Briar Chapel is a community in Orange County, North Carolina, home to about 6,049 people across 2.1 square miles. It has no ZIP code of its own: it’s part of 27312 and 27516.
Homes sold for a median of $275 per square foot across 2 ZIP codes in the three months ending August 2026, and 1 of 2 were seller’s markets.
Part is in Briar Chapel, part in Pittsboro and Fearrington Village
Mostly Chapel Hill; part is in Briar Chapel
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Briar Chapel. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Briar Chapel’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)18 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Durham, NC13 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Philadelphia, PA357 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Briar Chapel; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
It’s the 147th largest of 771 towns in North Carolina by population.
Orange County grew from 14,690 residents in 1900 to 148,696 in 2020.
Orange County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 90°F in summer, and winter lows average 29°F. About 49 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 3 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Chapel Hill 2 W, NC weather station (2 miles away).
51,807 jobs at 3,491 businesses in Orange County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
607 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Briar Chapel’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 57 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 46 |
| Dentists | 36 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 65 |
| Mental health providers | 310 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 76 |
| Optometrists | 6 |
| Chiropractors | 11 |
| Pharmacies | 11 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (1 nearby)
Grocery stores (1 nearby)
Pharmacies (1 nearby)
Libraries
Museums
Theaters and performance venues
Counts are within about 1 mile of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by Chatham County Schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Willow Oak Montessori and others. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham Grove ElementaryPittsboro | Pre-K–5 | 683 | Public | 6.0 mi |
| FPG ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 536 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| McDougle ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 497 | Public | 2.1 mi |
| Morris Grove ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 383 | Public | 4.6 mi |
| Northside ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 412 | Public | 2.8 mi |
| Perry W Harrison ElementaryPittsboro | Pre-K–5 | 262 | Public | 7.0 mi |
| Pittsboro ElementaryPittsboro | Pre-K–4 | 503 | Public | 13.3 mi |
| Scroggs ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 410 | Public | 2.7 mi |
| Seawell ElementaryChapel Hill | Pre-K–5 | 416 | Public | 3.2 mi |
| Willow Oak MontessoriPittsboro | K–8 | 281 | Charter | 5.8 mi |
| Woods CharterChapel Hill | K–12 | 515 | Charter | 5.9 mi |
| George M. Horton MiddlePittsboro | 5–8 | 414 | Public | 13.4 mi |
| Culbreth MiddleChapel Hill | 6–8 | 632 | Public | 2.4 mi |
| Margaret B. Pollard MiddleChapel Hill | 6–8 | 736 | Public | 5.8 mi |
| McDougle MiddleChapel Hill | 6–8 | 659 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| Smith MiddleChapel Hill | 6–8 | 763 | Public | 3.4 mi |
| Phoenix Academy HighChapel Hill | 8–12 | 27 | Alternative Education | 2.2 mi |
| Chapel Hill HighChapel Hill | 9–12 | 1,608 | Public | 3.5 mi |
| Northwood HighPittsboro | 9–12 | 634 | Public | 10.6 mi |
| Seaforth HighPittsboro | 9–12 | 1,088 | Public | 11.8 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson Waldorf SchoolChapel Hill | Pre-K–12 | 266 | Nonsectarian | 6.2 mi |
| Haw River Christian AcademyPittsboro | Pre-K–12 | 150 | Christian (no specific denomination) | 12.8 mi |
| Thales Academy PittsboroPittsboro | Pre-K–7 | 256 | Nonsectarian | 12.6 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Pittsboro and Fearrington Village.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.