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THE ORIGINAL RELOCATION GUIDE • TRIANGLE • VOLUME 13 ISSUE 1
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chapel hill living
hIstory, traDItIon, southern Charm
in Chapel Hill
Originating as a college town
200 years ago, Chapel Hill continues to serve the
University of North Carolina today. When the UNC
Board of Trustees chose the area around New Hope
Chapel as the site for the first state university in 1793,
it formed a committee to plan a town adjacent to the
site. Chapel Hill, or at least the town center, still sits
atop the hill which was initially occupied by the small
Anglican “chapel of ease.”
The city was chartered in 1851, and its main
thoroughfare, Franklin Street, was named in memory
of Benjamin Franklin. Even today this main street
reflects the center of Chapel Hill, and the downtown
area is an active part of social life for the university’s
students. As part of an eight-county region called
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill MSA, the city is home to
59,000 residents within a surrounding metropolitan
area of more than 2 million.
Located only 29 miles from the Raleigh Durham
(RDU) International Airport, Chapel Hill provides
Amtrak and bus stations within 30 minutes of
downtown. Famous for its biking trails and greenways,
the city encourages public transportation. Only
two major interstates, I-40 and I-85, pass through
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by georgie rhein
the boundaries of Chapel Hill, which is in Orange and
Chatham Counties.
As much as Chapel Hill represents modern thinking
academically, it maintains a traditional hometown feeling for
its residents. Reminders of the area’s history are respected
by locals and visitors who enjoy the winding streets, wooded
home sites and stone walls that make up the city’s charm.
Small shops and buildings throughout the town are decorated
with large murals. Several of these murals were created by
UNC alumnus Michael Brown who has remained active in
the local art community and was commissioned to paint a
specific mural for the city’s bi-centennial.
Chapel Hill is also ranked as one of the nation’s top
small city arts destinations by American Style Magazine
for the fourth year in a row. This readers’ pool award
recognizes that the arts contributed to community identity,
economic development, and tourism.
Among the organizations that shape Chapel Hill as a top
arts destination are the world class Ackland Art Museum,
Carolina Performing Arts, and Playmakers Theater on the
campus of UNC. The abundance of practicing artists in the
area, the yearly studio tours and the outstanding art for
sale at FRANK, an artist cooperative in downtown, make
activities like the city’s on-going 2nd Friday Art Walk a
successful community tradition.
In 1968, only a year after its schools became fully
integrated, Chapel Hill became the first predominantly
white municipality in the South to elect an African American
mayor, Howard Lee. He served from 1969 until 1975 and,
among other things, helped establish Chapel Hill Transit,
the town’s bus system. Almost 40 years later, the in-town
bus transit system is still free and other public transport
such as bike rental stations support the city’s traffic flow.
Chapel Hill has built a reputation as being a leader in
North Carolina on social, economic and environmental
issues. The Town Council has introduced programs to
address issues of sustainability through social equity,
economic vitality and environmental protection. One
example is the extensive system of greenways connecting
neighborhoods, commercial areas, parks and schools. The
network of open spaces provides important travel corridors
for wildlife and preserves the trees and plants. The Chapel
Hill Greenways Commission is working to complete an
additional 28 miles of trails that will allow pedestrians and
cyclists to safely access almost every part of town.
With more than 700 acres of parks and additional
protected natural areas surrounding Chapel Hill, it’s easy
to forget that you’re in an urban area. The town>>
Vol ume 13 — Issue
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chapel hill living
is a growing part of Research Triangle Park, a
major complex of research and research-oriented
manufacturing facilities. Chapel Hill boasts excellent
education where nearly half of the adult residents have
a graduate degree, and the job market is active.
Among the top 100 “Best Places to Live in America,”
Chapel Hill ranked 10th based on a survey of cities
with populations between 50,000 and 300,000 by
Money magazine. “Chapel Hill is an incredibly unique
place to live,” says Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt. “It is a
multicultural town where a growing downtown and
engaged community inspire connections and activities.
The city is in constant motion with new ideas and
trend setters.”
But the city is much more than a charming
Southern town. Chapel Hill also houses the nation’s
oldest public university, the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and incredible research
opportunities thrive in the academic environment.
UNC has a long-standing recognition in advanced
education since it was chartered in 1789 and opened
its doors for students in 1795 to become one of the
original eight Public Ivy schools. The University
has earned a position as one of the top learning
institutions in the US. Carolina Chapel Hill prides
itself on a strong, diverse student body with more than
140 countries represented in the student alumni.
UNC is making a strong bid to become the
leading public research university in the nation.
In the Carnegie Foundation’s classification of colleges
and universities, UNC qualifies at the highest level as a
research-extensive university.
One example is a new multidisciplinary clinical research
center (MCRC) that has recently received a $5.6 million
grant from NIH to seek better ways to address the costly
public health issue of osteoarthritis, which affects more
than 27 million Americans annually. Funding at UNC
covers departments ranging from biogenetics to alternative
energy and cyber security for cloud computing.
For those relocating to Chapel Hill, consideration is
given to the quality of life, and they often turn to the
Governors Club, a world-class golf course and gated
community. Homes ranging from 2,400 square feet
to estate homes are found in the masterfully designed
neighborhoods. Living at Governors Club offers residents
golf, lake, wooded or mountain views atop Edwards
Mountain while being within minutes to area attractions,
shopping and schools.
The focal point for the gated community is the
breathtaking twenty-seven hole championship golf
course, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course that features
“Bear’s Best.” Designed by Nicklaus in 1990, the Lakes,
Foothills and Mountain courses follow the contour of
Edwards Mountain enriched with natural surroundings
of spectacular stone walls, serene lakes and creeks, and
beautiful oak and hickory trees.
Chapel Hill hosts a variety of corporations
headquartered in the surrounding area. Health insurance
provider Blue Cross and Blue Shield
of North Carolina is one of the
town’s 10 largest employers along
with UNC Health Care. Technology
companies USAT Corp. and Realtime
Ops have made Chapel Hill their
headquarters location.
A new city development is its
reputation as a hot spot for pop
American cuisine. The James Beard
Award winning chefs, local breweries,
and cool nights on the lawn at
Weaver Street set a new trend for
entertainment. Strolling up and down
Franklin Street visitors can sample
tastes ranging from traditional BBQ
to Thai cuisine.
Of course, the food and art
Lauren
Roberts
events fit right into the annual
®
Brokerstreet
~ Realtor
fair that Chapel Hill has
for the past 30 years.
260-9533
(919)sponsored
Each year in October, the FallFest
[email protected]
offers booths to artists, craftsmen,
nonprofits and food vendors.
Visit www.MustSeeNChomes.com
Performance space is also available
for musicians, poets and other
performers who draw in thousands
of locals and tourists.
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