Um, hey, so you guys that live in the Raleigh-Durham area, the husband and I are kind of talking about moving up there.

Woo-hoo!

Want to pimp your city to me?

Sure! I've lived in Raleigh, and Durham (current residence), as well as Chapel Hill and Carrboro (the college-oriented towns that make the Triangle triangular), and Hillsborough (off to the north of stuff, but an easy drive to everywhere else).

I'm single, own no property (aside from a laptop and a 7 year old car), and a 38 year old female. For me, Durham's been terrific. I live in an area called Woodcroft, which has apartments, townhouses, condos, clustered homes, and regular houses. It also has a ton of walking trails. If you or your husband get a techy job, one of the hot-spots for that kind of work is RTP (Research Triangle Park). It's less than a 15 minute drive for me. Durham is urban, both in the sense that it's a city with some risky areas and in the racial code for has a large non-white population. It has a major rich-poor divide, with a lot of rich folks sending their kids to Duke and a lot of poor folks living in the city just a few blocks from the university. Sometimes unpleasantness ensues. But the Durham = Horrid Crime equation has been blown way out of proportion. I've never felt less safe in Durham than in, say, Raleigh. There is a large (for the Bible Belt) gay, lesbian, bi, and transgendered community in the Durham and Chapel Hill areas, and a Pride parade every year.

Durham has the American Dance Festival in the summer [link] as well as the Bull Durham Blues Festival [link] If you like minor league baseball, you might enjoy catching a Durham Bulls game. There's a folk music and crafts festival around July 4 every year called Festival for the Eno (money goes to preserving the Eno River watershed.) [link]

Durham is 4 or 5 hours from the Atlantic Ocean (boy, it's been too long since my last beach trip if I can't remember) and a similar distance from the Appalachian Mountains. The nearest airport (RTP) is pretty good size and you can get flights from there to most anywhere with only one or two transfers.

The Durham library system is consistently good. I've been to a few zoning meetings, and they seem pretty transparent and community focused.

Creative Genius. She Who KNows where The Bodies Are Buried(Only half because she buried them.)

That's funny, but I think that the word architecture is related to arch as in 'Arch Enemy" or "archdiocese" rather that Arch as in Triomphe. I think that is designates who is in charge, not who prefers curved entryways.

Interesting! I totally believed this guy that it was about flying buttresses and whatever.

The real reason I hate being the new girl at work is that I hate not being Files and Records. I hate having to look up the history and relationships and etc etc.

There's special hell, and then there's hell comma a special place in. Sheesh.

Hopefully Brutus or Cassius will be able to move over and make room for him in one of the mouths.

Dana, Calli did a good pimp of Durham already; I'll just add the in-town perspective. Where I am (about a mile from the middle of downtown) is a good bit denser than Calli's 'hood, so we're in walkable (at a stretch) distance or a so-close-you'd-never-even-notice-it drive to all the dance fest, baseball, bars, restaurants, farmers market, theater, etc. It's a little further from a lot of the techie jobs, but compared to commuting a lot of places? It's seriously nothing. 15-20 minutes, as compared to her 10-15. Working at the looniversity (that is, in town and not out in far-distant techie land), I can walk to work, which in spite of being what we call "urban" in these parts is a lovely quiet walk full of 100-year-old oak trees.

Chapel Hill is right next door -- more pricey to live in, more nightlife, more of a college-town scene.

Raleigh is a good bit further, and you don't want to live there anyway. BO-RING. And further from the jobs. And from the Buffistas. So don't listen to them when they tell you they're the place to be.

Also, I'm not sure what beach Calli goes to -- last time I went, it was more like 2.5 hours; then again, I don't like the beach enough to go to the really remote spots (but if you are, our remote spots are remoter than anyone's!)

So, what are your specific requirements?

Architect etymology:

1563, from M.Fr. architecte, from L. architectus, from Gk. arkhitekton "master builder," from arkhi- "chief" + tekton "builder, carpenter." Architecture also is from 1563

I'd like the be a Can Opener, except there'd be whupass in mine.

Oh, I checked out Rick's assertion before I called him interesting, believe you me.

ION, awesome. The key person here who can never get back to me because she's too busy? One of her key staff people just gave notice. Arrrggghhh!

So, what are your specific requirements?

Not too far north (i.e., not too cold). Not too expensive. Not too big, not too small. Traffic not too bad. Actual diversity and culture. We'd probably look for a townhouse rather than a house with a yard. Husband would like places to bike. I would like some kind of singing opportunity. Good restaurants.

So ideally, we'd be aiming for Durham, or possibly CH?

I knew someone who'd bitch about the mis-application of "engineer" as in terms like "software engineer." Made not better by the transfer of the School of Computer Science into the Engineering Department, also resulting in Comp Sci Majors getting a Bachelor of Engineering, not Science.

So while I was at the etymology site, I looked and found:

c.1300, from O.Fr. engin "skill, cleverness," also "war machine," from L. ingenium "inborn qualities, talent," from in- "in" + gen-, root of gignere "to beget, produce." At first meaning a trick or device, or any machine (especially military); sense of one that converts energy to mechanical power is 18c., especially of steam engines. Engineer "locomotive driver" is first attested 1839, Amer.Eng.

I think we're good.

Me, not actually. But I give up on trying to sleep.

Not too far north (i.e., not too cold). Not too expensive. Not too big, not too small. Traffic not too bad. Actual diversity and culture.

I hear it's nice in Utopia. Hee.