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North Carolina City Lands On The ‘Most Desirable U.S. Cities To Live In 2024’ List

We live in a huge country with close to 20-thousand incorporated cities, giving Americans a lot of options for a place to call home. While no place is perfect, 73%…

Welcome to North Carolina Sign. Well run NOrth Carolina Cities
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We live in a huge country with close to 20-thousand incorporated cities, giving Americans a lot of options for a place to call home. While no place is perfect, 73% of people like where they live, but 59% feel frustrated by their place of residence, a new research reveals. So where would Americans really want to live in 2024? A new survey asked 1,000 people to find out the most and least desirable places in the U.S. A North Carolina City landed at #2 on the Most Desirable U.S. Cities list! Congrats to our very own city of Charlotte!

  • According to Clever Real Estate Factors that make a place desirable to live include a low crime rate (68%), low housing and living costs (66%), good weather (62%), low taxes (52%) and lots of things to do (50%). When relocating, affordable housing is the most important factor, more than safety, low cost of living and being near family and friends.
  • The most desirable city to live in is Tampa, while the most undesirable city is Washington, D.C.
  • Overall, 84% of respondents say they could be convinced to move to another city or state.
  • More than half (59%) live where they’ve always lived, and 50% of all respondents say they can’t afford to move to a more desirable location.
  • Florida is the best state to live in, according to the survey, while California is the worst.
  • The nicest residents can be found in Nashville, and the rudest are in New York City.
  • Denver is ranked the prettiest city, while Detroit is ugliest and the cities with the best food are New York, New Orleans and San Francisco.

The Most Desirable U.S. Cities to Live In 2024

  1. Tampa, Florida
  2. Charlotte, North Carolina
  3. Virginia Beach, Virginia
  4. Nashville, Tennessee
  5. Orlando, Florida
  6. Raleigh, North Carolina
  7. Atlanta, Georgia
  8. Denver, Colorado
  9. Las Vegas, Nevada
  10. Miami, Florida

Only 1 North Carolina Airport Ranks As “Sleep Friendly”

One thing no one wants to have to do is sleep in an airport. It's uncomfortable and either means a delay in getting to your destination or home and no one wants that. But if you do get stuck in that most unfortunate of situations there are better and worse places for that to happen. And in North Carolina, there is only one airport you want to be stuck overnight in. According to a new study, there is only one sleep friendly North Carolina airport.

And it's one that a lot of people complain about overall. But I'm sure that's mainly due to the sheer volume of people who travel through it on a daily basis.

In the spirit of summer travel (and the seemingly inevitable delays), our friends at CPAP.com set out to determine the most – and least – sleep-friendly airports across North America. Their rankings are based on a variety of factors. These include accessibility to massage chairs, lounges, minute suites, benches without armrests, and more.

Because while relaxing in the airport isn't the end goal of a trip it's nice to do. Especially if you are stuck there for an extended period of time. (In which case I am simply unable to relax).

I do love getting to the airport early, getting through security, and relaxing at a bar with a glass of wine and perhaps a meal if it's the right time. In fact, I often say that's the best-tasting drink of vacation and I don't care how much it costs it's always worth it. That's the moment I truly feel like I'm on vacation.

So in case you are traveling this summer (take me with you!) keep reading to find out the most sleep friendly North Carolina airport (s). These will be ranked worst to best for 7 NC airports. Thanks to our friends at CPAP.com for sharing their research with us. You can read the full study here.

The Most Sleep Friendly North Carolina Airport

7. Wilmington International

Wilmington International is a great option for travelers on the North Carolina coast. They offer 17 non stop destination on a variety of airlines, and offer connections to hubs like Atlanta and Charlotte to get you to even more of the world. That being said, you don't want to get stuck there overnight! They were the worst ranking NC airport for overnight and relaxation amenities with zero options across the board.

Massage options: 0

24-hour food availability: 0

Shower facilities: 0

Minute suites: 0

Lounges: 0

Overall Ranking: 141

6. Piedmont Triad International Airport

Situated between the two largest airports in the state you'll find Greensboro's Piedmont Triad International Airport. If you think there may be a possibility of having to stay the night in the airport (I know I know, no one anticipates that) you may want to make the drive to one of the other two. Piedmont Tried doesn't offer the comforts you may want in that situation.

Massage options: 0

24-hour food availability: 0

Shower facilities: 0

Minute suites: 0

Lounges: 0

Overall Ranking: 132

5. Asheville Regional Airport

Just barely surpassing Piedmont Triad was Asheville Regional Airport. The regional airport serves Allegiant, American, Delta, JetBlue, Suncountry, and United Airlines. But scored the same as the previous two airports on our list when it comes to overnight amenities.

Massage options: 0

24-hour food availability: 0

Shower facilities: 0

Minute suites: 0

Lounges: 0

Overall Ranking: 131

4. Albert J. Ellis Airport

Though the address is technically Richlands, NC Albert J. Ellis serves the Jacksonville area. Both American Airlines and Delta operate out of the airport which also serves private aircraft. Unlike the other airports on this list so far, it has a lounge though which bumped it up in the rankings!

Massage options: 0

24-hour food availability: 0

Shower facilities: 0

Minute suites: 0

Lounges: 1

Overall Ranking: 104

3. Fayetteville Regional Airport

Fayetteville often gets an undeserved bad rap. But not this time! Ranking just outside the top 100 and third in the state of North Carolina for sleep-friendly airports is Fayetteville Regional. Both American and Delta fly out of this regional airport offering you easy connections to unlimited destinations!

Massage options: 0

24-hour food availability: 0

Shower facilities: 0

Minute suites: 0

Lounges: 1

Overall Ranking: 102

2. Raleigh-Durham International

As a lifelong Charlottean who has flown out of CLT more times than I could count, I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the ease of flying to and from RDU. It's noticeably smaller, and you may have to have a connection airline dependant, but there are a lot of great nonstop destinations. Plus it's smaller, easier to navigate, and the lines were a breeze when I have flown there.

Massage options: 0

24-hour food availability: 0

Shower facilities: 0

Minute suites: 0

Lounges: 0

Overall Ranking: 3

1. Charlotte Douglas International

It should come as no surprise that the largest airport in the state has the most offerings for travelers who need to sleep there. Many would argue it's the one you're the most likely to have to. That is thanks to the sheer volume of one of the nation's busiest airports.

Massage options: 2

24-hour food availability: 11

Shower facilities: 1

Minute suites: 2

Lounges: 9

Overall Ranking: 17

ManeyEditor
Steve Maney’s radio career has taken him all over the US, from interning with Howard Stern to working with Elvis Duran, this radio veteran now calls Charlotte and Kiss 95.1 home. He is Kiss’ staple entertainment guy writing about his thoughts on local news and funny topics like the name of the male Karen. It’s so much to know, but Maney will deep dive into any topic to get you a great piece to read.