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Some students decide to begin their stay in Chapel Hill in University housing, and there are several dorms for graduate students as well as married student housing. Many students live off-campus, and the options are numerous. Most apartment complexes take students, and by sharing the rents are well within most students' budgets. Some students rent townhouses or houses, and there are rentals in the surrounding countryside that provide rural living options. Other students become homeowners. As described above, many apartments and townhouses are on bus lines.
Of course the sports here is world-class. Student tickets are available for our exciting UNC Tarheel men's basketball and football games. Several less publicized teams, such as the women's soccer team (8 of the World Cup Championship players are current or former Tarheels!) and the women's basketball team, are even more accessible. Down the road the Durham Bulls provide great baseball entertainment on warm summer nights. The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional hockey team that will play at their new stadium only 20 minutes from Chapel Hill this year. In the summer of 1999 the Triangle hosted the World Special Olympics games, and the excitement and honor of hosting these events were shared by all. Local biking clubs provide more strenuous activity as they explore the surrounding countryside. In short, it is likely that whatever your tastes and life-style, you will be able to find stimulating activities that are accessible in Chapel Hill.
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Chapel Hill is a great town, especially for students. The town has a population of 45,000, and
UNC students account for 24,000 (64 percent undergrads, 29 percent grads, 7 percent professional programs). Because
of the predominant student presence, the social and cultural life reflects the tastes of those
students. There are numerous inexpensive and fun eateries in "downtown" Chapel Hill and the
surrounding area. There are 9 bookstores in Chapel Hill for browsing. Chapel Hill is considered
very "livable", meaning that finding information and getting places is relatively easy. Public
transportation links the campus and other parts of town, including many areas with housing.
After a long day of work in the lab, it's refreshing to walk up to Franklin Street and find some interesting food and drink. Several places feature live music with a
small cover charge or a "pass the hat" policy. Local places of interest include Morehead Planetarium and Ackland Art Museum in downtown Chapel Hill. Just
outside town is the N.C. Botanical Garden with extensive walking paths, and Duke Forest is a large area north of Chapel Hill with lots of trails. There are many local
farmer's and flea markets, including a large farmer's market on Saturday mornings in nearby Carrboro. The ArtsCenter, also in Carrboro, showcases local
companies or national touring groups in a 350-seat theater. The PlayMakers Repertory Co. is a full-season theater group right in Chapel Hill with exciting
performances. Further down the road, Walnut Creek is a major amphitheater with top name performers and several festivals.
And when it's time to hit the road, you are only several hours by car from the North Carolina seashore with its lovely beaches and history such as Kitty Hawk, the
site of the first plane flight in the world. You are also only several hours from the majestic Smoky Mountains, part of the Appalachian range. Smoky Mountain
National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway in the western part of the state offer truly
stunning views of some of the oldest mountains in the world. And the large metropolitan
areas of Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington, DC are only 4-5 hours by car. Raleigh Durham
International Airport is ever-expanding to accomodate more travelers, and it is easy to fly
almost anywhere from here.|
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