I’ve grown up in the 919 my entire life, I love this place, I love the city in the middle of a forest, I love the outdoors, and I love North Carolina as a whole, from mountains to beachfront. So when I say I am becoming disenchanted with Raleigh, keep in mind that I write about my home from a place of deep love and respect.
That being said, as I’m getting older and looking at Raleigh from a different perspective, I’m getting tired of the same thing. The options here after graduation seem to boil down to either a suburban landscape of identical beige houses side by side or a downtown life with little to offer other than bars and breweries. Both options have little in terms of entertainment.
Raleigh just isn’t a bachelors’ city, it’s no real secret, which makes it an excellent place to live in terms of job opportunities and raising a family, but pretty drab for people like me: the ones weighing their options for after graduation and finding the lack of excitement here being a deal-breaker.
Simply put, Raleigh is pretty boring. I’m constantly looking online and in person, searching for something new and exciting to do in the Raleigh area, something I missed, but most times there’s nothing. The usual answer to my search is, “what about our wonderful parks? Or maybe try a museum or a brewery.”
Yes, the parks truly are wonderful… when it’s warm. The museums are top-notch… the first few times. And I’m sure the breweries and bars are great… but I am neither of drinking age nor interested allotting all of my free time toward drinking when I become 21. Call me picky, but I’m not the only one. In talking, I’ve found that describing Raleigh as boring isn’t exactly controversial among peers, especially international students, of which NC State has many who are often used to bigger cities and/or warmer weather.
With North Carolina having no shortage of wonderful universities to attend, it’s surprising to me that there is little catered specifically toward recent college graduates in the state’s capital. Undeniably, Research Triangle Park and other employment opportunities provide a persuasive argument for any potential resident with a degree. But the lack of a culture satisfying the other needs of young people is truly disappointing, and it stands in the way of Raleigh being a truly great city.
Ranking between Miami and Long Beach on a list of US cities by population, Raleigh clearly lags far behind both in terms of culture and activities. Even when accounting for differences in density and distance to the beach in order to compare Raleigh (pop: 485,679, density: 1,293/km²) to more similar cities like Atlanta (pop: 501,178, density: 1,450/km²) and Colorado Springs (pop: 493,799 density: 979/km²), Raleigh still lacks anything close to the cultural richness of either.
That is certainly not to discount the culture of the people living here, though. Raleigh as a whole lacks a citywide culture, but its people sure have plenty in the form of their own lifestyles. If Raleigh has one thing going for it, it’s the diversity of the people you can meet here.
But for people like me, a chance at a stable income and a variety of people to meet just isn’t enough. After nearly two decades, I think I’ll be leaving soon. Of course, I want to finish my degree at NC State, and I’m sure I’ll have plenty of fun on the way with the wonderful people I get to call my friends. But at the end of the day, Raleigh needs to offer what really matters, a sense of excitement and spontaneity that together could form a culture similar to that in cities of the same magnitude. I don’t want beige houses or breweries, I need something a little more fun.
