southern pines (Raleigh, Greensboro, Cary: transplants, condo, chapel)

[colby1911]

Can anyone give me more information about Southern Pines in Moore County. We are in our thirties and my husband is considering a job in Sanford. We have two young children so great schools are a must. I have read that Pinehurst is definately for retirees and golfers. Is Southern Pines the same or does it have more neighborhoods for children and shopping areas. We are from NJ-- is this an area welcoming to yankees?? Please any information you have would be greatly appreciated.

[emanon]

Colby 1911,
Last year my husband and I rented a condo in Pinehurst just for a week to check out the So. Pines/Pinehurst area. You are correct that Pinehurst is mostly retirees and golfers but So. Pines is also a nice retirement place. Plenty of shopping in both towns (So.Pines contains more commercial areas)
So. Pines contains more older homes that are not golf course located and they have a real quaint shopping area. Only my guess here but So. Pines would probably offer more opportunities for the kids than Pinehurst.
I would suggest you visit for at least a week and check out the area.

We found a real nice condo for only 400 for the week in Pinehurst and was convient to everything.

removed

We almost bought in Pinehurst but in the end it was just too far from our son in Greensboro.


Good luck,
E

[alice_61]

I've been going down to Whispering Pines (near Southern Pines and Pinehurst) since 1974 when my grandparents retired there. Now my father lives there. When they moved there it was almost exclusively retirees. Now there are more families in Whispering Pines. I think some are related to the military (Ft. Bragg is ~40 miles away) but want the advantage of Moore County. Whispering Pines is safe and friendly. My dad says that Union Pines High School is the best in the county. I'd be more interested in Southern Pines because it is a very nice "real town" with its own very nice library. The children's department at the library is very nice for a town that size. Most towns just have the county library, which often isn't that nice. There is a lot of money in the area to support a nice town library and other cultural things such as a large, very nice botanical garden at Sandhills Community College. There are a variety of shops there, beside the usual big boxes in the county. Southern Pines has an Amtrak station. The train goes between NY and Florida. We considered moving to Southern Pines with our then 4 year old. We checked out the parks in Southern Pines and talked with some of the other parents there. They seemed happy with the town. I think it would be a good spot for transplants since there are so many retirees there and folks in the military. There are two charter schools there, which I would check out. The Pinehurst Elementary school had the highest test scores, but that might just be due to demographics. You need to see the area to be sure, but I could see some families being very happy there.

[alice_61]

I think the main reason that we didn't move there is that it is quite hot there in the summer. BTW, the area first started commercially in the 1800s with pine products: turpentine, pine oil, etc. Then Southern Pines and Pinehurst were developed as a winter resort. I don't think it could possibly have taken off with retirees until air conditioning was common! The economy is geared toward tourism, service, and healthcare. It looks like we are headed to Chapel Hill, instead where my mom lives.

[MariGirl]

Pinehurst is the more "resorty" of the towns with a number of retirees. You will find kids there though, just very wealthy ones that live in exclusive gated communities.
Geographically, So. Pines/Pinehurst/Aberdeen and Whispering Pines are adjacent to one another. So. Pines and Aberdeen offer more variety in all areas, including stores, restaurants, entertainment, parks/sports facilities. Great soccer fields on Morganton Road, and a new indoor soccer/multi sport facility in So. Pines. The quaint town mentioned is downtown So. Pines. The Village of Pinehurst is also very charming.
Union Pines is generally considered the more desirable of the two county high schools, Pinecrest being the other. Pinecrest has problems mainly b/c its student population includes the extremes of wealth and poverty from the county, and is over crowded. But both schools have good teachers and academic programs in place. Whispering Pines is in the U.P. high school district, as well as the very sought after Farm Life Elementary and New Century Middle schools. The O'Neal School is a wonderful K-12 private school in So. Pines (Airport Rd) that attracts students from Moore as well as Lee and other neighboring counties.
Definitely visit the area. You'll find people from all over, many who could afford to live anywhere and chose that area. Remember too that retirees usually have families who visit, and they often fall in love with the towns and relocate there. To me, it's alot like Ch. Hill in terms of appearance. Development is being pretty controlled by the local govt. though to avoid the Cary/Raleigh sprawl debacle.
As far as the heat in So. Pines vs. Chapel Hill... I went to grad school at Carolina and LOVE Ch. Hill, but is it any cooler in the summer than Moore County? I wish!

[alice_61]

Mari,

That's cute about the heat. I also went to grad school in Chapel Hill. I think it is a bit cooler there than in the Sandhills, but, now that I think about it, the biggest difference may be that I spent most of my time in Chapel Hill in air conditioning working or studying, whereas I am outdoors more when I visit Whispering Pines and more aware of the heat. Oh well, with an aging parent at each end, we will be living or visiting somewhere between Chapel Hill and Whispering Pines for quite some time!

Thanks!
Alice

[colby1911]

Thank you to everyone for all of your thoughts and insight. We will be taking a trip back to sanford and we will make sure we visit Southern Pines, Whispering Pines and even Pinehurst. I'm thinking that the area as a whole may be too resort-like and geared toward golf for us to decide on. I also think I had my heart set on the Apex/Holly Springs area and I just don't think that can happen. A commute from Sanford to that area in 20 minutes or under is unrealistic.

[alice_61]

Best wishes with your hunt. Here is a website that looks helpful, http://sandhillskids.com/

Alice

[Jerseyman4]

Originally Posted by alice_61

My dad says that Union Pines High School is the best in the county.

i second that. It is certainly better than North Moore but not better than Pinecrest, thats just my opinion because i attended schools in the southern part of the county. Union Pines is seeing its own overcrowding problems like Pinecrest due to a big military influx in Lobelia (eastern end of Moore Co. on Lobelia Road aka Hwy 690)

[sandhillskids]

I live in Southern Pines with children and I own a business as well. The comments about it being a place with kids in gated communities is not really the entire picture. The demographics also include a rise in the number of children and it's not just a retirement area anymore. If you have questions please feel free to email me. I have lived in Chicago, Michigan, Columbus, Ohio and here. It is different than cities because you don't have to drive in horrid traffic everyday. There is a mix of people you meet from your kids' schools, who have moved here from all over the country. Some grew up here too! Please email me if you have questions. As someone else mentioned, we're also trying to help with these kinds of questions on www.sandhillskids.com.
Thanks!
Monica