Relocating to Chapel Hill NC and Living In Chapel Hill NC
‘Chapel Hill offers the intimacy and sense of community found in small towns combined with access to wonderful cultural offerings comparable to those found in a large city.’
—Stacy Adkins, Carolina Meadows
Chapel Hill
‘Southern Part of Heaven’ offers big slice of good life'
By HEATHER FARR
Known as the “Southern Part of Heaven,” Chapel Hill North Carolina is home of the country’s first state university, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The town also boasts an amazing quality of life, a variety of available homes, and top-notch healthcare.
And it’s not just locals who are noticing what a gem they have in Chapel Hill. The town constantly receives national attention and accolades. For instance, the A&E television channel recognized Chapel Hill as the No. 2 city in its “Top 10 Cities to Have It All,” and Money magazine rated Chapel Hill, NC as the No. 1 “Best Place to Live in the South.”
“Chapel Hill offers the intimacy and sense of community found in small towns combined with access to wonderful cultural offerings comparable to those found in a large city,” said Stacy Adkins, marketing director at Carolina Meadows.
“Those relocating from states with changes in seasons will find relocating to Chapel Hill to be as lovely as the seasons change here. Many seniors find Chapel Hill attractive because of the proximity to high-quality medical facilities. Chapel Hill offers easy access to things seniors want to do and to the airport with a lack of congestion on roads,” she said.
Where to live when moving to Chapel Hill, NC
Housing in Chapel Hill, NC
Whether you’re looking for a townhome, an apartment, a single-family home, or an estate home, Chapel Hill offers a variety of housing.
Retirement Housing in Chapel Hill, NC
For instance, Carolina Meadows is a nationally accredited, not-for-profit, continuing care retirement community in Chapel Hill, NC for those 55 years of age and older. It sits on 170 acres in a beautiful country setting and is only minutes from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said Adkins.
In fact, Carolina Meadows has become such a popular retirement community in Chapel Hill that waiting times for its homes range from one to five years, depending what size home a potential resident is looking for.
When it comes to amenities, Carolina Meadows doesn’t disappoint.
“We provide our residents a wide array of cultural, educational, and sporting activities. Most importantly, Carolina Meadows provides the assurance that, as you grow older, you will have at hand the services and type of care you need and want. The services and fees of Carolina Meadows are designed to enable individual residents to live as independently as possible, paying only for the services they use,” Adkins said.
Healthcare in Chapel Hill, NC
Moving to a new city can be daunting, especially if you or a loved one is in need of healthcare or specialty health services. The good news is that your health is in good hands in Chapel Hill because the city is home to one of the finest healthcare systems in the nation. Healthcare in Chapel Hill, NC is sought out by people world-wide.
UNC Hospitals Play Major Role In Healthcare for Chapel Hill NC
In fact, UNC Hospitals recently received two prestigious awards. It was recently named as one of the top 50 medical centers in the nation by the Leapfrog Group and by U.S. News & World Report, which has consistently chosen UNC Hospitals to appear on its annual list.
UNC Hospitals is part of the UNC Health Care System, which also consists of N.C. Memorial Hospital, N.C. Children’s Hospital, N.C. Women’s Hospital, and N.C. Neurosciences Hospital.
This 708-bed facility serves more than 31,000 people each year, and more than 3,500 new Tar Heels are born each year at UNC Hospitals, according to the system’s Web site at www.unchealthcare.org.
Healthcare for Chapel Hill NC Expands
The constantly growing medical center is expanding even further with the new N.C. Cancer Hospital, which is currently being built. In 2004, N.C. Gov. Mike Easley secured funding for the $180 million construction project by signing into law a House bill. Now, Chapel Hill is excitedly looking forward to its tentative completion in 2009.
Just some of the specialties that are offered at UNC’s state-of-the art facilities include cardiothoracic surgery, dentistry, pediatrics, podiatry, pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, radiology, and urology.
Plus, the UNC Health Care System also proudly boasts of many specialized centers, including a Comprehensive Transplant Center, a Diabetes Care Center, Home Health, Hospice, and the N.C. Jaycee Burn Center.
Leisure time
Whether you like to participate in outdoor activities, such as hiking, biking, canoeing, and fishing, or prefer to sit on the sidelines to watch an exciting sport game, you’re definitely in luck.
For the outdoor enthusiast, Chapel Hill is full of gorgeous parks and walking trails; for the spectator, it’s also home to the UNC Tar Heels, which has a quite a loyal following.
And speaking of UNC, one of the unique attractions is its Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, which is where early astronauts, such as Neil Armstrong, trained.
Located in downtown Chapel Hill, it’s one of the largest planetariums in the United States, and it receives an estimated 130,000 visitors each year. The center features a 68-foot domed Star Theater with a Projector, a variety of exhibits, and a gift shop.
“Our residents enjoy the Ackland Art Museum and Playmakers Repertory Company among other things,” said Adkins. “The Botanical Gardens are lovely. Many residents enjoy being close to a university and attend sporting events, lectures, classes, and concerts.”
UNC offers many activities: Ackland Art Museum consists of more than 15,000 paintings, drawings, and sculptures that cover European history; PlayMakers Repertory Company and Memorial Hall showcases many different plays each year; and the nearly 800-acre North Carolina Botanical Gardens, which is the largest natural botanical garden in the southeast, features an impressive collection of plants, herb gardens, carnivorous plant collections, preserved land with nature trails, and aquatics.
If you love a variety of restaurants and quaint shops and boutiques, then you should check out Franklin Street, which is the heart of Chapel Hill. Consisting of more than 300 diverse businesses, this street is the primary gathering spot for local sports fans after UNC games.
Shopping
Another popular place for shoppers is A Southern Season Gourmet Emporium in University Mall. Prepare to spend a few hours in this wall-to-wall, 60,000-square-foot gourmet food and kitchen accessories marketplace because it features amazing food and spa baskets; coffees and teas; snacks, such as trail mix, nuts, and cheese straws; chocolate, cookies, and candies; and wines. Plus, A Southern Season also has a state-of-the-art cooking school that offers culinary lessons throughout the year.
The town hosts a variety of well-attended events throughout the year, including the Carolina Jazz Festival at UNC, North Carolina High School Athletic Association Basketball Championships, a Greek Festival, an Independence Day Old-Fashioned Celebration and Band Concert, the Southern Open Tennis Tournament at Chapel Hill Tennis Club, Sculpture in the Garden Exhibit at the Botanical Garden, the Little River Bluegrass Festival, Festifall Street Fair, Halloween Street Festival, Community Tree Lighting, and a holiday parade.
With so much going on in Chapel Hill, it’s no wonder that so many people are choosing to move to—and remain in—the town.
