When considering places to live, think about walking home from bars

By Maria Mullis

Senior Writer

Part of what makes Chapel Hill the ultimate college town is the classic bars, restaurants and general night life. Coming of age in Chapel Hill is truly a blessing.

In honor of the DTH Housing Guide, I have ranked different places to live solely based upon the drunk walk back home, with the starting point of Franklin Street. Things such as distance, traffic and safety have been considered.

1. On Franklin Street

5 out of 5 stars

There is no better walk home than one that is a safely lit, two-minute walk. There are many options located directly on Franklin Street that serve as the ideal option. But they’re called “luxury” condos for a reason. They are much too expensive for the average college student and usually not available for students anyway.

However, there are other, more realistic options on Franklin Street as well. Many sorority houses lie toward the end of East Franklin, and while Frat Court isn’t directly on Franklin Street, it is a one-minute walk.

2. On-campus living

5 out of 5 stars

This includes residence halls, as well as Ram Village apartments on south campus. Since the University is so close to Franklin, on-campus living is only a short walk away. I give this living option the full five stars because of the short walk, beautiful scenery along the way and safe walkways (minus the uneven bricks).

There are also many lighting options around campus, as well as emergency call boxes which are directly linked to the University police in case of an emergency.

3. The Warehouse

5 out of 5 stars

I’ve included Warehouse in a category of its own because these apartments are only a few blocks from Franklin, are fairly popular and are reasonably priced, unlike the luxury condos directly on Franklin. The walk is short and downhill, the roads are freshly paved and the streets are decently lit.

4. Neighborhoods behind Franklin

4 out of 5 stars

North Street comes to mind here as an example. While the walk is still fairly short, it gets a bit dark the further down into the neighborhoods you get. There has also recently been some road work done on one of these back streets, which would hinder a drunken walk back home. For that reason, I have knocked off a star.

6. Places further down Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.

3 out of 5 stars

Many apartment complexes like Mill Creek fall into this category. The walk is steadily downhill until you pass the gas station, then the road starts uphill.

This walk, from experience, is not the most pleasant, but is doable. However, there are also some dark patches of road, and a serious lack of street crossing options which can be dangerous.

7. Carrboro

2 out of 5 stars

Sorry Carrboro, I love you, but a drunk walk home from Franklin Street is not always the most fun — especially if you live on the outskirts, rather than near the main part of town.

@MariaMullis2017

arts@dailytarheel.com