Small towns continue to appeal to folks…

Holly Springs, N.C.: Quiet town in ‘Research Triangle’ emerges as new second-home market

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2012

BY  SHANNNON ROXBOROUGH

Not all that long ago, to suggest Holly Springs, N.C., as a destination would have been a stretch. Up until the last decade of the 20th century, the central North Carolina town led a quiet existence, generally bypassed by the state’s economic ascent as a high-tech hub. It was not on anyone’s radar.

In the past 20 years, however, the town has made enormous strides in growth and development, putting itself squarely on the regional map as a place ripe for business and personal life. Today, Holly Springs is blooming, thanks to its proximity to the technology incubator that is the Research Triangle, formed by the cities of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.

About 17 miles southwest of Raleigh, Holly Springs’ current and future prosperity hinges on its new role as both an environment conducive to enterprise — Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis built its $600 million flu vaccine manufacturing facility here — and convenient for upwardly mobile professionals seeking an easy commute into the tri-city area.

Real estate agents say that the bedroom community’s property market is dominated by commuters rather than people buying second homes. But many of the same attributes that make Holly Springs attractive to working couples and families also give it allure to those in the market for vacation getaways or retirement homes.

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Ellerbe: Small town character in the Sandhills of NC!

Once known as a peach center, Ellerbe now features truck farming, tobacco farms, and poultry and swine farms in the surrounding area.

Downtown has antique stores, a general merchandise store, a hardware; beauty salons, funeral homes, a realty/forestry office, a medical clinic, banks, churches, grocery stores, a feed, seed, and fertilizer store, a small-engine repair shop, garages, service stations, a post office, a drugstore, an ice cream stand, a hosiery mill, a recycling center, and three restaurants. A restaurant/inn is located just 1/2 mile north of the city limits.

The town has a multi-cultural population. The 2000 census reported 1,021 residents.

Visit: http://www.ellerbenc.com/

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Maxton: “A Good Place To Live”

The first settlers in this area settled along the Shoe Hill Creek and Lumber River in the 1700’s. Incorporated in 1874 as Shoe Hill (from the Gaelic “S”, the shape of the nearby creek), Maxton also held the names of Tilden (after an 1876 Democratic candidate for US President) and Quhele (Gaelic for “arrow part of a stream”). The name was changed back to Shoe Hill in1881 and finally to Maxton in 1887. Maxton was chosen to honor the Scottish settlers to the area.

Education was important in the early years of Maxton in 1841, just outside of town, John Gilchrist Jr. founded Floral College, the first woman’s college in the state to confer degrees. Maxton was also the site of the first school opened by famous black educator, Charles N. Hunter (1818-1831). He went on to form the North Carolina Industrial Association to try to improve the lives of African Americans by emphasizing economic progress rather than political activity.

Maxton is very proud of their hometown people who include: Angus W. McLean Governor of North Carolina 1924-1928; Malcom McLean, founder of McLean Trucking & SeaLand Inc., he was named “Man of the Century” by the international Maritime Hall of Fame; and Alice Russell Micheaux, concert soloist and movie actress-her credits include: The Betrayal (1948), God’s Step Children (1938) Murder in Harlem (1935) and The Broken Violin (1927).

Maxton is a town on the move, over the past few years strives have been made to restore the downtown area. The entire downtown area has been placed on the National Register of Historical Places. The “Avenue of Mayors”, a project that placed utility lines underground along Patterson Street and planted trees in memory and honor of former Mayors. The town offices are housed in the restored Patterson building. The restoration was the brainchild of The Preservation Maxton Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises money to restore and save endangered historical buildings in Maxton. The Town restored the Freight Building, which houses a restaurant with an additional space for rent.

For more info: http://www.ci.maxton.nc.us

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Hiddenite, NC: “Gem of the Brushies”

Source: Associated Content

Published August 12, 2010 by:

David B. Bolick

Hiddenite, North Carolina, is located in Alexander County and in a spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains called the Brushy Mountains. For such a small unincorporated town it boasts some unusual history and interesting attractions.

The area used to be called White Plains and, at one time, was a health resort due to it’s sulfur springs. The town was named after William Earl Hidden, a mineralogist sent here by Thomas Edison to look for platinum deposits. Instead of finding platinum he found something more valuable, some emeralds and a rare mineral that was later named hiddenite. Hiddenite is also the town I live in and after living in many places in the United States I wouldn’t have it any other way. Life is slow paced in many small towns and Hiddenite is no exception. The people are friendly, crime rate is very low and most everything you need readily available.

A lot of families and school children come to Hiddenite to visit the Emerald Hollow Mine. The mine is one of just a few where the public can hunt for emeralds, sapphires, and other valuable gem stones. The mine offers much for your families entertainment and has primitive camping facilities, sluicing facilities, a creek, professional gem cutting and lapidary, and a mineral shop in addition to the main mine. For those that would rather camp in better style, or have RVs, there is the HiddeNite Camp Grounds. The camp is located along the South Yadkin River, has 37 full RV hookups, primitive tent sites, large swimming pool and over 30 acres of nature area.

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NC Pickle Festival in Mount Olive: April 23-24!

The N.C. Pickle Festival Pickleball Tournament, set from noon to 4 p.m. in Mount Olive College’s Pope Wellness Center.

The Band of Oz on Friday, April 23 at the Mount Olive Airport. Enjoy great music, and be a part of a great N.C. Pickle Festival tradition! Tickets are $12. Gates open at 7 p.m. The concert starts at 8.

• You can park at Mount Olive College’s Kornegay Arena and catch a free shuttle to the festival downtown. The shuttle runs every 30 minutes from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• The festival will hold a canned food drive to benefit the Food Bank of CENC. The food drive features three festival drop off locations, and a contest for local dance studios! Details
• The annual Friends of Steele Memorial Library Book Sale will be held in the future home of Steele Library – the former Belk Building on West Chestnut Street.

For More Info, Visit: http://www.ncpicklefest.org/

To learn more about the book, visit: InSearchofMayberry.com!

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Scotland Neck, NC – Small Town Character

In 1722 a colony of Scotch Highlanders led by Lord Nairn settled in the “neck” of the Roanoke River. The name Scotland Neck first described the small communities that clustered around this original settlement. Nearly 150 years later, a progressive citizen named John Hyman adopted the name for the town he was to establish in this thriving area of commerce. Scotland Neck was officially incorporated in 1867 and work began creating the spacious avenues and tree-lined median of the north and southbound lanes of Main Street.

Today this historic median is festooned with glorious crepe myrtles that bloom each summer, a sight that welcomes thousands of visitors to Scotland Neck’s annual Crepe Myrtle Festival in August. Live music, craftspeople with their wares, food and drink entertain the visitors, guests and home folks who fill our streets. However, this festival is just one highlight in a town that values civic involvement.

Kiwanis, Lions, Junior Order, Masons and other civic groups take pride in annual projects that add value to the community. These clubs are joined by Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian and Catholic churches working together to broaden Scotland Neck’s base of support, attracting people of all backgrounds and denominations to the community.

For more information, visit: http://www.townofscotlandneck.com

To learn more about the book, visit: InSearchofMayberry.com!  

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Edenton aims to draw tourists with new businesses

Source: HamptonRoads.com

The Virginian-Pilot
© October 18, 2009

By Connie Sage,  Correspondent

EDENTON, N.C.

With a 12 percent jobless rate, this tourism-dependent community of 5,000 has been hit hard by the recession.

But entrepreneurs are hoping that more than a half-dozen new or planned restaurants, inns and a yacht club will lure guests to historic Edenton.

A new bed and breakfast had its coming-out party last week. Another inn is to open by December. Two oyster bars and grills are to be in business by November. Another eatery had its grand opening earlier this month. There’s a new bistro at the local country club. And a local chef expects to start serving dinner before Christmas.

Paul Waff has leased space for an oyster bar and grill in a new three-story building at his Wharf Landing condominium community. Wharf Landing overlooks the juncture of the Chowan River and the Albemarle Sound at the Chowan River Bridge.

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VISIT THE TOWN OF EDENTON, NC

To learn more about the book, visit: InSearchofMayberry.com!  

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Columbia, NC – Pride of Tyrrell County

“Columbia, Tyrrell County is home to tens of thousands of acres of protected lands, 85% of the entire county,  just waiting for you to explore! The ancient maritime forests remind us of time before human encroachment. You may be rewarded with an awe inspiring glimpse of soaring bald eagles or hear the cries of the parent ospreys protecting their huge nest perch precariously high in the overhead boughs. Wetlands provide critical habitat for more than 20 endangered, rare and threatened species including free roaming Red Wolves. So leave your car and put your feet on the earth. Turn off your phone and listen to the chatter of the birds. Dock your motor boat, Jet Ski and wave runner, put in a canoe and paddle the water to a slower pace and listen to the rhythms of your heart and breath.

Columbia on the Scuppernong features one of North Carolina’s most picturesque waterfronts and offers protected, deep-water anchorages along the town docks and marinas. In addition to the beautiful Scuppernong River, Tyrrell County is bordered on the north by the Albemarle Sound, the East Coast’s largest estuary and to the east by the Alligator River and sunsets to die for. Tyrrell County was formed in 1729 from Chowan, Bertie, Currituck and Pasquotank counties. Named for Sir John Tyrrell, one of the Lords Proprietors of the Carolina colony. Tyrrell County’s boundaries originally stretched westward from Roanoke Island to near present-day Tarboro.
In 1870 the territory was divided and resulted in what is now known as Tyrrell, Martin, Washington, and Dare counties. Elizabethtown, later renamed Columbia, was established on the banks of the Scuppernong River in 1793 and became the Tyrrell County seat in 1799.

To find out more about this “Mayberry”, please visit The Town of Columbia’s website: http://www.columbianc.com/

To learn more about the book, visit: InSearchofMayberry.com!  

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Small Town Fun in Faith, NC

Faith, North Carolina pulled out all the stops for the annual 4th of July week of fun. While most towns have some fireworks after dark on the 4th (and they do at Faith too), this town makes the 4th of July a full week of rides, fun, and games.

If you haven’t heard of Faith, NC, that’s probably because it’s a town of 600 people. So, it’s just not going to get much press most days. But, they sure do know how to put on a huge party to celebrate red, white, and blue and all this country stands for.

For more information if you plan to go tonight or next year, see the Faith 4th of July web page.

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To learn more about the book, visit: InSearchofMayberry.com!