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Carrboro is less expensive than Chapel Hill, can be more expensive than most areas of Durham and is about equal to Raleigh overall. It's a matter of what you deem expensive (or not) and what is important to you in terms of lifestyle....walk to work versus driving 30 minutes each way, coop/coffee shops versus mega grocery/strip malls, funky independent restaurants versus chain restaurants. I think you could swing Carrboro if you really wanted to, just a matter of being open to a wider range of housing options. Carrboro is a former mill town, so there are some smaller houses that can be more budget friendly than the traditional suburban tract house. Also townhouse/condos are available but they can be predominately student occupied, so you have to watch out for that. Outside of Carrboro, I would recommend the Trinity Park or Northgate Park neighborhoods of Durham. Trinity Park can be pricey but if you go for a smaller bungalow or cape style house, still reasonably affordable. It's pretty walkable and close to the Brightleaf Square (shopping/restaurants) complex in downtown Durham. Also walking distance in most parts to Duke University. Northgate Park is just north of Trinity Park and has some more affordable options since some of the neighborhood is still in the process of an upswing. It's walking distance to Northgate Mall and groceries, etc. Both neighborhoods have a pretty liberal demographic also.
I'm much more into coops/coffee shops, etc. I do not like (and have never liked) the suburban tract housing so prevalent in southern cities. I grew up in between Asheville and Knoxville, and I've always preferred Asheville. I know it has its problems, but it is much less sprawled than Knoxville. I get fed up with the fact that you have to drive to almost anything in Knoxville unless you live in one of two or three neighborhoods. I used to live in the Fourth and Gill neighborhood here, and I loved it. I could walk to the Old City and downtown easily. Unfortunately, the houses were too expensive if they were already fixed up, and my wife and I did not have the time or money to fix up a house on our own. Now the prices are really out of control down there compared to the rest of Knoxville. And, really, we're ready for a change of scenery .
Our original top choice for relocation was the East Atlanta neighborhood in Atlanta. The layout of the neighborhood, its funkiness, and its walkability really caught our eye. Unfortunately, the prices are very high, the market is very competitive and the crime in surrounding areas is a concern. We've been trying to find a similar place but in a less expensive, lower-key city.
As far as housing is concerned, I'm looking for a neighborhood with a good mix, but I prefer a small cottage or bungalow (preferably craftsman style). We really don't need more than 1500 sq ft, but we'd like at least 1000. I don't know if we could find anything like that in Carrboro on a librarian's salary (my wife will only be working part-time). I'm not averse to looking there, however, because it sounds great.
What about Old West Durham? It seems like parts of it would be within walking distance of ninth street. It looked like it had a few affordable houses.
Anyway, we'll be heading out that way soon, and I'm sure we can see some of these neighborhoods for ourselves. I'm thinking we might stop in Greensboro for a quick look around on the way back. It looks like it might have a couple of good options (Southside, Lindley Park), and there are plenty of colleges and universities in the Triad as well.
2Lizards, Old West Durham is transitional, with some still affordable housing and the accessability to 9th Street and Whole Foods, etc, is a nice perk. Also walkable to Duke University and Duke Medical Center. If you're checking out Greensboro I hope you'll leave some time for Winston Salem. The Ardmore neighborhood near downtown is quite nice, somewhat affordable by comparison to elsewhere, and very walkable as well. Again walking distance to a Whole Foods, shops, restaurants, coffee houses, etc.
Thanks, kyle19125. A friend of mine says his sister lives in Ardmore and really loves it. He's in Garner, and he thought the prices/rent in Winston-Salem were "silly cheap" compared to the Raleigh area.
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Greensboro and WS larger than Columbia
