| Johnston County - Small Town Comfort |
|
|
|
 Johnston County, North Carolina, (population 146,437 in 2005) is the fastest growing county in North Carolina, and the 25th fastest growing county in the US (in counties with population over 100,000). Located in the Piedmont Crescent between Goldsboro and Charlotte, Johnston County offers balmy summer evenings and a pleasant climate. Four distinct seasons with very little snow and enough sun year-round allow for a three-season growing climate and golf all year.Only a few short years ago Johnston County had North Carolina’s largest number of farms and the highest total farm income. Now the emphasis is on pharmaceuticals and economic development as well as farming, although the county still has great connections to history, entertainment and outlet shopping.
Johnston County is within a half-hour drive of Raleigh, has I-95 running through the length of the county and at the crossroads of I-95 and I-40. Shopping mavens traveling between New York and Florida make regular stops at JR Discount Outlets and Carolina Premium Outlets in the county seat of Smithfield. These travelers are included in the more than 9 million people who visit the centers each year, and chalk up $150 million in sales.
Driving along Johnston County’s retail, and the dining
and lodging offerings stretched out along the highways, drivers may
think that that is all the county has to offer. What they don't see are
the signs of a well-balanced economy comprised of distribution and
manufacturing centers, agriculture, construction and, more recently,
biotechnology.
Also, those 'just passing through' never see the lifestyle of its residents being expanded by an increasing amount of education, health care, and the arts. In spite of the fact that the county has experienced population increase, a concerted effort has been made by local officials to retain the old-fashioned flavor of southern hospitality and the heritage of its ten towns. For tourists who extend their stays for more than just one night, the Visitors Bureau provides a wealth of information on community festivals, sporting events, golf, fishing, kayaking and canoeing on the Neuse River, an historic battlefield and a host of agri-tourism sites. Tourism is the second largest industry in Johnston County, providing 8,700 jobs, and $80 million dollars in visitor spending in local businesses, according to Donna Bailey-Taylor, director of the Visitors Bureau, and tourism revenues have increased over 12% in the past three years. The Bureau has an ongoing and very close relationship with the chambers of commerce of the county’s municipalities, such as Smithfield, Selma, Clayton, Benson, Kenly and Four Oaks. Ms. Taylor serves on several chamber committees, and the Visitors Bureau provides grants through the chambers of commerce to various community festivals and events. Family oriented, fun festivals – Smithfield’s annual Ham & Yam Festival in May, plus Mule Days in Benson and Selma’s Railroad Days in the fall add color and fun. Attracting more than 60,000 visitors annually from around the country and from Canada, Mule Days is especially appealing to horse and mule enthusiasts. On the last weekend of September the festival features such events as a rodeo and a mule-pulling contest, and then on the first weekend in October, Selma celebrates the town’s railroad history. Tourists also enjoy a Branson-type variety show at the American Music Jubilee every Friday and Saturday night throughout the year when the Rudy Theatre in Selma rocks and rolls with songs from the 5Õs, as well as classic country and gospel music. Other important tourist attractions are the Ava Gardner Museum, where movie fans can pore over the more than 100,000 items in the collection dedicated to this hometown girl who became a star of the silver screen, and the site of the last major battle of the Civil War at the Bentonville Battlefield. The Bentonville Battlefield is the place where the largest military engagement ever fought on North Carolina soil occurred, and the battle represents the only significant attempt to defeat Sherman after he conducted his infamous march through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The site is visited by 36,000 people each year, including local 4th and 8th graders studying Civil War history. The visits by school children are just one of the many ways that the Johnston County school system employs to maximize student achievement. Among the district’s thirty-six schools is a center for academically and intellectually talented elementary students and a Middle College High School for students who are not interested in extracurricular offerings and whose objective is to continue their education after high school. As a result of community support, state-of-the-art facilities are provided for the county’s students. Four bond referenda have been passed by overwhelming winning margins since school improvement efforts began in 1989, the most recent of which was for $85 million just a few years ago. The district has spent a total of more than $300 million on construction projects including the demolition and replacement of 50-year-old, three-story-buildings. Johnston Community College is expanding as well. Enrollment has expanded, and the Community College’s student population now numbers around 10,000 enrolled in continuing education courses, and about 6000 seeking degrees in fifty-five different curriculum programs. An outdoor classroom known as Howell Woods is one of the more unusual facilities at Johnston Community College. The 2800-acre Rudolph Howell and Son Environmental Learning Center was a gift to the college in 1993. Containing nine natural communities, and countless examples of flora and fauna, the property is actively managed by the college for the benefit of wildlife, educational opportunities and low-impact outdoor recreation. Always alert to the educational needs and requirements of students, the college, in its beginning days when it was called the Johnston Technical Institute, concentrated on occupational education. For instance, in 1974, the college became the home of the North Carolina Truck Driver Training School. Known as the oldest and most successful training program for drivers in the nation, the School was transferred to Johnston Community College to administer and expand as a curriculum program and it continues under its operation today. The scope of the Johnston Community College curriculum has widened until now it includes, among other choices, Applied/Industrial Technology, the Arts and Sciences, Pre-Engineering course work, and a whole array of programs devoted to business and allied health disciplines. Residents of Johnston County have become the beneficiaries of the college’s strong and varied health care programs, as the county’s educational and medical sectors with a vital synergy offer state-of-the-art medical and health care services through Johnston Memorial Hospital, the Johnston Medical Mall, and other care-giving institutions. Although the county is within a forty-minute drive of three major hospitals in Raleigh, more than a quarter of the residents of the county choose Johnston Memorial Hospital. Established in 1951, the 175-bed hospital has enjoyed impressive growth, driving numerous capital improvement projects resulting in a modern and technologically advanced facility. The newly constructed Women’s Pavilion is representative of that growth. At present, hospital officials are waiting word on a certificate of need application filed with the state that calls for the construction of a new patient tower and the inclusion of twenty-four additional acute care beds. Also awaiting state approval are several other projects including a linear accelerator to provide radiation oncology services in the Medical Mall. The Medical Mall was the brainchild of the president of the hospital whose vision turned a vacant textile mill across the street from the hospital into a focal point that contains administrative and outpatient services for the hospital. The Medical Mall also holds a child care center, an auditorium, a café’, a fitness center, a medical supply company and physicians’ offices. The unique facility, with its expansive skylights shedding natural light, and with the early 20th century polished floors renovated from the original mill, resembles an upscale retail venue - one that fits in nicely with the other attractive shopping areas for which the county is known. It is, moreover, a classic example of how the forward-looking residents of Johnston County view the present and the future. Everywhere you turn, there are signs of optimism and confidence, and “revitalization” is a commonly used word in conversation. The Civil War brought agony and high tragedy to Johnston County. Almost all of the eligible men in the county's population fought in the war, and a third of them died. Most who survived had physical disabilities, and they returned to a county that had been sacked, plundered and devastated in the 1865 wake of the Union Army. Johnston's first townships: Bentonsville, Beulah, Boon Hill, Clayton, Elevation, Ingrams, Meadow, O'Neals, Pleasant Grove, Selma, Smithfield, and Wilders, were created in 1869 in an atmosphere of want and deprivation. By 1913, with the creation of Wilson's Mills, Cleveland, Banner, Pine Level, and Micro townships, Johnston County had ensured survival and was staking a claim on prosperity. History buffs will love Atkinson’s Milling Co., (240 years old and still operating), Alamance Battleground, SELMA UNION DEPOT (originally built in 1924 - restored and operational), Bentonville Battleground, and the Tobacco Farm Life Museum are only a few of the Historic Properties in this area. Visit the Johnston County Visitors Bureau website when planning your trip here and do not miss the American Music Jubilee. Golfers enjoy the local pleasures of Neuse Golf Club, Pine Hollow Golf Club, and Riverwood Golf Club, as well as the easy access to most of North Carolina's championship golf courses. Shoppers will be amazed at the variety and quality of the Johnston County merchants. From Carolina Premium Outlets, an 83-store outlet center, to North Carolina’s furniture, local crafts and food products, and Selma's world-renowned uptown antique stores, there is something for everyone here. Johnston County is the birthplace of Ava Gardner and the home of the Ava Gardner Museum. Located in Smithfield, North Carolina, this extensive collection of artifacts representing Ava Gardner's life and career, was predominately assembled by one man. In 1939, while enrolled in secretarial school in Wilson, NC, Ava Gardner kissed Tom Banks (age 12) on the cheek - beginning a life-long devotion on the part of Mr. (later, Doctor) Banks. Dr. Banks, with the aid of his wife, even bought the house where Ava lived from age 2 to 13, for his museum. Dr. Banks suffered a stroke at the Ava Gardner Museum in 1989 and died within days; Ms Garner died five months later and was buried in Johnston County in The Town of Smithfield. Mrs. Banks donated the collection to the Town of Smithfield. "Grabtown Girl" is a book about Ava Gardner's childhood in rural "Grabtown" (Smithfield) and Johnston County. Johnston County Schools and the Johnston Community College have excellent reputations, and Duke University, and NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY AT RALEIGH are within easy commuting distance. Job Opportunities abound here. Nearby Research Triangle Park is the largest planned research park in the United States, and corporate giants in Johnston County, such as Bayer, Andrew, Eaton and Caterpillar, employ over 25,000 county residents. |
||||||||||||
| < Prev |
|---|
