<p>Yeah there is a ton going on between greenville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Wilmington and a ton of other interesting places within a few hours drive. I wouldn't expect those who are not natives of NC to know about them though. </p>
<p>Whatever, I think it's ridiculous to hear people talk about having nothing to do in the CH area because I grew up in a house where I had to drive 15 minutes to get to a grocery store and more than an hour to get to any real civilization. I can't imagine anyone getting bored here, but I guess if you grew up in NYC or Chicago it's a bit of a slower pace. It's all relative I guess.</p>
<p>Well, Duke is more in the woods. At Chapel Hill, the campus is connected to Franklin St. It all kind of blends. Duke is kind of Duke...and then trees, from what I've seen (Admittedly, I've never lived there).</p>
<p>But buses run from both schools to places of interest. Chapel Hill transit is free, Triangle Transit can cost a couple bucks.</p>
<p>Downtown Durham and the area that surrounds Duke is definitely far less appealing than Chapel Hill...how's that for being PC?</p>
<p>Chapel Hill has always been almost idyllic with little to no violent crime. Last year's murder of student body President, Eve Carson, really rocked Chapel Hill and UNC to its core. The two men accused of her murder are both from Durham...need I say more?</p>
<p>yes, duke's more sketchy--you probably won't wanna walk around in downtown durham at night.
i'm from the triangle, but my friend actually moved to seattle and went to a pretty competitive high school where people were interested in private schools like duke, and they'd ask her about durham sometimes..she'd be like.."um, it's not exactly an idyllic paradise.." hahah</p>
<p>in my opinion youre a complete idiot to leave california or want to. caltech, stanford, usc. ucla, berekley, the rest of the uc system. what in god's name would ever make u want to leave?</p>
<p>I've lived in Durham all my life, and I just want to say that a lot of the stereotypes that people have about this city are ridiculous. Yes, you wouldn't want to walk around downtown durham at night, or even by yourself for that matter, but that's the case in most cities. Durham has crime, like everyone else. But if you want to go and look at actual statistics, Raleigh has both more gang activity and a higher crime rate than Durham does.</p>
<p>I'll admit, if you're used to a fast paced life, then Durham can be considered slow. I have family that moved here from New Orleans and felt like there was absolutely nothing to do, but I believe it's all relative to where you came from. I personally love it here. I think it's one of those things where if you aren't native to the city, you don't really no where to look for fun.</p>
<p>Durham is not a rundown city. Sure there are some parts that are less than desirable, but that's in any city. I live in what my friends and parents consider "the bad part of town", yet there are 3 different country clubs and million dollar homes not even 5 minutes away. At my highschool, I walked through the student parking lot this morning and in a row of 15 cars there were 4 lexus', 1 mercedes benz [granted it was an older model], 1 mustang, 1 chrysler 300, and an audi. Overall, Durham is not nearly as sketchy as many think.</p>
<p>I agree ciiaobella . My sister has lived there for years, and I just don't see why some say its such a problem. Now granted, I'm a parent, and have different "needs", but I also have the perspective of having lived in Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Westwood and West LA in Los Angeles, D.C., and a suburb of San Francisco. I can't see it making or breaking a college choice.</p>
<p>The question isn't whether or not Durham is "sketchy", it is whether or not it is more sketchy than Chapel Hill. And the answer to that is an obvious yes. Durham has its fair share of problems, like many cities, but Durham really doesn't deal with them too well. Compared to Chapel Hill and other NC cities, Durham has work to do, particularly the area around Duke's campus.</p>
<p>hahaha jcg1323--- I love California, but for me, college is a time to go experience new things and be in an unknown learning environment, so for that reason, I do not want to stay here for college. And thank you Cuse0507 for the clarification of my question. Although the town may not make or break my decision, I find safety in walking around alone/at night/the town in general to be important.</p>
<p>Why would you want to go to UNC from California? I'm from North Carolina and definately want to get out of here! - Looking at California schools actually. But I also carry a dislike of UNC - most of the students are obnoxious.</p>
<p>Dude don't come in here posting ignorant crap like that. Are you really so dumb to think that the majority of the 17,000 students here are obnoxious, I'm guessing because you know a few people who got in to UNC who you happen to dislike?</p>
<p>I don't even know why I'm responding to such a silly assertion.</p>
<p>I'm from the bay area as well, well Sonoma county to be exact and I'm out at UNC now. It's quite a change to be honest, but it could potentially be for the good depending on the type of person you are. If you have any specific questions you'd like to ask, feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>I've been a reader of CC for a while, but have never actually posted anything. I had to reply to this topic tho.</p>
<p>joewii, i'm a student at UNC and grew up in the Bay also. Please don't listen to any of these people telling you that you are "crazy" to leave CA. I went through the same things as you when I was deciding about college. My advice would be to definitely go out and visit UNC before you make any decision. I turned down Cal, UCLA, etc... because I loved Chapel Hill. </p>
<p>UNC is liberal, just ask any student about the election. There was barely a Republican presence on campus, compared to the Young Democrats. Also, compared to other state schools throughout the south, UNC is not as southern as you might expect. I think a good part of that is that UNC is a top university that attracts the best students from North Carolina and the nation. You will not feel like the only out-of-stater there. I personally know about 10 other students from California, and probably have just as many OOS friends as in-state. It is not a small school, where everyone knows each other already. </p>
<p>Like you said, UNC is a perfect mix of academics, social life, sports, etc. I, too, wanted to go out-of-state for college and just experience something entirely new. I grew up a BART ride away from the city, but have never been bored in Chapel Hill.</p>