The Great American Town of Holly Springs

Located in southwestern Wake County, Holly Springs is a bustling, thriving work in progress. Ranked nationally as one of the best places to live in the nation, the town welcomes more than a dozen new families on average each week. 

Lisa and Bill Martin were seeking the perfect town to build a home. Looking for a golf course community, they wanted a place that combined small-town charm with big-city amenities. The Martins found it all in Holly Springs.

“The town had everything we were looking for in a home,” says Lisa. “While it has changed a lot, we are still really happy with the way it has grown. It is ideal for us.”

Everywhere one looks, vivid signs of the town's small-town past co-exist with ever-changing signs of its urban future. Older homes line the narrow streets in the historic downtown district. But just a mile away, large brick homes accented by towering pines stretch around the course at Devils Ridge Golf Club.

Holly Springs started as a crossroads near springs of fresh water at a spot where holly trees were numerous. For years travelers along N.C. 55 could miss the town if they blinked. But today Holly Springs is perpetually under construction as it boasts record residential and commercial growth.

Combining this urban growth with small-town charm is the challenge facing Holly Springs today.

“People like the small town feel that Holly Springs has,” says Mayor Dick Sears.

“Neighbors still talk to each other, and it really is a very small community. We are working hard to maintain this special atmosphere.”

Unlike neighboring Cary and Apex, growth has come slowly to Holly Springs. The town got its start in the 1800s with a general store, a Baptist church and a Masonic Lodge. Though the Civil War and the World Wars drew people away from Holly Springs, the small town managed to survive.

Today, Holly Springs is booming. The population increased from 900 in 1992 to an estimated 6,000 in 1998. The official population in 2000 was 9,192 and is estimated at 21,000 today. It has repeatedly claimed the title of the fastest-growing town in North Carolina.

Last year, Money magazine named Holly Springs one of the best places to live in the country, ranking it 22nd among 100 Great American Towns. In 2005, the magazine included the town among the top 20 places in North Carolina to live and retire.

Moving to Holly Springs 13 years ago, Lisa Martin knew the town was destined for explosive growth. She served on the town’s planning board for almost 10 years, and is pleased with the way the growth and development has been planned by town officials.

“So far Holly Springs seems to be getting just the right mix of housing types and commercial development,” says Lisa. “As more rooftops have come, we have seen many more shopping centers and restaurants.”

Major improvements have come to the town in recent years. A new town hall opened downtown in 2003. A combination town cultural center and Wake County library opened in 2006, offering additional opportunities for residents.

A Farmers Market operates Saturday mornings in the Town Hall parking lot. The annual HollyFest celebration at Womble Park on the last Saturday in October brings the community together. Activities for the entire family also are held at 90-acre Bass Lake Park that opened in 2004.

A Super Wal-Mart plus numerous grocery stores and drug stores have opened in town as new shopping centers are also being built along N.C. 55, Sunset Lake Road and Holly Springs Road.

Pharmaceutical giant Novartis is building a vaccine manufacturing facility in the town’s business park. Rex Healthcare wants to locate medical facilities in the town. Holly Springs now has three public elementary schools, one middle school and one high school.

“Holly Springs is one of the major growth areas in the entire region,” said Jennifer Mizelle, the town's economic development director. “It has been remarkable that we continue to add so many people every week.”

Much of the residential growth was triggered by the Sunset Ridge development, which started in the 1980s. Today, other subdivisions with homes in a variety of price ranges are being constructed in all parts of town.

Kay Jedlica, who works in Sanford, moved to the new Twisted Creek townhomes being developed by Vesta Homes in September. She was looking for a home close to her job, but still wanted to live in the Triangle area.

“A friend suggested looking in Holly Springs and I am just thrilled with my townhouse here,” she says. “The neighborhood is very quiet and I have so many amenities such as hardwood floors and granite countertops. It is just fabulous.”

With 50 town homes planned, Twisted Creek is located on Sunset Lake Road. Prices range from $190,000 to $217,000.

Another major subdivision being built in Holly Springs is 12 Oaks by Wakefield Development. Located off the N.C. 55 bypass, the 687-acre development will feature 1,300 single family homes and townhouses plus a Nicklaus Design 18-hole golf course. A ribbon cutting ceremony for the new development was held last September.

Chesapeake Homes, based in Virginia, is building its first North Carolina homes in 12 Oaks. Chesapeake Homes in 12 Oaks will range in price from $290,000 to $360,000.

“We chose 12 Oaks as our first project because we wanted to be part of the Holly Springs community and the growth the area is experiencing,” says Paul Luck, head of the North Carolina Division of Chesapeake Homes. “Wakefield Development Company’s proven track record of delivering on its vision made this a perfect opportunity to launch into this market.”

Rusty Ammons of RLA Development LLC in Raleigh is developing the latest phase of Holly Glen off Avent Ferry Road. Highlands is the new neighborhood with 146 homes planned at prices ranging from $400,000 to $555,000. Construction is set to begin in April.

“Holly Springs is still open for business with land available for new homes,” says Ammons. “It is an easy commute to the Research Triangle Park and Raleigh.”

Royal Oaks Building Group also is bringing new homes to Holly Springs at Braxton Village and Holly Pointe subdivisions. Braxton Village homes range in price from $170,000 to $270,000. Homes in Holly Pointe are from $300,000 to $450,000.
 

“We can build quality homes at an excellent value in Holly Springs,” says Elaine Bridges, vice president of sales and marketing for Royal Oaks Building Group. “Holly Springs has a lot to offer and we are glad to be part of the growth in that area.”

Jane Paige is a freelance writer