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..OK ...so I hear it is different..
can you explain the difference ?
is it the pace ? or ??
I'm looking for a friendly and open atmosphere...
Kids are grown & gone..so don't have to worry about schools...
How is CH different than Carrboro...more upscale?
I think the difference is really hard to describe. Have you spent time in the East or would this be the first? People in NC are very nice, as I believe they are in general everywhere so I'm not bashing NC. In the West though...it's like there's this open space where you can see for miles when you're driving anywhere, and (sorry if this sounds hokey) it's almost like that same feeling with the people. People are just relaxed and open in a different way. People are nice here, Carrboro has a great "vibe" to it but it's the exception imo. People love or steer clear of Carrboro/Chapel Hill b/c it is "liberal" and "crunchy" (esp. Carrboro). But go 1/2 hour in any direction and it's not really like that. It's kind of an oasis (if you like it). The triangle area is diverse and again, I'm not bashing it. I'm not sure I'm doing the difference justice at all. But it has a different feel than the West.
You might love the feel here--I have no idea, but I just think you really need to come and stay for a bit to "feel" the difference and know.
The weather too--not sure if you've lived in SD all your life, but so many people here talk about how great the weather is. If you're from the NE then sure, it is great! If you really want 4 seasons and a winter that's not too long, yes, it's good. But if you like having sunshine and nice weather ALL the time (or most of it) you might not think it's so great. It's been cold and rainy the last few days and it's April. I don't like that. I would much rather have the "seasons" of N.CA or AZ (not much of a season change, but that's oK with me) than the cold rainy or even just cold and not rainy days/weeks here.
As for the difference between CH and Carrboro, as was said above Carrboro was a mill town and where the train station was for CH summer guests (CH didn't want the actual station in their town--just the people). So it has more humble beginnings. It's still less expensive and houses are much smaller (I"m comparing the houses near town in Carrboro vs. the houses near town in Chapel Hill. If you go to the outskirts of either, you will find newer houses which are larger). Carrboro is said to be "more liberal" than Chapel Hill, although I don't really know what that means--they're both diverse, tolerant, liberal towns. Carrboro has more of a feel of "crunchiness" than CH. CH has more of a feel of money.
Anyway, I am really not trying to tell you you''ll hate it here. It's a very nice place to live and plenty of people have chosen it over the rest of the country and love it here. I'm just giving my own thoughts and strongly suggesting you spend some time here before up and moving. It does not feel the same as CA, for good or for bad, although I probably didn't describe the difference in feeling well.
The transition between CH and Carrboro is pretty invisible. You can barely tell which one you're in near the boundary. I'd say its more important to find a house you like, and don't worry about whether its in CH or Carrboro, since you can get from one to the other in minutes.
In the West though...it's like there's this open space where you can see for miles when you're driving anywhere, and (sorry if this sounds hokey) it's almost like that same feeling with the people. People are just relaxed and open in a different way.
frogandtoad has done a good job in his/her description. While Carrboro / Chapel Hill is always noted for it's liberal and or crunchy feel, it only seems moderately liberal and moderately crunchy to me. But I lived the previous 20 years in Portland & Eugene. Chapel Hill is liberal... but's it's the sort of liberal that goes along with a college.
I would encourage you to look in the historic areas around downtown Durham. It has a liberal college feel since it's near Duke, quaint old historic homes, and generally you can get more for your money in Durham. In Chapel Hill you are paying for the school district and since you don't have school aged children I would encourage you to look around.
Pittsboro might be a nice alternative. It's small... south of Chapel of Hill. But I find it to have a fringe that is more of an earthy crunchy than a "collegiate" crunchy.
I do like it here. But there are things that I loved about the West that will never be comparable here. I've accepted that I can live without those things and I'm finding other things I love about NC to fill those voids.
well, looks like we will come out in June to check things out. I have spoken with a couple of realtors and they both sound very down to earth.
I'm driving the wife nuts by whistling GREEN ACRES and the ANDY GRIFFITH theme tunes.
I even told her that we'd have to rename our dog...his name is currently GOMEZ...said we'd have to change it to Goober !
If you want the Mayberry feel, you need to check out either Hillsborough or Pittsboro. Both offer historic areas, but are smaller towns with more of the old local vibe (not "misplaced" Northerners). Hillsborough is similar to Carrboro in many aspects but with a more rural feel (historic yet rural, hmmm). Downtown is very small, but has a great farmers market and grocery co-op (same one as in Carrboro--Weaver Street), which is opening this month. Everyone knows everyone, and it really is like Mayberry....if only Mayberry was real.
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