Are the people in Chapel Hill snobs? (Raleigh, Durham: renting, homes)

[alice_61]

I think some of the higher end housing market is going to doctors (plenty between Duke and UNC med schools and hospitals), professors, well heeled retirees, well paid folks who work in the Triangle, and "other." Many people will pay a lot to be in the Chapel Hill school district. On the other hand, there is a sizable townhouse and condo market and there are plenty of lower income people who rent. My guess is that most of the students rent and a good percentage of the staff either commute from outside Chapel Hill or rent, too. Oh, and not only are the home prices high, so are the taxes, so that also is also an impediment to buying in Chapel Hill.

[MaimounaKande]

We moved to Chapel Hill last summer from Tucson. I have also lived in the bay area (Los Altos and Palo Alto). Although I did love the bay area, I will admit there was a visible snob element. I don't find that to be the case in Chapel Hill. It's part of what I lvoe about Chapel Hill. There are a lot of people here with money, but it's not something people talk a whole lot about. You figure it out, but people aren't boasting about it, they aren't feeling superior b/c of it. Parly (this is my OPINION), I think it's b/c there are a lot of pretty fascinating, intelligent people here who don't ahve a lot of money too. That's part of life in a university town. I think the general feeling here is that everyone has something interesting to offer and the emphasis is more on who you are than how much you have. It's not the town for debutantes...

I looked at and did not like Cary at all. But, as people before me have said...they are very different. If you love Chapel Hill, you probably won't love Cary. If you love Cary, you probably won't love Chapel Hill. Makes the decision pretty easy in a way!!

[MariGirl]

Cary and Chapel Hill are as different as night and day.
Cary is a good place to shop, but I would not want to live there. Chapel Hill is a fun place for most everything (shop, eat, people watch, remember what is was like to be a college student...) and if we could afford to live there we would in a minute.
Went to grad school at Carolina and try to get up there once a month - visit one of the campus libraries, Bulls Head bookstore, then somewhere in town for lunch. I've always had a weakness for college towns, and Chapel Hill ranks right up there with my #1 "ShangriLa", Bloomington, IN(Go IU!). A lot of people probably have a soft spot for a former school if it brings back good memories.
As for the folks walking around in Italian cycling jerseys and possibly being "snobs" (see original post on this thread)... why would someone even make that assumption w/out first knowing the person? And why would it even matter what they wear? It takes all kinds to make life interesting, and besides, that spandex can be quite nice to look at in some cases!

[Monkey Toes]

We visited the area a few weeks ago. I agree that Cary seemed like it could be just about anywhere. Chapel Hiil was charming from a glance although we didn't have a lot of time to get out and about and chat with folks. We did dine at Squids (ok, but not great) one evening and I (40 something) was clearly the youngest patron there. The was a definte air of southern old money in the room. I'm sure that some of the handbags in the room cost more than my first car. Our sever indicated that this was typical of Chapel Hill. I had expected a younger more artsy vibe.

So.. is Chapel Hill primarily older wealthy people or artsy brainiacs?

[alice_61]

The Squids crowd is just one part of Chapel Hill. Try Weaver St Market for the aging Hippie, Bohemian, and nature folks. I don't think of Chapel Hill as particularly older. There are many retirees but there are many more college students and associated folks. There is quite a range of wealth.

[MariGirl]

Chapel Hill is an interesting mix of people, but I don't find it be a retirement haven of any sort. Yes, there are older people. I'd guess that alot of them are retired professors or others from the university who stuck around because they enjoy the college town environment. There are also thousands of young students in the area along with all ages in-between connected with UNC.
Check out Franklin Street and Carborro for a better feel of the area.

[Girly]

Chapel Hill is a middle class town of professional students who have never lived or worked in the real world. The Ivory Tower rules here. The local liberals make no room for anyone who differs with their liberal philosophy. The average person here seems to have been stunted at the emotional ages of 2 through 14. The college professors "know everything". I have heard the people here described as obnoxious, intolerant, hateful, narrow minded and bigoted. I have heard of parents who have had to pull their children from the Chapel Hill school system because they have differing political views and their children are harassed by both teachers and students. I do not like the closed mindedness of our local liberals. Chapel Hill is a wonderful town as long as you agree with the libs. Otherwise avoid this place like the plague. Very juvenile people with too much time on their hands to cause trouble. The professional students here try very hard to prove that they are snobs. The moniker "People's Republic of Chapel Hill" is very fitting.

[Gatornation]

Originally Posted by Girly

Chapel Hill is a middle class town of professional students who have never lived or worked in the real world. The Ivory Tower rules here. The local liberals make no room for anyone who differs with their liberal philosophy. The average person here seems to have been stunted at the emotional ages of 2 through 14. The college professors "know everything". I have heard the people here described as obnoxious, intolerant, hateful, narrow minded and bigoted. I have heard of parents who have had to pull their children from the Chapel Hill school system because they have differing political views and their children are harassed by both teachers and students. I do not like the closed mindedness of our local liberals. Chapel Hill is a wonderful town as long as you agree with the libs. Otherwise avoid this place like the plague. Very juvenile people with too much time on their hands to cause trouble. The professional students here try very hard to prove that they are snobs. The moniker "People's Republic of Chapel Hill" is very fitting.

First, Chapel Hill is not middle class. It's well above that. What do you expect from a college town? It's going to be liberal Moderator cut: off topic

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by Monkey Toes

I grew up in the burbs of Atlanta and lived in northern California for six years. After living in Los Gatos, Ca, I just can't take any more rich snobs in thier Italian cycling jerseys.

I grew up in Los Gatos in the 60's and early 70's. My parents bought a new 4bedroom house in '65 for 20K. Who'd have figured it would turn into a quasi Redeo Drive in 40 years? I go back there for work and have to laugh at how much has changed culturally while the town itself looks almost identical to what I remember. There certainly are a bunch of self indulgent "look at me" sort of people there now. The Silicon Valley generates more wealth than does the Triangle. So, suffice it to say that you aren't going to have as much of the "new money" pretense in any city in the Triangle as you would in Los Gatos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Atherton......

In addition to Chapel Hill, have you considered Raleigh? While the older neighborhoods closer to the city core might be considered "snobby" to some, you will not find the same sort of abundant pretense that you find in Los Gatos now. While you will find that these older neighborhoods of Raleigh are much more politically liberal than the rest of the city, it won't be to the perceived exclusion of other political thought that is often attributed to Chapel Hill. Raleigh too is a college town but it isn't overwhelmed culturally by NC State due to the size of the city. You might just want to check out the neighborhoods around 5 points, Boylan Heights, Glenwood/Brooklyn, Cameron Village or even the condo buildings going up around the immediate downtown area.

[Funky Chicken]

I think that both Chapel Hill and Cary are big enough that if you try hard enough you can find a lifestyle that appeals to you and if you choose you can also find plenty to bash/complain/whine about.

Cary is a CITY of nearly 125,000 people. It is the 7th largest municipality in our state. It is much more diverse than most of the Cary-Bashers around here care to admit.