About the Chapel Hill, North Carolina AreaChapel Hill, North Carolina is one of those unique places that seems to have the best of everything. It is the home of the University of North Carolina, the oldest state-supported university in the United States. This college town is located in a beautiful natural setting, lush with foliage, framing historic buildings and a charming/bustling downtown. Chapel Hill offers the best of life in a small town of beautiful neighborhoods and good schools, combined with the cosmopolitan advantages of having impressive museums, a flourishing arts community, and unique shopping and dining choices. Because of this, Chapel Hill is called the ”Southern Part of Heaven”. The estimated population in 2004 was 52,440. Location Chapel Hill is a college town located in Orange County, in the North Carolina Piedmont, in the Durham metropolitan area. Geography/Terrain The total land area of Chapel Hill is 19.8 square miles. It is located in the southeast corner of Orange County, in north-central North Carolina. Distance to 3 closest major cities Durham is the closest city with a population of over 200,000. It is 10 miles northeast or Chapel Hill. Raleigh (pop. 276,093) is 28 miles to the southeast. Carrboro is 3 miles due west of Chapel Hill. There are a number of communites within 20 miles of Chapel Hill, including Fearrington, Hillsborough, Morrisville, Cary, Pittsboro, and Apex. Jobs The University of North Carolina has always been a focus of the community, and to this day is a major employer in Chapel Hill. University of North Carolina Hospitals, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina, and the Chapel Hill schools are significant employers in the area. Additionally, other primary industries providing employment in Chapel Hill are; educational, health, and social services, (44.4%), professional, scientific, management, and administrative services (12.1%), and arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services (11.5%). Chapel Hill is the main business address for Investors Title Co., and Pozen Inc. The average commute for Chapel Hill residents who are employed elsewhere is 18 minutes. Housing Chapel Hill is one of the most desirable places to live in North Carolina. It is a scenic and historic college town, with an excellent school system, wonderful museums, and great dining and shopping. The median home price for a single family detached home in Chapel Hill is $321,000. The current average selling price is just over $400,000 with many listings in the $600,000 - $700,000 range, and a number of properties listed in excess of $1,000,000. The median price for a condominium or town home in Chapel Hill is $215,000, with an average price of active listings at $325,000+. In Orange County, the average price of pre-owned single-family homes is $410,00+, while the average price for speculative (new) homes in Orange County is $519,689. Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf The Chapel Hill parks department maintains a dozen city parks with many sporting and recreational facilities, including multi-purpose gyms and indoor pools, playgrounds and picnic areas, indoor basketball courts, tennis courts, volleyball courts, and baseball/softball and soccer fields. The city also provides greenways, or linear parks, which often run along creeks or streams, and have scenic walking trails. Most of the trails are between ½ and 1 ½ miles long. In addition to serving the outdoor pleasures of its residents these areas offer urban protection to wildlife in the Chapel Hill area as well. Chapel Hill is a college town, and its residents are hard-core Tar Heel fans, and with good reason! The success of the basketball program, culminating with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball team being crowned the 2005 NCAA Basketball Champions, has only increased Chapel Hill’s obsession with the sport. The Tar Heel’s basketball program is definitely the source of much pride for the citizen’s of Chapel Hill. Golfers in Chapel Hill have beautiful courses to choose from. Finley Golf Club is an 18-hole public course, and Twin Lakes Golf Course has 9 holes. The Preserve at Jordan Lake Golf Club is a semi-private 18 hole course. Both the Chapel Hill Country Club, and the Governor’s Club are private courses. The Chapel Hill Country Club offers 18-holes of play, and the Governor’s Club has 27 holes, separated into a 9-hole and an 18-hole course. An additional recreational benefit in this region is Chapel Hill’s proximity to either the beautiful North Carolina beaches and the Outer Banks, as well as the picturesque beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Either the ocean or the mountains are less than a 3 hour drive from Chapel Hill, guaranteeing varied outdoor pleasures as a respite from the city. Special Attractions/Events Chapel Hill is a town that is very interwoven with the University of North Carolina, which has a strong effect on the culture of the city. The beautiful, historical campus of the University of North Carolina is well worth a visit, with its landmarks including the Old Well, and the Bell Tower. Franklin Street is the “old fashioned” main street of downtown Chapel Hill, bustling with activity, and the energy of college students and locals spending time in its many coffee shops, bookstores, pubs and bars, restaurants, and clothing boutiques. One great aspect of being a college town is that there is always something happening culturally. All manner of musical offerings (such as the annual Carolina Jazz Festival, held in the spring), theatrical openings, poetry readings, art exhibits, and local festivals provide endless opportunities for enjoying the performing arts, and attending social functions. For the past three decades, Chapel Hill has hosted two annual street fairs. Apple Chill happens every April, and Festifall occurs in October. Each festival has booths of artists, craftspeople, food vendors, and non-profit organizations. There is also performance space available for musicians, martial artists and other groups. Every year, both street fairs are hugely successful, attended by tens of thousands of people! Local Chapel Hill attractions include the Ackland Art Museum, which has one of the strongest collections of art from India located in the southeastern United States. Its permanent collection also includes old-master paintings and sculptures from the Western art tradition. Morehead Planetarium is one of the largest in the country, and was one of very few planetariums when it first opened in 1949. Astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs have trained there, and the planetarium remains one of the most important landmarks in Chapel Hill. Another beautiful destination is the North Carolina Botanical Garden. It encompasses 300 acres in a piedmont forest, with nature trails winding through it. The garden is known for having the largest collection of native Southeastern plants. Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places Chapel Hill was named for the New Hope Chapel. The town center sits on a hill, which is where the chapel was built. It was originally called New Hope Chapel Hill. The Carolina Inn is now located at the site of the original chapel. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill first opened in 1795. It claims to be the nation’s oldest public university. The town was originally founded to serve the University, and continued to grow around the campus. The cities of Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh form what is known as the Research Triangle, and is known in the state as the Triangle Area. In 2002 Chapel Hill was ranked #10 among small towns in a college town index. Chapel Hill was the filming locale for the movies Patch Adams (1998), and Lost Highway (1997). Some of Chapel Hill’s well-known residents include musician James Taylor, author Betty Smith, and singer/songwriter Loudon Wainwright III. Request my Free Chapel Hill, Durham and Carrboro Relocation Package. It's packed full of useful and important information about the Chapel Hill, Durham and Carrboro, North Carolina area. Don't move here without it! Remember: I'll send it to you for free and without obligation. Just fill out the form and I will send it right out... 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