Want to find friendly small town near Chapel Hill (Durham: townhouses, schools)

[bobbipaula]

Hi, I'm moving to work in Chapel Hill in July, and want to find a friendly small town within commuting distance where I can settle. I'm in my fifties, a woman, and single now. I'm thinking in terms of Pittsboro, Fearrington, Bynum, or Hillsborough. I'd like an eclectic community with lots going on that welcomes newcomers. Any thoughts?

[frogandtoad]

I don't know anything about Pittsboro or Bynum, but I really like Hillsborough. It is quite eclectic, with quite a lot of artists, farmers, bohemians, young families, blue collar, white collar...really neat town with a lot going on for its size. I think it's my favorite town in the triangle, and if I'd known about it before moving here, we'd probably be living there right now!

A lot of people really like Fearrington, but I do not see the appeal whatsever. It looks SO planned and there is nothing around it without a 15-20 min. drive. The houses are not attractive at all (to me). There is one fabulous restaurant there, the Fearrington Inn but other than that? Ick.

[MikeJaquish]

Is there any particular reason you have ruled out Carrboro?

Town of Carrboro, NC :: 919-942-8541

[ADVentive]

Have you considered Mebane? We are a growing little town within commuting distance to Chapel Hill. We are partly in Orange county and partly in Alamance.

[PlantGeek]

I grew up in the Pittsboro/Sanford area. It has a great small town vibe and a great sense of community. It is really starting to grow up quickly. In the last few years they've added a Lowes Home Improvement and there's a Harris Teeter outside of the city limits. The town itself has a lot of diversity among the people that live there.

I've heard a lot of negative comments on the quality of Chatham county schools compared to those in Orange and Wake county. Both my husband and I spent K through 12 in Chatham county schools and are doing very well now.

[CaryGal]

I just moved to Pittsboro from Cary about two months ago, and so far I love it!! Every single person we have come in contact with here has been really wonderful and so very nice.

It has a really wonderful small town feel, and a real sense of community. In fact the morning after we moved in, our neighbors came over bringing us a big pitcher of fresh made coffee, we knew right then and there we had made the right choice!

I'm in Powell Place and it's a great subdivision, with a lot of diversity, with townhouses, row houses, and single family homes. It's sort of modeled similarly to Meadowmont in Chapel Hill, and will have shopping and stores in the front section of the development, it might be worth checking out!

[ausmerika]

I'd recommend looking at either Pittsboro or Hillsborough. Both are small enough yet offer much (as frogandtoad mentioned--more than you'd think for towns that size). Bynum is really really tiny. It was really pretty much just a crossroads until a few years ago, and is developing into a beatnik (blue grass) kind of town.
Fearrington is not a town, it's a town-wannabe. My husband had a horse farm out near there when there really was nothing else but the Inn. It's developed into a posh, ritzy resort for Yankees looking to see what rural life is really like. Seriously, it is just that--a development, not a town. That said, there are many 50+ folks out there. Carrboro is bigger than Pittsboro and Hillsborough, and might be worth a look too as it has a similar "crunchy" feel, only bigger. My take on Carrboro is that it appeals to families with kids, but there are many singles there too. Mebane is an old small town too, but a little further west. It would be about a 30-45 minute commute into Chapel Hill (depending on where you will be working). It has a lot going for it, and is developing rather quickly. Definitely pro-development.

[ADVentive]

Originally Posted by ausmerika

Mebane is an old small town too, but a little further west. It would be about a 30-45 minute commute into Chapel Hill (depending on where you will be working). It has a lot going for it, and is developing rather quickly. Definitely pro-development.

I live in Mebane. From my door to Duke it is 21 miles, and to UNC it is 24 miles. It's really not that far west as people seem to think.

[ausmerika]

We lived in Mebane for years as well. Right off 5th Street. It was easier for me to get to work in Durham (about 25 minutes), but my husband works in Chapel Hill and with the traffic it took 45 minutes. It was the main reason we moved to Hillsborough--to cut down on the drive time. You certainly get more house and land in Mebane, so that wasn't the motivator to move back to Orange Co. You must be on the Orange Co. side of Mebane, b/c like you said--it's on the line. Your location really does become a factor in the length of the drive time.

[ADVentive]

Yah, we are on the Orange county side. We lived in Durham before this, and we work in Durham and go to church in Durham still, so we still go there all the time and most of our friends are there. But people never want to come to our house because they have this perception that we are so far away. I think they are just not used to going to Mebane. I have co-workers who live in Cary and Apex and Carrboro who have to drive significantly longer than I do, but people still think I'm the one that lives so far away.