|
Interstate 85 runs right through Hillsborough, and Interstate 40 lies just outside its limits. This idyllic community is centrally located in North Carolina with convenient access to the Triad and other Triangle cities. Hillsborough is only a 15 minute drive to Duke University and Duke Medical Center to the east, and about a 15 to 20 minute commute to UNC and Chapel Hill to the south.
Hillsborough is surrounded by three privately owned Economic Development Districts, encompassing more than 2,500 acres. These pre-zoned sites allow a wide range of permitted uses, including light industrial, warehouse/distribution, flex space, office, retail or business services. The population is steady around 5,500 and the median family income is $46,793.
The town was laid out by William Churton on land where the Great Indian Trading Path crossed the Eno River. Founded in 1754, Hillsborough is a small town with a big history.
The downtown Hillsborough historic district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There remains more than 100 late eighteenth and nineteenth century structures that illustrate the town’s early history. Dating back to the era, there are also numerous bridges, millsites and dams along the Eno, and Native American relics from the locations of ancient times stretching back thousands of years.
The centerpiece of Hillsborough is Churton Street, a picturesque and charming byway with a number of inviting restaurants, shops, and galleries. The town is a favorite of both Revolutionary War re-enactors and barbecue lovers, who descend each June for the annual Hog Day celebration.
Hog Day is Orange County’s largest festival and a major fundraiser for the Chamber of Commerce. This highly anticipated event features family fun, good fun, live music, crafters, merchandise vendors, games and rides, and the largest classic auto show around these parts.
Hillsborough is also home to the Occoneechee Speedway, one of the first two NASCAR tracks and the only one remaining from the inaugural 1949 season.
There are diverse attractions available for every interest. One can visit the Occaneechi Indian Village, a reconstructed 17th-century village near where the tribe had an actual community 300 years ago; the Occoneechee Mountain Park, complete with hiking trails and observation decks; Ayr Mount, an 1815 Federal-era plantation house; The Shops at Daniel Boone, a pioneer-style village with nearly 30 antique stores, a blacksmith shop, and other businesses; and the Triangle Sportsplex, an ice skating rink used periodically by the Carolina Hurricanes.
The public school system is excellent with student-teacher ratios a low 13:1. The average elementary class size is 22, while 25 students is about the average for a middle school classroom. The system also boasts exceptional SAT scores, as well as a high 78% of students attending college upon graduation from high school, which is higher than the national average.
The Hillsborough community successfully integrates the old and new ways that improve the quality of life in its community, all the while maintaining the unique qualities that make Hillsborough such a great place to live, work, and visit.
|