LIVING IN HOLLY SPRINGS, NORTH CAROLINA Festive spirits soar at the annual Holly Springs Happy Holiday Parade

Holly Springs Real Estate Search - Homes for Sale in Holly Springs Click HERE to Search All Homes for Sale in Holly Springs You will be able to refine the search to your criteria on this page. Alternatively select one of these pre-defined custom Holly Springs searches: Holly Springs Zip Code: 27540 Other Holly Springs Home Searches: All Brick and Brick Fronted Homes

Holly Springs is a town in Wake County, about 18-miles to the southeast of Raleigh. It has gained the title of "The Fastest growing Town in North Carolina", understandable considering that the population was about 900 in 1980 and had grown to 24,661 by 2010, an amazing 2,640% increase!

Similar to many Southern small towns, Holly Springs has a very long history. The Tuscarora Indians used the area around Holly Springs as a hunting ground prior to colonial settlement. The Town of Holly Springs grew around fresh water springs, believed to be the original “holly springs,” near the intersection of what is now Avent Ferry Road and Cass Holt Road. These roads linked Raleigh to the Cape Fear River and ultimately to Fayetteville as well as linking Hillsborough to Smithfield.

By 1800, the crossroads had spawned a village, including a general store built by Richard Jones, a Baptist Church, and a Masonic Lodge. These were soon followed by a sawmill and cotton gin. The little community of Holly Springs had appeared to be on its way to becoming a bustling town, but the Civil War ultimately left the community economically devastated. Some families moved away. The exodus was encouraged by construction of the Chatham Railroad through the village of Apex, giving that neighboring town a link to the outside world that Holly Springs did not have.

In 1875, George Benton Alford moved his successful mercantile business from Middle Creek Township to Holly Springs and was instrumental in beginning an economic revival in the community. After World Wars II, and I Holly Springs suffered economically with the significant loss of population.

By the early 1960s, the population stabilized at around 580. In 1985, Holly Springs installed streetlights and constructed a public water system. A sewer plant was completed in 1985, attracting Warp Technologies, a textile company, to Town. With the addition of Warp Technologies, Holly Springs’ tax base doubled from $8 to $16 million. The Town used the boost in revenue to expand utilities, in turn attracting further development, including the Sunset Ridge golf course community. Thus began another era of growth and prosperity that remains strong today.

HOLLY SPRINGS DEMOGRAPHICS

So here you are. You have made your choice to move to North Carolina, specifically to the Greater Research Triangle area. Good choice! Many people have decided that living here will provide the very best lifestyle available, including buying a home in Holly Springs, landing the best employment and even finding the best schools and/or or higher education. Thousands of people have made the decision to relocate to the Research Triangle, just like you. A newcomer will find why the Greater Research Triangle has ranked as one of the best regions in North Carolina to live or work, to buy the best real estate, to start a business, to raise a family, or even to retire.

THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN HOLLY SPRINGS

Exploring life in Holly Springs is a good decision, and here are fun things to know:
*HollyFest - a celebration on the last Saturday in October. Festivities include free children’s rides, music, food, arts and crafts, a 5-K race, and fireworks.
*Holly Springs Cultural Center - a $5 million complex that includes a Wake County branch library, the Holly Springs Library and performance spaces that include:
Performing Arts Theatre - An intimate performance space with state-of-the art sound, video and lighting systems
Conference Center - Four multi-purpose rooms for meetings, classes and camps, etc.
Springs Outdoor Stage - Lawn seating for outdoor performances and festivals
Grand Lobby - Large reception and art exhibition space that includes a soaring atrium ceiling and gourmet coffee bar*Happy Holly Days Parade - a festive December parade that marches down Main Street, is a longtime local favorite.
*Kiwanis Club Haunted Schoolhouse - in October. Volunteers decorate the Town’s community center, formerly an elementary school, and promise locals touring the facility plenty of Halloween scares.

HOLLY SPRINGS'S GOOD LIFE

It has become almost routine for Holly Springs to be praised as a wonderful place to live. Residents' testimonials, articles and various organizations bestow glowing reviews and accolades about living here. With these superlatives publicized for so long, the Research Triangle area's fame as a great place to live has been a magnet attracting people, like you, to explore and relocate.

This sense of the Holly Springs good life is expressed on the website of the Town of Holly Springs
"We are a "customer friendly" town, and our citizens are our customers.
"We have been named one of the safest towns to live in North Carolina among towns over 10,000. People just want to live here. As one of our citizens said recently,
“Holly Springs is a magical town”.
"In 1990, our population numbered just under 1,000. Despite the rapid growth since, we still want to retain the best of small town life. We're addressing infrastructure needs such as water, sewer, and schools. Roads remain a real challenge. Our Public Works Department patches potholes and performs other maintenance that really is the state's responsibility. However, this is an issue elsewhere in the state and nation.
"One of our goals has been to increase commercial development to balance our tax base and improve our quality of life and add to the convenience of our citizens. We continue to make giant strides in this area. The pharmaceutical giant Novartis has established a flu vaccine (cell based) manufacturing facility here that is bringing hundreds of well-paying jobs. The Harris Teeter, Wal-Mart, and Southpark Centers are just a few of the other recent examples of development. More projects on the radar screen include New Hill Place on N.C. 55 Bypass. Plans for it include a Target, a movie theater, a bowling alley, and much more.
"Education, public safety, and quality of life remain the most important strategic goals for Holly Springs. As I have said perhaps too often, "If it's good for the kids, it's good for Holly Springs." I think we have stayed the course on that concept. Our Town staff and Town Council are working hard to build Holly Springs from the inside out. Watching this progress is exciting. Please stop by and visit anytime. I am happy to talk with you and try to answer any questions you might have. You are also invited to reach me via telephone or email. Holly Springs is a town with an attitude, and that attitude is a good one. If you are thinking about moving here, you will be welcome. It is a family place and a friendly place."
-Dick Sears, Mayor of Holy Spring

HOLLY SPRINGS'S NEIGHBORS

Holly Springs is one of 32 sister communities in the Greater Research Triangle region:

Angier
Apex
Benson
Butner
Carrboro
Cary
Chapel Hill
Clayton
CreedmoorDurham
Franklinton
Fuquay-Varina
Garner
Henderson
Hillsborough
Holly Springs
Knightdale
Louisburg
Mebane
Morrisville
Oxford
Pittsboro
Raleigh
Rolesville
Roxboro
Selma
Siler City
Smithfield
Wake Forest
Wendell
Youngsville
Zebulon

WHY MOVE TO HOLLY SPRINGS?

Holly Springs and her neighboring communities share several common benefits. The first great reason to live in the Greater Research Triangle is a wonderful climate. Spring and summer are filled with a bouquet of blossoms that flood the visual and olfactory senses. Parks and beautiful homes treat citizens and visitors alike with colors as if from the palette of a great landscape painter. The fall blazes with glorious colors so awesome that it almost takes your breath away. The winters are mild, and every now and then, the students get a day off for a light snow. It rarely gets below freezing. How could anyone not like the weather and climate in Holly Springs, North Carolina?

The second reason to live in Holly Springs is that it is a great place to buy a home. Holly Springs real estate is affordable. Newcomers can choose between wellestablished homes for sale or new homes in outstanding new home communities. You can choose a lot and build a custom home. Simply select a homebuilder from the many in Greater Research Triangle. A qualified REALTOR®, real estate agent, mortgage broker or loan officer can assist in the home purchase process and can guide you through the process of finding and buying real estate in Holly Springs.

Schools are another reason Greater Research Triangle is a wonderful place to live. Oh yeah - families especially love the schools in Holly Springs. In fact, some of the best schools in Greater Research Triangle are found in Holly Springs. The Wake County Public School System, frequently cited for several outstanding programs, services Holly Springs. Holly Springs schools are considered safe places for students.
But there are not only excellent public schools in Holly Springs, but outstanding private schools, as well.

EDUCATION IN HOLLY SPRINGS

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

To better help you select the best schools in Holly Springs, North Carolina, read what the Wake County Public School System says on its website:
"WCPSS is North Carolina's largest school district. In recent years, Wake County's school population has grown by thousands of new students each year. As a result, WCPSS is constantly opening new schools and it has had a direct impact on where many children attend school. In the past, student assignment was a yearly decision aimed at filling new schools, reducing crowding at existing schools, minimizing bus rides and promoting diversity goals. This year for the first time, the Board of Education approved a three-year assignment plan for 2009-2012. By using better technology to predict growth and information from our school construction program, this new plan will provide families with more advanced notice of school assignments for their students.
"WCPSS offers a wide variety of magnet school programs offering innovative approaches to learning (Creative Arts and Sciences, Gifted and Talented, Active Learning & Technology, International Baccalaureate, Leadership, Montessori, Museums, and Year-Round programs, for example). Entry into these programs is by lottery. You should familiarize yourself with the available programs to determine if there's one particularly suited to your child."
Wake County Public School System

LIST OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS WITH A HOLLY SPRINGS ADDRESS

Elementary Schools in Holly Springs:
Holly Grove Elementary School
Holly Ridge Elementary School
Holly Springs Elementary School

Middle Schools in Holly Springs:
Holly Ridge Middle School

High Schools in Holly Springs:
Holly Springs High School
Middle Creek High School

CHARTER SCHOOLS IN NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina charter schools are independent public schools that exist to offer Holly Springs students, parents and educators choices in teaching, learning methods and environments. An emphasis is placed on innovation and accountability with improved student achievement the common goal.

There are now nearly 5,000 public charter schools in 39 states and the District of Columbia, educating more than 1.6 million public charter school students. North Carolina public charter schools are intended to improve North Carolina's traditional public school system.

Any Holly Springs charter school, while independently operated, must meet four requirements, like any other North Carolina public school:
*Tuition-free and open to every student who wishes to enroll;
*Non-sectarian, and do not discriminate on any basis;
*Publicly funded by local, state and federal tax dollars like other public schools;
*Held accountable to state and federal academic standards.

LIST OF CHARTER SCHOOLS IN HOLLY SPRINGS:
Southern Wake Academy, grades 9-12

PRIVATE SCHOOLS WITH A HOLLY SPRINGS ADDRESS

Private schools, also known as independent schools or non-state schools, are not administered by Holly Springs, North Carolina, or the Federal government; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students tuition, rather than relying on public funding. Holly Springsstudents can get a scholarship into a private school, which makes the cost cheaper, depending on a talent the student may have, such as a sport scholarship, art scholarship, academic scholarship.

List of Private Schools in Holly Springs:
New School Montessori Center, grades PK-6
Southern Wake Montessori, grades PK-8

COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES IN AND NEAR HOLLY SPRINGS

Higher education in the Greater Research Triangle region is another great reason to live in Holly Springs, North Carolina. The local colleges and universities contribute more than just classrooms, by also bringing the best in sports and cultural offerings to the Research Triangle communities at large. If your life calls for upper level learning, choose from the following list of universities, colleges and community colleges:

Duke University
Holly Springs Technical Community College
Johnston Community College
Louisburg College
Meredith College
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina State University
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
St. Augustine’s College
Shaw University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Vance-Granville Community College
Wake Technical Community College
William Peace College

VIEW THE COMPLETE EDUCATION DIRECTORY: PUBLIC & PRIVATE SCHOOLS

New Movers Magazine provides a full listing of the schools in the Greater Research Triangle region: all public schools, most private schools and all institutions of higher learning. You can review each school's website, enrollment figures and phone numbers. But that's not all. You can save a ton of time because we have already done the digging for you. Those hard to find school test scores and safety data are at your fingertips for each public school. The facts are the most current available. It's now fast and easy to compare schools and even school systems.

Need to find the right school and then the right home in that school's district? In an Internet first, New Movers Magazine offers Home Report , found throughout New Movers Magazine. You can learn about homes for sale in the attendance zone of any Holly Springs public school, or even private schools by desired distance from your potential new Holly Springs home. Home Report is free, with no obligation. Your name and information is private and secure.

Home Report can be accessed on the top of the frame surrounding this article.So, whether you are researching the Greater Research Triangle region and getting a feel for living here, or if you are learning about your education options, or if you have definitely decided to purchase a home in Holly Springs, even if only from across town- congratulations.