Info on Carrboro? (Raleigh, Durham, Cary: relocate, jobs, hospital)

[thisguy]

Just from reading online this seems like a smaller but neat little place near Chapel Hill, lots of positive feedback. What is the area like and how is pricing relative to rest of the triangle area? I have not seen it mentioned on this forum so was wondering why that was?

[RaleighRob]

Carrboro is unique. Maps show it as a suburb of Chapel Hill, but it really isn't suburban at all....it's like a minature urban city, really.

It's cheaper than Chapel Hill...by far. Homes probably cost about the same as Durham (which is less than Raleigh and WAY less than Cary).

I like to go there whenever I can...fun town. Very pedestrian-friendly and the town strongly supports locally-run businesses (which you notice very few chain restaurants or stores there). The main grocery store near downtown is a co-op...meaning the customers OWN it. You don't see that everyday.
Another thing unique about it is you can walk from downtown Carrboro to downtown Chapel Hill in less than 15 minutes. (Kinda mind-boggling!) So you can live in one, and easily enjoy all that the other has to offer.

[thisguy]

Originally Posted by RaleighRob

Carrboro is unique. Maps show it as a suburb of Chapel Hill, but it really isn't suburban at all....it's like a minature urban city, really.

It's cheaper than Chapel Hill...by far. Homes probably cost about the same as Durham (which is less than Raleigh and WAY less than Cary).

I like to go there whenever I can...fun town. Very pedestrian-friendly and the town strongly supports locally-run businesses (which you notice very few chain restaurants or stores there). The main grocery store near downtown is a co-op...meaning the customers OWN it. You don't see that everyday.
Another thing unique about it is you can walk from downtown Carrboro to downtown Chapel Hill in less than 15 minutes. (Kinda mind-boggling!) So you can live in one, and easily enjoy all that the other has to offer.

Does sound very unique... what type of people habitat there? Is it mostly professional, blue collar, students from UNC? Sounds like a good place for a bike rider too...

You said you like to visit, would you like to live there or is it more a cool place to go on weekends?

Cary sounds nice but a little too much soccer mom-ish which is great for soccer moms, and I coach soccer as a side job. It sounds like a lot of the upper middle class suburbs we have here - great place to raise your kids, great schools, every neighborhood looks identical and every part of the city is the same as the other parts.

I also noticed on that neighborhood map for Raleigh a lot of green space and parks which is different then here - they develop and strip mall every square inch of metro Detroit. Yuck.

[spelchamp]

I just relocated here from Southern California (Orange County/LA area). I've only been here for about one and half months but I spent pretty much the entire exploring the region and getting a general feel for the area.

I think Carrboro is cool for people who are looking for a change from a major metro society. I see a lot of hippie-ish peoples...not my cup of tea but more power to them....and everybody seems to know the hula-hoop girl who I've only seen through this video clip...check this site out for the It's Carrboro rap song....and read the lyrics to kinda get a better feel for the area.....http://itscarrboro.com/....oh (broken link) also, I think they're trying to expand on the free wi-fi access they already have for certain sections of Carrboro....

As for me, I kinda need more concrete and a slightly less woodsy area...hence I'm moving into Chapel Hill.....I also just think the housing market has more potential in Chapel Hill but it's just a guess...good luck to ya...

[Classyjerseylady]

Do a search on Carrboro on this site and you'll find some past posts which are informative.

[thisguy]

Originally Posted by spelchamp

I just relocated here from Southern California (Orange County/LA area). I've only been here for about one and half months but I spent pretty much the entire exploring the region and getting a general feel for the area.

I think Carrboro is cool for people who are looking for a change from a major metro society. I see a lot of hippie-ish peoples...not my cup of tea but more power to them....and everybody seems to know the hula-hoop girl who I've only seen through this video clip...check this site out for the It's Carrboro rap song....and read the lyrics to kinda get a better feel for the area.....http://itscarrboro.com/....oh (broken link) also, I think they're trying to expand on the free wi-fi access they already have for certain sections of Carrboro....

As for me, I kinda need more concrete and a slightly less woodsy area...hence I'm moving into Chapel Hill.....I also just think the housing market has more potential in Chapel Hill but it's just a guess...good luck to ya...

Thanks. Without being there it sounds sort of "granola"
Raleigh Rob says Chapel Hill is like Ann Arbor (or that is the word) which sounds enticing; you can still get the smaller city feel and cafes and shops etc, but not feel like you are in hippie-ville (not my taste)
Seems like more of the jobs are in Raleigh area though (or bigger companies) and then Durham is in the middle.... so as you did, you just need to get down there and explore. Is Chapel Hill mostly residential and small retail from your wanderings? I am trying to figure out where exactly these bigger companies are in the triangle area, and my assumption is nearer to Raleigh or perhaps between Raleigh and Durham areas. (i.e. NW of Raleigh?)

[RaleighRob]

Originally Posted by thisguy

Does sound very unique... what type of people habitat there? Is it mostly professional, blue collar, students from UNC? Sounds like a good place for a bike rider too...

More and more professional...with some students. Lots of people who work at UNC-CH or UNC hospital. Yes it's very bike-friendly!

You said you like to visit, would you like to live there or is it more a cool place to go on weekends?

I would live there. I work for a state government office in Raleigh (NC's capital) so it'd make no sense to do the 35 minute commute from there when I could just live in Raleigh and get to work in 5 min instead. But if I had a job in the Western half of the Triangle region, I'd definitely try to live in Carrboro.

[RaleighRob]

Originally Posted by thisguy

Thanks. Without being there it sounds sort of "granola"
Raleigh Rob says Chapel Hill is like Ann Arbor (or that is the word) which sounds enticing; you can still get the smaller city feel and cafes and shops etc, but not feel like you are in hippie-ville (not my taste)

Well, I suppose, although Chapel Hill will cost more. Also keep in mind: Carrboro and Chapel Hill are SO close, literally smacked up against each other, that some neighborhoods are actually split between the two. In other words, it probably doesn't really matter which one you live in. It mostly only affects your address and which mayor/city council you vote for. That's pretty much it. People there cross between the two several times a day, usually, and don't even know it!

Seems like more of the jobs are in Raleigh area though (or bigger companies) and then Durham is in the middle.... so as you did, you just need to get down there and explore. Is Chapel Hill mostly residential and small retail from your wanderings? I am trying to figure out where exactly these bigger companies are in the triangle area, and my assumption is nearer to Raleigh or perhaps between Raleigh and Durham areas. (i.e. NW of Raleigh?)

Well, the big job hub of the region, of course, is Research Triangle Park. It's located between Durham and Raleigh, but a bit closer to Raleigh. (If I had a job in RTP, I'd probably live in Durham to save time/money/gas.) But people who work in RTP live all over: Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Carrboro and beyond.
Raleigh and Durham, being larger cities, have most of the non-RTP jobs. A good deal of that is in the offices downtown, or on the university campuses (NCSU, Duke, etc). Chapel Hill has a decent number of jobs relating to UNC and the hospital, with workers living there or in Carrboro or Durham. Cary's job base seems mostly reliant on commuters to RTP or Raleigh.

Hope this all gives you an idea for the area.

[thisguy]

Yep thanks

Will be easier after seeing the area first hand, sounds like the 3 cities/towns have always been there and now the "sprawl" (as people move there) is combining all 3 into 1 mega metropolis or will do so in next 10+ years or so.

Sounds like my type of work would be more nearer to the Raleigh area... I was recommended towards Wake Forest area... can get some $200K houses with some decent piece of land and not in the middle (yet) of suburbia (well everything not in downtowns I consider suburbia, but I mean the kind where houses are 3 feet apart), and still close to the city hubs (Durham and Raleigh at least) for an evening or weekend.