[6] The town, which is part of the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill combined statistical area, was named after North Carolina industrialist Julian S. Carr.

Located directly west of Chapel Hill, home of the University of North Carolina's flagship campus, Carrboro has a reputation as one of the most progressive communities in the Southeastern United States.

[7] In October 2002, Carrboro was among the first municipalities in the South to adopt resolutions opposing the Iraq War and the USA PATRIOT Act.

[10]: 10 ) Settlement in West End increased after 1898 when Thomas F. Lloyd of Chapel Hill built a steam-powered grist mill near the depot.

The University of North Carolina and other businesses in the area were growing rapidly and provided work in a wide range of occupations and locations.

Initially known as "West Of" due to its proximity to Chapel Hill, the area around the station developed into a thriving settlement, eventually becoming the town of Carrboro.

Carrboro was named for Julian S. Carr, a UNC alumnus, trustee, honorary degree recipient, industrialist, and philanthropist whose company brought electric power to the town.

Carr was also a white supremacist who opposed black suffrage, defended the Ku Klux Klan and lynchings, and endorsed of the "Lost Cause" interpretation of the Civil War, during which he served as a private in the Confederate States Army.

[17] The following passage, quoted in the letter, has become locally famous: One hundred yards from where we stand, less than ninety days perhaps after my return from Appomattox, I horse whipped a negro wench until her skirts hung in shreds because she had maligned and insulted a Southern lady, and then rushed for protection to these University buildings where was stationed a garrison of 100 Federal soldiers.

Winter temperatures tend to remain above or well above freezing, though snowfall does happen and occasional snow and ice storms are not unusual.

[31] In the early 1990s, a sizable influx of Latino immigrants began moving to Carrboro, attracted by jobs in the building and service trades.

The ArtsCenter[41] has featured nationally known roots music acts, such as David Lindley, Leon Russell, and Dr. John as well as internationally known artists including Richard Thompson and k.d.

[42] The Cat's Cradle, open for more than 50 years, hosts a diverse range of national and international musicians and performers like Nirvana, Public Enemy, John Mayer, Joan Baez, and Iggy Pop.

[43][44] The 84-seat Dirty South Institute (DSI) Comedy Theater in Carrboro, opened in 2006, boasted a local company of 50+ active performers and a national network of comedians.

[46] The space re-opened a few months later as the PIT Chapel Hill, a branch of the Peoples Improv Theater founded by Ali Reza Farahnakian, a former “Saturday Night Live” writer and UNC alumnus.

Many of these homes have since been razed, but numerous others have been restored; a number of these homes, centered on Shelton Street, are occupied by (particularly graduate) students at the nearby University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, however, increasing housing costs have resulted in a downwards trend in the student population of this area.

In 2002, the name of the event was changed to the Carrboro Music Festival and, in order to increase attendance by avoiding the summer heat, moved to the fall.

Carrboro is also home to the annual West End Poetry Festival, which draws in a great selection of local poets.

[50] Carrboro has also had a yearly Pride Promenade, where a rainbow goat is escorted down to the town commons where food trucks, Drag shows and other events take place.

Services include a medium-sized circulating collection of books, audiobooks, movies on DVD and VHS, and music CDs; computer and Internet access; magazines; and local and national newspapers.

Services include a small circulating collection of contemporary fiction, nonfiction, audiobooks, and Spanish and English language learning materials; computer, Internet, and wireless access; magazines; and local and national newspapers.

In 2001, Vivian Spiral[52] began hooping on the Weaver Street Market[53] lawn during the weekly music events.

The Adams Tract is a 27-acre (110,000 m2) urban forest area near the center of town that contains 1.25 miles (2.01 km) of trails for walking and hiking.

It contains a multi-purpose field, community garden, bicycle pump track, play equipment, amphitheater, pavilions.

Athletic fields, meeting rooms, kitchen, and pavilions are available for reservation[58] Carrboro operates under a council–manager form of government.

All city elections, which are held in November of odd-numbered years, are at-large and nonpartisan and are decided by a simple plurality.

[60] The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public Schools consistently rank as number one in North Carolina in terms of graduation rate, test scores and percentage of college-bound seniors.

WCOM is a low-power FM (LPFM) radio station entirely volunteer-run featuring locally produced music and community affairs programming.

Launched in March 2007, the Citizen was published weekly (on Thursdays) and was distributed free throughout town and the surrounding area.

Carrboro's nickname, "The Paris of the Piedmont," stems from a sardonic comment by John Martin, a reporter for the Chapel Hill Weekly.