Chapel Hill v Asheville, for my needs? (Raleigh, Durham: rent, credit)

[joe_obody999]

I need to decide on Chapel Hill versus Asheville, for my needs. Any help deciding appreciated. I can rent a house, $2200 or less would be fine, or if I found a house I liked I could go $300,000 maybe $350,000. That aside, I am looking at daily life: I would like to do art classes (non credit, not at UNC; I am past college age) like drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, filmmaking; I like access to performing arts-- stage theatre, dance, symphony or similar performances; if possible a bicycle friendly city would be nice-- enough room on the side of the roads to bicycle or even better bike paths; and the usual generica places like Target, Starbucks, and cinema theaters; and hiking and mountain biking areas nearby. I am a bit scared of poisonous snakes being I am from Minnesota where that is a non-issue (are snakes much of an issue inside either city?). I did see that Chapel Hill has an arts center with lots of art classes, I like that; not sure if Asheville has the same? I am not keen on urban sprawl and traffic, wondering how bad that is in Chapel Hill-- is it just a continuation of big city Raleigh or is the sprawl and traffic manageable, subdued compared to Raleigh? I did visit Asheville a couple of years ago but never made it to Chapel Hill although I did drive from Asheville to Wilmington and loved the central NC countryside (I did not like the coastal area, too many people and cars around Wilmington). Any help greatly appreciated.

[pierretong1991]

Chapel Hill/Carrboro is more bicycle friendly than Asheville (probably the most bike friendly area in North Carolina)

[Gearcrasher]

Agree that Chapel Hill has better bike paths but summer heat can be brutal for biking. Roads in NC do not have wide shoulders like Midwestern ones. More traffic in Chapel Hill. Activities in Ashville are more adult oriented. I have lived in Triangle for 30 years and have seen one copperhead in my wooded lot. They usually stay away from people.

[C_Lan]

I live about 17 miles from Chapel Hill. I think I've been to Asheville as much as I've been to Chapel Hill.
I find Chapel Hill to be congested. Even where there is no game in town. When a game is in town...forget it.

The arts area of Asheville has a vibe that is not present in CH...my opinion.

[pierretong1991]

Originally Posted by C_Lan

I live about 17 miles from Chapel Hill. I think I've been to Asheville as much as I've been to Chapel Hill.
I find Chapel Hill to be congested. Even where there is no game in town. When a game is in town...forget it.

The arts area of Asheville has a vibe that is not present in CH...my opinion.

There are definitely areas of Asheville that are congested as well. I agree about the artsy vibe of Asheville.

[poppydog]

Everything you listed is in Chapel Hill.

I disagree that it's congested although you might want to stay away from the stadiums if you're not going to the games. There are lots of other ways to go though and I rarely get stuck in traffic. My husband walks everywhere. Lots and lots of people bike.

As an adult well past the college years I also disagree that there is not much for folks who aren't in college. It's actually one of the top retirement destinations in NC. I fall between those two demographics and find plenty to do.

The main differences I see between Chapel Hill and Asheville are that Asheville is in the mountains and has a tourist driven economy based on the beautiful surroundings. I don't know if you will need a job or not but good paying jobs are scarce in Asheville. Chapel Hill's largest employer is the university and the hospital but plenty of people live in Chapel Hill and work in Research Triangle Park or even Raleigh. Chapel Hill has a rate of higher educational attainments. Gobs of folks walking around with PhDs and Masters etc.

Both have great arts scenes and great food scenes. Asheville wins on beer and beautiful surroundings. Chapel Hill wins on good jobs.

Chapel Hill is definitely not a suburb of Raleigh and does not have Raleigh traffic. I can get anywhere I need to in Chapel Hill in 10 minutes.

And yes there are plenty of snakes both places. Chapel Hill has copperheads and yes in town. Asheville has copperheads and rattlesnakes and also bears.

[kelly237]

I would take into consideration that Chapel Hill is part of the larger triangle area(Durham, Raleigh & Chapel Hill) with all that it offers.
The performing art & art class opportunities in Durham & Raleigh are within driving distance if you are in Chapel Hill

Pullen Arts Center is just one example.

https://www.raleighnc.gov/parks/cont...rtsCenter.html

[xz2y]

Originally Posted by poppydog

Everything you listed is in Chapel Hill.

My husband walks everywhere. Lots and lots of people bike.

I can get anywhere I need to in Chapel Hill in 10 minutes.

Thanks for your excellent post. Can you share what part of town you live in, downtown CH, etc? Do you have a grocery store within walking distance? Thanks! I'm also looking at AVL for retirement or possibly the Triangle area, CH specifically. I'd love to ditch my car at some point.

[UserNamesake]

Asheville. Easy. No brainer.

[pierretong1991]

Originally Posted by xz2y

Thanks for your excellent post. Can you share what part of town you live in, downtown CH, etc? Do you have a grocery store within walking distance? Thanks! I'm also looking at AVL for retirement or possibly the Triangle area, CH specifically. I'd love to ditch my car at some point.

If you'd like to ditch your car, Chapel Hill certainly has an advantage over Asheville. Not only is the area bike friendly, it also has a fare free bus system. Being walking distance to things though, both are about similar in that it's really confined to certain areas of town.