2 NC destinations rank among the nation’s best for millennials. Here’s why

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North Carolina is home to two of the nation’s best places for millennials to live, a new report finds.

Charlotte and the Triangle made it onto a list of the top nine areas real-estate experts recommend for people ages 30 to 45, according to Travel + Leisure magazine.

“When it comes to what matters most, millennials tend to focus on a few key factors: job opportunities, housing affordability, commute times, and access to parks or community spaces,” Florin Petrut, a real estate writer and research analyst for RentCafe, said in the magazine report, which was published in late July.

To create the list, Travel + Leisure said it tapped Petrut and three other housing professionals for their expertise. The suggestions focused on places across the country with ideal amenities for residents born between 1981 and 1996.

Charlotte landed on the list as it was found to offer “strong job growth and economic momentum,” Nikita Idiri, a real estate broker at Coldwell Banker Warburg, told the magazine. For a generation that values quality of life, he said spaces that focus on wellbeing stand out in addition to career-related factors.

“You also get the added benefit of being in a city with many professional sports teams, breweries, museums, galleries, and green spaces — and an international airport that makes traveling that much more convenient,” Travel + Leisure wrote in the Charlotte section of its report.

It’s not the first time the Queen City has been named a hub for millennials. It previously ranked as one of the nation’s most appealing destinations for people from that generation to rent apartments, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

On the more recent list from Travel + Leisure, the Triangle also made its mark, receiving praise as a hot spot for careers in technology and health sciences. But costs can vary, with average home prices ranging from roughly $400,000 in Durham to about $642,000 in Chapel Hill.

“Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, North Carolina, or what’s dubbed the ‘Research Triangle,’ has seen a heavy millennial pull. They’ve experienced rapid job growth while still having a relatively affordable housing market compared to other metros with the same per capita household income,” Jules Garcia, a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker Warburg, told the magazine.

With the recent ranking, the Triangle adds to its acclaim as an attractive destination for millennials, The News & Observer previously reported.

The Raleigh metro was named one of the most desirable places for the age group, according to a report that highlighted the area’s colleges and educated workforce. The capital city also has made it onto a list of the most popular places for millennials, based on moving trends.

North Carolina isn’t just appealing to millennials. Recently, Raleigh was named one of the best places to retire in the United States and the nation’s No. 1 spot for Generation Z.

Six cities across the state also ranked as top destinations for new college graduates to settle down, The N&O previously reported.

On the millennial list from Travel + Leisure, a spokesperson told The N&O that winners weren’t published in ranked order. Here are the other destinations real-estate experts highlighted:

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This story was originally published September 22, 2026 at 3:43 PM with the headline “2 NC destinations rank among the nation’s best for millennials. Here’s why.”