Community

I have always enjoyed the vibrancy of a college town, the intellectual base, the cultural events, and the commitment to education.

Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) are inseparable and have grown up together since their beginnings in the late 1700's. With a population of about 52,000 people, town and gown live side-by-side in Chapel Hill where there are so many things to enjoy and do in our Southern part of heaven.

Franklin Street is the heart of downtown Chapel Hill.

Take a walk down Franklin Street, the business center of Chapel Hill that borders the university. Browse the clothing boutiques, independent bookstores, and gift shops and take a break in one of the many coffee shops along the way. Come back in the evening to dine at one of Chapel Hill's restaurants.

Attend a play, concert or dance performance at the university. UNC's PlayMaker's Repertory Company performs at The Center for Dramatic Art and The Paul Green Theatre. The North Carolina Jazz Repertory and The North Carolina Symphony have regular performances on campus. UNC's Carolina Union Performing Arts Series features nationally and internationally renowned performers like Itzhak Perlman, Harry Belafonte, Eugenia Zukerman, Bobby McFerrin, The Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the Miami City Ballet.

Stroll through the North Carolina Botanical Gardens or the galleries of the Ackland Art Museum. Then go stargazing at the Morehead Planetarium.

Remember, you're at Michael Jordan's alma mater, so catch a Tar Heel basketball game at the Dean Dome. If you feel like playing some hoops yourself, you can find a court - and probably a game going on - at one of our many local parks or at the YMCA. If golf's your game, you can go to the public A.E. Finley Golf Course at UNC or to one of Chaple Hill's semi-private or private courses. See "The Insider's Guide - Golf in the Carolinas" website for more information on golf in Chapel Hill and the surrounding area.

Also explore the eclectic, adjacent town of Carrboro and the nearby communities of Hillsborough, an historic town predating the revolutionary war, Durham, the home of Duke University, and Raleigh, North Carolina's state capital. If you feel like getting out of town, Chapel Hill is only a few hours drive from Washington DC to the north, Atlanta, GA and Charleston, SC to the south, the Outer Banks and other beach areas to the east, and Asheville, NC and the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains to the west.

Local Publications
Chapel Hill News
Durham Herald
News & Observer
Triangle Business Journal

Government Websites
Carrboro
Chatham County
Chapel Hill
Durham
Orange County