Friday, January 04, 2008

The Geography of Place


I'm posting today from Saxapahaw, North Carolina, a real place with character. Jordan Properties has converted the old historic mill town into a thriving, renewed community, complete with general store, small post office, sheriff's office, school, apartments, cottages, and a water tower. It straddles the Haw River, part of the Cape Fear River basin. There are trees, hills, walkways; there's a farmer's market and live music; Jordan family members live right on site and keep everything well-maintained. From Saxapahaw, it's about twenty minutes by car to Carrborro and a little longer to UNC Chapel Hill. It's also within easy reach of other old mill towns like Burlington, Alamance, and Graham (plus Mebane). I'm glad my parents decided to move here back in 2002 -- it's a great oasis away from strip malls and the unzoned ugliness prevalent in too many other places -- and a testament to the enlightened farsightedness of the Jordans (plus they have peacocks). Because it's a historic zone, the Saxapahaw Rivermill contains rental units, not condos; a wide variety of people live in the area, keeping it vibrant and interesting. I love it!


I also love several of these movies, but that's for another post . . . . .

Today's Rune: Breakthrough.

3 comments:

the walking man said...

Awww C'mon home Erik, you know you want the dirty treasure of Detroit more than a town built for comfort.

Peace

mark

Charles Gramlich said...

Sounds like a neat place, with some history. In opposition to Mark, I say, "stay, stay."

Anonymous said...

Yeah, me too. It looks like a place you could stay and love.