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Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary The Triangle Area
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Old 02-04-2010, 12:04 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jillsbrain View Post
New transplant from NYC here. Maybe what I'm looking for doesn't exist here....but I'll ask.
I'm trying to find a place to live in the triangle that is walking/bicycling distance to at least some cafes and green markets. Is there anywhere like that here that caters to independent small business, not franchises, not shopping malls and not strip malls? Is there anywhere around here that is pedestrian friendly? How can you create community and get to know your neighbors when everyone is in their cars?
You say you are a new transplant, i.e. already living here, but you don't say where you live currently? That way we could tell you what's close by you.

Definitely Carrboro is the "crunchiest" locale around here, though the Ninth Street area of Durham and much of Chapel Hill work too. In Raleigh, around Cameron Village (technically a collection of "strip malls" but focussing on independent boutiquy sorts of businesses) and NC State U. you'll find plenty. Sadlack's sub shop across from the NCSU bell tower is an epicenter of a certain "subculture".

The common trend of these areas is that they are all right around the universities.

FWIW, I don't think "hipsters" per se have arrived in the Triangle, as I understand the term. Or at least that term isn't used so much here (yet).
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Old 02-04-2010, 01:47 PM
 
Location: Downtown Raleigh, NC
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What others have said re Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Durham. You will find some of what you're looking for in downtown Raleigh, minus the farmers markets (although I think I heard there is a small one in Five Points, or they have a large neighborhood CSA subsciption or something). Downtown Raleigh does have the Moore Square Farmer's Market, but it is only held on Wednesdays in the middle of the day and doesn't really cater to people who actually live downtown.

I live in downtown Raleigh, and think that you could find areas that suite your needs in the Glenwood South, Boylan Heights, downtown proper, Oakwood/Peace College/Mordecai, Glenwood Brooklyn and Cameron Village neighborhoods. There are also areas closer to NCSU, but then you will have more college students nearby.

The key is - stick to the more urban areas and town centers. None of the Triangle's cities have anything close to the density of NYC, but the mindset is here, it is just not immediately obvious if you aren't in the right places.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Francois View Post
FWIW, I don't think "hipsters" per se have arrived in the Triangle, as I understand the term. Or at least that term isn't used so much here (yet).
Yes, hipsters are in the Triangle. If you want to see some, just go to the Jackpot in Raleigh or some of the other local bars. I've seen fewer of them riding their fixies around town since the weather turned cold, but as it warms up I'm sure they'll be out again.

That said, I think this area tends to have more people in the creative subculture (more mature, sophisticated, less likely to fit neatly into a category).
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Old 02-04-2010, 03:21 PM
 
Location: ITB Raleigh, NC
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Hipsters not here "yet"? I thought that once you were called "hip", then you weren't anymore. Isn't that almost an archaic term at the point? Like "groovy".
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Old 02-04-2010, 05:08 PM
 
Location: NC
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Originally Posted by Usedtobe VaNC View Post
Hipsters not here "yet"? I thought that once you were called "hip", then you weren't anymore. Isn't that almost an archaic term at the point? Like "groovy".
That's exactly what I thought! Growing up in the 60's, ppl who were then in their 20's + said ppl were "hip" or "hipsters". I always thought it was such a corny word. I guess we are showing our age?

So, OP, (or Francois) what the heck do "you" mean by hipster?
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Old 02-04-2010, 05:37 PM
 
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I found this:

Urban Dictionary: hipster
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Old 02-04-2010, 05:49 PM
 
Location: Reston, VA
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A bit more info with regard to the term's meaning in the 1990s and 2000s.

Hipster (contemporary subculture) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Old 02-05-2010, 11:22 AM
 
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Default bynum

bynum area in chatham county may be what you are looking for. check it out.
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Old 02-05-2010, 11:43 AM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RaleighLass View Post
That's exactly what I thought! Growing up in the 60's, ppl who were then in their 20's + said ppl were "hip" or "hipsters". I always thought it was such a corny word. I guess we are showing our age?

So, OP, (or Francois) what the heck do "you" mean by hipster?
I had never heard the word until a couple of years ago (which is why I say we don't really use it in this area--because we all know I am SUCH a bon vivant I would of course know all the lingo, right? LOL). A friend who moved here from Portland, OR--which is apparently Hipster Central--would mention the term often. I just thought she meant "Hippies" (also very prevalant in Portland) but she explained that "Hipsters" were something different, though she acknowledged that nobody in Raleigh seemed to know the term when she used it around here. Apparently there are areas of Brooklyn also known as "Ground Zero for Hipsters", but despite my sociological interests, I haven't researched the term fully.

My Portland friend suggested this website as a (derogatory) way to get a feel for what people mean when they say "Hipsters", which includes this video (satirical). Actually, I most often hear it used in a derogatory sense, which made it a little puzzling when the OP self-described as one.

So the answer is, I'm not 100% sure what is meant by the term, but I have a vague "know it when I see it" notion.

Last edited by Francois; 02-05-2010 at 11:58 AM..
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Old 02-05-2010, 12:56 PM
 
Location: NC
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Thanks Francois! I loved the videos, brilliant! Ok, so I have a much better sense now. I get all of it except...dance to 80's music, that's plain weird I would have expected them to be into something with less fluff, a little darker, perhaps something with more angst.

It's kinda like yeah, let's shop thrift store, we are against anything mainstream, but hey, let's go dance to Air Supply or Flock of Seagulls or even KC - oops, he lives in CH, I'd better watch out Just kidding KC, love your music!

What I really, really don't get is Pabst Blue Ribbon... was this just because it's blue collar? Why not Mad Dog 20/20 or whatever. It comes in pretty colors to match their glasses

Thanks again, this was a fun ed experience!
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Old 02-05-2010, 01:48 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Francois View Post
"crunchiest"
I still think this is one of the silliest words to have evolved in contemporary speech...
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