Your Guide to Living in North Carolina

Whether you’re looking for a modern vibe or relaxed charm, North Carolina checks all your boxes. With its capital city of Raleigh emerging as a technology hub, this state offers unique career opportunities, outdoor attractions, sporting events, culture and so much more! North Carolina has become one of the fastest-growing states in the country, fueled by an explosion of growth in the tech sector around Research Triangle Park, the banking industry in Charlotte, and agribusiness in the west. The growth of these industries, combined with the high quality of life, earned North Carolina the coveted title of CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business in 2022. With all the excitement happening around the state, we invite you to learn more in our guide to living in North Carolina.

Incredible Career and Workforce Development Opportunities

North Carolina is leading the way in business growth and workforce development opportunities. Major employers, including Bank of America, Truist Financial Corporation, Duke Energy, FUJIFILM Diosynth, Lowe’s, Pratt & Whitney, Toyota, VinFast and many others, have announced over $50 billion in new investments in the state just in the past year alone with thousands of new jobs as well. One of the biggest wins for the state was Apple’s decision to build its first East Coast campus in the Research Triangle Park, only minutes away from our Abberly Alston Apartment Homes and Carpenters Pointe townhome communities. The campus will add 3,000 new high-paying technology jobs to the area. Apple joins other major players in the technology sector, including Google, IBM, Red Hat, Lenovo, and others. In addition, down the road in the Greensboro area, Toyota has announced its $13 billion Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina project, which is expected to generate around 2,000 new jobs.

The state has created several new workforce development initiatives to support the technology, manufacturing, financial services, and agribusiness jobs coming to North Carolina. These include the chamber’s Institute for Workforce Competitiveness, NCWorks, and over a dozen specialized programs to help job seekers obtain the skills they need to succeed in these emerging growth industries.

Beaches to Mountains and Everything in Between

One of the best things about living in North Carolina is the state’s incredible natural resources. Residents and visitors alike can spend a day along the Atlantic Ocean on the Outer Banks, snow ski around the mountains near Asheville, or go boating on Lake Norman just north of Charlotte. No matter your taste, North Carolina has an incredibly diverse landscape which is perfect for spending time outdoors.

Some of the state’s biggest highlights include Pisgah National Forest, the Blue Ridge Parkway, DuPont State Recreational Forest, Jockey’s Ridge State Park, Hammocks Beach State Park, Carolina Beach, the Brevard area (home to more than 250 waterfalls), and others. For golf fans, Donald Ross’ signature courses in Pinehurst and Southern Pines are a top destination. Pinehurst No. 2, Southern Pines Golf Club, and the Pine Needles Golf Course are among the top-ranked golf courses in the country, having hosted more golf championships than any other courses in the United States. These courses are only a few miles from our Brookwood and Traywick at Sandhurst new home communities.    

Incredible Arts, Historical, and Cultural Centers

North Carolina is a state rich in history and culture. The NoDa Arts District in Charlotte has become a powerhouse for supporting local artists and artisans and a destination for foodies. Explore the North Davidson corridor and find live music venues, boutique art shops, craft breweries, and more. If you decide to stay, check out our Abberly NoDa Vista Apartment Homes. Other cultural centers in Charlotte include the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Mint Museum Uptown, Charlotte Ballet, and the Children's Theatre of Charlotte.

Moving up to the state capital, Raleigh has over two dozen museums to enjoy, including the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, North Carolina Museum of History, North Carolina Museum of Art, Marbles Kids Museum, and City of Raleigh Museum (COR Museum).

One of the things that both residents and visitors enjoy are all the adrenaline-packed sports venues, including the Charlotte Motor Speedway, NASCAR Racing Experience, and NASCAR Hall of Fame. North Carolina is also home to the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, and is the epicenter of NCAA Men’s Basketball with North Carolina State University, Duke University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As you can see, North Carolina offers a rich assortment of artistic, historical, and cultural centers that enhance the quality of life for residents.

Top Tier K-12 and Higher Education in North Carolina

North Carolina is home to 52 colleges and universities, including Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University, ranked among the top research universities in the world. The state also has the highest Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) enrollment in the country. In addition to a traditional 4-year college or university, North Carolina has more than 680,000 students in its 58-campus community college system, which is leading the way in vocational and technical education geared toward the fast-growing industries throughout the state.

Parents will love that North Carolina also has one of the most rigorous sets of academic standards in its K-12 program. From arts to sciences and world languages, North Carolina has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for creating specialized programs to help its students achieve in core subjects and unique focus areas. In addition, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has worked diligently to prepare and recruit world-class faculty members and teachers into the public school system, which has boosted enrollment and test scores.

North Carolina is the Center of the East Coast and U.S.

North Carolina is at the center of the Eastern seaboard of the United States with Interstates 95, 40, 85, and 77 crisscrossing the state and connecting it to major population centers like Atlanta and Washington, DC. It is also home to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the 5th largest airport for air traffic and the 6th largest airport for passenger traffic, thanks to its position as a hub for American Airlines. Over 9 million passengers pass through the Raleigh-Durham International Airport annually to over 43 domestic and international destinations. So, no matter where you’re trying to go – you will be able to get there quickly!

Live with Us in North Carolina

HHHunt has been a part of the North Carolina community for over 30 years, building planned communities, apartment home communities, and new construction home communities. So, whether you are looking for a new home or an apartment home, we invite you to explore the HHHunt difference today.