Meghan Cooke
Staff Writer
Commons Photos by Meghan Cooke

We here at the Carrboro Commons have a serious dilemma.

People who live in North Carolina are North Carolinians, but what should we call Carrboro residents? In a town that has often been referred to as the Paris of the Piedmont for its arts and culture, it seems essential to have an identifying noun to describe the residents.

There are several possible answers out there. “Carrborites,” “Carrborians” and “Carrburans” are just a few of the potential names. There is also “Carrburetors,” a play on the car engine part.

In search of the answer, we went to the lawn at Weaver Street Market and asked Carrboro folks what they called themselves.

“Carrborites rolls off the tongue,” said Timur Hammond, after listening to the list of possibilities.

Will Holloway said he usually says Carrburetor when describing Carrboro residents. He asked his son, William, what he calls people living here.

After a few seconds of quiet deliberation, William had an answer.

“Crazy,” he said, laughing.

Many people said they haven’t really given it much thought.

“Carrborite comes to mind,” said Carmen Mayer, who has lived in Carrboro since 1987.

Sharon Carpenter, a Durham native who now resides in Carrboro, said she had never thought of it quite that way.

“Carrborian sounds good though,” she said as she pondered the choices.

Others define themselves by a larger community that includes Chapel Hill.

“I just say Tar Heel,” said Alton Thompson of Carrboro, who laughed at the idea of calling himself a Carrborian or a Carrborite.

Philip Duchastel, of Carrboro, considers Chapel Hill and Carrboro a joint community. “Well, I don’t view Carrboro so individually,” he said. “I call it CHC – Chapel Hill-Carrboro.”

Frances Jackson, who lived in Carrboro for five years after graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill and has just recently returned, said she prefers Carrburetor.

“I think Mike Nelson coined the term Carrburetor,” she said. “I like that one.”

It looks as though Carrboro residents might have landed on a legitimate nickname for themselves.

Mike Nelson, former mayor of Carrboro who now serves on the Orange County Board of Commissioners, said that there are many names floating around the community.

“I think people in Carrboro just have a good sense of humor,” he said. “They don’t mind poking fun at themselves.”

Nelson said that although he has used Carrburetor frequently, Mark Chilton, the current mayor of Carrboro, actually created it.

The trail leads to Chilton, but it seems the origin will remain a mystery after all.

“I didn’t coin it, but I may have popularized it to some degree,” said Chilton, who heard the term years ago. He started saying it as a joke, but it seemed to catch on.

Chilton said some of the people living in suburban neighborhoods in Carrboro have started referring to themselves as “Carrburbans.” He said Carrburetor is his favorite name, but he hears Carrborians most often.

“I guess there must be something about the name Carrboro that does not lend itself to a convenient phrase like Philadelphians or New Yorkers,” he said. “An amateur linguist could have a lot of fun with this.”

“There’s not a good answer to this question. There is no consensus out there for this.”

So there it is. No consensus. But in a town so unique, no answer appears to be the best answer.

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