Eric Andrews has loved rural living in Chatham County, North Carolina, but admits there are things that newcomers should consider before making the change. From the wildlife to the sport shooting to the lax speed laws, Eric gives us all the details on what you should know when moving to Chatham County.
Speaker 1: What are some things people should know about Chatham County?
Speaker 2: If you’re going to move to Chatham County, there are a few things you need to know. First of all, the most important thing you need to know is animals are trying to get into your house.
Speaker 1: What kind of animals?
Speaker 2: Every kind, snakes, bats, mice, squirrels. Squirrels, everybody thinks squirrels are nice and cute. Squirrels do a lot of damage. I know somebody who has skunks in their house now. Cute little baby skunks still are stinky critters. Yeah, all sorts of animals are trying to get in your house.
Speaker 1: Snakes?
Speaker 2: Snakes. The biggest problem… We’ve had a few snakes in people’s kitchens and everything. I had one client that said she was going to sue me there was so many snakes in her house. We found out that it was from bird feeders. She had a ton of bird feeders in her backyard, but she got rid of the bird feeders. That got rid of all the mice. Once we got rid of all the mice, we got rid of all the snakes. She ended up being happy with me again and I sold her a house years later without a snake disclosure. But yeah, animals are trying to get into your house in Chatham County. Another thing you need to know is you cannot speed on 64, 421, 15, 501, and 87, but all the other roads don’t have a speed limit. You can go as fast as you want on the back country roads. That’s not entirely true or whatever, but-
Speaker 1: I’ve seen them. That’s terrifying because they’re very narrow.
Speaker 2: They’re narrow roads. They are terrifying, but you need to be aware that speed limits aren’t as important on country roads-
Speaker 1: As long as they stay in their lane, I’m okay.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Texting and not staying in their lane. You need to know that your neighbors will shoot. There’s lots of target practice going on in Chatham County. And even with the cost of ammunition, you’ll be surprised how many times they will shoot on a Saturday or a Sunday. So, a lot of your neighbors will shoot. Doesn’t mean that there’s a war going on. Doesn’t mean that there’s anything nefarious going on. It’s just in Chatham County, your neighbors will like to shoot.
One of the biggest things people don’t understand in Chatham County, depending on where you are, you are responsible for your own garbage. There are services and companies that pick up garbage in Pittsboro, in Siler City. The town will pick up your garbage. If you’re in a nice hoity-toity neighborhood, a company will come by and pick up your garbage. But the vast majority of us in Chatham County are responsible for our own garbage, taking it to the recycling center. And you have to know your recycling centers and you better be nice to your recycling person there because they’re very, very strict about what you can throw out and what you can’t throw out.
The most important, best advice I can give you in Chatham County, there are two kinds of hurt in Chatham County. When you get hurt, you need to assess what kind of hurt you are. So to give you an example, one time I was taking down a roof and a nail went into the palm of my hand rather deeply. And so, I pulled the board out and I knew I needed stitches. I knew it’d been a while since I got my tetanus shot. So, I drove myself to the Siler City UNC hospital and I was admitted, stitched, and given my shot and released in less than an hour. Okay? We all know that at UNC Chapel Hill, that would take three to five hours at least.
However, if you were to cut off your hand or you think you’re really, really sick, they’re probably going to airlift you from Siler City to Chapel Hill. And by the time that all happens, it might be, I’m just letting you be aware, it might be safer and better for you just to drive yourself or whoever you’re taking care of to Chapel Hill directly because there’s two kinds of hurt. And if you’re really, really hurt, you might as well just go to Chapel Hill. It’s one of the best hospitals in the country, so, and we’re lucky to have it right here.
Very, very, very important too. People know in Chatham County, things are cheaper south and west of Pittsboro.
Speaker 3: Yes.
Speaker 2: I mean everything’s cheaper. So, if you’re going to get work done to your house, look south and west of Pittsboro. If you’re going to have a tree service, whatever, whatever it is, if you’re buying stuff, if you’re buying mulch or pinestraw or whatever, everything is cheaper south and west of here. So, that is a huge thing. When we go north and east of Pittsboro, those are Cary and Chapel Hill prices.
And when we go south then those are like good Goldston prices. And-
Speaker 1: Is land cheaper out there?
Speaker 2: Land is much, much cheaper. Yep. Absolutely. Land is much cheaper. It’s not easy to get acreage properties north and east of Pittsboro. If you want acreage, you got to go south and west of Pittsboro. And then, the last thing people need to know is you cannot buy clothes in Chatham County. There are some clothes you can buy. Gulf has a really good Carhartt selection. And Walmart has some decent clothes just for working in the yard. But if you want any clothes, we don’t have any places that sell clothes in all of Chatham County. So, those are the big things you need to know. It’s a little bit different in a rural area.
