Living in Chapel Hill (and Beyond)

Choosing a graduate school is more than just choosing a good research environment; you are choosing your home for the next 5-6 years. Chapel Hill and the surrounding area have a lot to offer graduate students.

Housing | Transportation | Recreation and Sports | Local Events | Students with Children

The Triangle

Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh make up the points of the Triangle area of NC. In between those cities are many smaller towns for exploring. All in all, the Triangle has something for everyone: nature, big cities, sleepy towns, history, shopping, and lots of tasty food. We’ve compiled BBSP students’ recommendations for sites to see and areas to live on this map. There are also Facebook pages (such as Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies) that can introduce you to our amazing food scene.

Nature

BBSP students’ favorite reasons to live in the Triangle are all about being in nature: hiking, biking, camping, paddle boarding, camping, fishing, dog walking, kayaking, gardening, and apple picking.

Social Spaces & Activities

When they’re not doing research or studying, our students enjoy connecting in various kinds of social spaces:

Breweries
Game nights
Trivia
Bars and barcades
Axe throwing
Wine and design
Escape rooms
Driving range
Festivals and the NC State Fair
Paintball
Cat café
Bowling

Nearby Destinations

The Triangle is in the Piedmont of NC, so it’s about equidistant to the Blue Ridge Mountains and the beaches of the coast and Outer Banks. Here are a few of our students’ favorite places to visit in the area:

Raleigh – state capital, big city feel, great restaurants and events
Saxapahaw – small town, music hall
Charlotte – largest city in NC, Ikea
Asheville – mountains, hippies, and good food
Greensboro – where first civil rights sit-ins took place, Science Center, more good food
Hanging Rock State Park
Wilmington – beaches
Roan Mountain
Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area
Norfolk, VA – bigger coastal city
Pittsboro – small town
NC Zoo in Asheboro
Pilot Mountain