Sports Illustrated calls Chapel Hill one of the greatest college towns in America. The best way to get a feel for what they're talking about is to stroll down Franklin Street where residents and students merge seamlessly to shop, eat and play. The town has also been referred to as "the Southern Part of Heaven," after the title of a 1950 book by William Meade Prince.
The town is very much defined by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation's first public university. Chartered in 1789, it was the only public university in the United States that admitted and graduated students in the 18th century. The current student population is about 28,000. The total non-student population of Chapel Hill is about 52,000.
Even though the town is drenched in Carolina Blue, there are plenty of people who choose to live in Chapel Hill who are not affiliated with the University. They come for the excellent public school system, the small-town feel with nearby big-city amenities, the great restaurants and the access to life-long learning offered by living in a college town.
Chapel Hill Living Options
There are many different ways to live in Chapel Hill.