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My job sends me to the Campbell's Soup plant in Maxton quite often. I wouldn't describe the area as scary, but it is very poor and rural. Many of the locals are clearly Native American (Lumbee I suspect) and Jesus Christ is KING around those parts (even moreso than here in Charlotte which is quite religious). The correlation between poverty and religiosity is something that I've noticed repeatedly during my travels.
On the other hand, there is a little gas station on NC 71 across the street from Campbell's Soup near Maxton. It is the type of store that sells drinks, gloves, Krazy glue, tire plug kits, and fried bologna sandwiches. Chains such as QT, Sheetz, 7 Eleven and such serves a similar purpose in more developed areas. However, there is a charm associated with the small mom-and-pop in Maxton. Every time I go there, I'm greeted with a smile and fast/friendly service.
To be honest, places like Maxton are very educational if you actually (GASP!!!!) stop your car there and chat with the locals. In just a 20 min stop for a sandwich and a restroom break, you can learn so much. I'm a trucker and I've learned that the journey is so much more interesting than the destination. That philosophy is true in almost every aspect of life.
Thank you for such a nice post! Some people seem to equate poor with creepy, when in fact I've found the poorer rural counties to have their own charm and the people who live there to be quite willing to share information about their history and lives. I've learned a lot about many of the smaller towns from the people who live there, mainly because I ask. Maybe I am more comfortable in that sort of environment because I am a farm girl from Ohio (many years ago) and then moved to a very rural area after I graduated high school. I much prefer rural areas, personally. That's part of the reason I live at the top of a mountain in western North Carolina now. I think that eventually we'll end up with a place in the coastal plain or rural Person County.
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