerous businesses with the largest employers being the State of North Carolina and the Wake County Public School System. Private companies include Red Hat, a computer software company, Golden Corral, and BB&T Insurance Services.
Unemployment rates are just a fraction under the national average at 8 percent, though the number of people unemployed has been steadily increasing over the last twelve years from a healthy 5.3 percent in 2000. Income per capita is higher than the state and national average.
Cost of Living in Raleigh
On the overall cost of living index Raleigh ranks well at 6.7 percent below the national average, and 3.3 percent below the North Carolina average. Put this together with the higher wages and residents in Raleigh have more disposable income than in other cities. Some things do cost more here though – healthcare is 8 percent higher than the national average, while utilities come in 5 percent higher. The big saving is on cost of housing though, as this is a huge 25 percent lower than the national average.
Schools and Education in Raleigh
Raleigh is dedicated to education so if you want your children to do well in school this is a great city to live in. Wake County Public School System has over 9,000 teachers who take care of its 149,528 students across 169 schools, making this the largest public school district in North Carolina. Here in Raleigh there are 79 public schools, 36 private schools, and 12 post-secondary schools including North Carolina State University, Wake Technical Community College, Meredith College, and Shaw University.
The high school graduation rate is 88.5 percent, and over half complete an associate degree with 45 percent completing a bachelor’s.
Air Quality in Raleigh
If we look at pollution levels in Raleigh this is a great place to live – the pollution index is 93.5 percent lower than the North Carolina average and 96.6 percent lower than the national average. This is thanks to there being a low level of industrial activity in the city.
So cost of living, education, crime, and pollution all point to Raleigh being a very good place to live. Only unemployment levels are bringing this city down right now.
