Native of Hillsborough and I have seen this place grow incredibly since 2000. From my experience with small town growth it is a double edged sword. Yes, bringing in new businesses and more people is fantastic. Especially now that Hillsborough has River Walk, Weaver Street, weekly farmers market, and so on. However, and this is my issue, the rise in taxes, cost of living, gentrification, and very limited affordable housing means people (like me) will probably be “forced” out of their hometown because it is no longer affordable. Which is heartbreaking and infuriating when you do not want to leave.
Yes, it really is frustrating. Believe me, I feel it personally. I have four kids and I'm not sure they will be able to afford to live here. Having said that... this is how migration has always happened since the dawn of time. Places get crowded or have resources other people want, and some people have to be pioneers and find a place that isn't yet great, put in some blood sweat and tears and make something of it. I am sorry, though. I know it's not easy.
@@EllenPitts While I certainly disagree with a bit of your response. You are right, it does take pioneers to put in blood sweat and tears. As my family did in Hillsborough a couple hundred years ago. Which I completely understand but it still absolutely breaks my heart seeing anyone lose the ability to live where they call home.
I hear you!! If it makes you feel any better at all, many of the people moving here are in the exact same situation. They’re coming from places that have gotten too expensive for them to ever own a home. Our area gives them the opportunity to do that. I do know how it feels though. And I’m sorry. :(
I have lived in Sanford my entire life. It is growing and changing so fast! It can be aggravating at times but for the most part I'm fine with it. I really believe you need to move forward or you will get left behind. This was a nice video, I enjoyed it!
Seriously I absolutely love Sanford!!! I only visited for the first time a few months ago. I had NO IDEA it was such a cool place but both times I left wanting to buy a house! 😂
The real estate in Holly springs is getting close to the one in Cary but the Holly Springs downtown vibe and the whole town in general is still like small town.
Yeah, being from Sanford, I remember the "We're Open For Business" Election Pitch, by the Mayor (at the time) Now, thousands of homes being built, and the former Mayor, just so happens, to work, with a Mortgage Lender. I'm personally sick, of all the growth. Especially Cookie Cutter housing developments.
Moved to Sanford six years ago and had some reservations about the area. We are now part of the community and enjoy it immensely. Plenty of "mom and pop" businesses that add a special touch compared to other cities that specialize in more of the main chain type businesses. Really enjoy it and would not live anywhere else. People are very friendly and always smile.
Your comments about growth are correct....I live in Fayetteville nc and for the longest nothing was happening because our old mayor wanted to keep things the same but now it has grown and continues to grow....growth is needed
@EllenPitts Does Sanford and especially Pittsboro have the poop factor OR the sewage lines to support the growth? I heard that they have a poop problem lol. Can you also fix a small typo to change Pittsburg PA to Pittsboro NC below.
All of the towns around here are struggling to keep up with the growth as far as water/sewer etc. This was one of the things that slowed down new home construction during the pandemic. But, yes, Sanford does have public utilities.
So no glad you’re enjoying them!! Pinehurst and Southern Pines are fantastic towns! I was just focusing on towns within the Triangle for this video. The research would be different for PH/SP since they are so far from the Triangle and quite different economically. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help! My contact info is here: www.harmonyrealtytriangle.com/contact-harmony/
I am relocating to Raleigh and I am going to look for your videos on older houses east of Raleigh. I am coming from NY so I want to live with land and not in a town like we lived in Garner. So hopefully I will find a video of older homes. We are coming to retire , so happy with older homes that I can fixed up inside. Thanks so much for all your knowledge.
I don’t usually do videos for houses since that is so specific to the individual. Most of my videos are about areas. But we can talk about your specific hour needs on our call!
Californians pushed housing so high in Seattle we moved here. NC is a great place however, it’s pretty spread out in terms of shopping and jobs. Jobs aren’t as plentiful or as well paying. Traveling 30-40 mins to get to a craft store or 20 mins to a post office is more than inconvenient. People used to having everything close will find it difficult. Ultimately we’ll be moving back to the west coast at some point.
I live outside of Seattle and looking to retire to someplace more affordable. This is definitely not the ideal state to retire to. If you don't make a substantial pay out here, you wont' survive! Rents and home prices are outrageous!!! We were planning on retiring in Kitsap County but cost of living has gone up there as well so it's time to move out and considering NC. If I were to move I definitely need to have access to all the stores so I know what you mean. We purchased a retirement home up in Hansville and the nearest grocery store is 15 minutes and all the box stores at about 35-40 minutes away and it does get old. If you don't mind me asking, where did you move to in NC?
If you send me an email I will create a tour for you when you visit so you’ll know how far you are from all those things before you buy!! Ellen.pitts@compass.com
@@EllenPitts I will absolutely reach out to you when we decide to visit and if I should decide to purchase in the Raleigh area, I would love to work with you. Your videos are the most informative and I have learned a lot. I know I would love the Raleigh area but I am concerned about the rising costs for people like us retiring in the future on a fixed income. Paying taxes on our 401k withdrawals would hurt but I haven’t lost hope and still want to consider NC.
Hi Ellen, you are making very good videos. I love watching each one of them. Please keep doing the good work. I don’t know yet but I plan to move to NC next year.
Smithfield is the Johnston County Seat. I would say that Clayton is definitely a great alternative to Raleigh I feel like maybe there’s a second wave coming but at this point people have missed the initial boom. I first moved to Clayton 10 years ago and bought a 2500 sq ft house for $200k that same house today is valued at $370k and it’s in a starter home neighborhood.
I definitely think there will be a second wave but it’s going to take clayton building out some of that vision they have before it happens. I’ll be very interested to see how the copper district proceeds!
Sanford gambled in 2018 and built water and sewage lines to Chatham County - Chatham had the land, Sanford had the water. (no water = no growth). This crucial partnership enabled Vinfast to pick the Triangle Innovation Point Megasite with both city governments working together. In the brokered deal, Sanford receives 20 percent of all property taxes that Chatham County collects from every home, business, or industry that connects to the water line for the next 50 years. Sanford also built shell buildings to enable business to thrive and want to come in. The growth and economic benefits to Sanford will extend for many generations to come.
Thanks so much for all that great background info! Sounds like you might have some inside connections? Email me if you would like to be a resource for me! cellenpitts@gmail.com
Live in Sanford my whole life & I can tell you it’s came a long way from nothing. Old Walmart is now big lots & south plaza stores which is “It’s fashion metro” “cato fashions” “Vivid salon” “Vn Nails” “Sanford vapor & tobacco” “ food lion”. Everything beside tractor supply wasn’t their before “ hobby lobby , Marshall’s , Ross dress for less , rack room shoes. And everything in front of it waz t their neither , Buffalo Wild Wings , AT&T, Ups , sarkus express, Marco pizza , aye toro, sport clips. In 2011 they had to remake lowes cause I got destroyed by a tornado. I forgot what year they had the super Walmart but everything over their wasn’t over their period. They destroyed old Kmart but made something better for the city, plant fitness , Ollie’s, Popeyes , biscuitville ~ they just relocated made it better. I remember only having 2 McDonald’s the 1 on Horner & river birch, now theirs 3. Lots of renovating in the downtown area like literally, everything waz shutting down but opened up more bars & restaurants to eat wit ur family’s. They changed all of Kiwanis park & some what San lee park. Jones boro area is starting to change a lot also little by little. And Kendale also starting to change more. And on the outside boundaries of Sanford theirs a lot of job factory’s available for positions. Just know Sanford came a long way
Hi, Ellen! I am so enjoying your video to learn so much about another Carolina! Just wondering, do you think Hillsborough will boom as well? Can you make a video to take about towns like Hillsborough, Chapel Hill and Durham?
On the con side, haven't there been reports of water issues (quality) in Pittsboro? I can't recall the exact details and maybe it's been addressed by now
I agree with your reasoning about, support and finite analysis of boom growth and incoming businesses. HOWEVER, All 3 of the towns you named, especially Clayton, are racist as all hell. I never felt comfortable Ubering folks around in any of those places. Trust, black folks better not be caught dead driving that back way from Chapel Hill to Sanford, especially at night. Clayton is a pain in the ass too because that stretch of 40 in PITCH BLACK at night, immediately after the Amazon exit. Realtors have to consider Fall Backwards in November when evangelizing these small towns. Numerous places just aren’t safe to drive to because of poor or no lighting, dense greenery that clog cell phone/GPS reception, winding and unkept/rocky roads, no signage, dangerous curves, etc. Are they still doing construction out there past Amazon? Now Sanford is legendary for some of pretty biased cases at that courthouse downtown (think, ‘A Time to Kill’ type stuff) AND the past Public lynchings of black folks. READ Carolina history, people! In all of these backwoods towns, you have to study who owned what land first and what lineage is basically owning, funding and Governing (in more than one office) the entire footprint to this day. Um, Copper who??? Ma’am, we are still in the South. Don’t be fooled by the influx or current number of brown faces you may see in these places or the smiling black lady in that office. She has a job to keep. Sanford, Pittsboro, and Clayton are still very much Sundown Towns. Hell, I experienced bluntly overt racism/sexism while attending UNC’s elitist grad school in 2010. Speaking of which, a standout business student and rape survivor (relevant, here) just sued Kenan for racism and sexism 6 months ago after they kicked her out of school unwarrantedly. Don’t get me started. UNCCH is ALWAYS getting sued for racist practices. Trust, oftentimes we stay to ourselves in these small places, unless there’s some biracial connection between a black and white person. I don’t mean separation all day. Sure, schools/business are integrated. BUT black/brown people know where to step foot and when not to. I’m good. I’d rather pay a king’s ransom for a home here in North Raleigh. At least I don’t fear for my life driving at night.
We actually looked at the schools for our own kids. They seemed decent to me!! I mean the test scores aren’t super high but I wouldn’t expect that in a more rural place. There is a ton of town pride and support though. If you need help with your move feel free to drop me an email and we can schedule a call to chat about it! cellenpitts@gmail.com
No need for concern. There' are no active copper mines in the area. No heavy chemical plants either. EPA ECHO lists 121 facilities with none having significant violations. echo.epa.gov/facilities/facility-search/results
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![10 Shocking Things About Moving to North Carolina [GROSS]](/img/tr.png)
Which of these three towns do you find most appealing?
Looking at moving to Stanford next year because of the commute to Fort Bragg (Liberty).
Native of Hillsborough and I have seen this place grow incredibly since 2000. From my experience with small town growth it is a double edged sword. Yes, bringing in new businesses and more people is fantastic. Especially now that Hillsborough has River Walk, Weaver Street, weekly farmers market, and so on. However, and this is my issue, the rise in taxes, cost of living, gentrification, and very limited affordable housing means people (like me) will probably be “forced” out of their hometown because it is no longer affordable. Which is heartbreaking and infuriating when you do not want to leave.
Yes, it really is frustrating. Believe me, I feel it personally. I have four kids and I'm not sure they will be able to afford to live here. Having said that... this is how migration has always happened since the dawn of time. Places get crowded or have resources other people want, and some people have to be pioneers and find a place that isn't yet great, put in some blood sweat and tears and make something of it. I am sorry, though. I know it's not easy.
@@EllenPitts While I certainly disagree with a bit of your response. You are right, it does take pioneers to put in blood sweat and tears. As my family did in Hillsborough a couple hundred years ago. Which I completely understand but it still absolutely breaks my heart seeing anyone lose the ability to live where they call home.
I hear you!! If it makes you feel any better at all, many of the people moving here are in the exact same situation. They’re coming from places that have gotten too expensive for them to ever own a home. Our area gives them the opportunity to do that. I do know how it feels though. And I’m sorry. :(
I have lived in Sanford my entire life. It is growing and changing so fast! It can be aggravating at times but for the most part I'm fine with it. I really believe you need to move forward or you will get left behind. This was a nice video, I enjoyed it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the video!! I absolutely loved visiting Sanford. It is such a great little town with lovely people!!
Everything I’ve seen about Sanford makes me think Sanford is the next Holly Springs, while Holly Springs is becoming the new Cary
Seriously I absolutely love Sanford!!! I only visited for the first time a few months ago. I had NO IDEA it was such a cool place but both times I left wanting to buy a house! 😂
The real estate in Holly springs is getting close to the one in Cary but the Holly Springs downtown vibe and the whole town in general is still like small town.
You get a much newer home in holly springs for the price though.
Yeah, being from Sanford, I remember the "We're Open For Business" Election Pitch, by the Mayor (at the time) Now, thousands of homes being built, and the former Mayor, just so happens, to work, with a Mortgage Lender. I'm personally sick, of all the growth. Especially Cookie Cutter housing developments.
Moved to Sanford six years ago and had some reservations about the area. We are now part of the community and enjoy it immensely. Plenty of "mom and pop" businesses that add a special touch compared to other cities that specialize in more of the main chain type businesses. Really enjoy it and would not live anywhere else. People are very friendly and always smile.
Sanford seems like heaven to me!! Such a great little town!
Your comments about growth are correct....I live in Fayetteville nc and for the longest nothing was happening because our old mayor wanted to keep things the same but now it has grown and continues to grow....growth is needed
I’ve noticed that Fayetteville is doing some good stuff lately! It’ll be interesting to see how things process there.
@@EllenPitts especially after Amazon opens
Fayetteville NC boom is coming
There is already 2 megasites in the works. 1 along 295/East Hoke County.
Costco is also considering a location in Fayetteville and they’re getting a new Amazon fulfillment center!! All signs of growth!
@@EllenPitts and a 7/11
@EllenPitts Does Sanford and especially Pittsboro have the poop factor OR the sewage lines to support the growth? I heard that they have a poop problem lol. Can you also fix a small typo to change Pittsburg PA to Pittsboro NC below.
All of the towns around here are struggling to keep up with the growth as far as water/sewer etc. This was one of the things that slowed down new home construction during the pandemic. But, yes, Sanford does have public utilities.
I lived in Clayton for 10 yrs before moving to Raleigh and I loved it. Clayton has such a charming downtown and a great communities.
It really is a great little town!! I’m such a sucker for small towns. 😃 So much charm!
Appreciate you mentioning Sanford. Have a good one now
I just love Sanford!! It’s such a lovely little town!
Love your channel. Thank you for these insightful videos. What about Pinehurst and Southern Pines? Why didn’t they make your list?
So no glad you’re enjoying them!! Pinehurst and Southern Pines are fantastic towns! I was just focusing on towns within the Triangle for this video. The research would be different for PH/SP since they are so far from the Triangle and quite different economically. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help! My contact info is here: www.harmonyrealtytriangle.com/contact-harmony/
Thank you so much Ellen Pitts! I am in Hickory but nice to know what's going on in the big Metro
I just love Hickory! Hoping to be able to expand to videos out there eventually.
Pittsboro is a gem. LET'S GO!
It’s super cute!!! What is your favorite thing about Pittsboro?
All great towns and I think they will boom as well. One note: Smithfield is the Johnston County seat.
Ohhh thank you for the correction!!
I am relocating to Raleigh and I am going to look for your videos on older houses east of Raleigh. I am coming from NY so I want to live with land and not in a town like we lived in Garner. So hopefully I will find a video of older homes. We are coming to retire , so happy with older homes that I can fixed up inside. Thanks so much for all your knowledge.
I don’t usually do videos for houses since that is so specific to the individual. Most of my videos are about areas. But we can talk about your specific hour needs on our call!
Californians pushed housing so high in Seattle we moved here. NC is a great place however, it’s pretty spread out in terms of shopping and jobs. Jobs aren’t as plentiful or as well paying. Traveling 30-40 mins to get to a craft store or 20 mins to a post office is more than inconvenient. People used to having everything close will find it difficult. Ultimately we’ll be moving back to the west coast at some point.
I live outside of Seattle and looking to retire to someplace more affordable. This is definitely not the ideal state to retire to. If you don't make a substantial pay out here, you wont' survive! Rents and home prices are outrageous!!! We were planning on retiring in Kitsap County but cost of living has gone up there as well so it's time to move out and considering NC. If I were to move I definitely need to have access to all the stores so I know what you mean. We purchased a retirement home up in Hansville and the nearest grocery store is 15 minutes and all the box stores at about 35-40 minutes away and it does get old. If you don't mind me asking, where did you move to in NC?
If you send me an email I will create a tour for you when you visit so you’ll know how far you are from all those things before you buy!! Ellen.pitts@compass.com
@@EllenPitts I will absolutely reach out to you when we decide to visit and if I should decide to purchase in the Raleigh area, I would love to work with you. Your videos are the most informative and I have learned a lot. I know I would love the Raleigh area but I am concerned about the rising costs for people like us retiring in the future on a fixed income. Paying taxes on our 401k withdrawals would hurt but I haven’t lost hope and still want to consider NC.
Hi Ellen, you are making very good videos. I love watching each one of them. Please keep doing the good work. I don’t know yet but I plan to move to NC next year.
So glad you’re enjoying them!! If there is anything you need or anything you’d like to see a video about please let me know!!
@@EllenPitts Sure. Thank you so much.
Smithfield is the Johnston County Seat. I would say that Clayton is definitely a great alternative to Raleigh I feel like maybe there’s a second wave coming but at this point people have missed the initial boom. I first moved to Clayton 10 years ago and bought a 2500 sq ft house for $200k that same house today is valued at $370k and it’s in a starter home neighborhood.
I definitely think there will be a second wave but it’s going to take clayton building out some of that vision they have before it happens. I’ll be very interested to see how the copper district proceeds!
Always excellent content!
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Sanford gambled in 2018 and built water and sewage lines to Chatham County - Chatham had the land, Sanford had the water. (no water = no growth). This crucial partnership enabled Vinfast to pick the Triangle Innovation Point Megasite with both city governments working together. In the brokered deal, Sanford receives 20 percent of all property taxes that Chatham County collects from every home, business, or industry that connects to the water line for the next 50 years. Sanford also built shell buildings to enable business to thrive and want to come in. The growth and economic benefits to Sanford will extend for many generations to come.
Thanks so much for all that great background info! Sounds like you might have some inside connections? Email me if you would like to be a resource for me! cellenpitts@gmail.com
Need this type of video for Tennessee
Live in Sanford my whole life & I can tell you it’s came a long way from nothing. Old Walmart is now big lots & south plaza stores which is “It’s fashion metro” “cato fashions” “Vivid salon” “Vn Nails” “Sanford vapor & tobacco” “ food lion”. Everything beside tractor supply wasn’t their before “ hobby lobby , Marshall’s , Ross dress for less , rack room shoes. And everything in front of it waz t their neither , Buffalo Wild Wings , AT&T, Ups , sarkus express, Marco pizza , aye toro, sport clips. In 2011 they had to remake lowes cause I got destroyed by a tornado. I forgot what year they had the super Walmart but everything over their wasn’t over their period. They destroyed old Kmart but made something better for the city, plant fitness , Ollie’s, Popeyes , biscuitville ~ they just relocated made it better. I remember only having 2 McDonald’s the 1 on Horner & river birch, now theirs 3. Lots of renovating in the downtown area like literally, everything waz shutting down but opened up more bars & restaurants to eat wit ur family’s. They changed all of Kiwanis park & some what San lee park. Jones boro area is starting to change a lot also little by little. And Kendale also starting to change more. And on the outside boundaries of Sanford theirs a lot of job factory’s available for positions. Just know Sanford came a long way
Thank you for the great information.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, Ellen! I am so enjoying your video to learn so much about another Carolina! Just wondering, do you think Hillsborough will boom as well? Can you make a video to take about towns like Hillsborough, Chapel Hill and Durham?
Thats a great suggestion!! I’ll add it to my list!
On the con side, haven't there been reports of water issues (quality) in Pittsboro? I can't recall the exact details and maybe it's been addressed by now
I agree with your reasoning about, support and finite analysis of boom growth and incoming businesses.
HOWEVER, All 3 of the towns you named, especially Clayton, are racist as all hell. I never felt comfortable Ubering folks around in any of those places. Trust, black folks better not be caught dead driving that back way from Chapel Hill to Sanford, especially at night.
Clayton is a pain in the ass too because that stretch of 40 in PITCH BLACK at night, immediately after the Amazon exit. Realtors have to consider Fall Backwards in November when evangelizing these small towns. Numerous places just aren’t safe to drive to because of poor or no lighting, dense greenery that clog cell phone/GPS reception, winding and unkept/rocky roads, no signage, dangerous curves, etc. Are they still doing construction out there past Amazon?
Now Sanford is legendary for some of pretty biased cases at that courthouse downtown (think, ‘A Time to Kill’ type stuff) AND the past Public lynchings of black folks. READ Carolina history, people! In all of these backwoods towns, you have to study who owned what land first and what lineage is basically owning, funding and Governing (in more than one office) the entire footprint to this day. Um, Copper who???
Ma’am, we are still in the South. Don’t be fooled by the influx or current number of brown faces you may see in these places or the smiling black lady in that office. She has a job to keep. Sanford, Pittsboro, and Clayton are still very much Sundown Towns. Hell, I experienced bluntly overt racism/sexism while attending UNC’s elitist grad school in 2010. Speaking of which, a standout business student and rape survivor (relevant, here) just sued Kenan for racism and sexism 6 months ago after they kicked her out of school unwarrantedly. Don’t get me started. UNCCH is ALWAYS getting sued for racist practices.
Trust, oftentimes we stay to ourselves in these small places, unless there’s some biracial connection between a black and white person. I don’t mean separation all day. Sure, schools/business are integrated. BUT black/brown people know where to step foot and when not to. I’m good. I’d rather pay a king’s ransom for a home here in North Raleigh.
At least I don’t fear for my life driving at night.
good to know
Any thoughts on east Raleigh areas, Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon?
@kb4444 yes!! I did a whole video on it! czcams.com/video/P0ivPqKnAd0/video.htmlsi=SWF5u2F2C-E-5gjW
Infrastructure. Taxes. Schools. Traffic. Traffic. Traffic. Taking down the Forrest...for Housing. Noise. Did I say High Property Taxes? 😊
Sanford is where we're thinking of moving to next year so this video is nice to see! What are your opinions on the schools there though?? Thanks!
We actually looked at the schools for our own kids. They seemed decent to me!! I mean the test scores aren’t super high but I wouldn’t expect that in a more rural place. There is a ton of town pride and support though.
If you need help with your move feel free to drop me an email and we can schedule a call to chat about it! cellenpitts@gmail.com
We moved to Sanford from Massachusetts! Best decision ever! Specially when we bought low and now it’s growing so much!
Should be honest about industries in Sanford. Chemical plants? Stallings from the Copper Mines. Water table has got to be contaminated. Very concerned
No need for concern. There' are no active copper mines in the area. No heavy chemical plants either. EPA ECHO lists 121 facilities with none having significant violations.
echo.epa.gov/facilities/facility-search/results
How about around Charlotte? I live in Clover SC
Thank you! Do you know anything about Benson?
That's actually on my list to do a video about!
Wait until the Disney community comes to Pittsboro. The already overtaxed infrastructure is going to have even more strain
Close Proximity…😂😂