Relocating to Charlotte or RTP, looking for a Mayberry!
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Chapel Hill and Carrboro are sister towns joined at the hip. They have separate town governments, but share the same school system and border each other. You can't really tell when you've stepped from one town into the other unless you're looking at the signs. Their main streets join each other. I don't think either town has a problem with trustifarians and "uber wealthy pseudo hippies", but they do have plenty of hipsters and regular hippies (moreso Carrboro on the hippie front). While the University dominates the area, they are both really great family towns and while you're in the area I would definitely give them a look. (Plenty of gardening folks in both towns.) BUT, I still think your description best matches Hillsborough. Mebane might be worth checking out, but be aware that Mebane is mostly in Alamance County with a smaller portion of the town in Orange County and the schools in Alamance are not reportedly as good as Orange County schools (Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools are one of, if not the, best systems in the state).
NC is very fertile. Don't worry about the clay soil. You might just have a little bit of a learning curve, but pretty much anything you stick in the ground grows here if you stick it in the ground at the right time of year (too hot to grow peas in the summer).
You will find some cookie cutter neighborhoods in any town (even Saxapahaw has one), but Hillsborough has lovely historic homes, too, and a cute walkable little downtown. And look, the Sheriff's office is there, too, just like Andy Griffith.
It all depends on what you want - Charlotte is in the Piedmont and they try to have lots of cultural events, Raleigh/Durham is on the edge of the coastal plane and there is absolutely nothing to do here culturally... I do not consider going to a bar and drinking culture.... Both areas have their problems but RTP to me is far worse - unfortunately I was born here and regret every minute of it. Raleigh is, in most polite terms, a snake pit - completely closed and inbread; Cary is no better with its doors firmly shuttered. Forget Durham and Chapel Hill - if you are from the UK you will find no one like you, not even the same skin color...Hillsboro is okay but it is a bit too close to UNC and their uppity attitude. I would not do Oxford nor Henderson as they are closed, narrow minded towns that can have a violent streak.
Charlotte has its problems also but they are trying to grow and improve. There are some nice places on Lake Normal that are small town, grown your own, wave at your neighbors and get on with your life.
When my family dies I will be moving to either the piedmont or the mountains, something about the lack of intellectual merriit, lack of acceptance, the boredom and the inability of making deep meaningful friendships in the RTP area is definitely at turn off for me...there is nothing old here, it all fell off the back of a truck..At least Charlotte never said it was old.
It all depends on what you want - Charlotte is in the Piedmont and they try to have lots of cultural events, Raleigh/Durham is on the edge of the coastal plane and there is absolutely nothing to do here culturally... I do not consider going to a bar and drinking culture.... Both areas have their problems but RTP to me is far worse - unfortunately I was born here and regret every minute of it. Raleigh is, in most polite terms, a snake pit - completely closed and inbread; Cary is no better with its doors firmly shuttered. Forget Durham and Chapel Hill - if you are from the UK you will find no one like you, not even the same skin color...Hillsboro is okay but it is a bit too close to UNC and their uppity attitude. I would not do Oxford nor Henderson as they are closed, narrow minded towns that can have a violent streak.
This is the most ill-informed post I've read here in a long time. It might represent your opinion, but it doesn't represent the truth about the Triangle.
I live in Durham and have several neighbors from other countries, including two doctors from the UK who live right around the corner. They love it here.
"Absolutely nothing to do here culturally"? There is live music all over the Triangle area every night. The Durham Performing Arts Center gets fantastic shows and is one of the top-grossing theatres in the country, and Duke puts on a ton of shows at its venues. In Raleigh, you'll find the North Carolina Museum of Art, the NC Symphony, etc. Too much to list!
This area isn't NYC or LA, but to say that it's completely devoid of culture is dishonest.
Pittsboro comes to my mind as a reasonably close town to Raleigh and the Triangle without it being so remote that one cannot enjoy its access to the major cities and towns in the area. Given that it's also on the Southwestern side of the Triangle, its access to Charlotte is also somewhat reasonable on the occasional basis.
If you are looking for classical European culture then you basically should look elsewhere. Our orchestra is improving but the tickets are very expensive. DPAC does have some good shows sometimes but again, why pay more to see the travelling company here that a first run show elsewhere; maybe the stage plays are good but none of the other performances has had me buying a ticket. Yes we do have pop music, night clubs, bars, jazz, blues etc but that is not classical European culture. From my post, it all depends on what you want. Our professional ballet troup only does American ballet and has none of the grace, beauty or technique of European ballet. It is just different, Back before the 90's we did have visitng orchestras, symphonys, theatre troups, ballets and such but that all has disapeared - could not afford to keep them here as no one attended. Having lived abroad, I have a different standard, move back here and it is a sleeper. Remember Duke does not like the locals and does not want to acknowledge us. Argue with this now.....
The OP is looking for "Mayberry" as it clearly states in the title of the post, not "classical European culture".
I'm not sure why one would think anywhere in the US would have "classical European culture". I think most people who live in the US or who move to the US from abroad want to experience American culture. Not sure why you would expect "classical European culture" anywhere in the US?!? I wouldn't go to anywhere in Europe or Asia looking for American culture. Still, plenty of world class international events and performers in the area for my taste: https://www.carolinaperformingarts.o...-performances/ <-- just one venue's offerings.
This thread is several months old, though. I think the OP may have already gotten the info needed.
Sorry, was not aware that universities taught Bud, nascar, countryline dancing and cheese whiz.. they surly did not in my day!
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Charlotte vs RTP
