Chapel Hill, Carrboro & Orange County

The western anchor of the Research Triangle, centered on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill -- the nation's first public university. Chapel Hill and neighboring Carrboro form a walkable, transit-served college-town core with Chapel Hill Transit (fare-free bus service), Franklin Street's retail district, and extensive greenway connections. Hillsborough, the Orange County seat, offers historic small-town character 12 miles north along I-85. Mebane, straddling the Orange-Alamance county line, provides more affordable housing on the Triangle's western fringe with a 30-minute commute to RTP.