Real Estate

Chapel Hill, N.C.

Annual home price performance: Underperformed
Local home price change: –3%
State home price change: 3%
2007 local median home price: $263,500
2007 state median home price: $155,500

Chapel Hill, along with nearby Durham and Raleigh, make up the Research Triangle, a name adopted after the creation of the Research Triangle Park in 1959. It's a liberal college town with bicycle-friendly streets and a vibrant downtown and music scene.