The apartment thing - it all depends on the landlord. Ask each individually how they handle things. Usually larger housing agencies don't have any problems renting site-unseen. I'm not too sure that it's a wise course of action on your part... things aren't always as nice as they appear in a photo (or as bad).

No matter where, an application is by no means a contract. Many places charge an application fee to diminish the number of half-hearted applications.

Although you've made your decision and it sounds like it may have been the right one for you anyway, I still feel obligated to defend LA; at least I'm not the only bastion of support this time.
And the Angeles NATIONAL FOREST (among others) doesn't count why? LA really shouldn't have this reputation as a concrete jungle because thanks to the mountains, there are huge open spaces where there is indeed plenty of nature. I wish I had pictures from my hikes in the San Gabriel Mountains. You really have no idea you are so close to a huge city except maybe for some views. This illustrates one of my favorite things about LA, that there's practically nothing you can't do there. Want concrete jungle? Sure, there is plenty of that. But camping, yes, in a forest? Skiing? In fact it's all very doable in a day's work. As with any large city LA does have its problems, but I think a lot of them are overblown.

It sounds like your question is, or was, really not this particular area vs. this area, it's huge urban area vs less urban area. I've always wanted to live in or near a big city and in California, and I liked LA from the first time I went there, so I have a bit of a different perspective and you know what they say it's diffrent strokes for diffrent folks, so I won't second-guess your decision and tell you you should move to LA anyway (likewise I wouldn't tell you to move to NY or Chicago) because it sounds like you're in the market for something different.

the dynamic duo of redjake and lasereth are from boone :D

Come to LA and hang out with me.

the application fee is there for and usually covers the cost of the credit check. and you only want a credit check when you need one because it impacts your score.

The other day, the weekend copies of the Raleigh News & Observer arrived and after looking through them, specifically the Classifieds, it seems that employment opportunities, as listed, are quite weak.

Is this a valid representation of employment opportunities in Raleigh, or do most employers not post openings through the newspaper, instead opting for other means of exposure? And if they do use other venues for employment opportunities, what might some examples be?

The Classifieds in my local paper has much more opportunity for employment, and I live in a much smaller town with a much lower job expansion rate (as per the ratings and feedback I've gathered from others) than Raleigh, yet the Classifieds in the Raleigh paper don't seem to represent this at all.

The Raleigh job market is weak. Charlotte is much better. I guess you could try wral.com classifieds and see what they list under their job section but iirc they just use monster. Trianglehelpwanted.com is another site but it's devoted to just triangle area jobs so you may have better luck with that.

This guy in North Carolina took my money in an eBay transaction....if you move there, can you kick him in the junk for me? You can tell him its from California.. :thumbsup:

A lot of Californians are assholes.

Sure, wherever you go there are assholes. But California has a higher percentage of assholes in its population, compared to the rest of the country.

Seriously, the people are very different from most other places. It is like a free-for-all there.

I grew up mostly in California, in its extensive urban sprawl. I hate it. I hate the endless housing developments, the 12-lane freeways jammed with traffic, the crowds, the free-for-all attitude, the acres of parking lots, and the god-damned trendiness. Sure, there's a lot of shops and restaurants, but be prepared for the price, and a long line.

Move to NC. It's a better place to live.

The N&O sucks, and most places there don't advertise their jobs in the classifieds. Hit Monster, hit the universities' HR pages, or best of all, network! See if anybody you know knows anybody in NC who could hook you up.

Charlotte might have a stronger job market, but you couldn't pay me to live there.

with the exception of the horrible roads in Charlotte, I'll take it over Raleigh any day. More to do, and.. a pro football team :D Even though I hate the Panthers.. at least I could go watch some games without driving for 3 hours.