Living in Mebane Contents

Mebane’s Personality

Mebane is one of the Triangle’s most outlying towns and still has a rural, small town feel.

Mebane is also one of the Triad’s most outlying towns.

Is Mebane a part of the Triangle or the Triad? That’s kind of the beauty of it. Living in Mebane NC can give you access to both metropolitan areas.

Mebane also sits right along an interstate highway, about the same distance from Raleigh as it is from Greensboro. It’s also a common stop off for people traveling. These visitors bring a little more energy to an otherwise sleepy small town.

Another thing that might be good to know is the correct pronunciation of Mebane. It’s MEH-bin. 

Moving to Mebane, NC: Location

Mebane is located to the north west of Raleigh, about halfway between the Triad and the Triangle.

It’s got incredible highway access, bordering on I-40 and I-85.

Mebane is about 30 miles to Research Triangle Park, and with traffic can take anywhere from 35-45 minutes to get there during rush hour. 

It’s about 35 miles to Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU) and can take anywhere from 30-50 minutes to get there, depending on traffic.

Interestingly, Mebane is about the same distance from RTP and RDU as Knightdale, which sits on the east side of the Triangle. But living in Mebane NC means you’ll be commuting from the west side is a little less congested than driving from the east, making it a shorter commute. 

Being on the west side of the Triangle, Mebane is a little bit closer to the mountains and a little bit further from the beach. Wrightsville Beach is about 2 hours 45 minutes drive and Boone, the closest mountain town is a little over 2 hours west. Roanoke, Virginia is a larger city in the mountains and is pretty fun to visit. It’s also a little over 2 hours, but the drive is also a lot prettier than the drive to Boone, which is all highway. 

Charlotte is less than 2 hours away. Washington DC is 4.5 hours; Charleston, SC is5 hours; and if you’re really brave, and want to avoid a flight, New York City is 8.5 hours. This is just a small selection but there is a TON of day trips available from Mebane. 

Moving to Mebane, NC: Cost of Living

Check out Homes Currently For Sale in Mebane here.

Mebane is very affordable for the Triangle. The median home price is around $353,000 and it is one of the least expensive in the Triangle. 

According to Bestplaces.net, overall cost of living in Mebane NC is about 16% lower than the US average and 8% higher than North Carolina. Generally speaking, the Triangle is more expensive than most of North Carolina, but you get quite a bit for your money in Mebane. Groceries, housing, and transportation are all cheaper than the US average. 

Moving to Mebane, NC: Healthcare

Interestingly, healthcare is about the same cost as the national average, but it’s also 7%  cheaper than healthcare throughout the state of North Carolina.

Being cheaper doesn’t mean the care is worse.

The Triangle has the best healthcare outcomes in the state of North Carolina.

Mebane is close to multiple nationally ranked hospitals. Duke Hospital and the VA medical center in Durham, are both 25 minutes. And UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill is 35 minutes away. The VA medical center is staffed by Duke Doctors and offers great care to our veterans. 

Living in Mebane NC: Jobs & Economy

In 2022, the median household income in Mebane was $78,000, according to the US Census Bureau.

Mebane is primarily a bedroom community for people commuting to the universities in Chapel Hill, Durham and to Research Triangle Park.

Mebane is also a reasonable commute to the Toyota battery manufacturing plant in Julian NC (39 minutes) and the Boom Supersonic manufacturing plant in Greensboro (45 minutes).

There are currently no major industries in Mebane, however, in 2018 Orange County engaged Timmons group to perform an economic analysis for them. (Part of Mebane is in Alamance County and part is in Orange County.) The recommendations were to expand water, sewer and transportation access to make the area more attractive to companies. 

Living in Mebane NC: Culture and Community 

Downtown Mebane

Mebane has a bustling downtown district.

There is a Downtown Mebane non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance, develop, revitalize and preserve the historic district. People who live in Mebane NC love the incredible number of activities and events in the historic downtown put on by this non-profit.

There is a Makers Market 4 times a year. A Lantern Festival at Lake Michael, Second Chance Prom, Christmas in July, Autumn Fest, Chili Cook Off, and the ever popular Ho Ho Holiday Bar Crawl. And those are just the events put on by Downtown Mebane. 

There are some popular businesses that live in downtown Mebane. Go Girl Shoppe carries home goods. Gourmet Grove sells infused gourmet olive oils and vinegars. You can go into the shop and taste test different varieties. They keep crusty bread on hand for dipping.

I’m a big antique store fan and there are several in Mebane but I really like Big Oak Restoration, because they restore antique metal patio furniture and it’s really well done. 

Mebane Festivals

In addition to the events sponsored by Downtown Mebane, there are also regular events sponsored by the City of Mebane, which include:

• Mebane Dogwood Festival
• Juneteenth
• July Fourth
• Halloween Spooktacular
• and the Christmas Parade.

The town also has like Movies in the Park and their concert series, Musical Chairs.

Living in Mebane NC: Parks & Activities

The city of Mebane manages over 350 acres in a total of 9 parks throughout the city.

Amenities include: 12 ball fields, 9 tennis courts, 5 playgrounds, over 4 miles of trails and multi-use paths, 2 pocket parks, and many other recreation opportunities within these parks. 

Some popular facilities include: 

Mebane Community Park:  This incredible park has a splash pad for kids, 2 artificial turf athletic fields, playground, dog park, walking trails, and the city recently installed a Community Fitness Court.

Lake Michael Park: 60 acre lake with multiple fishing piers, boat launch, marina and boat rentals. 3 shelters, picnic areas, restrooms, 2 playgrounds, walking trails.

Cates Farm Park: 54 acre Cates Farm, was formerly a pickle farm and has been renovated into a nature retreat with miles of walking trails, butterfly garden and wildflower meadow, natural playground, and outdoor event space. Future plans for the park include restoration of existing barn, and addition of a playground. 

Walker Athletic Complex: Mebane’s newest tennis facility, equipped with 6 outstanding courts.  This complex also features a softball field and multipurpose field used for Baseball, Soccer, or Flag Football practices.  The fields at this complex are available for rent to the public.

Mebane Soccer Complex: 4 soccer fields, concessions and plenty of parking! 

Religion in Mebane

There are many varieties of Christian Churches in Mebane. Other major religious houses of worship are a short drive away in nearby towns. New Goloka Hindu Temple is 10 minutes away in Hillsborough, NC. Efland Baha’i Center is 10 minutes away in Efland, NC. Burlington Masjid is a house of worship for Muslims 17 minutes away in Burlington NC. Chabad of Elon & Burlington is a Jewish synagogue 20 minutes away in Elon, NC.

Living in Mebane, NC: Weather 

Living in Mebane NC, you’ll enjoy a moderate climate with mild winters and warm, humid summers.

Mebane gets 47 inches of rain each year, more than the national average of 38 inches.

We only get 4 inches of snow (the national average is 28) and like in other Triangle towns, most people enjoy it because snow is very short lived. It usually melts by the next day.

You’ll notice living in the Triangle that the line between snow and rain often happens somewhere north and west of Durham. It’s not unusual for Mebane and other towns to the northwest to see snow when the rest of the Triangle has rain. Having said that, snow rarely happens, and we don’t see it every year.

Mebane also has 215 sunshine days per year, much higher than the national average of 217 days.  

Living in Mebane NC Education

Public Schools

Mebane is part of the Alamance-Burlington School System. Public schools that serve Mebane:

• Audrey Garrett Elementary
• E.M. Yoder Elementary
• South Mebane Elementary
• Hawfields Middle
• Woodlawn Middle
• Eastern Alamance High School

Private & Charter Schools:

(Charter schools are publicly funded schools, run similar to the way a private school is run.) 

Bradford Academy: A classical, Christian school offering Transitional Kindergarten through grade 12. 

Crime in Mebane NC

Is Mebane NC a safe place to live? 

Mebane, North Carolina’s crime rate for violent crime is 34% less than the US average (18.0 to 22.7 on a 100-point scale). 

Property crime in Mebane NC, is 1.75x the national average, rated as 61 compared to the national average of 35.4. You will often see towns and cities that sit right on the highway with higher rates of property crime. I don’t know for sure, but Mebane also has an outlet mall, Tanger Outlets, that sits right along the I-85 corridor. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of this property crime takes place at this mall. 

Comparing the numbers to Raleigh proper, we see that, Mebane’s violent crime is less than what we see in Raleigh. 

• Mebane’s violent crime = 18
• Raleigh’s violent crime = 20.3

However again, property crime is higher in Mebane than in Raleigh.

• Mebane’s property crime = 61
• Raleigh’s property crime = 44.4 

Mebane is definitely a safe place to live, but be aware that there is more property crime along the I-85/I-40 corridor and be sure to lock car doors and don’t leave valuables inside cars unattended in Mebane. 

Living in Mebane NC: Sports & Recreation

The town of Mebane  offers the following sports and recreation opportunities: 

Adults Recreation

Mebane offers Pickleball and Tennis for adults. Additionally, their Grow Golf Now program is designed to introduce kids and their families to the game of golf. Golf takes place at the Mill Creek Golf Course in Mebane. 

Youth Recreation 

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Flag Football
• Tackle Football
• Golf
• Lacross
• Softball
• Tball
• Volleyball
• Tennis 
• MYSA Soccer 

Additionally, Mebane offers Mebane on the Move: an organization that provides programs for adults and youth to get locals moving. They have walking groups, hiking groups, running groups and fitness classes. 

Things to Do

Whiskey Sowers is the local live music venue with a full line of concerts and a full bar. 

Mebane Train Display is basically someone’s hobby of train collecting turned into a train museum. They are open one day a week and it’s free to visit. They have 7 trains running and hundreds on display. 

Food & Shopping in Mebane

Mebane is different than most small towns.

But it’s also the same.

I know that sounds crazy. Mebane is different because it has a major shopping mall with all the popular mall stores right in town.

This is unique for a town with a population of only 18,000 residents. But at the same time, if you live in Mebane NC, you won’t have the typical big box stores you’ll see in many areas. No Target, no Marshalls, no Michael’s, no Kohls. (There is a Super Walmart.)

But in the Tanger Outlet Mall you’ll find Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, J Crew and Gap among many many others. (Of course, all are factory outlets).

You don’t have to go far for big box stores though. 

University Commons in Burlington is about 20 minutes away and has Michaels, Best Buy, Target, and TJ Maxx. Or you can drive 25 minutes to Durham and get all that plus a ton more options to pick from. 

Boutique Shopping

What Mebane lacks in big box stores, it makes up for in boutique shopping.

The Elegant Relic is a women’s boutique in downtown Mebane.

Solgarden is a gift shop and Grit & Grace is an artisan boutique specializing in unique fragrances made with high quality ingredients.

LaBoardega is North Carolina’s only bodega and skate shop. It’s owned by chef and skateboard enthusiast, Nohe weir-villatoro. 

Grocery Stores

The main grocery stores in Mebane are Lowes Foods, which is a North Carolina based store, SuperWalmart and Food Lion. There are also several specialty grocers: Mis Amigos Bodega, Kenyans Meat Market is a local source for fresh meat, amazing fresh vegetables and free range eggs, a small selection of pantry items as well as locally raised dairy products. 

Costco, Whole Foods are 25 minutes away in Durham and Trader Joes is 25 minutes away in Chapel Hill.

Popular Restaurants 

• Catrina Tequila and Taco Bar: Catrinas is a local spot for margaritas and tacos. Everything is made from scratch, no shortcuts, nothing artificial, no preservatives, just scratch made tacos, margaritas, infused tequila, salsa and more!
• 2 Twelve Seasonal Kitchen & Bar: Southern comfort food and a full bar. 
• Wooden Nickel Public House: This longtime local gathering spot in Hillsborough recently opened a location in Mebane. Serving North Carolina brews, and a full menu of pub grub, mostly grown at Wooden Nickel Farms. 
• Junction on 70: Mom and pop joint serving wings, burgers, pizza, pasta and other comfort foods. 
• Sakura Grill: Quality Japanese fare at affordable prices. Sakura serves popular favorites, Hibachi, Teriyaki and Poke Bowls. 

Popular Neighborhoods in Mebane NC

Mebane offers a variety of neighborhoods, each with its own charm. Two of the most popular neighborhoods in Mebane are: 

Mill Creek $350k – $800k+ Gorgeous golf community centered around Mill Creek Country Club. It is a semi-private Pat Dye designed golf course; Member/Residents are allowed to use their own golf carts. Mill Creek offers a gorgeously landscaped fountain entrance, swimming pool, tennis courts, playground, ball fields and a fishing pond! Single family homes ranging in size from 1700 square feet up to 5000 square feet.

The Village at Lake Michael: $225k-$375k+- Townhome community walkable to beautiful Lake Michael! Enjoy the community clubhouse, pool and workout room. Homes are 1100 to 1800 square feet. 

Cons of Living in Mebane

Being right on the highway can be a good thing. . . It makes commutes much shorter and easier.

But it also brings more crime, noise and pollution.

I personally don’t like big commercial shopping districts up on highways, like the Tanger Outlets. However, you could live in Mebane and stay away from that stuff.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)