The top 25 best college towns in America
By Ian Pierno
13. Chapel Hill, NC
Chapel Hill, NC aka “Chapel Thrill” is an instant classic as far as college towns are concerned. The oldest public university in the United States, UNC-Chapel Hill has been around a long time. With time comes awesome traditions, and for the Tar Heels, those include rushing Franklin St. after any win against crosstown rivals Duke, and after Final Four victories.
On days where the Tar Heels aren’t victorious, Chapel Hill still has a class college town feel. Franklin St. offers a wide variety of bars and restaurants for students to eat at and the center of campus is beautiful and lush with trees.
They said it:
Kelly, Advertising and Entrepreneurship Major:
"So, I like Chapel Hill because the campus and the town are so intertwined. We have so many options to do things around the school, but Carrboro and Franklin St, still feel like they are on-campus. I still feel “at home,” I have the option of going to a college bar with my friends, or I can go do my own thing less than five minutes down the road. The way Chapel Hill is set up, you get to choose exactly what type of day or night you want to have. The food options are unreal, so much variety and highly respected places to eat. From the food trucks and places like Al’s Burgershack, that place is hands down the best burger in the area by the way, to sit-down restaurants like Lantern, students get to choose. I think that really is the big theme of Chapel Hill, everyone has a place, and everywhere feels like home."