Hit or miss
-
2/3/2011
Chapel Hill is definitely a change of pace compared to my home city of Durham, NC which is nearby. The advantages of Chapel Hill to Durham are that there is not as much serious crime (murders, rapes and armed robberies) compared to Durham and that there are some things to do if you are artistically inclined(me being a musician) and a free public bus system. The disadvantages are a serious homeless problem everywhere (not just one Franklin St), a highly competitive job rate with little jobs besides the hospital and university and a high mentally ill population which often coincides with the homeless problem. Also gangs and young people getting into trouble is another problem as well as a not so secret drug use scene, as well as people with nothing else to do but cause trouble. Chapel Hill has fair share of the them nearby Carrboro seems to be full of those types of people. Also the buses don't run on Sunday and you have to sign up for Shared Ride, carpool or hire a taxi to get to places on Sunday. Like I said before there are some things to do like going to the Planetarium or the Ackland Art Museum but most people in Chapel Hill go to Raleigh, Durham, or Greensboro or elsewhere for fun. Lastly the cost of living is high. If you are a college student or professional it maybe a nice place to live but if you are an average working class or poor person you might want to consider Raleigh as a place to live or Durham if you stand the high crime and poverty rate there. You can get a one bedroom apartment in Raleigh or Durham under four hundred dollars with some including utilities and other amenities, whereas that same apartment in Chapel Hill will cost $500-600 and usually without utilities and amenities. The social climate is hit or miss as well with some people being nice and others being not so nice, especially some of the college students and professionals. The local artisans are probably the more friendlier of the bunch. My advice is if you have enough money and can stand a general lack of things to do besides eating, arts and crafts and not to occasionally running into trouble then Chapel Hill is the place to live. If you are down on your luck then Chapel Hill may not be the place to live. I personally would like to live on the West Coast( preferably in Huntington Beach or maybe Oregon or Washington state) or Milwaukee( nice atmosphere but too much cold weather).
Isaac | Carrboro, NC