You could also consider Sanford itself.
Sanford has a unique charm, which includes a "small town vibe" in a mid-sized city(~30k pop). We also are uniquely centrally located to most attractions and major metro areas such as Raleigh/Durham, Greensboro, and Fayetteville... all within 30-50 minutes. Here is a map showing Sanford's relative location to these areas, mountains, and beach:
Live Well Centered.
As mentioned above, Cary, Holly Springs, Fuquay Varina, Fayetteville, and Southern Pines are all within 30 minutes, so if there is anything one can't find in Sanford, it is just a short road-trip away. But for the most part, Sanford has everything one "needs" on a daily basis, from shopping, dining, entertainment(including our historic regional performing arts Temple Theater
Home ).
We have a lot of folks that commute to/from Sanford, including my own commute to east Raleigh which is a reliable 45-50 minutes. Considering the distance, that really is a very reasonable time frame as the traffic on Hwy 1 is typically very light. And is a breeze compared to my old commutes in the SF Bay Area, Dallas, etc.
Many of our commuters have chosen to live in Sanford due to lower cost of living, and that small town atmosphere. Sanford is the type of town where the mayor probably knows your name, and city council members will actually return your phone call or maybe even drop by your house. Just yesterday I received a personal call from the chief of police when I had just 10 minutes before dropped a note to our city manager asking about setting up a neighborhood watch program, etc. These are the kinds of things that are unheard of in larger towns/cities that we really appreciate.
We moved to Sanford from San Jose, CA, after renting for a year in Cary, and have never regretted it. We have been able to get more involved in local government, community, and made more friends in our short 3 years here than we did in a decade in other larger cities.
The neighborhoods are the type where neighbors know each other, sit on front porches, and work together. We just finished our National Night Out party which we held in the parking lot across from our home, and often plan other community events throughout the year. Every neighborhood is different of course, but Sanford's small town feel is evident in every community.
We have communities ranging the gamut from gated golf communities, historic districts, to rural farmland, all within 10 minutes of each other. And we have our historic downtown area as well, within walking distance of two of our residential historic districts.
Some more information about Sanford:
City of Sanford, North Carolina | Official Government Website
Sanford Area Chamber of Commerce
Downtown Sanford, INC. | Sanford, North Carolina
You've just missed the conclusion of our summer free concert series "Function at the Junction" at Depot Park, and we had an earlier inaugural outdoor free movies series at the park earlier this summer as well.
And if you are interested in golf, we have our local Sanford Municipal Golf Course, golf communities, and even the top 10 ranked Tobacco Road. And one can't ignore that Pinehurst is just "down the road"
The YMCA just signed a new lease in a large warehouse facility while they plan to begin building their brand new facility on Hwy1 north of town. And we have three children in kinder, middle, and high school. The latter two just this year transitioned to middle and high. We've found the school system to be very good, and have been very pleased. The only current challenge for Lee County Schools is Lee High School which is due for a major rehab due to age. But we've got a new high school(Southern Lee), middle, and elementary recently opened in the last 5 years, and they are great facilities.
Sanford certainly isn't perfect, and we have a lot of opportunities, but the city and community have made great strides in the last decade that has made Sanford a real gem.... an undiscovered gem to some degree, which has helped maintain that small town experience.
But we'll also see a lot of continued growth and investment as Sanford continues to benefit from surrounding metro growth, and projects like the BRAC program relocating several key commands to Fort Bragg which Sanford and Lee County have been actively planning to accommodate.
If any of this sounds interesting, take a weekend to come and check out Sanford and the surrounding area. You might find it is just what you are looking for.
$315k in Sanford will go a very very long way
Good luck!
Al
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Have you considered Sanford itself?
