I was in Raleigh too. It seemed like a much smaller town than half a million people and maybe that's why I liked it. My wife and I were only there for a weekend

I was in Raleigh too. It seemed like a much smaller town than half a million people and maybe that's why I liked it. My wife and I were only there for a weekend so we didn't do much exploring. The downtown area just seemed clean and safe compared to other places. I'm not really the kind of person that looks for things to do in town so I'm probably not the best to ask. It seems like they had some decent outdoor activities and they are only a few hour from the beach which is something I enjoy. It kind of reminded me of a bigger version of my hometown (Wheeling, WV) with much nicer weather.