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There's a degree of pretense found in Chapel Hill that's unmistakable and very much like the class separation you likely experience in the New York Metro area (a point I think some earlier posts unintentionally conveyed); maybe that appeals to you but it made my wife and I a bit queasy. There are many wonderful people living in Chapel Hill for all the right reasons but there are a sizable number that live there because they perceive it as being a "better class of people"; I happily left that elitist attitude behind when I left Long Island.
I don't really agree with this. Chapel Hill is certainly a more intellectual community and has been since 1789 when the university opened its doors, but the schools in CHCCS are far more economically diverse than many of the Cary schools, for example. My daughter's school, Carrboro Elementary, is a Title 1 school. We're very happy with it, too. They have amazing teachers and administrators.
There's a degree of pretense found in Chapel Hill that's unmistakable and very much like the class separation you likely experience in the New York Metro area (a point I think some earlier posts unintentionally conveyed); maybe that appeals to you but it made my wife and I a bit queasy. There are many wonderful people living in Chapel Hill for all the right reasons but there are a sizable number that live there because they perceive it as being a "better class of people";
Oh I see it all the time - pretentious show-offs like "the pajamas I wear to the grocery store are more raggedy than yours," "I have more bumper stickers on my 15-year old Volvo than you," and "my sandal and sock pairing is much more fashionable than yours."
Oh I see it all the time - pretentious show-offs like "the pajamas I wear to the grocery store are more raggedy than yours," "I have more bumper stickers on my 15-year old Volvo than you," and "my sandal and sock pairing is much more fashionable than yours."
And the blatant, "I ride my bike in any weather" attitude! The nerve!
Oh I see it all the time - pretentious show-offs like "the pajamas I wear to the grocery store are more raggedy than yours," "I have more bumper stickers on my 15-year old Volvo than you," and "my sandal and sock pairing is much more fashionable than yours."
I definitely agree about the general arrogance among MANY (not all) Chapel Hillians. Years ago, I worked in a chain bookstore with locations throughout the Triangle and at one time or another, worked in every one of them. By FAR the most arrogant, demanding customers were the ones in Chapel Hill, judging by that trait alone (not that they weren't also among the more interesting to talk to).
I mention this only because working in a store for a few months is a good way to get a feel for the "average person" in a community, especially compared to other customer bases for the same store.
This does not, BTW, mean, I wouldn't live in Chapel Hill myself if I could afford it--but I'm a double UNC alum
As for OP, thank you for doing extensive research, and I see no reason you should consider Cary if it is not appealing to you. Sometimes these memes get going up north like "Move to Cary, don't ask questions" and people feel like something is wrong with them if they aren't enamored with what "the lemmings" are recommending. You know what feels best for YOU and that is what matters the most.
I wouldn't disagree necessarily with the idea that some folks in Chapel Hill think they're smarter than the average bear, but "better class of people" is not a phrase I would associate with an attitude around Chapel Hill. To me that phrase sounds like snooty rich people, which is so not Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill is more about the liberal academic who drives a 15-yr old car, bumper stickers and all, so they can afford to stay in the town they love. That person certainly might be arrogant in a bookstore because they think you should stop carrying all those NY Times best sellers and stock some Really Important Works instead. But not "better class of people" (meaning the wealthy, and no riff raff) at all. Affordable housing and economic diversity in the schools are two of the ongoing concerns the town governments are working toward. You won't find "neighborhood schools" here unless you live in the walk zone.
No question there is academic/intellectual arrogance in Chapel Hill, where the typical Harris Teeter bagger is working on their second Ph.D. (Not really).
This does not, BTW, mean, I wouldn't live in Chapel Hill myself if I could afford it--but I'm a double UNC alum
You could afford it. We got plenty of low budget housing, too. You get more for your housing dollar in Durham, but CHC is not a rich people enclave. It runs the gamut from a $52,000 condo to a $7.5 million mansion, plus a coupla trailer parks, too.
As a UNC grad, it's strange to read these threads about Chapel Hill. I absolutely loved living in Chapel Hill, as did all my college friends, but it was kind of understood that you moved somewhere else when you got past the age of wanting to socialize with college kids (late 20's, perhaps early 30's). We all had the sense that the area was dominated much more by "gown" than "town", and it wasn't really the right place for the successful young professional.
Perhaps I'll move back to Chapel Hill when my kid gets closer to school age, but I'd always feel more like a visitor that should stay out of the way of the college kids as much as possible. Living near Duke, I occasionally get that same feeling when I'm at some bar or restaurant, but I know that it would happen much more frequently in Chapel Hill.
I graduated from CHHS in the 60s and couldn't wait to get the hell outta dodge. Back then girls couldn't go to UNC till junior year so all my CHHS friends went away to school and most stayed away. But here we are in our 60s and so many have moved back "home". There's no place like Chapel HIll and we wanted to raise our youngest kids here. Of course it isn't the same and we certainly don't socialize with college kids but the place offers so much to every generation. it saddens me so many people think Chapel Hill is a college town full of drunk loud kids and not much else.
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