Make Carolina Home

ORANGE COUNTY:  (Located west of Durham County and north of Chatham County, its major city is Chapel Hill.)

Chapel Hill - Home of the state’s flagship university,Chapel Hill has nearly 50,000 residents, half of them students at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Nicknamed the “Southern Part of Heaven” for its leafy setting, mild weather and tolerant attitude, Chapel Hill is most famous for Carolina basketball.

What are the local attractions?

The UNC Tar Heels play basketball at the Dean E. Smith Center, named for the university’s legendary coach. Residents and visitors can enjoy the foliage at the N.C. Botanical Garden, the Coker Arboretum, Battle Park and the Carolina North-Horace Williams trails. Chapel Hill, with neighboring Carrboro, offers a vibrant arts scene, including venues such as UNC's Memorial Hall and Ackland Art Museum, along with the Cat's Cradle music venue. One of America’s biggest annual Halloween parties -- like the occasional national basketball championship -- draw tens of thousands to tree-lined Franklin Street.

What's the history?

Though the town was not incorporated until 1851, the first building lots were sold on October 12, 1793, the same day the cornerstone was laid for the first UNC building, making it the oldest public university in the United States. With the town about 500 feet above sea level, the town is named for an Anglican church, New Hope Chapel, which sat at the intersection of what are now Columbia Street and Cameron Avenue. New Hope Chapel Hill, still among the highest points in a growing town, is now the location of the Carolina Inn, a historic hotel on the university campus.

Who runs the town?

The largest town in Orange County, Chapel Hill has a nine-member Town Council, including a mayor and a mayor pro tem. The council sets policy, and the Town Manager oversees day-to-day operations. Town leaders consider Franklin Street the jewel of Chapel Hill, and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership and the Chapel Hill-Orange County Visitor's Bureau all work to improve downtown's business climate.

Several groups help to keep citizens engaged in local politics, such as Neighborhoods for Responsible Growth, the Sierra Club's Orange-Chatham Group, and Students United for a Responsible Global Environment. Active citizens debate local issues online at Orange Politics, Squeeze the Pulp and Orange Chat.

Chapel Hill Visitors Bureau
http://www.hickory.nc.us/ncnetworks/ch-intr.html
Chapel Hill town website
http://www.townofchapelhill.org

Chapel Hill/Carrboro chamber site
http://www.carolinachamber.org
Orange County home page
http://www.co.orange.nc.us/
Site for Orange County
http://www.co.orange.nc.us/index2.htm
Orange County GIS information (maps and tax values available online)
http://www.co.orange.nc.us/gis/index.htm
Orange Community Housing and Land Trust (non-profit developer for affordable homes)
http://www.ochlt.org/
Chapel Hill, NC
http://www.ci.chapel-hill.nc.us
Chapel Hill/Orange county Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://www.chocvb.org
Orange County Government: tax info and records
http://www.co.orange.nc.us

Carrboro - Nicknamed the "Paris of the Piedmont," Carrboro is a center of the Triangle's arts community, a walkable town that takes pride in its eclectic downtown and its progressive politics. This former railroad and mill town's sidewalks are always bustling along its many shops and restaurants. Carrboro is North Carolina's most densely populated city, with nearly 17,000 residents in its 6.3 square miles. Excellent schools and proximity to its neighbor, Chapel Hill, have made the town an increasingly popular - and expensive - place to live.

What are the local attractions?

Weaver Street Market has become a local landmark. It is a cooperative market that carries local, organic foods while also being very involved in the community. The market's lawn is a well-known community gathering spot, hosting Sunday live jazz brunches from April to October and Thursday evening live music events from late spring to early fall.

The Arts Center is a community gathering space that "nourishes the arts, creativity and community through education, performance and exhibition." It provides art classes, theater productions, concerts, children and family programs and gallery exhibits. It participates in the 2nd Friday Artwalk.

Carrboro Century Center is another one of the town's gathering spaces. The Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department schedules many programs and classes a month for children at the Century Center. The center houses the large Century Hall as well as the Cybrary (a cyber library) downstairs, and the police department is also in the same building.

Town Commons is where the Carrboro Farmers Markets sets up here every Saturday and Wednesday. Also on the first Saturday of every month, the Really Really Free Market is held under the pavilion. It's an event where everything is free for the giving and free for the taking — no money is exchanged, and no bartering necessary. Everything really is free. People bring everything from clothes and kitchen appliances to food and services, like free haircuts. The Town Commons has a play area with play equipment and open space.

Every spring, the town holds Carrboro Day, a day full of events celebrating itself. It's a show of pride for people who live, work or play in Carrboro.

Cat's Cradle — 300 E. Main St.; (919) 967-9053. A nationally known live music club. Not only does Cat's Cradle continuously host live concerts, it also hosts some film festivals, benefit concerts and acts that are part of the Carrboro Music Festival. Cat's Cradle sponsors a lot of other shows and concerts around the Triangle as well. It's known to draw big names.

What's the history?

The town started up as West Chapel Hill in the 1880s when a spur from the Durham-Greensboro Southern Railway line was extended to link university students with the outside world. Carrboro got its name from Julian Carr, who built a hosiery mill in 1913. That mill would later be saved by community efforts and converted into Carr Mill Mall, which today houses shops and businesses such as the Weaver Street Market. You can go here to learn more about the history of Carrboro.

Who runs the town?

The town is governed by the Board of Aldermen, which includes the mayor. Town Hall is at 301 W. Main St., adjacent to the Town Commons, and it shares the building with the town's main fire station. The Mayor's Office, the Town Clerk's Office, the Planning Department and the Economic and Community Development office are all housed in Town Hall. Utilities are provided through the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA). A public, nonprofit water and sewer agency serving the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area. It's nine-member board of directors is appointed by the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, the Chapel Hill Town Council and the Orange County Board of Commissioners.

Carrboro town website
http://www.ci.carrboro.nc.us/

Hillsborough - Hillsborough sits on the western edge of the Triangle as the seat of Orange County. It is a picturesque town of around 6,000 residents, known for its abundance of local artists and writers. The town's location at the junction of interstates 40 and 85 makes it an attractive commute to Raleigh to the east and Greensboro to the west. The town has been growing rapidly, more than 20 percent in the 1990s, with the growth continuing in this decade.

Hillsborough town website
http://www.ci.hillsborough.nc.us/

What are the local attractions?

Durham is a Center of Learning — The city is home to Duke University and N.C. Central University, as well as the N.C. School of Math and Science for the state's brightest high school students. Durham is a Haven for the Arts. Whether it's the Manbites Dog Theater Co., the American Dance Festival, or the many offerings of the Durham Arts Council, Durham's reputation as an artists' mecca is on the rise.
Durham is a lot of fun — The Durham Bulls, the world's most famous minor league baseball team immortalized in the movie "Bull Durham," plays ball in a brand new downtown stadium. The Cameron Crazies rock Cameron Indoor Stadium for every Duke basketball home game. And it's hard to find a weekend without a festival or concert, like the Bimbe Cultural Arts Festival or the Bull Durham Blues Festival.

Durham is an Activist Community. Politics can be a rough-and-tumble game in Durham, with no shortage of activist groups and bloggers dictating what's discussed — and how loudly.

Crime, government spending and issues related to infrastructure such as roads and water often are hot topics.

Take a Self-Guided Orientation

What's the history?

Durham was incorporated in 1866 and named for Dr. Bartlett Durham. Some of his land was used for the railroad station. Washington Duke, a Confederate veteran launched the family tobacco business in eastern Orange County (now Durham County) after the Civil War. His son, James Buchanan "Buck" Duke, took his father's small concern and turned it into American Tobacco Co., the monopoly that dominated the country's tobacco industry for a quarter-century. He also made a fortune in electric power and established the Duke Endowment in 1924, building a world-class university on the foundation of Trinity College.

North Carolina Central University was founded in 1910 as the first publicly supported liberal arts college for African-Americans.

N.C. Mutual is the oldest and largest black-owned life insurance company in the country and has more than $12 billion in insurance premiums. It was founded in 1898 by John Merrick.

The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People was organized in 1935 and remains an influential voice in the city's poliical life.

Go here for more on Durham's history.

Who runs the city?

Durham has a council-manager form of government. The City Council is comprised of seven members. Three members — Howard Clement III, Cora Cole-McFadden and Mike Woodard — are from specific wards. Three others — Eugene Brown, Diane Catotti and Thomas Stith III — are at-large members. Bill Bell, the current mayor, is up for re-election every two years.

The four-year terms for City Council seats are staggered, with three members up for re-election in each election. Nonpartisan elections are held every two years.

Who's here?

The largest employers in RTP include: IBM (10,800), GlaxoSmithKline (6,400), Cisco Systems (3,400), Nortel Networks (2,800), RTI International (2,600), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1,500), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (1,000), Sony Ericsson (750), Biogen Idec (720), Network Appliance (660). Source: RTP

What's the history?

RTP grew out of a desire by North Carolina governmental and business leaders after World War II to transform a state economy that was heavily dependent on low-wage industries such as textiles, furniture and agriculture, and to provide good-paying jobs for the graduates of the state's universities -- who were leaving the state for lack of opportunity.

On Jan. 9, 1959, dozens of leading North Carolina businessmen gathered in Raleigh for a luncheon to hear the details of a bold idea. RTP's founders, visionaries envisioned a place where major companies would build research centers on large pieces of land nestled among tall pines. Those companies would provide jobs for area college graduates as well as draw new residents to the region. Nearly 50 years later, the park, which straddles Wake and Durham counties, is home to a diverse range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, telecommunications, information technology and computer networking. In the 1990s, it landed such major tenants as Cisco Systems, Ericsson and Eisai Pharmaceuticals. For a history of RTP, go here.

The growth of RTP was a catalyst for the rapid growth of North Raleigh and the Western Wake County towns such as Cary, Morrisville, Apex and Holly Springs. RTP took off with the arrival of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and IBM in the 1960s. IBM would become the park's largest tenant, and NIEHS would be joined by the EPA faclity.

Much of the city’s recent growth has occured in its northern reaches, thanks to the availability of land and the construction of large multi-family subdivisions. Known as the City of Oaks, Raleigh is home to 115 city parks and 8,499 acres of parks and greenways.

What are the local attractions?

Raleigh has something for everyone. The RBC Center and Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts offer a wide range of music and cultural events. See a full list of concert venues here. Raleigh has an array of museums, from the N.C. Museum of Art, to the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, to the N.C. Museum of History. New night life corridors have emerged at Glenwood South, the Warehouse District, City Market and the newly opened Fayetteville Street. North Hills Mall has become the city's new uptown. The city's Greenway System provides challenges for hikers and bikers.

What's the history?

The city bears the name of Sir Walter Raleigh, a 16th and 17th century adventurer, courtier to Elizabeth I, navigator author and poet. Raleigh sent the first English colonists to Roanoke Island. By the late 1780s, North Carolina's General Assembly recognized a need for a permanent location to conduct state government. Prior to this time, the state's seat of government had been hosted by several existing cities. Rather than select one of these communities, the legislature decided to build a new city that was more centrally located within the state, according to a history of the city published by the Raleigh City Museum. Eight commissioners were appointed to choose the new Capital's location. On March 30, 1792, the Commissioners purchased 1,000 acres from Wake County landowner Joel Lane and a city plan was quickly developed.

The city of Raleigh grew slowly, with state government initially its primary focus. Over time, inns, taverns, dry-goods stores, coffee houses and brickyards were established to support the burgeoning capital city. Fayetteville Street quickly became Raleigh's commercial core as storefronts began to replace residences along the blocks south of the State Capitol.

Read about how Raleigh changed after the Civil War.

Raleigh History Timeline 1587-2005

Who runs the town?

The city operates under the council/manager form of government. The Professional Manager, Russell Allen, was hired by the eight-member City Council. The council members include Mayor Charles Meeker, two at-large members and five members elected from districts. The city adopted an operating budget for the 2008 fiscal year that totaled SW $320,706,103. According to the city, tax dollars are spent in the following way. Here's an index of city services and telephone numbers.

The City of Raleigh Public Utilities Department provides water and sanitary sewer service to over 167,000 metered customers and a service population of approximately 410,000 people in Raleigh, Garner, Wake Forest, Rolesville, Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon areas.

In the summer of 2007, the city water system began requiring customers to follow mandatory water restrictions because of drought. The restrictions limit lawn watering, car washing and other activities. See a current list of water restrictions.

What are the local attractions?

The town developed around the Morrisville-Carpenter Road/N.C. 54 intersection as a railroad hub in the 1800s, and 19th-century simple mill houses and old 20th-century storefronts line the narrow streets surrounding the intersection. The Morrisville Christian Church, circa 1900, and the Pugh House, circa 1870, are just two of the historic structures located in the area. Morrisville is home to one of the Triangle's largest outlet malls, Prime Outlets of Morrisville and is also home to the Triangle's largest Hindu temple. Morrisville's proximity to Raleigh-Durham International Airport has made it a magnet for hundreds of businesses.

What's the history?

Chartered in 1852, the community was named for Jeremiah Morris, a landowner who sold land for the railroad that still cuts through the city’s core. Morrisville was the site of one of the last battles of the Civil War on April 13, 1865 when up to 1,000 Union troops swamped Morrisville after days earlier Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox, Va.

Who runs the town?

Morrisville has a commissioner-manager form of government. The seven-member Board of Commissioners sets policies and the town manager oversees day-to-day

Morrisville
http://www.ci.morrisville.nc.us   

Cary - Located in western Wake County, Cary has about 121,000 residents and has evolved rapidly into Wake County's second-largest municipality. It is headquarters for SAS Institute, the largest privately held software company in the world. Money Magazine ranked Cary as the "hottest town in the East" over 100,000. Cary was recognized again by the magazine in 2006 as one of the best small cities in America.

What are the local attractions?

The town boasts several regional and national venues, including the Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park (summer home of the N.C. Symphony), SAS Soccer Park (home of the Carolina RailHawks of the United Soccer Leagues First Division) and the USA Baseball training facility at Thomas Brooks Park. The Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival has been a major draw for more than 30 years. Cary Band Day draws high school marching bands from throughout North Carolina.

What's the history?

Settlers arrived in the area in the mid-18th century though the town was not incorporated until 1871. Cary’s founder, Frank Page, named the town for Samuel Fenton Cary, a Union General and temperance leader from Ohio. The town is the home of the first public high school in North Carolina, founded in 1896. As late as 1960, Cary had fewer than 3,400 residents. The emergence of Research Triangle Park during the 1960s, to the northwest of the town, made Cary an attractive bedroom community. The population of the town at least doubled in every decade between 1960 and 2000. As the town has grown, it has also added significant commercial and office space as well.

Who runs the town?

Cary’s governing body is a town Council of six council members and a mayor. The mayor and two council members are elected at large; the other four members are chosen in districts. A town manager runs the daily operations of the government.

What are the local attractions?

Downtown Apex, which was designated an Historic District in 1997, features a 19th century train depot and buildings dating back to that era. Here's a glimpse of downtown. The annual Christmas parade draws crowds, as does the Christmas Home Tour. The Apex Performing Arts Center is scheduled to open in January 2008. And the town has just launched its Arts Festival.

What's the history?

Apex was incorporated in 1873 and grew around the railroad tracks. The town's population dropped into the 800's with the decline of the tobacco market in the 1930s, but the growth of the Triangle renewed the town, and by the 1990's, the population had grown to 5,000. To learn more about the town's early days, go to the North Carolina History Project. Today, Apex has more than 30,000 residents.

In 2006, an explosion at a chemical waste storage facility forced the evacuation of thousands of town residents.

Who runs the town?

Apex is governed by a six-member Town Council consisting of the Mayor and five Council Members. The town's daily operations are run by the Town Manager, who reports to the Council. Here's how you can learn about town utilities and taxes.

What are the local attractions?

The Wake Forest College Birthplace was opened in 1979 after years of work by local groups, including the Wake Forest Garden Club, to restore the Calvin Jones House. The Factory is an entertainment and sports complex on South Main Street for adults and children. The town has its own Wake County branch library

What's the history?

Incorporated in 1880 as "The Town of Wake Forest College," the town was originally home to Wake Forest College, before the school moved to Winston-Salem in 1956. After the college left, the seminary took over the campus. Here's more on the town's history.

CHATHAM COUNTY:  (Located directly south of Orange County and south west of Durham County and to the west of Wake County, its major city is Pittsboro.)

Pittsboro - The seat of Chatham County, Pittsboro has a historic downtown that is marked by the Classical-style courthouse surrounded by shops, offices and cafes. Sitting at the junction of U.S. 15-501 and U.S. 64 in northeast Chatham, the town of 2,500 is expected to triple in size in the next few years. While traditionally agricultural, Pittsboro is increasingly becoming a bedroom community because of its location, just 35 miles west of Raleigh and 18 miles south of Chapel Hill.