What's unique about Raleigh, North Carolina?

Best Town to Live Between Raleigh and Tarboro, North Carolina?

• My girlfriend and I are relocating from New York (Long Island). I will be attending school in Raleigh and she will be working full time in Tarboro. We may be relocating as soon as two weeks from now so urgent help is needed! I previously lived near Fayetteville but am completely unfamiliar with the Raleigh/Tarboro area/commute. My girlfriend and I are in our mid twenties and are looking for a town that is safe (low crime) but also has stuff to do (e.g some sort of night life like a bar, a coffee shop or some place to hang out in town), maybe some ppl near our age range, and preferably a walkable town. We were thinking some place in between Tarboro and Raleigh to cut down on both of our commutes but are pretty open in general. Preferably not overbearingly religious or republican, we are fairly moderate in our views on both issues, but we understand that may be a sacrifice. Thank you so much for your help! We grew up in eastern Long Island and are from small towns, each with like 2-4 bars, a supermarket, some small stores, a deli, and a pizza place. Don't neccessarily need the big city, could probably deal with something "rural" if it at least had a food store, bar, and coffee shop/ place to eat. I understand Greenville is east. I'd love to hear more about Greenville or Wilson? Also, Could anyone elaborate on what some of these small towns like Nashville are like? (or any similar ones off 264 area)? Thank you!

• Answer:

  Greenville and Wilson would be completely out of the way. Did you look at a highway map?? They are totally in different directions than where you need to be. The main highway between Raleigh and Tarboro would be US 64. About halfway along is a town called Zebulon, which is sort of a bedroom community with lots of people who commute to work in Raleigh. It's just a tiny bit closer to Raleigh than Tarboro---but frankly the closer you get to Tarboro, the more redneck the area becomes. You really wanna stay as close to Raleigh as possible, because you'll probably spend much of your free time there for dining, shopping, etc, since it's the major city. Zebulon would probably be your best compromise for sure!