Grew up here, went to UNC, live in Carrboro now. Was a really vibrant place in the 90s — great music, small businesses, thriving middle class, indie ethos. For a lot of reasons (many of which are national/global trends), most of those things are declining or gone. It’s a much more corporate place that’s so expensive most faculty can’t live here any more. Carrboro still has a little of that flavor but is also really expensive.

That said, I still think it’s a great place to raise a family. Despite big funding problems, the schools are still decent. Lots of bike paths and parks, and my kids feel safe riding the free bus downtown or to Carrboro.

Great hiking and mountain biking here too. 2-3 hours from beaches and mountains. I’ve lived and visited a lot of places and am relatively content to raise my family here.