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I don't really agree with this. Chapel Hill is certainly a more intellectual community and has been since 1789 when the university opened its doors, but the schools in CHCCS are far more economically diverse than many of the Cary schools, for example. My daughter's school, Carrboro Elementary, is a Title 1 school. We're very happy with it, too. They have amazing teachers and administrators.
I agree. I grew up in and around Cary (Lochmere for my late elementary and middle school years and then Apex) and feel I witnessed way more pretentiousness there than in Chapel Hill. There is much more focus on what subdivision with the newest biggest house you are in for many people in Cary; homes in Chapel Hill are generally older and more modest. Much more of a "keeping up with the Jones's" mentality in Cary than in CH.
There are also public housing developments in CH; Airport Gardens and South Estes and the kids there go to the same schools as the kids in Meadowmont, The Oaks, Southern Village etc....with little complaints from the "haves" of the "have-nots" mixing.
There's definitely an Ivory Tower vibe coming out of Chapel Hill but personally I feel like Cary embodies the "look at how much of a success my life is" mindset significantly more.
There are far more transplanted NYers in Cary than in Chapel Hill so I find it funny that NYC2RDU likens the segregation of the NY suburbs to Chapel Hill when it has very clearly followed people to Cary in a much greater degree.
Wow thank you all for the very detailed and insightful posts! It's been a few weeks since I posted, and I'm finally at the point where I have a decision to make: continue with the interview process, or go back, re-work my resume, and re-target my job search to find a more suitable role. Basically right now I'm looking at a well funded small technology company in RTP where I'll get to continue working as a software developer, but not sure it is the right fit.
I'm glad to have read the posts regarding the schools in CH. I think for our family that is going to be the biggest determiner of where we end up landing (if we do decide to go ahead with relocating / changing jobs). We actually did drive around the N. Raleigh area about 8 years ago and at the time I found it to be very nice - removed from the more hustle & bustle of Cary but still very much within driving distance of most employers. I'm glad to hear that that is still an option to be considered!
Just a little more background - we currently live in a small town in N. NJ with a small school system, but it's actually got a pretty decent diversity within it. A lot of the towns around here do seem to be very elitist, but our town has put forth a lot of initiatives in its history to try and make sure there is a place for people of all economic statuses and backgrounds. So I'm actually glad to hear that CHCCS do try to reach out and provide resources that economically disadvantaged people need. It does seem like a more bureaucratic system, but that's understandable for a system of its size. (our school system has a whopping 3 elementary, one middle, and one high school).
We're also located within a couple miles of three small - mid-size Universities, so there tends to be a college vibe at certain spots in our town, but it is by no means a party town. While I haven't visited downtown UNC on a Friday night, I expect it's similar to other college towns I have been to in the past, like Athens, GA (where my brother went to school).
I'm keenly aware that there is a perception that CH is populated more by upper-middle class folks, but I'm hopeful that it isn't uber snooty like some places near where we live. I did actually live on the upper east side of Manhattan for three years in a very small 1-br apartment, so I figure, if I could tolerate that, CH should be a piece of cake.
Overall our goal is to first and foremost insure our kids have the best chance at success with wherever we decide to live. If the schools can't serve their needs, then it's off the list. Aside from that, finding a house with some land around it is also pretty important to me, because I got very used to living on 3/4 acre outside of Atlanta when growing up. We currently live in a house that has less than 1/8 acre of land, so really, just about anything in CH is a step up! (and our taxes are right around $8,000 a year, so that too is most likely going to be another win - I've seen 1+ acre houses on the outskirts of CH at $5k taxes and below!)
Thanks again for the great feedback... I'll post back when I make a decision (going to have to be by tomorrow actually) on this particular job, but regardless of if this one works out or not, I think we will continue to have our sights set on the Triangle towns!
Property taxes in Chapel Hill are astronomical!!!! Don't know about the $5k you are talking about--certainly not within the CHCCS system. Remember not all Chapel Hill addresses are in the CHCCS district. Some are in Durham, Chatham and Orange counties. Ver strange so be sure you are knowledgeable about that when looking online.
Also comparing Athens, GA to Chapel Hill, NC is apples to oranges. UGA is definitely known as a party school while UNC is not. There is no "downtown UNC" but there is a downtown Chapel HIll. I do think there is a downtown UGA cause UGA is about all there is in Athens. Not so here. There are many places in Chapel Hill/ Carrboro where you can have a delicious meal and night of entertainment without running into a bunch of loud drunk students.
Dunno about your taxes no kudzu, but our taxes are under $5000 including water and recycling and waste and all that. Just depends on the tax value for your house.
The rates are:
.8780 = Orange County
.5240 = Chapel Hill town
.2084 = CHC city schools
We also have $47 for Recycling, $20 Waste, $74 for storm water on our bill.
We live in the middle of Chapel Hill/Carrboro in an older neighborhood on a very wooded .5+ acre lot.
It's all based on the value of your home. If you live in a $1,000,000 home you're gonna pay more than the folks that live in the $100,000 home. If you can afford a big house that costs big bucks expect to pay more in taxes. I'm not sure if the 3R, Waste & stormwater is flat rate or not, but I think so.
Property taxes in Chapel Hill are astronomical!!!! Don't know about the $5k you are talking about--certainly not within the CHCCS system. Remember not all Chapel Hill addresses are in the CHCCS district. Some are in Durham, Chatham and Orange counties. Ver strange so be sure you are knowledgeable about that when looking online.
Also comparing Athens, GA to Chapel Hill, NC is apples to oranges. UGA is definitely known as a party school while UNC is not. There is no "downtown UNC" but there is a downtown Chapel HIll. I do think there is a downtown UGA cause UGA is about all there is in Athens. Not so here. There are many places in Chapel Hill/ Carrboro where you can have a delicious meal and night of entertainment without running into a bunch of loud drunk students.
A $5,000 property tax bill in the CCCCS district equates to a tax value of a little over $300,000. Nothing in the school district for that price?
I don't think your comments about Athens v. CH are entirely accurate. UNC is just as much of a party school as UGA...and UGA is close to UNC academically these days. There's a good bit more to Athens today than just UGA...if you take away RTP they're actually very similar. There's no "Downtown UGA", there's just downtown Athens, and its very similar to downtown CH. And there are plenty of places in Athens to have a nice night out without running into a bunch of loud drunk students.
Hi DecardTrinity - I am in the exact situation that you were in February and am wondering what you ended up deciding on? If you moved to Chapel Hill, how are you liking the schools and the area? We are very interested in the Chapel Hill area - schools, environment and of course taxes! I hope that you are happy in any decision made. Thank you.
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