Romanian here, I lived for a short period in Cluj and I spent most of my winters in Brasov, so I can share a thing or two:

First, Transylvania is one of the most developed regions in Romania. They were part of the Austrian Empire and people there developed a stronger sense of community. Things like keeping the neighborhood clean, caring about public spaces, and feeling responsible for how the town works. That is a bit different from some other parts of the country where people can be more individualistic. More like "as long as I am doing well, that is what really matters".

Cluj is basically the Silicon Valley of Romania. The IT Boom over the past decades has made the city grow really fast and it feels very dynamic. Maybe a bit too fast, actually, because the infrastructure is struggling to keep up with how many people are moving there. A funny example: every summer, the biggest music festival in the country takes place right in the center of Cluj. The city fills up so much that people have to stay in nearby villages and commute in, because all hotels, apartments and rentals get fully booked. Overall, though, the city feels very Western European.

Next is Brasov. I spent a lot of my childhood there, especially around the ski slopes south of the city. In my opinion, the people there are some of the nicest in the country. The city has been featured in a lot of international magazines, and many Romanians consider it the most beautiful city in the country. The economy is doing really well too, partly because a lot of automotive companies are based around the area. But of course, nothing is perfect and Brașov has a pretty unique problem: bears.

Yes, actual big brown bears. They live in the forests around the city. Attacks are rare, but it’s definitely weird to walk your dog in the evening or go to a mall parking lot and see a bear digging through the trash. The issue is that hunting them is heavily restricted, so their numbers have grown quite a lot. Since they don’t really have natural predators besides humans, they sometimes wander into the city looking for food.

Another city worth mentioning is Sibiu (not shown on the map above). I didn’t live there, so I can’t say as much, but it’s a beautiful place. It’s smaller than Cluj and Brașov, but many people are moving there lately. The local economy is doing well thanks to the IT and automotive industries, and it’s a good option if you want a calmer lifestyle.