Rural Hall, a town of about 3,000 that likes to call itself the "Garden Spot of the World," can now claim another title: the best place to raise kids in North Carolina.
The town was given the award by Bloomberg Businessweek magazine as part of a survey of more than 5,400 cities nationwide in which one community in each state was chosen tops. The towns or cities were rated according to their schools, cost of living, crime statistics, income levels, job growth, ethnic diversity, and amenities such as parks and theaters.
"In Rural Hall, this is something we have always known," a proud Mayor Larry Williams said Friday. "We are trying to keep this place a friendly, walkable, livable community."
As money becomes available, the town is installing as many sidewalks as possible, he said.
The post office and the fire department are gathering places for chatting, said Linda McDermon, a longtime teacher at Rural Hall Elementary, whose husband is a town council member.
The town is getting a new fire truck in January — its first ladder truck.
"The new school is two stories, so they needed the height," McDermon said.
Most third-graders are given walking tours of their town.
"We tour the bank and the post office on a nice sunny day," McDermon said.
Neighbors help each other out, but there's still plenty of privacy in Rural Hall, Williams said.
"They're there if we need them, and we're there if they need us," he said. "We look out for each other."
afuller@wsjournal.com
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