I moved from North Carolina to New York three years ago. Here are 6 things that surprised me when I went back.

It could have just been because I visited during Pride Month, but I saw multiple pride flags and installations in both my old college town of Elon, North Carolina, and in the more metropolitan college town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

I don't remember seeing so many tributes to the LGBTQ+ community when I lived in North Carolina, even during pride month. I was pleasantly surprised to see the southern state celebrating pride and making a statement that all sexualities were welcome in these towns.

While North Carolina is famous for its barbecue, I never tried it while living in the state. For dinner one night, I decided to try some authentic NC barbecue. I surprisingly liked it just as much as the barbecue I had at Franklin Barbecue, the most famous barbecue joint in the country, when I visited Austin, Texas, last year.

I stopped by a Sheetz gas station to fill up my tank and grab a quick bite to eat. I had heard good things about their food, so I decided to try a custom turkey sandwich with toppings like lettuce, tomato, red onion, and something called Boom Boom sauce.

I thought the sandwich was really good, thanks to the fresh veggies and tangy sauce. The turkey slices were thick and looked freshly carved. It definitely beat sandwiches I've had from Subway and other sandwich chains, which surprised me given that I don't usually expect great food from a gas station.

From concerts to festivals and farmer's markets, I realized that I never explored outside of my college town enough when I was in school. Chapel Hill had a ton of fun events to enjoy, which surprised me given that I never heard about them before this trip.

An organic grocery store I used to shop at had closed, and new businesses like restaurants and stores had popped up during my absence.

I was excited to see that it hadn't become a total ghost town during the pandemic when businesses across the country struggled to remain open, but sad that some of the businesses I was familiar with had closed their doors.

When I lived in North Carolina, I paid around $500 for my share of a two-bedroom apartment. An apartment in the same apartment complex now costs $1,290, a slight increase from when I lived there.

I also noticed when touring a few apartments in Raleigh that the prices were higher than I expected. Most one-bedrooms cost around $1,500 per month, which I thought was pretty high, even for a metropolitan area.

My observations reflect a widespread real estate trend in the state. According to a report from Apartment List, rent across North Carolina increased nearly 20 percent in the past year, or an average increase of $200.

While apartments in North Carolina are still much cheaper than they are in New York, I was surprised that they weren't quite as cheap I initially expected.