Being a renter has its drawbacks to be sure, but apartment dwellers in North Carolina’s capital think they have it better than anywhere else.
A new survey of more than 45,000 renters across the country found that those living in Raleigh are the most satisfied in America. The survey, conducted by Apartment List, asked renters to rate their overall satisfaction with their current city, and rate the city on 11 additional factors such as job opportunities, safety, and pet-friendliness.
Renters in Raleigh gave the city an overall A score, and high marks (B+ or better) in just about every category except one: public transportation. Respondents gave the city a big fat D when it comes to transportation.
The city’s public transportation provider is GoRaleigh, which currently has about 33 bus routes throughout the city. Additionally, GoTriangle offers intercity routes to other Triangle cities: Durham, Cary and Chapel Hill. While apartment dwellers feel that transportation leaves something to be desired, improvements are on the way. A plan is in place to construct a series of dedicated bus lanes to increase speed and reduce congestion, a system known as Bus Rapid Transit.
Construction is also underway for a new Amtrak station that will serve as a multimodal hub in the city’s downtown Warehouse District.
Here is how apartment dwellers in Raleigh rated the city:
- Overall grade: A
- Jobs and career opportunities: A+
- Safety and crime: A+
- Commute time: B+
- Weather: A
- State and local taxes: B+
- Quality of schools: A-
- Affordability: B+
- Public transit: D
- Social life: A+
- Recreational activities: A+
- Pet-friendliness: A+
According to Apartment List, the median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Raleigh is $960.
You can explore full nationwide results of the survey on the ApartmentList.com website.
GoTriangle Bus photo By Ildar Sagdejev (Specious) – Own work, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4328635
