Franklin Street Celebrations and Duke

As an interested prospective student of Carolina, I am sure you have heard about the “little” athletic rivalry we have with our friends from Durham (Duke). The truth is at Carolina we have a lot of respect for Duke University, and we often work with each other. Don’t believe me? I’ll give you a few examples:  

• Many of the teachers who teach at Duke also teach at Carolina
• Students at Duke and Carolina can enroll in classes at the other university
• Much of the research dollars that UNC and Duke receive is because we have the ability to share facilities and staff (enabling the two universities to complete research that many other institutions cannot)
• We share library resources with one another
• Both Duke and UNC have 15 students who enroll each year as Robertson Scholars. This scholarship requires that the 15 students from each University not only take classes at the other institution, but also live there for one semester
• There is a free bus that goes between the two campuses every 30 minutes

That said, however, Carolina and Duke will always be referred to as rivals because of athletics. The fact is nothing puts students in a better mood here than a victory against our neighbors who live a mere 8 miles away. A victory usually followed by celebration and a “rush to Franklin Street.” You might be wondering what is Franklin Street?

Franklin Street in my opinion is one of those differentiating factors that separates UNC from many universities. Along this street, which runs parallel to the north edge of campus, are restaurants, clothing stores, banks, a post office, among much else.

What might surprise you, however, is that the commercial activity of this street began around 1795. It was at this time the University opened its doors as the first public university in the nation. (Random piece of trivia: The first student walked 90 miles from Wilmington, NC and his feet were so tired that they had to delay classes. His name was Hinton James and there is now a dorm named after him). As the University grew, so did business activity on Franklin Street.

Here is a sampling of what you can find today:

Food: Ben & Jerry’s, Bruegger’s Bagels, BW3 Bar and Grill, Caribou Coffee, Coldstone Creamery, Jimmy John’s, Katie’s Pretzels, McAlister’s Deli, McDonald’s, Miami Subs, Panera Bread, Pita Pit, Quiznos, Starbucks Coffee, Subway, among many many more.

Banks: Bank of America, BB&T, Nation’s Bank, RBC, Wachovia

Beauty Stores: Aesthetic Hair Salon, Great Cuts, Hair Cuttery, Perfect Nails, Salon 135, among others

Clothing: 5 UNC apparel stores, Julian’s (very famous clothing designer who designed UNC’s basketball uniforms), Polo Rugby, among others including numerous boutiques

Random: Post Office, a dozen or more bars, music stores, florists, bookstores, a bike store, a hardwood store, sunglass stores, gift stores, furniture stores, etc.

With all this on Franklin Street, you probably aren’t surprised that students “rush to Franklin Street” following a victory against Duke. Usually, however, it isn’t for shopping or eating, but for the sheer joy of joining your fellow Tar Heels in a street-wide celebration.