Looking for a charming town to retire to (Raleigh, Chapel Hill: chapel, houses)

[NorthmeetsSouth]

I am originally from Westchester, NY and have lived in the atlanta area for 14 years. My husband is from NC. We want to get out of Atlanta and go someplace that has some charm and a "Norman Rockwell" feeling to it.
I like to renovate houses and I prefer an area that is architecturally interesting. I also like a place that attracts intelligent people that have a variety of interests. I'm not a snob... I am just scared to death that I'm going to be bored when we retire unless we meet some interesting people. Retirees...Where are you all winding up?

[jln69]

A nice place to start might be Inside the Beltline in Raleigh. There are older homes there that are under renovations. The whole city is going through a revitalization process. Some of them have beautiful architecture. Chapel Hill has some beautiful older homes as well that you might consider renovating. Also, there are the Universities and Medical Centers of UNC and Duke nearby. Hope this helps and good luck.

[jmd123]

Chapel Hill and Carrboro have a lot of merits for retirees, for example, free classes at UNC-CH:
Continuing Education at UNC-Chapel Hill--Programs for Part-time Students--Senior Citizen Tuition Program (http://www.fridaycenter.unc.edu/cp/seniors.html - broken link)

Here's a link to the Historical Society site:
Chapel Hill Historical Society