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Hi I am a single female with a young son (6) - and I am looking to move the the Chapel Hill, NC area. My job as an office in Chapel Hill and I am considering a move for NEW BEGINNINGS! Needing some insight about Chapel Hill as far as the weather year round, schools and before and aftercare programs - public transportation - housing (secured gated community) - entertainment - hospitals - shopping! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
I have lived in Chapel Hill for quite some time so I will try to answer.
Starting with weather, we do have winter and it does get cold, but it isn't terrible, unless there is an ice storm. Summer is probably the worst season, there are a lot of bugs and it gets hot with oppressive humidity. It isn't all bad though because we have long springs, and falls which are wonderful.
The schools are great if you live in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district. It is arguably the best public school district in North Carolina. I am not so sure about before and after care programs though. I just do not know much about it.
Public transportation is reasonably good as well. There is a free public bus system that is pretty convenient for traveling around the town and it is pretty timely. I use it almost much every day.
Housing. While I know there are gated communities I don't know much about them. They are not really my thing.
Entertainment. There is a lot of great entertainment, but it depends on what your looking for (theaters, sports, etc.).
Hospitals. There are 2 nearby, UNC hospitals and Duke University hospital. Both are apparently quite good, but fortunately I have never had to use them.
Shopping. Chapel Hill proper doesn't have that great shopping. I tend to do my major shopping in Durham where there are more options. There is also a Tanger outlet in Mebane which is about 15 minutes away. Even so the shopping and restaurants are not on par with what you would find in say Washington DC.
Hi I am a single female with a young son (6) - and I am looking to move the the Chapel Hill, NC area. My job as an office in Chapel Hill and I am considering a move for NEW BEGINNINGS! Needing some insight about Chapel Hill as far as the weather year round, schools and before and aftercare programs - public transportation - housing (secured gated community) - entertainment - hospitals - shopping! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
A good place to start if you are as completely in the dark about an area as you seem to be is the City-Data page for that town. It will give you the basics such as weather, population, etc.
CH is one of the few places in NC with a good public transportation system (buses are free), though that in conjunction with "gated community" is odd because obviously buses don't go in gated communities. Chapel Hill is also generally known for having the best school system in NC as well as being among the most expensive places to live (the two are not unrelated, of course). You don't have to live in Chapel Hill to work there, of course.
You haven't given anything along the lies of housing budget, which is a pretty big factor, especially for Chapel Hill.
UNC hospital is a top-notch one, and Duke is right down the road. As far as entertainment, surely you know it is a college town and most entertainment caters to that age group. But, you are very close to Durham, which is really booming in the area of the arts and things to do, and not far from Raleigh as well. Search this forum using specific keywords about things that interest you and you should find threads about them.
Chapel Hill housing can range anywhere from $100,000 to $5,000,000. A little more detail would be helpful in regards to people giving you advice on what neighborhoods to look at.
I can't think of any gated communities in Chapel Hill proper. (Not saying there aren't any, but if there are I've never run across them.)
There are a couple in northern Chatham County I believe, which might have a Chapel Hill mailing address.
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