By Anshu Gupta
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer

When UNC-CH students are ready to move off campus, the first place they look is not necessarily Chapel Hill.

Bettina Goesele and Brenna Dwyer, both seniors at UNC-CH, enjoy the warm summer weather while studying outside Weaver Street Market. Both know that their visits will become less frequent as the weather begins to cool down.
Staff photo by Anshu Gupta

With Chapel Hill real estate prices and gas prices on the rise, some students are finding Carrboro to be the answer to their problems.

For Matt Poindexter, a junior English major at UNC-CH, living in Carrboro instead of Chapel Hill was an obvious choice.

“The place I rent is cheaper here and nicer,” he said. “I can avoid the bustle of football and basketball crowds from here if I want to. I feel like I have some privacy here, which I didn’t have on campus. All of the places in town that I love to go to are right in my backyard now,” said Poindexter, originally from Walnut Cove.

“Carrboro is one of the few places I’ve seen that has succeeded in melding some of the lifestyle appeals of a big city with the comfort of a small town,” said Poindexter.

Residents know that they have to pay a price for living in such a small town. “Sometimes there is a little too much traffic on Weaver Street, and it takes me a few more minutes to get to campus,” said Sarah Koury, a senior art major from Cary, who is currently living in Carrboro.

Although Koury doesn’t mind waiting an extra few minutes, for some people, it’s the deal breaker.

“Driving out here is a pain,” said Brenna Dwyer, a senior Spanish major from Cary. “I wouldn’t live out here. Even though it’s an amazing deal, distance-wise, but it’s not convenient.”

Whitney Ruef, a junior at UNC-CH, studies outside Weaver Street Market while enjoying lunch.
Staff photo by Anshu Gupta

Although Dwyer wouldn’t live in Carrboro for her undergraduate studies, she said it would be more likely if she was a graduate student. “If I was still here for graduate school, I would live out here,” she said. “There’s a more mature crowd out here.”

Bettina Goesele, a senior business major from Durham, said that she would live in Carrboro but it wouldn’t be her first choice. Her biggest concern was that it was too family oriented. “Sometimes there are loud little kids that run around,” she said while studying outside Weaver Street Market, “but I like the healthy lifestyle.”

Yuly Rodriguez, who works as a nanny in Carrboro and also deejays a Spanish language show on WCOM, has been in the area for the last eight years.

“I like that you can walk anywhere, ride a bike, or take the bus,” she said. “It calls for exercise. It’s not like a big city where you have to have a car.”

“I love the organic, farming, and all the people in Carrboro,” Rodriguez said. “When I’m not at WCOM, I like to hang out at Open Eye Café, Weaver Street Market, and Neal’s Deli.“

Despite issues with traffic and transportation, many students love living in Carrboro. Whitney Ruef, a junior journalism major from Morrisville, said that her only complaint was the nightlife. “The night life isn’t amazing, but you can go back to Chapel Hill for that,” she said.

“I love Carrboro though. I love the atmosphere and I love how there are so many different types of people,” she said. “It’s definitely worth it.”

Sarah Stoneking, who lived in Carrboro over the summer, said her favorite place to hang out in Carrboro was Wilson Park, because they had great running and biking trails.
Staff photo by Anshu Gupta

For Sarah Schtakleff, a senior public policy major from Raleigh, her qualms were with the unnoticed division in the city. “It has a perception of being a place for hippies, and it is, but the other part of Carrboro consists of minorities and many people employed in Chapel Hill but cannot afford to live there,” she said. “I have noticed that the “hippie” part of Carrboro largely ignores the other part of it, and focuses on projecting an image of a place for hippies, while not embracing the rest of it. “

Her definition of hippie included Main Street and Weaver Street, while the rest of it she thought was “not a safe area, and I feel that the other part of Carrboro disregards that.”

Sarah Stoneking, a junior chemistry major from Greensboro, enjoys the sense of community in Carrboro. “I like Carrboro because there is a tangible community whereas that doesn’t really exist in Chapel Hill unless you are on campus,” she said. ”There’s not too much I don’t like about Carrboro.”

Tanisha Palvia, a 2008 graduate psychology major, loved her stay in Carrboro. “I liked it a lot,” said Palvia, originally from Greensboro. “Carrboro is a quaint little town that offers a unique culture along with lower rent prices.”

Despite all the different opinions about Carrboro, everyone had one thing in common: love for Weaver Street Market lawn. As long as “the Weave” is around, UNC-CH students will keep finding their way to Carrboro.