A random list of what we like about this little town
Downtown
Vibrant, bustling and kinda quirky — downtown Carrboro has not just survived the demise of the great American downtown, it’s defied it — thriving, expanding and becoming the envy of its neighbors. The formula employed is no secret — forward-thinking planning, a willingness to make the place welcoming and walkable, with inviting public and private spaces. But most of all what’s made downtown a success has been the absolute commitment on the part of the community, first, to not let it die the way others have and, second, to make the investments necessary to be sure it remains what it’s always been — the center of town.
Farmers’ Market
Carrboro has always been a bit of a market town, a place where the small farmers from the area gathered to sell their wares. The latest formal incarnation of this concept began some 30 years ago in a parking lot off Roberson Street. This year, the Carrboro Farmers’ Market turns 30 (see page 10). Had you told the originators that one day it would be a major institution with a sturdy shaded shelter, a bandstand, electricity and a drinking fountain, they’d have had a right good laugh.
Town Commons & Century Center
As stated earlier, the public places at the center of Carrboro have been essential gathering spots for social and political events and for the exposition of this area’s arts and music. In the past year, for instance, the Century Center has been filled to capacity both for an old-fashioned political debate on the question of impeachment and for the 90th birthday of a beloved resident.
The Town Commons is becoming, as intended, home to the Farmers’ Market; the Really, Really Free Market; socials; potlucks; picnics; and random lazy-afternoon meetups in the shade.
Bolin Creek
The little waterway that begins as a spring not far from Union Grove Church ambles through northern Carrboro, skirts the northern tip of the Adams Tract and finally crosses the railroad tracks and into Chapel Hill at Estes Drive Extension. Bolin Creek has many fans and a cadre of champions and protectors. It’s a small creek — barely a trickle at times — but it’s our creek, or at least ours to nurture and protect. Pay a visit to Friends of Bolin Creek (bolin.org) and learn more about how to help the waterway.
Cat’s Cradle
http://www.catscradle.com/
Sometimes a business is a business for so long that it becomes an institution. The Cradle is such a place — a music club of national renown. It’s legendarily taciturn owner, Frank Heath, grew up in the community and is a steady hand on the tiller. After spending its formative years in Chapel Hill, the club was enticed to settle in Carrboro, where it is responsible for drawing hundreds to downtown several nights a week.

The Rail Line
In the last issue of MILL, we lauded the J Line that runs from the railyards of Durham through Carrboro and on to the university power plant. It’s hard to imagine a Carrboro without the occasional toot from the freight train and slow roll through town. The freight hauled on the J Line was the foundation of the local economy, and its transport of coal to the power plant replaces what would be dozens of semi-truckloads. As for the future, plans call for the line to also feature rail commuter service or an adjacent dedicated bus way.
The Weave
http://www.weaverstreetmarket.coop/
The unofficial front porch and lawn of Carrboro is full this time of year and plays host on into the fall for scores of events and activities. From reggae to bluegrass, beekeepers to wiener dogs, Weaver Street Market is more than the local co-op with the artisan bakery; it’s the birthplace and epicenter of our café culture.

The ArtsCenter
http://www.artscenterlive.org/
The ArtsCenter is so important to the local arts community that Chapel Hill once tried to claim it on its application to be an All-American City. Sorry, The ArtsCenter is in Carrboro, but we’ll concede that it does belong to a much wider community.
Of late, the organization has been working on a plan to expand — not a bad idea given that it’s bursting at the seams. In theater, arts education, exhibitions and as a music venue, the ArtsCenter is getting bigger and better.
Bike Paths
Spend a little time on the winding little strips of asphalt that criss-cross through Carrboro and you quickly learn that they are not just some expensive amenity for recreation transportation. When school is in session, they are important and busy conveyors of the growing ranks of non-car commuters. Anytime, they are a wonderful and safe way to get from A to B, with a backyard tour of the town thrown in for good measure.
That Certain Je Ne Sais quoi d’carrboro
Former alderman Hilliard Caldwell is reported to have responded to the idea that Carrboro and Chapel Hill merge by saying that it was fine by him “as long as we call it Carrboro.â€
What is it that makes those who live here so defiantly proud and so quick to note that they are not a suburb of our more famous neighbor? What makes a former mill village of roughly 17,000 think it can call itself the Paris of the Piedmont? Or declare French Food month? We don’t know what that certain something is (can’t be the water — they drink the same stuff next door), but reveling in our geographical distinction and la difference d’Carrboro is as powerful an inclination today as it was when we were a hard-scrabble mill town next door to Chapel Hill and its haute couture; but in spirit, far, far away.
Illustrations by Phil Blank.