Current UNC student who doesn't party on a regular basis nor drink leisurely; I was just looking for a decent and cheap place close to campus.

Living here and having to take the infamous "J-bus" for a year definitely tested my tolerance level. I'm now back on campus (thank GOD!).

Here's the gist of it all, and I'll start with the pros to try and be somewhat positive. I've provided a more detailed description below about my experience here for anyone who wants it.

Pros: Close to campus, J-bus accessible, somewhat cheap pricing (considering rent, utilities, internet, cable). Looks nice, at first.

Cons: Nasty, fairly run-down place to live, cheap and old apartments, crackheads and drunk bums like to gather here, CRIME. Poor venting, air-conditioning, just a really bad place overall.

Bottom Line: NOT recommended; NOT safe for women, and for that matter, men; you DON'T get what you pay for.


Here's the more detailed part:

Pros: EXTREMELY CHEAP RENT (For the Chapel Hill, Carrboro area at least) for a two bed, one bath, average spacing. My roommate and I paid $500 per month, and got our first month free. BUT, here's where they get you; none of that rent applies to cable, internet, or electricity. Obviously you can go without these things, but as a student, I HAD to have internet and electricity.

If you want internet and cable, that's another 50-60 bucks total (depending on the deals Time Warner Cable is giving out). Like electricity' Add on another 70-80 bucks a month, total. The grand total comes out to about 120-140 for utilities, internet, cable 500 for rent (and that was half a year ago!) ==> 620-640 grand total, or 310-320 per person. Honestly, you can find some better deals in the same general area, minus the crime and shadiness. Management was decent, but nothing special.

Cons: YOU DON'T GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR, except perhaps those who like pets: ROACHES (I honestly have to say that every week I would have to kill around 15 roaches, or some other insect. And these were BIG roaches!!!!). It got to the point that I couldn't go to sleep until I killed 10 roaches in the living room/kitchen and stuffed a towell under my bedroom door to keep the bugs out and. My roomy and I cleaned the place at the very least once a month, and I mean CLEANED! As the old saying goes, you can't make chicken soup with chicken poop.

Abbey Court changed its name a few years back to try and "restart." Nonetheless, this place is part of the public housing provided by the city and for obvious reasons (I didn't know this until about a few months into my contract), which necessarily isn't a bad thing, but the majority of the residents are not the kind you'd like to meet coming home from a late-night group project or a night out with the friends. This has nothing to do with skin color, and everything to do with the character of the individuals. Not an acceptable place for students, or people with children, or anyone who can afford to pay a bit more, or anyone who values their sanity, life, etc.

I was confronted many times by drunkards and my own neighbor from down stairs was arrested for larceny, posession of un-registered weapons, kidnapping and domestic abuse. I know this because he TOLD me he needed money to travel to Durham for his court appearance!!! My roomy and I def. got used to the whole buddy system (if you don't use it, be sure to have a tenis racket in hand to evade any trouble). Have 911 on speed dial even though the cops patrol the place about once every hour (hmm, I wonder why').

Loud Music is common, my car was hit in the parking lot and the person who did it never notified me, etc. The list of bad goes on and on and on. Only positive I took out of this was that I could joke to friends that I survived Abbey Court, hehe. Also just that it gives you a different perspective on life in the "ghetto." Definitely not something I'd want permanently, but a good "challenge" for anyone who wants to "widen their horizons."

I'll end it here, but for the sake of UNC basketball and all the good in the world, DO NOT LIVE HERE. I never felt safe even in my bedroom, and my only soloace was that a few other UNC students had made my same mistake of signing a contract with Abbey Court.

If that's not enough, the some of the office staff are dook fans!

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