Originally Posted by
bjstare
I'm still considering a move to the states, and as of right now, NC (Raleigh, specifically) is near the top of the list. We were originally thinking Texas was a top contender (esp Austin), but looked into it more and Austin is basically San Francisco now, so count me out. Also, given that gun violence/violent crime is a consideration for us (more so my wife), that rules out a lot of major cities.
Raleigh has an excellent climate, not really in tornado alley, a short-ish drive to the coast, super low crime. And anecdotally, I know a few people who have lived there or elsewhere nearby in the research triangle, and they absolutely loved it.
Prop taxes are enormous in TX, the savings are often not as good as they seem. You still get more for your $ there, IMO, but it's not crazy like it would appear when you just look at house price.