How one N.C. town is straddling 'ground-shaking development' while maintaining its small-town charm

Siler City, N.C. has been a farming community since the late 1880s. (Siler City photo)

A small North Carolina town known for its "Andy Griffith Show" connections works to embrace big business investments without sacrificing its rural charm. It's a balancing act that many Siler City residents want to see succeed, reports Bill Horner III for Business NC.

The town is a "relatively poor, formerly industrial-rich town fighting for traction, stability and identity. . . .With one caveat: Wolfspeed and Toyota are creating ground-shaking development to the tune of about $19 billion," Horner explains. "Wolfspeed has pledged 1,800 jobs at its $5 billion silicon carbide plant. . . . Toyota’s $13.9 billion battery manufacturing plant is expected to create an additional 1,500 jobs."

Location of Siler City, N. C.
(Wikipedia map)

That's a lot of investment and people for the town of roughly 8,000 residents to manage; however, Siler City officials have already begun to assimilate the town's new prospects. Horner adds, "The changes in Siler City aren’t just in new faces and construction. The town's mayor, Donald Matthews, is enthused about momentum and new initiatives, including a visitors center. . . .The town has signed a service agreement for water and sewer. . . . Downtown-wide Wi-Fi is on the horizon."

To help build retail infrastructure, Siler City officials "hired Josh Harris, the former athletic director at the local high school, to become the town chamber’s first executive director. Nearly 120 businesses have since joined," Horner reports.

Harris told Horner, "It’s a great place to live and enjoy your time, and raise your family. What happens in the next 10 years. . . is hard to predict. But the potential is there.” Horner writes, "Harris recognizes [Siler City's] farming roots and the need to preserve agriculture and grow agribusiness. His family’s Harris Homeplace Farm, in nearby Snow Camp, sells grass-fed meats directly to consumers."

Harris sees incoming businesses and residents as a way to make Siler City a "generational community." He told Horner, "I’m the sixth generation on our family farm, and our family’s been here a long time. . . . I needed to get my hands involved in this because I want this to be a great place to live in 30 years — not for me, but for my kids."