Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi - My husband and I (grown children so just us two) are relocating to NC or further south. For now we are concentrating on some areas around Raleigh as well as checking out some areas around Charlotte. We are looking for a community with a walkable downtown - one where we can perhaps walk or bike to everyday things (post office, market, restaurant, farmer's market, etc.). We have come across Pittsboro and Hillsborough and like everything about them on paper. I wonder about other similar areas around Raleigh with the same type of feel? Or are there other areas you would recommend? We definitely don't want to be in a big city situation, we want a real community with a real downtown, we will probably both be working from home although I will be traveling some. Recreation is important too - we would like to be near some type of trail system for biking, walking and also near some mountain biking as well. Our pricepoint for something 1800SF would be 300K or less. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions you may have!
You wrote: "We definitely don't want to be in a big city situation, we want a real community with a real downtown..."
Define "big city" and "real." Seriously, I don't know what you mean.
Where are you from now?
There are many posts with this question answered. Generally, the Triangle is a collection of suburbs. It's not like western New York where there are cute little towns up and down the Barge Canal.
Most of the housing is new in the last twenty years or so.
There are bike trails. I think we are all in real communities.
Years ago, Walmart decimated any need for small towns to have multiple stores in their little downtowns, and of course, that happened nationwide. So there are Walmarts, Targets, and malls...accessible by car.
But you might want to check out Cary's "downtown" and Wake Forest's "downtown" while you're here.
Chapel Hill and Carrboro are obvious suggestions. They are both still small and do have definite downtowns. Hillsborough and Pittsboro are smaller and cheaper, but Chapel Hill and Carrboro do have a few more things to offer. I know several people in CH and Carrboro who walk or bike most places they go and a few who don't own cars at all.
Chapel Hill and Carrboro are obvious suggestions. They are both still small and do have definite downtowns. Hillsborough and Pittsboro are smaller and cheaper, but Chapel Hill and Carrboro do have a few more things to offer. I know several people in CH and Carrboro who walk or bike most places they go and a few who don't own cars at all.
But I doubt you'll find 1800 sq ft for $300K, will you?
Sure. I don't know why people insist that CH/Carrboro is so expensive. You definitely can spend millions, but there is a trailer park w/in walking distance of downtown Carrboro, too. There are many nice homes in the $200s and $300s. 1800 sq ft is on the smallish side so I think you could quite easily do that for $300k. Looking online I see a very nice looking 4 bedroom, 3 bath, almost 2200 sq ft, built in 1994 for under $300K. It's about 1.5 miles from Weaver Street Market in the heart of Carrboro and about 1 mile from the post office. They do go very fast, but they're definitely out there.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
9,781 posts, read 15,805,907 times
Reputation: 10894
I *think* I know what you mean. You'd like a walkable downtown but not a big city. I think Hillsborugh meets your needs perfectly. You can live within blocks of downtown and have everything you need nearby (hmmm...not sure where the post office is, though). In the downtown blocks there is a library, a Weaver Street Market (whole foods co-op), the community center for classes, a church or two, some restaurants, a weekly farmer's market, and some historic buildings. I think you are okay with your price range there. The downtown if very quaint looking and they have activities there that will keep you busy - like a homemade parade, a Christmas parade, etc. Here is the town's website: The Town of Hillsborough Government, NC | Welcome to the Town of Hillsborough
While Pittsboro is a nice town to visit, I don't think the downtown is as liveable. First of all, it's much smaller. There are shops and restaurants, but the library, while very nice, is a drive away on the community college campus. I don't know what other daily needs could be met from the downtown. For example, there is no supermarket in the downtown like Hillsborough has. It's worth checking it out, but I think Hillsborough is a better fit.
Poppydog mentioned Chapel Hil and Carrboro. Of the two, I think Carrboro is a better fit. The downtown of Chapel Hill really is heavily college-oriented. And while the town is walkable, it's basically one main drag with tons of restaurants, drug stores, but no library, no supermarket, no post office (that I know of), and again lots of college students.
Carrboro which sits next to Chapel Hill is a bit away from the college action. There is a Weaver Street Market in the downtown area plus a Harris Teeter, a community center for classes, coffee shops, hardware stores, little shops, restaurants and supposedly Orange County is looking into putting a library in somewhere in Carrboro (but they haven't found a location yet as far as I know, so don't count on it being near downtown). I think you'd have to drive to the post office, though. While I like Carrboro, it's not nearly as quaint and polished looking as Hillsborough. It has more of a laid-back, grungy look. They, too, have several festivals and art walks and similar activites throughout the year.
The only other "downtown" areas outside of those in Raleigh and Durham themselves that I have heard of are Apex and Wake Forest (and I think Cary has a small downtown). I haven't visited those myself so I cannot comment on them. But they are probably worth looking into, too.
I am a fairly new resident here, so if I've missed anything, I apologize. I, too, however was looking for a walkable downtown, similar to what you want, and I think Hillsborough and Carrboro would likely work best.
One more thing, if you look a bit farther outside the Triangle, Mebane is another town that people like. I was only there once or twice many years ago, so I don't remember much of it. It's pretty small - smaller than Hillsborough I believe.
The post office in downtown Chapel Hill is on the corner of Henderson St and Franklin St, michgc. It's the oldest post office in town and a frequent site of many sit-ins and demonstrations. Court is also held in that bldg on certain Tuesdays and maybe other times. I've been fortunate enough not to have to go to court there, but have been to the P.O. many times.
There's not a real grocery store in downtown Chapel Hill any more, but there are a couple of corner markets, Sutton's (an old-fashioned drug store with lunch counter and full service pharmacy, where we get our prescrips), a Walgreen's and more restaurants than you can count. It's only 1 mile from downtown Chapel Hill to downtown Carrboro and the grocery stores there so it's easy enough to walk or bike or take the free bus. It's 2 miles to UMall and the Harris Teeter grocery store there. About the same or a little less to the library. We live about 1.5 miles from downtown Chapel Hill and my spouse walks to work at UNC daily. We frequently walk to the library or Weaver St on the weekends and walk to restaurants/cafes/bookstores often, too.
We don't live in the mountains so there isn't real mountain biking here, but the Carolina North trails (again close to downtown Chapel Hill and Carrboro) offer some trail riding opportunities. We frequently walk on the Bolin Creek Greenway. It's very popular with joggers and dog-walkers.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
9,781 posts, read 15,805,907 times
Reputation: 10894
Quote:
Originally Posted by poppydog
The post office in downtown Chapel Hill is on the corner of Henderson St and Franklin St, michgc. It's the oldest post office in town and a frequent site of many sit-ins and demonstrations. Court is also held in that bldg on certain Tuesdays and maybe other times. I've been fortunate enough not to have to go to court there, but have been to the P.O. many times.
Thanks for the info. I have to find that post office. I always go to the on on Estes or the one in Carrboro. I didn't even know that was there. Funnily enough, one time we received a package with postage due, so they left it at the post office - on Weaver Dairy Road! That is a pretty far distance from Southern Village, so not sure why it was left there. And it turned out to be junk mail, too.
The little plaza out front is called "Peace and Justice Plaza" and has a marker dedicated to some prominent town activists. There's a flag pole out front and mailboxes on the street. Town of Chapel Hill : Peace and Justice Plaza The Occupy Wall Street activists were camped out there for several months. The District Court and the Post Office occupy the majority of the building and the Street Scene Teen Center is in the basement.
BTW, The Piggly Wiggly grocery store and Chatham Marketplace (organic co-op) are both about .5 miles from the courthouse in downtown Pittsboro. Surely that's a walkable distance. Food Lion is just a smidge further.
I love Hillsborough, but Carrboro (as well as Chapel Hill) offers much more in the way of cultural amenities with nationally renowned music venues, restaurants, galleries, etc. I wouldn't call Hillsborough "polished" at all. It is old, quaint, and steeped in Revolutionary War era history, but not polished. One of the really sad stories of Hillsborough is the decline of the 1838 Colonial Inn. There are many historic properties in Hillsborough that have been saved and maintained, but not all. Ayr Mount and the Poet's Walk is a town fave.
Carrboro has history, too. Carr Mill (mall) dates from the late 1800s when it was a textile mill. It has been carefully converted to shops and offices and is the center of town along with the original Weaver St Market, which is housed in a newer part of the Carr Mill complex. (The Hillsborough branch of Weaver St only opened in the past few years.) The Station nightclub and Southern Rail restaurant are in the renovated old train station and train cars that also date from the late 1800s.
Chapel Hill has many historic buildings and homes, too. Sutton's Drug Store recently celebrated its 90th birthday with 1923 prices for hot dogs and sodas, etc. Gimghoul Castle is a fave place to take visitors, but there are many older bldgs in Chapel Hill. Old East was built in 1793.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have to find that post office. I always go to the on on Estes or the one in Carrboro. I didn't even know that was there. Funnily enough, one time we received a package with postage due, so they left it at the post office - on Weaver Dairy Road! 
That is a pretty far distance from Southern Village, so not sure why it was left there. And it turned out to be junk mail, too. 
