You Survived the Move!

Welcome to Raleigh! Not gonna lie, we know moving to a new place stirs up all the feels. Stress, frustration, stress, excitement, stress, anticipation. But look at you – you walked into the relocation fire and came through it like a superhero.

Maybe your boxes are still stacked in the living room – we don’t judge. Maybe your dorm room is making you claustrophobic. Perhaps you still haven’t located your favorite “vintage” jersey from college. (Random side note: 35% of survey* respondents admitted to secretly breaking or “losing” a partner’s item during a move because they didn’t like it…just saying.)

You survived the move and now it’s time to make yourself at home in the CITY OF OAKS. Yes, that’s the most on-the-nose city nickname around – you can’t throw an acorn here without hitting an oak tree. (Which makes the city an oasis of green.)

You are now officially a Raleighite, although our goal is to turn you into an Oaknut. So how do you go from Raleigh being the place you live to Raleigh being the place you love?

That’s what Raleigh Onboarding is all about. When you start a new job, you typically go through an onboarding or orientation program – this is how we do things, this is our company culture, these are your work hours, here’s the breakroom, etc.

When you move to a new city, you typically get…nothing…nada…bupkis. Maybe some coupons in the mail or a welcome folder from the apartment complex. Perhaps a gift from your Realtor if they’re feeling generous. Your “Welcome to the city” onboarding is left up to you and it can be overwhelming and lonely to figure it all out.

Raleigh Onboarding helps new acorns put down roots in the City of Oaks. We give you ideas and resources to find your place, your people and your path forward to connect with Raleigh and the Triangle area.

If you just want to know which social media accounts to follow first or how to get a Driver’s License or what restaurants are tasty, you’ll find it on this site. And if you want to find out how to connect with people who share your interests, you’ll find that here, too.

The science of place attachment (yup, that’s a thing) says there are specific actions you can take to start to feel at home in a new place and we’ll be exploring those as we go along.

Again, welcome to Raleigh! And that’s your first Pro Tip: It’s just Raleigh. Raleigh-Durham exists only in the airport’s imagination. Raleigh is a city. Durham is a separate proud city, as is Chapel Hill, which is technically a town. Together, Raleigh plus Durham plus Chapel Hill equals The Triangle or The Research Triangle, but that’s a topic for another time.

So, make yourself at home y’all – we hope you like it here.

PS: If you’re not new to Raleigh but would like to engage or re-engage with your city, this website and the Raleigh Onboarding Planner are for you as well – welcome onboard!

*2020 OnePoll survey on behalf of North American Van Lines.