Fuquay-Varina

While development in the area today includes numerous residential communities and commercial sites along the major roadways into town, many of the older structures from its past remain within the town limits. The Victorian, Craftsman, and Colonial Revival homes constructed in the late 19th century and early 20th century are contributing structures to the Fuquay Springs National Register Residential Historic District, while the downtown shops and businesses are part of the Varina National Register Commercial Historic District.

A couple's romance and eventual marriage eventually led to the hyphenated name. But long before that, the area was first known as "Piney Woods", inhabited by the Sippihaw Indians. It is believed the first European to settle here was a Frenchman named William Fuquay who purchased 1,000 acres of land for 50 cents an acre. The name "Sippihaw" means "good will" in the Native American language. The early farming community came to be called Sippihaw, changed to Fuquay.

A Fuquay descendent discovered a mineral spring on the property of his large plantation. Originally using it as a source of drinking water, but cam to believe that the minerals contained healing properties. Word spread after he told his friends and neighbors and the springs developed a reputation. They were walled in on four sides leaving the front lower for drainage. A gourd was hung at the spring for everyone to use. Tourists began coming to the area in the summers, using several small hotels that had been built. By the early 1900s, the popularity of the spring reached its peak.

J.D. Ballentine, the first schoolmaster, ran a two-room private schoolhouse overlooking the springs. He enlisted in the Confederate Army during Civil War and the romantic interest that led to the name Fuquay-Varina developed. To promote the morale of southern troops, many young women wrote to the soldiers and Ballentine received letters from a girl who signed her name "Varina." Eventually, she told him her real name -- Virginia Avery -- and later they met, fell in love, and married after the war. Ballentine continued to call her Varina throughout their married life.

They settled in the town of Sippihaw after the war and in 1880 when the town needed a post office, one was opened south of the mineral springs and Ballentine acted as postmaster. He called it Varina. The couple also opened a general store called the Varina Mercantile Company and in 1899 a community developed around the store.

Mineral water was in vogue and people came from miles around to visit the springs. Commercial ventures were established and the Norfolk Southern Railroad and the Durham and Southern Railroad brought customers to the area on a daily basis.

At the turn of the 20th Century, a Raleigh resident, John A. Mills, developed a stop for his existing lumber railroad in Sippihaw. His flat cars were fitted with seats and "Moonlight Excursions" brought guests to the springs. The prospering town attracted Dr. J.A. Sexton to the community and he operated the Blanchard Hotel and a nearby restaurant to handle the town's increasing popularity.

The Town of Sippihaw was renamed Fuquay Springs in 1902 and incorporated in April 17, 1909, encompassing in its town limits the Varina business section and the Varina railroad junction. At this point, the dividing line between Fuquay Springs and Varina was virtually indistinguishable, but both continued to develop as separate communities. Varina later reestablished its own post office with the help of the local congressman, but the town was never incorporated.

By 1910 the Varina Union Station was built in Varina, the town obtained its own post office, and the Bank of Varina was founded in 1914. A year later the Fuquay Mineral Springs Corporation was formed in the first serious attempt to commercialize the springs. Water was bottled, sold, and delivered to various hotels.

A growing tobacco industry continued to fuel Varina's development, and included the addition of the Varina Supply Company, a farming supply store, in 1925. The Varina Knitting Company, built in 1933, operated until 1957.

By the 1920s, the two communities boasted five tobacco warehouses, a cotton buyer, and fifteen stores. The area became a trade and market center for Southern Wake, Harnett and Johnston Counties throughout the first half of this century.

Although residents joined together in combined congregations at churches, the two towns maintained separate identities and post offices until 1963 when they eventually joined to become Fuquay-Varina.

Town leaders want to maintain the "village character" associated with Fuquay- Varina, despite its burgeoning growth. A planned revitalized downtown will offer specialty shops, boutiques, restaurants, professional offices, and second-story residences, along with ample parking and pedestrian friendly streets. All this planning is to preserve the ambience of the small town that thrived as an overnight railroad stop at the start of the 1900s. The vintage appeal includes extensive landscaping, park benches, new street lighting, new sidewalks with brick bands and scored concrete, and completely renovated buildings with first-floor expanded space and new residential or loft living on the second.

Today, several coffee houses provide space for breaks, breakfasts and light fare, while restaurants, bakeries and bar and grills dish out meals. History lovers will be thrilled at the amount of fascinating venues around the area including a gorgeous bed and breakfast where they can stay during a visit. Fuquay Mineral Springs Park is the site of the spring that originally put Fuquay Springs on the map and is accessible nearby.

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 Fuquay-Varina, 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 FUQUAY-VARINA

Exploring life in Fuquay-Varina is a good decision, and here are fun things to know:

*Fuquay Mineral Spring Park - The site of the natural spring around which the Fuquay Springs community developed. The facility includes picnic tables, a footbridge, restored springhouse, park benches, granite historical marker, and memorial brick path.

*Ballentine-Spence House - was built in 1910 and is a mix of Victorian and Early Colonial Revival styles. It was the home of the first schoolmaster in Fuquay Springs and was the first home in the area to have indoor plumbing and electricity.

FUQUAY-VARINA'S GOOD LIFE

It has become almost routine for Fuquay-Varina 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 Fuquay-Varina good life is expressed on the website of the Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce:

"Fuquay-Varina is a quaint town tucked away in Southern Wake County. With the inherent friendliness of a traditional small-town, this community is graced with two historic downtowns separated by only a 15-minute walk. The town reflects the charm of a neighborly community and a quality of life often left behind by nearby cities.

"As part of the Wake County Public Schools, the largest system in North Carolina, families have access to quality K-12 education and access to Wake Technical Community College where a large number of programs are offered. Numerous colleges and universities offer a large educated workforce locally and for nearby Research Triangle Park businesses.

"Fuquay-Varina offers a wide assortment of sports and recreational activities for the whole family, historical venues and shopping within the cozy boundaries of the town itself. A short drive offers cultural entertainment and access to all services of a big city including professional hockey and soccer teams, museums, and golf courses.

"Experience small-town, friendly living with all the amenities of a larger city in a growing but close-knit community where you can find an assortment of things to do and places to go while relaxing in a casual, sociable community."

FUQUAY-VARINA'S NEIGHBORS

Fuquay-Varina is one of 32 sister communities in the Greater Research Triangle region:

Angier

Apex

Benson

Butner

Carrboro

Cary

Chapel Hill

Clayton

Creedmoor

Durham

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 FUQUAY-VARINA?

Fuquay-Varina 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 Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina?

The second reason to live in Fuquay-Varina is that it is a great place to buy a home. Fuquay-Varina real estate is affordable. Newcomers can choose between well- established 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 Fuquay-Varina.

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

EDUCATION IN FUQUAY-VARINA

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

To better help you select the best schools in Fuquay-Varina, 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

PUBLIC SCHOOLS WITH A FUQUAY-VARINA ADDRESS

Elementary Schools in Fuquay-Varina:

Ballentine Elementary School

Fuquay-Varina Elementary School

Lincoln Heights Elementary School

Middle Schools in Fuquay-Varina:

Fuquay-Varina Middle School

High Schools in Fuquay-Varina:

Fuquay-Varina High School

CHARTER SCHOOLS IN NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina charter schools are independent public schools that exist to offer Fuquay-Varina 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 Fuquay-Varina 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 FUQUAY-VARINA:

There are no charter schools with a Fuquay-Varina address.

PRIVATE SCHOOLS WITH A FUQUAY-VARINA ADDRESS

Private schools, also known as independent schools or non-state schools, are not administered by Fuquay-Varina, 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. Fuquay-Varina students 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 Fuquay-Varina:

Hilltop Christian School, grades K-12

Montessori School

COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES IN AND NEAR FUQUAY-VARINA

Higher education in the Greater Research Triangle region is another great reason to live in Fuquay-Varina, 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

Fuquay-Varina 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

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 Fuquay-Varina, even if only from across town- congratulations, and...

Welcome HERE to Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina