It’s Carrboro

We were surprised, but, we admit, not shocked, to learn that Carrboro now has its very own rap song. After all, Carrboro might well be the only municipality in North Carolina with its own poet laureate, and the leap from rhyming to rapping is not a big one.

What can explain this burst of creativity from the former mill town in Orange County? Is it the proximity to UNC-Chapel Hill? The excellent schools? Something in the water? No, we think it all comes down to one thing: density. Carrboro has the greatest population density of any municipality in North Carolina at 3,161 people per square mile. More populous cities such as Charlotte and Durham have their citizens much more spread out, at 2,265 and 2,014 per square mile, respectively. All that closeness must foster a true spirit of collaboration. At least it gives Carrboroites something to rap about.

We think this is an excellent trend and hope that more North Carolina cities follow Carrboro’s example. We’re especially curious to see if an enterprising poet or rapper can come up with a rhyme for Fuquay-Varina.