Hillsborough versus Chapel Hill & Carrboro (Durham, Cary: homes, to buy, school districts)

[rockinmomma]

I live in hillsborough. I absolutely LOVE Hillsborough. It does have the Mayberry feel..... but to have the Mayberry feel, you also have the annoying Mayberryisms too.... like the sidewalks rolling up at dark. It is getting better about the "nightlife" but other than Blue Bayou there isn't alot of live entertainment in town.

The beauty is though.... you are close to Chapel Hill & Durham & even Raleigh if you want to attend live music or a play or a museum. Hillsborough does have "Last Fridays" www.hillsboroughartscouncil.org/LastFridays.html ... where every Friday of the summer they have a music/arts festival with live music and stuff like that.... and there are free activities for the kids.

The schools are great!!!! I have two in elem and one just starting High School. I love their teachers, I love the afterschool programs, I love the acceptance feel you get when you walk in the door.

The Orange County Parks and Rec dept has many many amny classes/activities for kids and adults alike. http://www.co.orange.nc.us/RecParks/index.asp It is located right beside the library so anytime the kids are in an activity you can go there.

There is a farmer's Market, in season.

We are learning to be green here... with recycling becoming more and more previlant. While Chapel Hill is more liberal and ahead of us on the green scale, we are catching up.... we are more rural than they are and when you have people living so far apart (I have two acres off a dirt road) collections have been touch and go in some places.

You should be aware that there are parts of Hillsborough that are more rural than others and there are few subdivisions and a few trailer parks. I love it here and would only move if it were to go to the coast. My husband moved here from North Raleigh and commutes every day because he loves it here so much. And there are parts of Chapel Hill that are on the County School system.

[bluedevilz]

Gaia

I think you could find everything you are looking for in Hillsborough.

We lived in Chapel Hill for 3 years when we first moved down here and have now been in Hillsborough for close to 3....much prefer Hillsborough.

Schools are good, plenty for families to do, artsy town with lots of history and character. More economically diverse and much less keeping up with the Joneses than we saw in Chapel Hill.

Hillsborough also has more of the small town, community feel we were looking for...

Check the area out, I think it will fit your bill.

[Charlton Dude]

Originally Posted by StoneOne

, once you get away from the Disneyland atmosphere of the Southpoint area,

I love your description. We feel in love with the Southpoint area and always told our friends back home that it is like Disneyworld for adults.

Originally Posted by StoneOne

SW Durham is known for quality public schools (unlike the rest of Durham).

While I definitely agree that SW Durham has some better schools than the rest of Durham, that is not saying much. Even in SW Durham, you have to be very careful with schools. If I was bringing up school age children, I would definitely scratch Durham off my list.

[StoneOne]

Originally Posted by songgirl

Thank you StoneOne! Which area would you consider to have the most character, architectural variation and interesting places such as art galleries and live music venues?

Schools are top priority but mom and dad have to have fun too

Hopefully, we will be able to remain in St. Augustine and my husband will be allowed to continue to work remotely. The company my husband recently found a job with is giving us "4-6 months" to sell our house before we move up to NC but anyone who is familiar with Florida real estate realizes that virtually nothing is selling no matter what price you list at. We would have to attempt to rent it , most likely,and then rent ourselves in NC.

I'm not looking forward to this potential (likely) move because I think we will be financially screwed for awhile and I would miss the historical ambiance and laid back atmosphere of St. Augustine but I'm sure we could be happy in NC too if we find the right niche. Our situation could be a lot worse.

Thanks for your advice thus far. I will look into the areas you mentioned and try to keep a positive outlook!

If money is not going to be an issue, then I would definitely choose to live in Carrboro (which I have, incidentally ), as you'll have closer proximity to the restaurant scene in Chapel Hill and Durham and many more options to rent (if you choose not to buy). I personally prefer Carrboro over Chapel Hill for several reasons. One, the cost of comparable housing is lower (not by much, though). Two, traffic, apart from a few streets in downtown, isn't as bad -- Chapel Hill's traffic is much worse than it should be for a town of its size, although that's likely because of the university. Three, I enjoy cycling, and Carrboro is by far the best city I've seen for cycling on the main streets. Virtually all of them have special bicycle lanes, and drivers are very courteous. Finally, Carrboro is a little more down to earth than Chapel Hill and seems to have even less of the "keep up with the Jones'" mentality. Chapel Hill is far from bad in this respect, though.

If you want to buy and want the most house for your money - or more land - definitely look at Hillsborough and other parts of Orange County or SW Durham. You really do have lots of options.

[Bull City Rising]

Originally Posted by Charlton Dude

I love your description. We feel in love with the Southpoint area and always told our friends back home that it is like Disneyworld for adults.



While I definitely agree that SW Durham has some better schools than the rest of Durham, that is not saying much. Even in SW Durham, you have to be very careful with schools. If I was bringing up school age children, I would definitely scratch Durham off my list.

Somehow, I think the parents of 32,749 students would disagree with you!







I know plenty of parents who're happy with the schools here. Charlton, I believe you're most familiar with Cary, and ... was it Braintree schools? It is hard for someone who hasn't spent much time around schools in Durham to be familiar with them. To the OP, PDXMom is a parent with kids in schools and knows her stuff!

When my wife and I exited MA, now, three years ago, we knew that if we lived in Durham our kids would have access to good magnet and charter options and, depending on the neighborhood, excellent local schools, too. We didn't want to be shuffled in and out of different schools, a la Wake County, though I appreciate the diversity efforts of their plan.

[PDXmom]

Originally Posted by Charlton Dude

I love your description. We feel in love with the Southpoint area and always told our friends back home that it is like Disneyworld for adults.



While I definitely agree that SW Durham has some better schools than the rest of Durham, that is not saying much. Even in SW Durham, you have to be very careful with schools. If I was bringing up school age children, I would definitely scratch Durham off my list.

If you look at SAT scores Durham is right on par with Wake Co when you factor in socioeconomics. Durham just has more poor kids than Wake County since it's historically a factory town.

The reality is that MY kids are middle class... so I know they are going to get as good as or even BETTER of an education in Durham as they would in Wake Co. In Durham they will ACTUALLY get foreign language regardless of if they go to a magnet school or their base school. This is NOT true in Wake Co.

And by being in Durham County my middle class kids get exposure to others who haven't had life as easy as they have. And that creates compassion, understanding, and bridges that we didn't have before. They care about people who are different from them. They aren't afraid of them. They actually care about them and want to help. And the school staffs foster this sense of helping each other out and being respectful and compassionate.

I also love the fact that BOTH of my kid's first and best friends at their Durham school was a child of different race. (This might happen in Wake Co too, but it was much less likily in very white Portland.)

The teachers that my kids have had are amazing!!! They challenge my kids, love my kids, help them feel comfortable being the little beings they are, and stretch them in so many ways. These teachers are as good or better than the better payed, more experienced, union teachers, we had in Portland.

So I have NO idea how you could say this sort of education "is not saying much." You can't get this sort of education in a tony, upper middle class enclave. I disagree that if you want the best education for your child that you should only surround them with kids from well educated, wealthy families or AIG crowd. Maybe this method serves the country club set well, but it doesn't do a bit of good for the real world and you are short changing your kids!

BTW, OP and others, please know that Charlton Dude does not have any children in Durham Public Schools as he lives in Cary and also enjoys posting under the name EXIT MA Now. Don't drink his cool aid... it's p'son.

[StoneOne]

Originally Posted by PDXmom

If you look at SAT scores Durham is right on par with Wake Co when you factor in socioeconomics. Durham just has more poor kids than Wake County since it's historically a factory town.

The reality is that MY kids are middle class... so I know they are going to get as good as or even BETTER of an education in Durham as they would in Wake Co. In Durham they will ACTUALLY get foreign language regardless of if they go to a magnet school or their base school. This is NOT true in Wake Co.

And by being in Durham County my middle class kids get exposure to others who haven't had life as easy as they have. And that creates compassion, understanding, and bridges that we didn't have before. They care about people who are different from them. They aren't afraid of them. They actually care about them and want to help. And the school staffs foster this sense of helping each other out and being respectful and compassionate.

I also love the fact that BOTH of my kid's first and best friends at their Durham school was a child of different race. (This might happen in Wake Co too, but it was much less likily in very white Portland.)

The teachers that my kids have had are amazing!!! They challenge my kids, love my kids, help them feel comfortable being the little beings they are, and stretch them in so many ways. These teachers are as good or better than the better payed, more experienced, union teachers, we had in Portland.

So I have NO idea how you could say this sort of education "is not saying much." You can't get this sort of education in a tony, upper middle class enclave. I disagree that if you want the best education for your child that you should only surround them with kids from well educated, wealthy families or AIG crowd. Maybe this method serves the country club set well, but it doesn't do a bit of good for the real world and you are short changing your kids!

BTW, OP and others, please know that Charlton Dude does not have any children in Durham Public Schools as he lives in Cary and also enjoys posting under the name EXIT MA Now. Don't drink his cool aid... it's p'son.

Thank you for the very informative post. I stand corrected in my previous comment about Durham schools outside SW not being good, although I was referring more to reputation than any first-hand experience.

I'm glad to hear positive experiences regarding the schools in Durham, as there is always the chance that we'll move to Durham from Carrboro when it comes time to buy a house (all depends on finances and what's available, I suppose). I like Durham a lot, and I think that both of the two posters looking to move to this area could find what they're looking for in Durham, just as they could in all three areas of Orange County.

[Charlton Dude]

Originally Posted by PDXmom

If you look at SAT scores Durham is right on par with Wake Co when you factor in socioeconomics. Durham just has more poor kids than Wake County since it's historically a factory town.

The reality is that MY kids are middle class... so I know they are going to get as good as or even BETTER of an education in Durham as they would in Wake Co. In Durham they will ACTUALLY get foreign language regardless of if they go to a magnet school or their base school. This is NOT true in Wake Co.

And by being in Durham County my middle class kids get exposure to others who haven't had life as easy as they have. And that creates compassion, understanding, and bridges that we didn't have before. They care about people who are different from them. They aren't afraid of them. They actually care about them and want to help. And the school staffs foster this sense of helping each other out and being respectful and compassionate.

I also love the fact that BOTH of my kid's first and best friends at their Durham school was a child of different race. (This might happen in Wake Co too, but it was much less likily in very white Portland.)

The teachers that my kids have had are amazing!!! They challenge my kids, love my kids, help them feel comfortable being the little beings they are, and stretch them in so many ways. These teachers are as good or better than the better payed, more experienced, union teachers, we had in Portland.

So I have NO idea how you could say this sort of education "is not saying much." You can't get this sort of education in a tony, upper middle class enclave. I disagree that if you want the best education for your child that you should only surround them with kids from well educated, wealthy families or AIG crowd. Maybe this method serves the country club set well, but it doesn't do a bit of good for the real world and you are short changing your kids!

I am glad the schools work for your situation. If you are comfortable with your children going to them, great. I would not. It's just a personal choice and that is why we post our thoughts on this forum.

[StoneOne]

Originally Posted by Charlton Dude

I am glad the schools work for your situation. If you are comfortable with your children going to them, great. I would not. It's just a personal choice and that is why we post our thoughts on this forum.

If you are indeed who PDXmom says you are, then you would not be comfortable with anything other than surrounding yourself with boring white people at beige box stores all day!

[Charlton Dude]

Originally Posted by StoneOne

........you would not be comfortable with anything other than surrounding yourself with boring white people at beige box stores all day!

And why do you you consider white people boring? I am sure it was not meant that way, but that sounds a bit racist. I also don't have any interest in buying boxes from stores, especially boxes that are beige. I don't know why people have to resort to personal insults just because someone else may not want to bring their children up in a certain town. It is a personal choice for each person to make. If someone does not like year round schools, then they should not move to many parts of Wake County. That does not make them a bad person. It is just their personal choice that they would prefer something different than what Wake County offers. We post our opinions and choices in this forum, so people can read different viewpoints. They can then choose which one matches their preferences. No need for trying to tear down those that don't think like us.