Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Chapel Hill is a town in the counties of Orange and Durham, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 United States census, the town had a population of 61,960, making it the 17th-most populous municipality in the state. Together with nearby Durham, it forms the Durham–Chapel Hill, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 608,879 in 2023.

When combined with Raleigh, the state capital, the area becomes part of the Research Triangle, officially known as the Raleigh–Durham–Cary, NC Combined Statistical Area. This larger region had an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023.

The town was founded in 1793 and is centered on Franklin Street. It covers an area of 21.3 square miles (55 km²). Chapel Hill is home to many historic buildings and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care play a big role in the town’s economy and influence. Local artists have also added color to the town by creating many murals throughout Chapel Hill.

History

Pre-establishment and colonial era

The area now known as Chapel Hill was first settled by William Barbee from Middlesex County, Virginia. In 1753, he received land grants near "Lick Branch" from John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville. Though William Barbee passed away soon after arriving, his son Christopher became a key figure in the community and a major supporter of the University of North Carolina. In 1792, Christopher gave 221 acres of land to the university, which became its main campus.

Chapel Hill grew around a hill where a small church, called New Hope Chapel, was built in 1752. The town itself was officially created in 1819 by the NC General Assembly to support the university. It was officially recognized as a town in 1851, and its main street, Franklin Street, was named after Benjamin Franklin.

Antebellum

During the time when slavery existed, Chapel Hill had a simple form of local government. White men aged 21 to 50 took turns watching the streets at night. There were rules for enslaved people, who needed permission to leave their homes.

Civil War

At the beginning of the Civil War, about four out of every ten people in Chapel Hill were enslaved, and about half the town's population was Black. In April 1865, as the war came to an end, soldiers from the 9th Michigan Cavalry entered Chapel Hill and stayed for over two weeks, taking control of the university and the town.

Reconstruction

In 1869, as tensions rose before the Kirk-Holden War, the governor sent a detective to Chapel Hill to look into reports of a group called the Ku Klux Klan. The detective was captured by some men, tied up, and punished.

In 1870, some people in Chapel Hill tried to take control of the town by holding an unfair election. They changed the leaders of the town, but their actions were later found to be wrong, and they had to step down.

Great Depression

Main article: 1937 Chapel Hill race riot

In 1937, Chapel Hill experienced troubles due to racial tensions, hard times, and neglect of its Black community. This led to a disturbance that year. After this, leaders from both White and Black communities worked together to build a center for the Black community. Land for the Hargraves Community Center was bought in 1939, and it was finished in 1945.

Civil rights era

In 1960, nine Black students from Lincoln High School, known as the Chapel Hill Nine, took part in a peaceful protest at Colonial Drugstore because the store would not allow Black people to eat inside.

In 1969, Chapel Hill made history by electing Howard Lee as mayor. He was the first African-American mayor of a town that had mostly White residents in the South. During his time as mayor from 1969 to 1975, he helped start the town's bus system, Chapel Hill Transit, and the Mountains-to-Sea trail.

In 1993, the town celebrated its 200th year and opened the Chapel Hill Museum. The museum shows many important parts of the town's history.

Today, many places in Chapel Hill are remembered for their history, including the Carolina Inn, the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity House, the Chapel Hill Historic District, Chapel Hill Town Hall, Chapel of the Cross, and others listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography and climate

Chapel Hill is found in the southeast part of Orange County, with a tiny piece reaching into Durham County. The town is next to Carrboro on the west and Durham on the northeast. Most of its borders touch areas that are not part of any town or city.

The United States Census Bureau says Chapel Hill covers 21.75 square miles (56.3 km²). Of this, 21.60 square miles (55.9 km²) is land, and 0.15 square miles (0.39 km²) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Chapel Hill had a population of 61,960. The median age was 26.5 years, with 16.0% of residents under 18 and 12.6% aged 65 or older. Most people lived in urban areas.

In 2023, Chapel Hill had a population of 59,889 with a median age of 25.8 years. This young age is largely due to the presence of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The town has a high median income but also a higher poverty rate than the state average, mainly because many students have little to no personal income.

Demographic estimates

Chapel Hill is well-known for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Many students stay in the area after graduating, and the town is part of the Research Triangle region, attracting many workers in science and technology. This mix creates a unique population.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 57,233 people in Chapel Hill. The town's population was quite young, with a median age of 25.6 years.

Income and poverty

From 2005 to 2007, the median income for a household in Chapel Hill was $51,690. About 8.6% of families and 19.8% of the population were below the poverty line.

Education

Chapel Hill is North Carolina's most educated town, with over 77% of adults holding at least an associate degree and 73% holding a baccalaureate degree or higher.

Government

Chapel Hill uses a council-manager form of government. The community elects a mayor and eight council members. Mayors serve two-year terms, and council members serve staggered four-year terms, all elected by the town at large. Town elections are held in November of odd-numbered years. In 2023, Mayor Jessica Anderson succeeded four-term mayor Pam Hemminger.

The town adopted its flag in 1990. The blue color represents the town and the University of North Carolina, while the green stands for environmental awareness. The design also includes a townscape to show a sense of home and community.

The town's seal has depicted Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, since the 1930s. The seal was most recently updated in 2005 to a simpler version.

Education

Chapel Hill has strong schools, including East Chapel Hill High School, Carrboro High School, and Chapel Hill High School, which have all been recognized for their excellence. The area is also served by Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, which covers most of Chapel Hill and nearby Carrboro.

The town is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, founded in 1789, which is the main public university in the state. There are also private schools, such as the Emerson Waldorf School, and the state's main youth orchestra, the Piedmont Youth Orchestra, is based here. The Chapel Hill Public Library is also located in the town.

Culture

Though Chapel Hill is part of a large area, it still feels like a small town. With its nearby neighbor, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area has about 85,000 people. You can see many large murals painted on buildings, mostly by Michael Brown, a former student at the university. Every October, Chapel Hill holds a big street fair called Festifall. This fair has booths for artists, crafts people, groups that help the community, and food sellers. There is also space for musicians and other performers. Thousands of people come to enjoy it each year.

The Morehead Planetarium and Science Center was the first planetarium built on a college campus in the United States. It opened in 1949 and was one of only six planetariums in the country at the time. It is a well-known landmark in Chapel Hill. The town also has special neighborhoods like Meadowmont Village and Southern Village, which have shops, green spaces for events, pools, and schools.

Food

Chapel Hill is known for its great food and has been called one of America’s best small towns for food. Some well-known restaurants there include Mama Dip’s, Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen, and Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe.

Music

Chapel Hill has been home to many famous musicians and bands, such as James Taylor, Superchunk, and Ben Folds Five. The town is also known for its old-time and bluegrass music, with groups like Steep Canyon Rangers and Red Clay Ramblers starting there. Chapel Hill was also where the record company Merge Records began.

Sports

Chapel Hill is very proud of its university sports, especially college basketball and women's soccer. The town has two big sports venues: the Dean Smith Center for men's basketball and Kenan Memorial Stadium for football. There are also many trails for walking and biking around the town.

Media

Chapel Hill has several local media outlets. WCHL is an AM radio station that covers local news and sports. WUNC is a public radio station located on the university campus. WXYC is a student-run radio station that was the first in the world to broadcast over the internet. The Daily Tar Heel is the university’s student newspaper. The Sun Magazine is an independent magazine that publishes personal stories and art.

Transit

Bus

Chapel Hill offers a free bus service within the town through Chapel Hill Transit. Special parking areas help support this service, and fees are collected by UNC Parking. Other connecting bus services charge money, but they are cheaper for UNC students, staff, and teachers. Go Triangle connects Chapel Hill to other places in the Triangle area, like Raleigh, Durham, and Hillsborough. The Hillsborough trips are run by Chapel Hill Transit and have extra help from a county shuttle during the middle of the day.

Light rail

Plans for a train line between Chapel Hill and Durham, called the Durham–Orange Light Rail line, started in August 2017. However, the project was stopped in April 2019.

Notable people

See also: List of alumni from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Alice Adams, author
• Emil Amos, musician
• Owen Astrachan, Duke Professor of Computer Science
• George A. Baer (1903–1994), bookbinder
• Stephen Barrett, retired psychiatrist, webmaster of Quackwatch
• Lewis Black, stand-up comedian, author, actor
• Ash Bowie, musician
• Steve Breedlove, clergyman, bishop in the Anglican Church in North America
• Sean Bridgers, actor, screenwriter, director, producer
• Fred Brooks, computer scientist
• Christopher Browning, historian
• Cam Cameron, football coach
• Spencer Chamberlain, musician
• Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts, band.
• Anna Clendening, singer, songwriter.
• Fred C. Cole, librarian and historian
• Elizabeth Cotten, musician
• Floyd Council, blues singer, the "Floyd" after which Pink Floyd is named
• Butch Davis, former UNC football coach
• Hubert Davis, UNC basketball coach, ESPN analyst, former NBA basketball player
• Walter Royal Davis, North Carolina philanthropist and oil tycoon
• Anoop Desai, finalist on American Idol, singer
• Sarah Dessen, author
• Michelle Dorrance, dancer and MacArthur Fellowship recipient
• David Drake, science fiction and fantasy novelist and small-press publisher
• Elizabeth Edwards, late wife of former U.S. Senator of North Carolina John Edwards
• John Edwards, former presidential candidate
• Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Beat Generation poet and co-founder of City Lights Book Sellers & Publishers. Earned a B.A. in journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1941.
• Ben Folds, musician
• Valerie Foushee, U.S. representative for North Carolina
• Paul Green, playwright
• John Grisham, author
• Meredith Hagner, actress, portrays Liberty Ciccone on As the World Turns
• Bernardo Harris, former NFL linebacker
• Dave Haywood, musician, member of the country music group Lady Antebellum
• Bunn Hearn, MLB pitcher
• Jack Hogan, actor, noted for his role as Private William Kirby on Combat! television series, 1962–1967
• Laurel Holloman, artist and actress. Known for The L Word television series.
• George Moses Horton, a slave poet, called "the black bard of Chapel Hill"
• Paul Jones, computer technologist
• Alexander Julian, fashion designer
• Michelle Kasold, Olympic field hockey player
• Jackson Koivun, golfer
• Charles Kuralt, journalist
• Kay Kyser, big band leader, entertainer
• Howard Lee, first black mayor of a predominantly white municipality in the South
• William Leuchtenberg, historian
• William Carter Love, U.S. representative for North Carolina
• Mandolin Orange, Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz, a folk/Americana duo
• Mac McCaughan, musician
• Nick McCrory, Olympic bronze medalist in diving
• Richard McKenna, novelist, The Sand Pebbles
• Mark Newhouse, professional poker player
• Mojo Nixon, singer
• Marty Ravellette, armless hero
• David Rees, political satirist, cartoonist of Get Your War On
• Porter Robinson, electronic music producer
• Brian Roberts, former MLB second baseman, two-time All-Star
• Dexter Romweber, rockabilly roots-rocker
• Aziz Sancar, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Betty Smith, novelist, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
• Dean Smith, former basketball coach
• Oliver Smithies, physical biochemist and genetecist, Nobel prizewinner
• Elizabeth Spencer, author of The Light in the Piazza
• Silda Wall Spitzer, wife of former New York governor Eliot Spitzer
• Chris Stamey, musician
• Josh Stein, governor and former attorney general of North Carolina
• Brook Steppe, former NBA player
• Leo Sternbach, chemist and discoverer of benzodiazepines
• Matt Stevens, former NFL safety
• James Taylor, musician
• Paul B. Thompson, author and UNC alumnus
• Blair Tindall, author and musician
• Richard Trice, blues guitarist, singer and songwriter
• Willie Trice, blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer. Elder brother of above
• Karl Edward Wagner, horror writer, editor, and small-press publisher
• Daniel Wallace, writer, author of Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions
• Manly Wade Wellman, novelist
• Roy Williams, men's basketball coach
• Thomas Wolfe, author. UNC alumnus. Chapel Hill appears as "Pulpit Hill" in his posthumous novel You Can't Go Home Again.
• Bayard Wootten (1875–1959), photographer and suffragette

Sister cities

Chapel Hill has special connections with two places far away. One is Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, and the other is San Cristóbal, both located in the Galápagos islands of Ecuador. These are called "sister cities," showing friendship between different parts of the world.