Chapel Hill / Carrboro: A little about Chapel Hill NC

Chapel Hill is located, more or less, in the center of the State.  Together with Raleigh and Durham they make up the three corners of the Research Triangle, so named in 1959 with the creation of the Research Triangle Park, a research park between Durham and Raleigh.  It is often times referred to as simply “The Triangle”. 

The town’s population was determined to be 48,715 during the 2000 census.  A 2004 estimate placed the population at 52,440.

The town is named for a chapel that once sat atop a hill in the town center.  Chapel Hill was founded in 1819 and it’s main street, Franklin Street was named in memory of Benjamin Franklin.

The town is home to the University of North Carolina, which predates the town by several decades.  As is typical in University towns, Chapel Hill has historically tended to be politically liberal.  Chapel Hill is also North Carolina’s best educated city with more than 70% of residents over 25 possessing a 4 yr. degree or higher.

The town shares it’s school district with Carrboro and is considered to be the best in the state.  Its two high schools are were rated in the top 100 nationally by Newsweek magazine.  A third high school is planned to open soon in Carrboro. 

Chapel Hill is a town that likes to play “play dress-up”.  Each year Franklin Street is home to the world’s largest Halloween celebration with attendance typically topping 70,000. 

In the past few decades, Chapel Hill has experienced quite a bit of growth.  One way the town has tried to dampen traffic congestion is to offer free bus service throughout the town.