Raleigh is the ideal place for professionals and people who want to make a difference in the world. It is the second highest paid city on our list and is part of The Triangle, three cities famous for scientific research. It's a growing tech hub, even Apple is moving, and the economy has surprisingly survived the pandemic. Winston-Salem started as two cities that later became one.
Both cities had a long history in the tobacco industry, but today, Winston-Salem is known for its healthiest things. Durham is The Triangle's third point, and its biggest employers are banks and medical companies. Much of Durham's medical system belongs to Duke University, which also runs family-friendly nature centers such as Duke Forest and Duke Lemur Center, which help save endangered animals. You can also enjoy all kinds of festivals in Durham every year, it is home to the Bull City Food & Beer Experience, the Bull City Rumble motorcycle rally and several art, film and holiday festivals.
Wilmington values history. This city has several colonial sites, and World War II fans can board the U, S, S. Or for a modern view of the city, visit the aquarium, beach promenades, and local shops and restaurants. If you're lucky, you might even stumble upon a movie set.
Cary is another suburb of Raleigh located just outside the capital and the Research Triangle. It regularly appears on lists of the best places to live in the United States, including the best place to raise a family and the best place to retire. What will surprise you about Cary is that it is a city that highly values cleanliness and green living. There are 36 greenway trails in the area, ideal for all types of recreational activities.
Wake Forest is a suburb in Wake County, located just north of the state capital. The city of 34,786 residents was the original home of Wake Forest University prior to the university's relocation to Winston-Salem. That's right, Wake Forest is even more expensive than the capital itself. Waxhaw is a suburb of Charlotte and one of the fastest growing locations in the state.
With a population of 11,600 people, the small town located in Union County is just a few miles from the state border with South Carolina. Named No, 4 best place to live in North Carolina by Niche, you'll often find Apex fighting for the No.1 spot. Young families who are part of the population of 42,200 are served by top-notch schools in the area, a charming center and enjoy a fantastic community spirit. Admirably, Apex has managed to maintain a tight-knit environment, even with many of its residents who are out of town.
The community always gathers for events such as a weekly farmers' market and an annual jazz festival. Like all of the suburbs on this list, Harrisburg ranks high in education, crime rate, income, prosperity and family friendliness, a perfect combination that easily makes it one of North Carolina's most desirable areas. This makes the city of 15,000 people the perfect place for those who want to be close to the action while maintaining their own space. Winston-Salem is the fourth largest city in the Old North State, with 236,642 people calling the city home.
The crime rate in Winston-Salem is low but overall it's a family-friendly neighborhood with 12 golf courses and 75 parks that guarantee recreation options. Asheville is one of the most impressive places in North Carolina with a population of 86,800 people living in Buncombe County. This unique city is famous for its breweries and beer (won the title of Beer City USA four consecutive years) and its waters are credited for their excellent beers. Marvin is a small suburb of Charlotte located in Union County with only 6,000 people living there but bearing one of highest cost of living in entire state.
Returning to Wake County in Raleigh Holly Springs makes our list for several reasons: it ranks high in education crime rate income prosperity and family friendliness making it one of North Carolina's most desirable areas. Wesley Chapel is located in Union County less than 10 miles from Waxhaw today 8 000 people call Wesley Chapel home and this small community is one of those places where you know many faces by name but don't let that fool you into thinking that Wesley Chapel is slow rural community because it's anything but. Rounding out our list of best places to live in North Carolina is Mills River small community with 7 000 people located in Henderson County Old State has more than 10 million people well spread among variety medium sized cities along beautiful mountain coastal cities.
