I agree about the above comments about Denver. It reminded me a LOT of Raleigh: it's the obligatory presentation of a state capital, almost. It has to be "pleasant" but not necessarily outstanding in any way. I love Boulder. It's quirky, independent and has character in every one of its nooks and crannies.
Denver reminded me most of Raleigh because of the things that are around it, like Boulder, and beautiful scenery within close distances. Ask any person what they like about Raleigh and most of the time they'll say, "it's 2 hours from the beach and 3 hours from the mountains, and there's an airport you can get to any major hub from really conveniently."
But what about Raleigh itself do you like?
What specifically are the measures of "livability"?