Methodology
Community ProfileLocated 15 miles southwest of Raleigh and only a 35 minute drive south of the Research Triangle Park (RTP), Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, finds itself in the midst of explosive growth not seen since the initial popularity of the Fuquay Spring (Fuquay-Varina Area Chamber of Commerce, 1999d). Every aspect of the town has experienced this tremendous growth, especially in terms of population, housing units, and commerce. Along with this growth, though, Fuquay-Varina aims to maintain its historic landmarks and small-town feel, creating a balance between the old and new, big and small (Jones, 1999). Throughout its history, Fuquay-Varina has offered residents and newcomers something attractive, a reason to stay, and that likely represents the main theme behind its development.
Before exploring the town's many draws, its geographical boundaries need defining for the purposes of this document and the Community Diagnosis as a whole. Three official definitions will be used at various times. The first definition is the town's corporate limits, covering the smallest area at 118.14 square miles (Fuquay-Varina Area Chamber of Commerce, 1999a). Second is the ETJ or Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction, encompassing a one mile radius around the corporate limits and representing the jurisdictional control for Fuquay-Varina (T. Gardiner, personal communication, October 12, 1999). Third is the zip code, 27526, which extends well beyond the town even into parts of Holly Springs to the north and Harnett County to the south (T. Gardiner, personal communication, October 12, 1999). The population for each of these three areas reveals the growth spreading outwards from within the town. The Fuquay-Varina Area Chamber of Commerce estimates the population in the town limits as 7,581 as of 1998 (1999a). The ETJ adds another 3,640, and the entire zip code numbers approximately 22,483 (1999a). Since 1960, the town population has more than doubled and is expected to grow 6% per year for single families until the year 2020. The zip code population has experienced a 4.5% growth rate this decade (1999a). So what about Fuquay-Varina has attracted the influx of people?
As far as Fuquay-Varina's geographic appeal in the present time, its afore-mentioned proximity to Raleigh and the RTP make Fuquay-Varina an enticing address for those working in the urban areas yet preferring seclusion from the hustle and bustle. Also, the climate is highly touted by the Fuquay-Varina Area Chamber of Commerce, with the mean annual temperature at 59.8 degrees Farenheit and an average annual rainfall of 44.6 inches (1999c). Three main thoroughfares converge into Main Street in the eastern part of town, all allowing direct access to urban areas or major interstates: state highway 55 from the northwest through Holly Springs, state highway 42 which runs east-west and roughly bisects the incorporated town, and US 401 which heads northeast into Raleigh. Routes 55 and 401, especially, draw increasing numbers of cars, which has led to a widening of US 401 and increased congestion along N.C. 55 (which has yet to be modified) from commuters of Research Triangle Park and Durham (Jones, 1999).
Dating back to Fuquay-Varina's founding, geographical factors played a key role in its drawing power as a residential and commercial area. By the turn of the century, the separate towns of Fuquay Springs and Varina were located at the junction of the Cape Fear, Northern, the Norfolk, and Southern Railroads, attracting industries who could use those rail lines (Lalley, 1994). For example, in 1908, W.H. Aiken, a Granville County native, opened the first tobacco warehouse in the area at that strategic junction of the two Fuquay and Varina rail lines (Lalley, 1994). With tobacco having always been a crop of primary importance in North Carolina, the development of the tobacco industry near Fuquay-Varina ensured a growing economy.
Of course, the most famous and crucial geographic factor for Fuquay-Varina's growth was the Fuquay Spring, creating a substantial tourism industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Stephen Fuquay, great grandson of William Fuquay, first discovered the Fuquay Spring in the mid-19th century at what is now the corner of South Main and Spring streets, then sold the spring in 1860 to 10 men from Wake and Harnett Counties who formed the Chalybeate Spring Company (Lalley, 1994). The company was established to promote the spring as a tourist attraction, and as the spring grew in popularity, two new rail links were built from Fuquay and Varina to Durham even though the Fuquay Spring was known decades before the railroads (Lalley, 1994). By the 1890's, with the spring's popularity at its peak, tourists took "Moonlight Excursions" to the spring to drink the water for its supposed therapeutic properties. Barbecue stands, a dance pavilion, and a player piano were added as attractions at the spring site, and hotels and restaurants sprouted up to respond to the increased tourism (Carolina, 1993). Eventually, interest in the spring as a tourist site began to diminish in conjunction with the popularization of automobiles, which gave travelers increased access to competing tourist attractions (Lalley, 1994). Ever since its discovery, the spring has flowed with one exception, in 1933, when the use of dynamite for sewer installation briefly disrupted the spring's flow (Carolina, 1993). Today, the spring still piques the curiosity of those who drink from it and believe in its medicinal properties. The spring's rich historical significance will continue to live in the stories of those who freely talk about being around when the tourist boom occurred.
The area saw booming economic growth for other reasons, albeit not as the entity of Fuquay-Varina known today. In the very beginning, separate towns of Fuquay Springs and Varina co-existed. Fuquay Springs was the main trade center for Southern Wake County and the surrounding areas of Johnston and Harnett Counties (Lalley, 1994). Ballentine Dairy was the first and oldest dairy in North Carolina until its closing several years ago, and Lillian Yater Parker Ballentine was credited for making the dairy a success after her husband's death in 1906 (Author, 1990). In 1895, Fuquay Springs saw its first drugstore and doctor 6 miles away from the spring. The town's name officially changed in 1902 from Sippihaw to Fuquay Springs in honor of Stephen Fuquay (Carolina, 1993). Then, in 1914, a pharmacy opened for business, and in 1927, US 401 was first paved through Fuquay (Carolina, 1993). This original routing of 401 down one of Fuquay's major streets pushed the growing town's size past that of neighboring Varina (Lalley, 1994). Fuquay became incorporated as a town in 1909, and the Bank of Fuquay was also established (Lalley, 1994). During the Depression in the 1920's and 1930's, Fuquay was one of only three cities in Wake County experiencing population growth, tripling in size. The population explosion was primarily because Fuquay was the only town in Southern or Western Wake County with a tobacco market, an industry which, as emphasized earlier, quickly reached prominence (Lalley, 1994).
The town of Varina was named after Virginia Avery, who used the pen name "Varina" when writing her future husband, James "Squire" Ballentine, who was away fighting for the Confederate Army in the Civil War. Ballentine made generous contributions to the Varina community in the late 1800s by establishing the first post office in his home and running a general store located across from the Fuquay Spring with his brother. Because of his influence within the community, Ballentine chose to name the town Varina (Lalley, 1994). Though established in 1899, the town of Varina was not incorporated until ten years thereafter (Lalley, 1994). Fuquay Springs and Varina finally merged in 1963 to form Fuquay-Varina, though long-time residents of both towns may still identify them as separate (Lalley, 1994). The two towns' proximity to each other and use of the same railways for industry likely made the merger an ideal decision at the time.
Nowadays, Fuquay-Varina is a rapidly growing community with its population in the incorporated town limits expected to increase almost 5 times within the next 20 years (Fuquay-Varina Area Chamber of Commerce, 1999d). To accommodate this increase, new housing units are sprouting around the outskirts of town targeted to various income levels (Fuquay-Varina Area Chamber of Commerce, 1999d). The town projects adding more than 2,000 houses in the next five years, including 500 single-family units in Willow Creek, 140 townhouses at Old Honeycutt Road and Highway 55, and 199-lot Phillips Pointe off the Judd Road extension (Jones, 1999). There is active recruitment for development - both commercial and residential - by the Area Chamber of Commerce and town government, with incentives for builders such as a reduction in corporate taxes planned for next year. Strategically planned infrastructure development looks to keep pace with economic development using investments from existing businesses, government, and the community, including a $10 million bond issue recently approved for improvements in water and sewage systems (Fuquay-Varina Area Chamber of Commerce, 1999d).
As of 1997, Fuquay-Varina's chief industries include retail, professional services, and manufacturing, with chief occupations of labor, tradespeople, and administrative services (National Resource Directories, Inc., 1997). Recent industrial expansion projects include a $30 million John Deere plant opened two years ago which made further plans to expand, and the current construction of Barker Plaza (of Bob Barker Company, Inc.), providing 20,000 square feet of office space downtown (Fuquay-Varina Area Chamber of Commerce, 1999c; Jones, 1999). As reported by the Chamber of Commerce, there are 18 local manufacturers and industries, which provide an estimated 2,900 jobs (Fuquay-Varina Area Chamber of Commerce, 1999c).
A new retail center is also under construction and is set to open by the end of 2000, with the largest tenant, Wal-Mart, expected to provide over 300 new jobs (Chamber Connection, 1999). Planned growth, including the construction of two professional office buildings and a medical facility, indicates a shift in the labor market is forthcoming (Fuquay-Varina Area Chamber of Commerce Website). The intention is for more people to both work and live in Fuquay-Varina, not just one or the other. Finally, tobacco has not been forgotten even in the midst of an apparent decline in usage: "The tobacco industry continues to play an important role in the economy and vitality of southern Wake county, and provides an annual reminder of our cultural and historical roots" (Hunt, 1999, p. 2). With this vast history of development and current rapid expansion in mind, Fuquay-Varina has several challenges it must tackle to really show progress, rather than simply growing uncontollably. For example, even with its proud history as a "spring" town, Fuquay-Varina now ironically finds itself searching for new water sources, having already negotiated for a second pipeline with Harnett County from the Cape Fear River at Lillington (Eisley, 1999). Not to be forgotten are the kinds of changes that the town had never experienced until recently, such as the increase in Latinos and the sense that there are more elderly residents and families with young children. An effective first step towards addressing these issues seems to be the recent establishment of the Southern Regional Center (SRC) which provides a wide array of social, health, and economic services to southern Wake County and disseminates much of its information in both English and Spanish as well. As with every other town that grows, Fuquay-Varina is not immune to higher taxes, increased crime, and congested traffic. Because the town's loyal residents are well-informed about these issues and growing pains, meeting the challenges that accompany growth and reaching developmental goals are easily within its grasp.
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