This Carolina City Offers the Best Quality of Life on the U.S. East Coast

As Americans continue to move out of big cities in search of affordable housing and a lower cost of living, many of them head to the South. One North Carolina city, in particular, has stood out with its excellent quality of life, which U.S. News recently ranked the best among East Coast states and fifth overall nationally. The city is none other than North Carolina’s capital, Raleigh, which was also named the sixth-best place to live in America.

Raleigh has seen an impressive population growth rate in the past 10 years (over 60 people moved there per day for five years straight) and was the second fastest-growing city in the nation in 2020. That trend shows no signs of slowing down, as the city, along with Durham and Chapel Hill, collectively nicknamed the Research Triangle, is going through a population boom.

As U.S. News also pointed out in its report, the city’s strong job growth, especially in the tech and startup sectors, and high quality of life attract skilled and educated workers, especially those who work in software development, transforming it into one of the largest tech hubs on the East Coast.

While this growth is driving the cost of living up, prices are still nowhere near those of similar research communities like the San Francisco Bay area.

“Though home prices climbed significantly over the past few years and housing costs may continue to rise as more people flock to the area, relatively low property taxes make homeownership in Raleigh easier than in some other major U.S. cities,” U.S. News reported. 

According to Zillow, Raleigh’s median home price is $447,000, which is higher than the national median, but the cost of living is still four percent lower than the national average. 

Home to over 400,000 residents, the city is also a wonderful place to raise a family. Raleigh’s public school system has a perfect “A” grade by Niche.com, ranking 24th overall for cities with the best public schools in America. Add to that one of the best children’s museums in the country, hundreds of parks with over 10,000 acres of green spaces, many playgrounds and sports facilities for year-round recreation, and, of course, all the amazing state parks in the region offering miles of hiking trails and outdoor fun.

While the city is landlocked, it is a two-hour drive from Wrightsville Beach, about 3.5 hours from the Outer Banks, and is accessible to some of the best North Carolina beaches. Additionally, the city’s dining scene is booming (four of its restaurants were finalists for this year’s James Beard Awards), and festivals and live music venues abound. 

Ann Arbor, Michigan; Boulder, Colorado; Boise, Idaho; and Honolulu, rank before Raleigh in U.S. News’s ranking of the best cities in the country, overall, to live for quality of life.