For Meg McGurk, falling in love with Chapel Hill was a chance encounter.
Fourteen years ago, McGurk — who today is executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership and an unofficial Chapel Hill advocate — packed her bags and set out to explore the country with her husband.
While driving through North Carolina, they saw the exit sign for Chapel Hill and decided to drive through.
Having never heard of Chapel Hill, McGurk said destiny and fate can only explain their stop in the town.
She described her encounter with Franklin Street as love at first sight. The moment she laid eyes on downtown, there was no doubt in her mind about where she belonged.
McGurk and her husband went to dinner at Italian Pizzeria III, and while they were eating, they saw a Chapel Hill newspaper plant across the street.
They crossed the street, bought the day’s paper and began looking for jobs and apartments.
After their day in Chapel Hill, they drove to her parents’ home in Virginia and begin to prepare for their new life.
Soon after, McGurk’s husband, a chef, was hired on the spot after an interview. McGurk found a job shortly after.
And within two weeks of their first visit, McGurk found herself living in the town. She’s been here ever since.
“Every day for 14 years I find a different reason for why I love Chapel Hill,” McGurk said.
And she thinks Chapel Hill’s future is bright.
“I see a town where every day it’s growing and getting better,” she said. “I’m very fortunate to have discovered Chapel Hill.”
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