


SILER CITY, NC (WEST)
PITTSBORO, NC (EAST)
East vs. West
Many interviewees we spoke to talked about the divide between east and west Chatham (and, to a lesser extent, the northern and southern parts of the county). The eastern part of the county, on account of its proximity to urban hubs in the Triangle, is often understood to be wealthier, more suburban, a microcosm of the larger changes taking place in the county as newcomers move into the area. The western part of the county, with towns like Siler City, is considered more rural and the site of less rapid changes – “the place,” as one interviewee puts it, that “time has forgot.”
While the East/West divide in Chatham may seem like a more recent development due to urban sprawl from the Triangle, it actually dates back to economic patterns in place since before the Civil War. But with new, major manufacturing projects springing up in both western and southern Chatham, this centuries-long dynamic in the county may soon change.
Listen to the Recordings
Lily McCrimmon
More Money, More City
Transcript:
McCrimmon discusses the various dividing factors between Siler City and Pittsboro
Interviewer(s):

Jeremiah Blake
High Three Hundreds
Transcript:
Blake discusses the economic divide between East and West
Interviewer(s):

Paul Cuadros
A Real Divide
Transcript:
Cuadros talks about the deep divides in the county
Interviewer(s):

Cicily McCrimmon
Bougie Pittsboro
Transcript:
McCrimmon details the difference she sees between Siler and her native Pittsboro
Interviewer(s):

Tommy Edwards
Siler and Pittsboro
Transcript:
Edwards describes the tensions between the East and West sides of the county
Interviewer(s):

Andy Pugh
There's a Divide
Transcript:
Pugh outlines the various elements factoring into the East/West divide in Chahtam