This year, Money magazine ranked the greater Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill region in North Carolina number two on its list of the best Southern cities. Its growth in recent years has been fueled in large part by its status as a major research center. Aside from the biotech and technology industries that have taken up residence here, the greater Raleigh/Durham area also is home to several universities with world-class research facilities. Predominant among them are Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Renowned throughout the world, this region is now called Research Triangle Park. IBM, Northern Telecom, SAS Institute, and Broadband Technologies are but a few of the high-tech firms that call this region home.

Despite a population of more than 1 million, greater Raleigh-Durham maintains a high quality of life, relatively low crime rate, and excellent air quality, as indicated in the Money survey. On a scale of 0 to 200 (200 is best; 0 is worst), the city ranks 175 in terms of air quality. Annual property crime rates stand at 5,505.6 per 100,000 people (the national average is 4,686.24). Annual violent crime rates per 100,000 people stand at 570.9 (the national average is 569.63).

On the job front, the city's unemployment rate of 2 percent is lower than the national average of 5.24 percent, and job growth rates since 1997 are comparatively stronger, 2.92 percent versus the current national average of 1.91 percent. As the Research Triangle Park continues to grow, so will job opportunities; job growth to 2002 is expected to rise to 7.84 percent, compared to the projected national average of 4.54 percent.

It's no surprise that as the city has become one of our country's hot growth regions in recent years, home prices have risen. The median price for a two-bedroom home in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill is $150,000, versus the national average of $110,590. And home values have risen 4.91 percent since 1997, compared to the national average of 4.77 percent.

Greater Raleigh's neighborhoods include:

Oakwood, Raleigh's only 19th century neighborhood, is a historic district filled with relics of Victorian architecture. Its streets are well-traveled by regularly scheduled walking tours. After going through a slump -- during which its properties rapidly deteriorated -- restoration efforts during the mid-1970s revived Oakwood. For an online tour of historic Oakwood (sorry, no photos), go to: http://www.raleigh.acn.net/news/announce/oaktour.0511.html.

Glenwood South is known as Raleigh's hip downtown district. Here you'll find plenty of opportunities to spend your money -- at salons, upscale restaurants, and pricey specialty shops and antique stores. When businesses fled this region following a recession in the 1980s, many properties stood vacant here until the 1990s, when the neighborhood metamorphosed, and vitality returned to the district.

Here are a few more statistics found by the Money study:

Utility costs (average for 1,800 square-foot home): $109.20; national average is $104.90

Average commute time (minutes): 20; national average is 19.51

Number of sunny days per year (clear or partly clear weather): 220; national average is 213.14

Average temperature, July: 87.7 degrees F
Average temperature, January: 30 degrees F

For an invaluable relocation guide to the greater Raleigh area, go to: http://www.raleighs-realestate.com/raleigh_townral.html.

For a comprehensive listing of local resources, head to: http://www.raleighchamber.org/dem.qua.html.

For a list of arts and cultural offerings, head to: http://ncnet.com/ncnw/ral-arts.html.