We moved from NYC to Raleigh. I didn't think I'd be happy in a smaller Southern city, but it's exceeded my expectations.

• After years of living in highly populated cities, my husband and I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina.
• I was worried I wouldn't like living here, but Raleigh has exceeded my expectations.

I grew up in a small city in South Carolina and went to college in rural Virginia. But after graduating in 2008, I wanted to experience big-city living.

This desire led me to cities like Washington, DC, Sydney, San Francisco, and New York City. Though I didn't necessarily love the price tags associated with living in these places, I loved that they gave me access to a wide variety of things to do.

My run of living in big, highly populated cities finally came to an end in 2020 after a year and a half in NYC. The COVID-19 lockdowns left my husband and me feeling trapped in our small apartment, so we decided to head south to spend some time with family.

After a brief stay at my parents' house in the mountains of western North Carolina, we decided to move to Raleigh, the state's capital.

I knew it would be a big change, especially given that NYC has an estimated population of 8.26 million people and Raleigh is home to fewer than 500,000.

I was worried that the city would quickly start to feel too small, and there wouldn't be enough things for us to do. I also dreaded not being able to find some of our favorite cuisines we had easy access to in New York.

However, after four years of living here, I see why Raleigh has been named one of the best places to live in the South.

Here are a few of my favorite things about life in the Southern city.

There's a lot to do in Raleigh

Though Raleigh's population is smaller than that of other cities I've lived in, it's still big enough to attract fairly big headlining artists (though sadly we didn't get any dates on the Eras Tour).

There's also a professional hockey team and three major universities for college sports, so we have lots of opportunities to attend games.

My husband and I love visiting William B. Umstead State Park just outside the city limits for hiking, and there are 180 miles of greenways for biking and walking in Raleigh.

There's always something fun to do, and we have way more options for activities than I imagined.

I've found it easier to get around Raleigh than New York City

In New York, it took me 50 minutes by subway to travel 6 miles from my apartment in Brooklyn to my sister's place on the Upper East Side. In Raleigh, I can get to most places in under 20 minutes.

I did have to buy a car to get around in North Carolina, but I don't mind driving, and street parking in my neighborhood is free.

When I lived in bigger cities, traveling from point A to point B often felt like a lot of work. But here in Raleigh, the easier commute means I'm more likely to go out and do things in my spare time.

We get more bang for our buck in Raleigh

When my husband and I lived in Brooklyn, we rented a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. But one of the bedrooms could barely fit a bed.

Now we own a four-bedroom, five-bathroom house and have an additional 2,800 square feet of space. The best part is that we pay less a month for our mortgage than we did for our small NYC rental.

Overall, we've found that the cost of living is lower, and our salaries (the same ones we had in NYC as we now work remotely) go much further here. Going out to eat or grabbing cocktails is significantly less expensive than it was in New York.

Our gym membership is half of what it used to cost up north. Things like swim lessons and ballet classes for our daughters are also cheaper.

The food scene isn't the same, but we still have access to many high-quality restaurants

It would be hard for the restaurant options in Raleigh to rival those in New York.

We still haven't found great Thai food yet, and our takeout options are way more limited — but my fear of finding only Southernfood in Raleigh was unfounded.

Restaurants and chefs from Raleigh are routinely nominated for James Beard awards, and I'd pit some of our favorite eateries against NYC hot spots.

I do wish I could find a great bagel here, but outside that, I don't miss anything about living in a bigger city. We're staying put in Raleigh for the foreseeable future, and I'm excited to see the area continue to grow.

Correction: October 15, 2024 — An earlier version of this story stated that a Sweetgreen location has opened in Raleigh. However, this location will be opening soon.