Back to School in the Best Place to Live

Summer’s last stretch in the Raleigh Durham area came with sunny skies for one more pool day, a few more bike rides and a final boat outing at the lake. Families in the Triangle soaked in every fun-filled summer moment before the arrival of the inevitable back to school blues.

The passing of the summer season is bittersweet for most in North Carolina though. Saying goodbye to lengthy warm evenings and slightly slower daily schedules also means biding farewell to our infamous humidity. The culmination of summer in the south is met with the welcoming of a sudden crispness in the air, a shift in sunlight at dusk and the revival of a regular routine.

The familiarity of shuffling backpacks to a local bus stop in the early hours of the morning is symbolic to the transition of seasons. Local families to the Triangle no doubt celebrate the return of the school year since academic excellence is a profound marker of the area. Raleigh Durham historically ranks exceptionally high in academic performance across the board. Boasting a number of nationally ranked elementary and high schools as well as home to North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and Duke University, the Triangle is a prospering hub for educators and students.

The strategic growth of a city such as Raleigh comes with an abundance of after-school activities for youth. Desirable and affordable programs offered by local school systems and city allow parents the comfort of enrolling their children into athletics, fine arts or tech.

And while weeklong excursions to the coast cease upon the arrival of fall, weekend getaways to the state’s Blue Ridge Parkway make for a nationally recognized must-see. The miles of mountain ridges blanketed in gold and ruby leaves is a sight every native and relocated North Carolinian must experience. So while other cities and towns strain at the conclusion of sweet summer time, the Triangle continuously prepares to thrive in the back to school season.