Chapel Hill School Experience (+and-)

[laura_NC_bound]

Hello,

We're moving from MN to Chatham county in a week after a bunch of research and visits.

From your initial description of what you are looking for, my first thought was why not check out Chatham county? Close to college town, land available, Especially with a horse, you may find the property you're looking for without having to board.

I have a similar background as I was also a teacher at a low income inner city school in Milwaukee - and I couldn't agree more that amazing teachers and great administration make all the difference in the school environment! It was the best teaching experience!

My kids attended the #1 elementary school in the district where we live in MN - it gave them an awesome base, but once you get to middle school and high school it is not so great and class sizes are pushing 40 students - so I'm glad to try something new with them. Our schools here have gone to a 4, 3, 2, 1 standards based grading system that makes it all the more confusing with trimesters and all. I've not been impressed with unlimited retakes on anything until you get the grade you want (yeah, that's preparing them for life - hugh) -Anyway, ready for a change in schools for our kids.

We've toured the schools in Chatham and really liked them. We feel our kids have a good base and regardless of the quality(which we don't know from true experience yet), we can point them in the right direction. There are developments like Briar chapel that have brought an influx of the Chapel hill set (pro-education if I were to stereotype) that will drive education standards up if anything in the schools.

Northern part of county schools -
Elementary: Perry Harrison (NW) or North Chatham (NE)
Middle: Pollard Middle School - practically new building with plenty of space for more students
High: Northwood High School - building is aging, but the staff was awesome to talk to - in my opinion, the people make the school, not the building. That said, a new high school is now slated to be built/open in Fall 2019 - it was delayed after the real estate downturn as the influx of residents slowed down.
The middle school and high school have a laptop program that they truly utilize. The student that gave us a tour of the high school says he doesn't have to carry textbooks - they use their laptops instead. Now that makes sense. And above all, the sizes of the schools is a big plus to me. It is nice when the teachers actually know the students when the community is smaller.

For your husband's commute, he will need to get around Jordan lake to get to work, which means either:
1. head up to Chapel hill and head east
2. if you are close to 64 which he could hop on the toll 540 and get right up to RTP.

So far as property, it is an interesting county to watch politically as the board is looking to zone the whole county, so that would be something to watch. Currently, it is only partially zoned. That doesn't mean there aren't properties that would meet your criteria for chickens and a horse - even if the whole county zoning does happen. Property taxes in Chatham county are much lower than Chapel hill. And you can get a decent size piece of land there too.

For us, we like the location - college town to the north, unique small town vibe of Pittsboro, and suburbia with any chain store you want to the east in Apex/Cary.

When are you planning to move? If there is some time, I can relay my experience with the Chatham schools (come fall) as you are forming your decisions for your move.

[poppydog]

Hope you enjoy Chatham, Laura. I wouldn't want to drive from there to Morrisville, though. Another thing to be aware of is that Pittsboro isn't going to stay little and cute. The massive Chatham Park development is already underway and will add 60,000 residents with construction going on for 30 years.

[laura_NC_bound]

Originally Posted by poppydog

Another thing to be aware of is that Pittsboro isn't going to stay little and cute. The massive Chatham Park development is already underway and will add 60,000 residents with construction going on for 30 years.

Chatham park doesn't bother me a bit. I consider it a benefit. The increase in population won't happen overnight. The population of Chapel Hill is currently about 60,000, so if one is considering Chapel Hill for a home, a section of county that may grow to near the same population shouldn't deter one from looking there either. It will spread the tax base and keep taxes low. As of now, there isn't much business contributing to the tax base in the county - it is mostly residential. One that owns property in the county will still have their larger treed lots (instead of the postage stamps of the suburbs) and maybe some added conveniences closer by as more business comes in and the population grows. I highly doubt that Pittsboro's downtown will be going away any time soon. (I know change sparks this fear, but I believe they can coexist.) Chatham Park is nearby, but not on the same land as Pittsboro.

For the OP, I would suggest just looking over the Orange county line into Chatham county if they find the schools acceptable. A commute just over that county line shouldn't be much different than one from Chapel Hill itself. And if the Chatham park area doesn't bother you - the north eastern section of the county off 64 to take the 540 toll road(if you can stomach paying a toll). Both in my opinion would be acceptable commutes, but you'll have to decide for yourself.

[poppydog]

I wasn't trying to rain on your parade Laura. I think it's great if you're happy about your planned move to Chatham Co and are aware of the Chatham Park construction. I just wanted other folks who are considering Chatham for relocation to know about it because it will drastically change the character of Chatham County. It's only fair that they go in with their eyes open and if they welcome the change as you do then that's okay. They just need to know what they're buying into.

Pittsboro is the county seat, but it's not the biggest town in Chatham. Chatham is a large county in area and is also home to Siler City, which is about 2 or 3 times as big as Pittsboro, but Chatham Park will be about 7 or 8 times bigger than Siler City and about 15-20 times bigger than Pittsboro.

Chatham Park is in Pittsboro, btw. Don't know when you were last down there, but they're digging and building right at 64 & 15-501. I drive by about every 2 weeks or so.

Preston Development Looking To Expand Into Pittsboro - Chapelboro.com

“We will be a part of Pittsboro,” Culpepper says. “We’ve already annexed portions of the property into Pittsboro. We consider Pittsboro, its historic downtown, and the people of Pittsboro an integral part of what we are trying to do.” Culpepper said.