Chapel Hill, NC

[minion.banana]

I lived right by Durham while I went to UNC. I personally shelled out $400/year for on campus parking, but my roommate would take the bus (about a 40 minute ride). She eventually got park and ride passes so that the bus ride would be shorter.

[Hopeful0914]

Do you have any apartment recommendations? I park and ride/have about a 30 or 40 minute bus ride to school now so commuting isn't a concern for me. Are there any apartments or a certain part of Durham that I should be looking in? I'm hoping to go apartment shopping next month and wanted to have a starting point.

[EmperorRyker]

Does anyone who attends UNC live in Durham or have housing advice for moving to Durham and commuting? I know that some people live in Durham close to Chapel Hill. I lived in Chapel Hill for the summer and I was not particularly found of Carrboro or Chapel Hill and wanted some info on Durham. Thanks for any help!

 

What was it you didn't like about Chapel Hill?

[Hopeful0914]

I thought it was beautiful but I have lived close to my undergrad college and I prefer the outskirts especially during the peaks of football and basketball season. I also wanted to be closer to a bigger city (though I know that Durham is not a huge city). Granted, I may move to NC and realize that Chapel Hill is better suited for me as one summer does not do it justice but I just wanted to keep my options open for my first year and explore more of the area. Chapel Hill is very similar to my college town now and I just want something new.

[JustChill]

I've had two friends from UNC who moved out to Durham after their first year of living in CH. They both regretted it (for different reasons) and moved back to CH for their third years. My own experiences in Durham haven't been all that pleasant: I almost got robbed on a main street there one evening in 2011 (barely snatched my phone back), and overall I find it pretty dirty and unappealing. But I should mention that Durham does have a better selection of restaurants than Chapel Hill, although of course it's super easy to just drive out there for a quick dinner from Chapel Hill. 

[Hopeful0914]

Thank you for your insight! I guess I'm a learn from experience type of girl so I'll definitely take into account the crime rates in certain areas and neighborhoods. I still would like to check it out for myself because I met some Duke grads a few years ago and they loved Durham (I didn't get their contact info then or I would ask them for housing). I just wanted to know where the UNC grad community was fairly located in Durham.

[SHolmes]

Collins Crossing is in a great location and has good reviews online. Does anyone know if it's heavily undergrad? I haven't seen it recommended on here but it looks great.

[gellert]

As someone who grew up in Durham and never had a problem, I would encourage you not to be scared off by tales of "crime."  People living in CH and Cary seem to have an overblown fear of Durham that's based predominately on the fact that Durham has a large Black population (and associated racist assumptions).  Which is a shame, because Durham is absolutely lovely and I had more of an issue with feeling threatened on Franklin St in Chapel Hill than I ever did in downtown Durham.

[Pedro Baldoni]

Hi people,

 

I will start my PhD at UNC next fall. I am trying to find a roommate to share something off-campus, but, unfortunately, without success. I am looking every day in the Craigslist website but everyone ads only for the summer.

Does anyone could help me saying a better way to find an available dorm for the fall?

 

Thanks all,

Pedro

Edited April 24, 2014 by Pedro Baldoni

[Sizzle]

Hi people,

 

I will start my PhD at UNC next fall. I am trying to find a roommate to share something off-campus, but, unfortunately, without success. I am looking every day in the Craigslist website but everyone ads only for the summer.

Does anyone could help me saying a better way to find an available dorm for the fall?

 

Thanks all,

Pedro

 

Have you tried contacting your program coordinator to attempt to link up with other grad students in the department?

[Pedro Baldoni]

Yeah, I have just contacted them today. Let's see what happens. Thanks anyway.

[efs001]

On 4/24/2014 at 5:37 PM, Pedro Baldoni said:

Hi people,

 

I will start my PhD at UNC next fall. I am trying to find a roommate to share something off-campus, but, unfortunately, without success. I am looking every day in the Craigslist website but everyone ads only for the summer.

Does anyone could help me saying a better way to find an available dorm for the fall?

 

Thanks all,

Pedro

 

Have you tried the Heels Housing site?  There are definitely students there looking for roommates.

 

[MadtownJacket]

Are there any avid cyclists on here that live in Chapel Hill?  Got some questions to ask y'all.

[mop]

Collins Crossing is in a great location and has good reviews online. Does anyone know if it's heavily undergrad? I haven't seen it recommended on here but it looks great.

Not heavily undergrad. Everything in Carrboro tends to be more grad student/professional/hospital and med school types. The undergrads are more concentrated in Chapel Hill itself.

Edited April 27, 2014 by mop

[gellert]

Are there any avid cyclists on here that live in Chapel Hill?  Got some questions to ask y'all.

 

Here!  What's up?

[MadtownJacket]

Here!  What's up?

 

 

Are there popular routes/areas where people go on long bike rides within the Chapel Hill area?  I'm used to going on 40-mile bike rides out to the middle of nowhere without having the fear of being hit by a car on the road.

Edited April 29, 2014 by MadtownJacket

[SHolmes]

Not heavily undergrad. Everything in Carrboro tends to be more grad student/professional/hospital and med school types. The undergrads are more concentrated in Chapel Hill itself.

 

Thanks! So far it seems a little too good to be true. I guess I'll see when I check it out this weekend.

[gellert]

Are there popular routes/areas where people go on long bike rides within the Chapel Hill area?  I'm used to going on 40-mile bike rides out to the middle of nowhere without having the fear of being hit by a car on the road.

 

Yeah!  I really like going down Farrington Road headed out of town.  It goes over Jordan Lake and turns into Farrington Point Road, then Pea Ridge Road. You can loop around near the lake and come back on 751 past the mall.  There's also the American Tobacco Trail which goes up into downtown Durham that's a lot of fun, though there are often families and so on biking or roller blading depending on the day and time.

[MadtownJacket]

Yeah!  I really like going down Farrington Road headed out of town.  It goes over Jordan Lake and turns into Farrington Point Road, then Pea Ridge Road. You can loop around near the lake and come back on 751 past the mall.  There's also the American Tobacco Trail which goes up into downtown Durham that's a lot of fun, though there are often families and so on biking or roller blading depending on the day and time.

 

Ah, I'll definitely try out American Tobacco Trail!  I've been to downtown Durham and I loved it there, so hopefully this will bring me opportunities to visit that place more often.  Thanks for the response!

[presque_partout]

for those debating durham v. carrboro/chapel hill, i'd highly recommend staying near campus for your first year. the drive between the two areas isn't particularly pleasant unless you take the backroads (and not suggested if you are in a hurry). and while there are busses between duke/durham and unc, it's not the most convenient mode of transportation. longterm, i think durham is probably the best place to live in the triangle, but probably not ideal for first year unc grad students.

for those debating chapel hill v. carrboro, i'd highly recommend carrboro. many of the living situations a person just moving to the area could expect in chapel hill are either in areas dominated by undergrads or in the apartment complexes (all of which are equally as far from campus as most parts of carrboro). on the other hand, most of carrboro's complexes are relatively nice, easily accessible, and mostly on a convenient bus line. additionally, if you scour craigslist, you can sometimes find an affordable two bedroom close to downtown carrboro (affordable for two people).

on the bus line note, before committing to an apartment, check out what bus line it is on. not all routes are created equal. for example, in carrboro, there are three lines (J, CW, and F), and only the J runs consistently into the night and over the weekend, and the F line runs the least frequent. 

[Hopeful0914]

Thank you so much! This really helps my housing decisions and I have to say I was conflicted about where to live my first year but I will definitely take your advice!

[EmperorRyker]

Has anyone here stayed in Ridgewood? If so, what's your opinion of it? I'm trying to decide between there and The Chateau.

Edited May 26, 2014 by EmperorRyker

[IWokeUpLikeThis]

Hey all, I am wondering how Chapel Hill is for young families, and in particular, mixed race families. My partner is African-American, I'm Caucasian, and we have two young children. Would Durham be better, given the greater diversity? Although I know the triangle is in general a liberal, well-educated area, are things different in the surrounding towns, as it gets more rural?

More generally, how are the parks, childcare centers, and other kid-related things? (zoos? museums? YMCAs?) Thanks for any and all advice!

[esotericish]

Chapel Hill is VERY diverse. Probably more diverse than Durham. You'll fit right in. 

 

North Carolina is one of those places where you're never far from "rural", but most everybody you meet, especially in the triangle area is very friendly and accepting. 

 

There are tons of kid things in the area, and you're close to Raleigh which has plenty more. I would never hesitate to bring a young family to the Chapel Hill area.

 

Happy to answer more questions -- I spent 5 years in Chapel Hill and grew up in the Triangle.

[gellert]

Chapel Hill is definitely not more diverse than Durham (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapel_Hill,_North_Carolina#Demographics  vs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durham,_North_Carolina#Demographics)  but I doubt you'd find much animosity toward mixed-race families there.  It's very progressive, partly due to the presence of the university.   I'm mixed race myself, and while I felt more comfortable in Durham, I certainly didn't feel uncomfortable in Chapel Hill.

 

Whether you live in Durham or Chapel Hill might be partially dependent on what kind of commute you're comfortable with, as well as what type of city you want to live in.  Chapel Hill has more of the small town aesthetic, whereas Durham is more artsy (there's a revival of the downtown area going on right now -- lots of food trucks, repurposed warehouses, art galleries).  I've lived in both and liked both.

 

Both Durham and Chapel Hill have lots of great child-oriented places.  Check out the Museum of Life and Science in Durham (I loved that place growing up!).  There's also the Botanical Gardens in Chapel Hill, Duke Gardens in Durham, Durham's food truck rodeos (lots of kids there), both cities have YMCAs....  Raleigh, nearby, also has the state-run museums of natural history, etc.