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Old 01-30-2010, 11:02 AM
 
371 posts, read 1,357,466 times
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How would you compare these three?

Last edited by Minier; 01-30-2010 at 11:28 AM..
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Old 01-30-2010, 11:45 AM
 
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P-boro and H-boro are distinct from CH/C-boro. Chapwl Hill and Carrboro are not so much distinct from each other, though it would pain some folks to admit it.

P-boro and H-boro are about 20 minutes south and north respectively of CH/C-boro. They are both great small towns and have a lot going for them, but they are small towns (think Mayberry). CH/C-boro is a college town(s). CH/C-boro has public school system with an excellent reputation. Orange County schools (Hillsborough) have a decent rep, but I'm not sure about Chatham County schools (Pittsboro).

Pittsboro has some great little funky shops and a good healthfood coop. Hillsborough does, too. They're actually very similar towns. Hillsborough is closer to Durham (down 70). Hillsborough has a reputation as a writer's town. There are several authors who live there. It's a historic old town with a lot of beautiful old houses (so is Pittsboro).

There are places to see music and a lot of other cultural opportunities in both towns, but there's more of that kind of stuff in CH/C. It's easy enough to drive 20 minutes up the road to see a concert, though. I think people who move to Pittsboro and Hillsborough either fall in love with the quaint little towns or they want something that is a little cheaper than CH/C, but still within proximity. Schools are reputedly not as good, though. Chatham county taxes are much lower than Chapel Hill/Carrboro taxes.

If you like funky little towns you might also like to check out Saxapahaw. It's 20/25 minutes NW of Carrboro.
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Old 01-30-2010, 12:30 PM
 
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Quote:
If you like funky little towns you might also like to check out Saxapahaw
Thanks, I will!
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Old 01-30-2010, 07:22 PM
 
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Chapel Hill real estate has gotten expensive since we moved here almost fifteen years ago, and with all the recently relocated folk from the East Coast and California, the honking has gotten irritating (at the stoplight, please give me more than a second to move my foot from the brake to the accelerator before laying on the horn, new neighbor in the white Lexus with Massachusetts plates!), especially up around Weaver Dairy Road and Timberlyne shopping area where the Chelsea Theater (good foreign and art house fare) and Cup-A-Joe (locally roasted coffee) are, both great places to become a regular. The CH-Carrboro schools are considered to be some of the best in the state, so it's an understandable draw to newcomers if you can afford the cost of housing and town taxes.

Carrboro is more alternative and hipster cool than liberal Chapel Hill. It has some nice independently-owned coffee places, restaurants, bars, etc... with the original Weaver Street Market co-op there, but Carrboro has begun to feel less friendly and more trafficky and crowded. It's also a mecca for bicyclists who don't wear helmets, so pay attention when driving. As I remind myself, it's somebody's kid who probably had very high SAT scores when they graduated from high school, even though they seem pretty dumb now not to protect their precious skulls with anything more than a fleece cap. There's also been some controversy with a so-called "green" housing development that towers over what was once an historically African-American neighborhood and church. A lot of people consider the endeavor and developers to be selfish and obscene, but if you don't care and have close to a million dollars for a unit, have at it!

Hillsborough has gotten really nice. The Weaver Street Market that has opened there is convenient with easy parking and some outside seating, and the employees remember me even though I'm not really a regular. The walkable downtown has a blues bar with live music, a good wine store, as well as some nice restaurants and shops, and Cup-A-Joe opened a coffee place up there a few years ago. If you want a nice place to call home on the weekends, it may make the added commute to UNC, Duke or RTP from Hillsborough worth it.

The same could be said for Pittsboro. It has the General Store and lots of antique/vintage shops, as well as proximity to Jordan Lake. The schools in Chatham County aren't great, but with so many people moving down there because of the high cost of living in Chapel Hill, they might improve or at least be manageable with parent support and involvement. The downside of the population influx to Chatham County is the traffic coming out of it at rush hour. It can really snarl and back up.

The previous writer recommended Saxapahaw, which a lot of people still don't know about. It's beautiful down there and still affordable. There's a small general store at the main shopping strip (which is a renovated mill right on the Haw River) that sells local produce, meats and dairy, as well as natural products you might find at a Whole Foods. There is also a grill with a couple of booths in the back for a quick eat. There are lofts for rent that are part of the old mill, and a charter school called Hawbridge that is getting good feedback now that it has changed its academic focus to the environment and the arts. It is for grades 9 to 12, but has plans to add a middle school next fall. Saxapahaw also has a family-oriented farmer's market in the summer with live music, and there's a canoe and kayak outfit behind the Saxapahaw General Store for exploring the Haw River. It still has a country element, though. Don't be surprised to pull up to the Saxapahaw General Store to see a Prius parked next to a pick-up with an old guy flicking his cigarette ash out his rolled-down window. Or the minivan I saw once where the owner had cut away part of a presidential campaign bumper sticker so it only read, PALIN.
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Old 02-01-2010, 11:32 AM
 
371 posts, read 1,357,466 times
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Your description of Saxapahaw makes it sound absolutely charming.

I'd love to keep hearing about those nearby places that aren't smack in the middle of the honk-and-flip areas.
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Old 02-01-2010, 12:06 PM
 
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Minier View Post
How would you compare these three?
I would use city level US Census data.
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