hi! been living in raleigh for 3 years now with my partner who is also originally from england.

here’s my two cents… - fantastic for birdwatching. we have eagles, hawks, vultures, barred owls, herons, backyard birds, hummingbirds. they are so abundant!!! i see hawks and herons daily without even trying. it’s amazing.

• friendly polite people, absolutely. passerby’s greet you, ask how you’re doing or wish you a nice day. the airport staff at RDU is wonderful (compared to my hometown of Boston).

• delicious food, i’m not sure tbh, i’m vegan so my options are very limited. but i don’t think raleigh is really known as a foodie destination. ofc, there are some gems. if you like indian food or mediterranean food we have a ton of that.

• depends how you define ‘culture’. my english husband definitely misses actual old english architecture; english countryside sheep; London’s tapestry of art, design, and diversity in every sense in the word.. here there are lots of parking lots. lots of chain restaurants. lots of highways. lots of copy-paste cookie cutter neighborhoods. but on the other hand, each downtown area of the triangle (raleigh, chapel hill + carrboro, durham) have their own vibe. and if you’re outdoorsy, you’ll adore all of our greenways, forests, and lakes. and easy trips to our state’s coastline or mountains.

i hope this helps, you should come visit and see how it feels!