southern pines (Raleigh, Fayetteville, Cary: schools, quality of life, living)

[kayc]

does anybody know about the southern pines area is it a nice place to raise a family

[MariGirl]

Yes, Southern Pines is a wonderful area in which to raise a family. It is a small town with many amenities and a high quality of life. We live just north of it in Lee County, but frequently visit friends in the area.
Check out the website, SandhillsKids, to learn more about schools, recreation, etc. in the area. The town itself has a number of parks (Camelot Park with its "castle" playground is great for little ones), indoor and outdoor sports facilities for soccer, baseball, roller hockey and more. The schools in the Farm Life district are considered the most desirable. Southern Pines also has one of the prettiest downtowns anywhere in N.C.
Many good restaurants, shopping and of course golf courses....famous Pinehurst is its next-door neighbor. This area is also big with retirees (as is much of N.C. nowadays), but in the past 5 years has seen a significant increase in younger families and the activities they seek.
Southern Pines has all the positive aspects of Cary (shopping, recreation, etc), without the nasty "suburban sprawl / cookie cutter" feel that Cary has acquired due to the insane growth. S.P. seems to have a better handle on controlling its growth.

[pickintoo]

YES! Southern Pines is a fantastic place to raise a family. My family and I moved here 3 years ago from Massachusetts and love it. My brother-in-law has lived here for over 10 years and we came down to visit him many times and fell in love with it. The parks and Rec department have many activities to keep my boys (10 & 12) busy. The organized sports are fantastic! Baseball and basketball programs are run with the children in mind. Downtown Southern Pines is like "hometown America" and is just beautiful! The locals are friendly and cheerful and always ready with a hello and helping hand. This is the place to raise a family.

[businessperson]

My husband grew up in Carthage, between Southern Pines and Pinehurst. Farm Life is a good school and the town is great for families.

[friendnc]

It's an excellent place to live. Very beautiful!

[savvychltsales]

My boyfriend grew up there so we visit often. It is a small town that is growing but it is still small. great golf courses there if youare interested to that. hope that helps, thanks!

[seahawksweetie]

I was just reading this post. Where exactly is Southern Pines and what type of weather do you get there? Thanks!

[friendnc]

The Southern Pines/Pinehurst area is just west of Fayetteville (thought not in the Fayetteville metro) in Moore County. The winters are cool, springs and falls are heavenly, but the summers are pretty hot and humid. Some the best golf in the world. In all, it's a really nice, small town-type area.

[MariGirl]

Originally Posted by seahawksweetie

I was just reading this post. Where exactly is Southern Pines and what type of weather do you get there? Thanks!

If you look at a map of N.C. and find Cary/Raleigh, look for US1 and then follow it down (about 60 miles south) and you will find Southern Pines. It really is a beautiful town.

As far as the weather there, it is basically the same as anywhere else in the Triangle. I can honestly say this after living here (Sanford) for 20 years, watching the weather report each day on the Raleigh stations, and travelling for work each week throughout the Triangle, south to Southern Pines/Pinehurst, and east to Benson. There is only a minor temperature variance between any of those areas, and not enough to feel any appreciable difference. For example, on the weather map today at 6 p.m., it was 79 degrees in Raleigh and 80 degrees in So.Pines/Pinehurst.
Bottom line: It is hot and muggy everywhere in central NC in the summer, and the only place to get cooler is to head to the mountains.