Tripadvisor Raleigh (2024)

FAQs

Where does Raleigh rank in best place to live? ›

According to the latest U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings, Raleigh is the sixth best place to live in the country. Raleigh also ranked sixth in 2022, before jumping to third in 2023.

Geography: 434 feet above sea level, Raleigh lies in east-central N.C., where the hilly Piedmont region meets the flat coastal plain.

Raleigh, along with neighboring Durham and Chapel Hill, is known for research/technology roots and collegiate rivalries. This tri-city region known as the Triangle lures new residents every day with strong job growth and high quality of life. Many people who call Raleigh home are young, friendly, diverse and educated.

The metro area population of Raleigh in 2023 was 1,591,000, a 2.84% increase from 2022. The metro area population of Raleigh in 2022 was 1,547,000, a 3.27% increase from 2021.

Raleigh is far enough away to avoid hurricanes and close enough that you can make a day trip out of it. But if you prefer the mountains, Charlotte is the clear winner.

The Triangle area of North Carolina is a region located in the central part of the state. It comprises the cities of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, which are three of the largest cities in North Carolina.

North Hills is a popular neighborhood for home buyers who can afford to buy a home in the median price range of $649K. If this price doesn't match your budget, expand your search to include homes in popular neighborhoods around North Hills.

According to a CNBC and SmartAsset study, a single adult needs an average salary of about $102,752 to live comfortably in Raleigh.

Is Durham or Raleigh safer? ›

Driving the news: Overall, violent crime in Wake County (284 per 100,000 people) is still far lower than in Durham (643) and Mecklenburg (657), according to data released by North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation this fall.

In 2022, there were 1.91 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (244k people) in Raleigh, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 128k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 21k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

With a population of about 275,000, Durham is slightly smaller than Raleigh but has just as much to offer. As a hub for the technology and healthcare industry, Durham is home to companies like Apple, Facebook (Meta), Google, Amazon, and more.

The city of Raleigh occupies about 147 square miles of land. The population of Raleigh has been growing and, as of 2023, was estimated to be around 482,300, making it the second largest city in the state after Charlotte. The median age in Raleigh is 34 years, making it a great place to start a career or raise a family.

Raleigh is ranked No. 2 on Milken Institute's best-performing large cities list, up from a No. 3 spot in 2023.

Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeast, the 41st-most populous city in the U.S., and the largest city of the Research Triangle metro area.

In addition to being named the top place to live in North Carolina, Raleigh was also among the top 25 best cities in America, best cities to raise a family and with the best public schools in the country, according to Niche.