Wake County
Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, United States, lying south of Holly Springs and southwest of
Garner
Garner may refer to:
Places United States
* Garner, Arkansas
* Garner, Iowa
* Garner, Missouri
* Garner, North Carolina
Other uses
* Garner (surname), a surname
* Granary, a grain store
* ''Tennessee v. Garner'', a United States Supreme Court cas ...
, and north of the Harnett County town of Angier and west of the unincorporated community of Willow Springs. The population was 17,937 at the 2010 census, and estimated at 30,324 as of July 2019. The hyphenated name attests to the town's history as two separate towns. Fuquay Springs and Varina merged in 1963 to create the modern town. Economically, the town initially grew due to tobacco trade and agriculture, but has seen recent population growth and real estate development due to its proximity to
Research Triangle Park
Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the largest research park in the United States, occupying in North Carolina and hosting more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers.
The facility is named for its location relative to the three surrounding cities ...
.
Geography
Fuquay-Varina is located at (35.591969, -78.788746).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.51%, is water.
Fuquay-Varina is located in the northeast central region of North Carolina, where the North American Piedmont and
Atlantic Coastal Plain
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...
regions meet. This area is known as the "
Fall Line
A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is typically prominent where rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the coa ...
" because it marks the elevation inland at which waterfalls begin to appear in creeks and rivers. Its central Piedmont location situates Fuquay-Varina approximately three hours west of Atlantic Beach by car and four hours east of the
Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge ...
.
Climate
Fuquay-Varina enjoys a moderate
subtropical climate
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north and ...
, with moderate temperatures in the spring, fall, and winter. Summers are typically hot with high
humidity
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present.
Humidity depe ...
. Winter highs generally range in the low 50s°F (10 to 13 °C) with lows in the low-to-mid 30s°F (-2 to 2 °C), although an occasional 60 °F (15 °C) or warmer winter day may occur. Spring and fall days usually reach the low-to-mid 70s°F (low 20s°C), with lows at night in the lower 50s°F (10 to 14 °C). Summer daytime highs often reach the upper 80s to low 90s°F (29 to 35 °C). The rainiest month is November.
History
Early history
Frenchman
The French people (french: Français) are an ethnic group and nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common French culture, history, and language, identified with the country of France.
The French people, especially th ...
William Fuquay first settled in the small farming town of Sippihaw, named for the original Native American tribe that inhabited the area. Although there is no history of a tribe called Sippihaw, there are historical accounts in the area of a tribe called Susippihaw. Around 1858, while plowing the fields of the family tobacco farm, Stephen Fuquay, son of William, discovered a
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...
. Originally the spring was used solely for drinking water. Stephen soon came to the conclusion that the
mineral water
Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. Mineral water may usually be still or sparkling (carbonated/effervescent) according to the presence or absence of added gases.
Tra ...
flowing from the springs had healing properties. As word spread, locals began to help the springs establish this reputation, which brought residents from neighboring communities and counties to its waters. The springs were eventually walled in to better serve the tourists coming to the area by road or rail. In 1860, Fuquay sold the springs to a group of local investors who formed the Chalybeate Springs Company to market the attraction and its waters.
At that time another Sippihaw resident, J. D. "Squire" Ballentine, was returning home from the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. Ballentine had been the town's schoolmaster before going off to fight for the
Confederate Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
. During his tour of duty, he had received letters from one of many southern ladies who wrote to the troops to improve their morale. Originally signing her name "Varina", perhaps an homage to the wife of Jefferson Davis, Virginia Avery would later meet and fall in love with Ballentine. He continued to call her Varina throughout their life together. When he became the first postmaster at the new post office in town in 1880, he named it "Varina" in her honor. A community grew just south of the springs, near the post office and the couple's Varina Mercantile Company general store. In time, it adopted the same name. Ballentine's business success allowed him to construct the Ballentine Spence House in 1910, the first house to have plumbing and electricity in the area. This house, a local historic landmark, still stands today.
Growth around the start of the 20th century
The Fuquay Mineral Spring's popularity grew in the 1890s and around the start of the 20th century as local businessman John Mills developed the idea to offer "Moonlight Excursions" to the springs. He fitted flat Railroad car, rail cars with seats and offered nighttime train trips to southern Wake County from Raleigh. As more guests came to the springs to "take the waters", a group of small hotels sprung up in town, along with restaurants,
barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...
stands, and a dance pavilion with a
player piano
A player piano (also known as a pianola) is a self-playing piano containing a pneumatic or electro-mechanical mechanism, that operates the piano action via programmed music recorded on perforated paper or metallic rolls, with more modern i ...
. The town became a tourist destination and was the site of special celebrations on Fourths of July and
Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
Mondays. During these events, residents of Raleigh would take the train down to watch the accompanying baseball games and participate in the dances and celebrations. Hotels like the Ben Wiley Hotel catered to the out-of-towners and became as much a center of town life as the springs. In 1902, Sippihaw was renamed "Fuquay Springs" in honor of its founding family and was officially incorporated in 1909.
When it was incorporated, the new Fuquay Springs town limits included the core of the neighboring town of Varina, consisting of its business district and the rail junction of the Cape Fear and Northern Railway and the
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...
. But Varina reestablished itself the following year when the Varina Union Station was erected and a new post office was created, spurred by the lobbying of Ballentine. Four years later, the Bank of Varina was established, competing directly with the Bank of Fuquay (now Fidelity Bank). Several warehouses for the growing
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
business were built in town over the next few years, capitalizing on the railroad connections. Another supply store and a knitting factory followed. As Varina came into its own as a hub for area agriculture, the Fuquay Springs Corporation was formed and began bottling and selling mineral water from the springs commercially. Area businesses continued to develop and, in 1927, U.S. Route 401 was paved through town, shortening travel times to Raleigh and nearby communities.
Unification and the present
By this time, Fuquay Springs and Varina had become major trading hubs for southern Wake County as well as neighboring Harnett and Johnston counties. Yet improvements to automobiles and area roads caused a decline in tourism at the springs. Rather than visiting the springs, residents in the region chose to visit the coast as travel times decreased. During this time, however, the tobacco industry continued to drive the area economy, with five warehouses, a cotton buyer, and fifteen stores established by the end of the 1920s. The shared emphasis on agricultural and industrial growth brought the towns to a shared vision, and as their residents worked, played, and attended church together, the towns merged into Fuquay-Varina in 1963.
While development in the area today includes numerous residential communities and commercial sites along the major roadways into town, many of the older structures from its past remain within the town limits. The Victorian, Craftsman, and
Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...
homes constructed in the late 19th century and early 20th century are contributing structures to the Fuquay Springs Historic District, while the downtown shops and businesses are part of the Varina Commercial Historic District. Area landmarks located in these districts include the
Ben-Wiley Hotel
Ben-Wiley Hotel is a historic hotel building located at Fuquay-Varina, Wake County, North Carolina. It was built in 1925, and is a Bungalow / American Craftsman style frame building consisting of two hip-roofed blocks; the two-story main block w ...
, the Ballentine-Spence House, and the Dr. Wiley S. Cozart House, built across the street from the springs by the original owner and proprietor of the Ben Wiley. The springs are now contained in a small park developed on the site in 1945 which was handed over to the town in 1998 to maintain as a historic park. Lexie McLean owned and operated McLean's Grocery on Academy Street for many years. McLean was a community leader and considered a major factor in the growth and development of the Fuquay-Varina area. Edward N. Farnell was the principal of the Fuquay Spring High School from 1952 through 1967. Farnell was an important community leader and educator; many of his students went on to become community and state leaders.
From 1970 to 2000, the population more than doubled, growing from 3,576 residents to 7,898. The population more than doubled again between 2000 and 2010, growing to 17,937 at the 2010 census. According to the
NC State
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...
Data Center, Fuquay-Varina grew 23% from 2000 to 2003, making it the 26th fastest growing community in the state and the 11th fastest for those with populations over 5,000.
The mayor of Fuquay-Varina is Blake Massengill, who was elected in 2021 with 50% of the vote over Commissioner Bill Harris. Prior to being elected as mayor, Blake served as Mayor Pro-Tem for six years. The new Mayor Pro-Tem replacing Massengill is Commissioner Larry Smith.
Fuquay-Varina is also the former hometown of Internet personalities Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, who moved their studio there in 2010, as well as Link who until then lived in
Apex, North Carolina
Apex () is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. At its southern border, Apex encompasses the community of Friendship. In 1994, the downtown area was designated a historic district, and the Apex train depot, built in 1867, is desig ...
.
In addition to the Ben-Wiley Hotel, Fuquay Springs Historic District, and Varina Commercial Historic District, the Fuquay Mineral Spring,
Fuquay Springs High School
Fuquay Springs High School, also known as Fuquay-Varina Middle School, is a historic high school located at Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, Fuquay-Varina, Wake County, North Carolina. It was built about 1925, and is a two-story, rectangular, fla ...
J. Beale Johnson House
J. Beale Johnson House is a historic home located near Fuquay-Varina, Wake County, North Carolina. The house was built about 1906, and is a two-story, double pile, Classical Revival style frame dwelling. It is sheathed in weatherboard, sits on ...
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 34,152 people, 9,494 households, and 7,150 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 7,898 people, 3,122 households, and 2,126 families residing in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 1,156.0 people per square mile (446.5/km2). There were 3,375 housing units at an average density of 494.0 per square mile (190.8/km2). The racial composition of the town was: 70.63%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 24.40%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 7.38%
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino American
Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spanish and/or Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include all Americans who identify as ...
, 0.48%
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...
Native Hawaiian
Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaii ...
two or more races
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...
.
There were 3,122 households, out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 35.2% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,903, and the median income for a family was $49,531. Males had a median income of $35,497 versus $28,551 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $20,268. About 9.0% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The town is served by seven public schools, administered by the
Wake County Public School System
The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) is a public school district located in Wake County, North Carolina. With 157,673 students in average daily membership and 194 schools as of the 2021–2022 school year, it is the largest public sc ...
. Public schools include Ballentine Elementary School, Fuquay-Varina Elementary School, Lincoln Heights Elementary School, Herbert Akins Road Elementary, Fuquay-Varina Middle School, Fuquay-Varina High School, and South Lakes Elementary School. Southern Wake Academy, a publicly funded charter school serving grades 6 through 12, is also located in Fuquay-Varina. Hilltop Christian School is a
private school
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
located in the town.
The area is served by
Wake Technical Community College
Wake Technical Community College (Wake Tech) is a public community college in Raleigh, North Carolina. Its first location, Southern Wake Campus, opened in 1963. Wake Tech now operates multiple campuses throughout Wake County. The largest communit ...
, which is located between Fuquay-Varina and Raleigh. The 2007 enrollment was approximately 57,000 and was projected to grow to 78,000 by 2015.
Transportation
Roads
Two state routes and one U.S. route run through Fuquay Varina. All three routes occupy part of Main Street in the main business district in town, and each goes in a different direction outside of the main business district.
* NC 42 enters the town from the west, after traveling through a large sparsely populated rural area including the unincorporated community of Duncan. The next sizable settlement on NC 42 is Sanford, about 25 miles away. After entering the town, it follows Academy Street, which marks the central east–west street of the town grid system. After meeting Main Street, NC 42 leaves Academy Street and joins US 401 along North Main Street. After meeting NC 55 at Broad Street just south of Old Varina, the three share North Main Street before NC 55 and NC 42 leave US 401 at the northeastern corner of town. The two routes share pavement only for a few dozen yards before NC 42 splits off in an eastbound direction towards Willow Springs and
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
NC 55
North Carolina Highway 55 (NC 55) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It serves as a traffic artery connecting Durham with Cary and numerous small cities and towns in The Triangle on its way toward the Pamli ...
enters the town from the northwest, entering the town from Holly Springs and forming the main route through the Varina Commercial Historic District, one of the former towns that merged to make Fuquay-Varina. After meeting the other two routes, the three share North Main Street before NC 55 and NC 42 leave US 401 at the northeastern corner of town. The two routes share pavement only for a few dozen yards before NC 55 splits to the south and heads towards the unincorporated community of Kennebec and from then on to Angier.
*
US 401
U.S. Route 401 (US 401) is a north–south United States highway, a spur of U.S. Route 1, that travels along the Fall Line from Sumter, South Carolina to Interstate 85 near Wise, North Carolina.
Route description
Starting in Sum ...
enters the town from the south, after traveling through northern Harnett County from Lillington. Forming the main thoroughfare through the Fuquay Springs Historic District, one of the former towns that merged to make Fuquay Varina, following South Main Street. After meeting NC 42 at Academy Street and NC 55, the three routes follow North Main Street through town before NC 42 and NC 55 leave towards the southeast, and US 401 heads northeast towards
Garner
Garner may refer to:
Places United States
* Garner, Arkansas
* Garner, Iowa
* Garner, Missouri
* Garner, North Carolina
Other uses
* Garner (surname), a surname
* Granary, a grain store
* ''Tennessee v. Garner'', a United States Supreme Court cas ...
.
Public transport
* Air:
Raleigh-Durham International Airport
The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont region of North Carolina in the United States, anchored by the cities of Raleigh and Durham and the town of Chapel Hill, home to th ...
is located in northwestern Wake county on
I-40
Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...
.
* Rail: Fuquay-Varina is not served directly by passenger trains.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
serves the nearby municipalities of
Cary
Cary may refer to:
Places
;United States
* Cary, Illinois, part of the Chicago metropolitan area
* Cary, Indiana, part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area
* Cary, Miami County, Indiana
* Cary, Maine
* Cary, Mississippi
* Cary, North Carolina ...
and
Raleigh
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
.
* Local bus: The
Triangle Transit Authority
The Research Triangle Regional Public Transportation Authority, known as GoTriangle (previously Triangle Transit and Triangle Transit Authority or TTA), provides regional bus service to the Research Triangle region of North Carolina in Wake, Durha ...
operates buses that serve the region and connect to municipal bus systems in
Raleigh
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
,
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
, and
Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia
*Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane
*Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area
Canada
* Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...
.
Parks and recreation
The town is served by the following parks:
* Fuquay Mineral Spring Park - This park is the site of the natural spring around which the Fuquay Springs community developed. The facility includes picnic tables, a footbridge, restored spring house, park benches, granite historical marker, and memorial brick path.
* South Park - Facilities include a concession/scorekeeper building, scorekeeper booth, two baseball fields, one multi-purpose field, two soccer fields, multi-purpose area,
community center
Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...
, administrative offices, a picnic shelter, playground units, a miniature water park for children, grilling area, and a walking track.
* Falcon Park - Facilities include a youth baseball/softball field, picnic shelter, playground, charcoal grill area, concession stand, sand volleyball court and a gymnasium.
* Action Park - Facilities include two youth softball/baseball fields, Batting cages, one multipurpose field (softball, baseball, football, soccer), four lighted tennis courts, and a playground.
* Carroll Howard Johnson Environmental Education Park - The park has nature trails and free teaching kits available for use. Lesson plans and supplies for grades
K-12
K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...
are included in each kit and kits are available to be checked out from the community center. Facilities include 1.5 - of interpretive walking trails, overlooks, bridges, outdoor classroom, restrooms, and a picnic pavilion with tables.
* Ballentine School Park - Facilities include three youth baseball/softball fields and one multi-purpose field.
* Library Park - Facilities include a picnic shelter, playground area, and a charcoal grilling area.
* Honeycutt Road Park - Facilities include two lighted soccer fields, one lighted multi-purpose field, two tennis courts, playground, concession stand with restrooms, paved walking track, and paved parking areas.
* Kinton Soccer Field - Youth soccer field
* Ransdell Soccer Field - Youth soccer field
* Fleming Loop Soccer Complex - Youth soccer fields
* Lawrence Street Park - Soccer Field ()
* Herbert Akins Park - Three soccer fields () Great for tournaments or picnics
* Banks Road Park - Two soccer fields and a baseball/softball field ()
*Splash Pad - 6,000 square foot pentagon shaped pad features multiple jets of streaming water from more than 35 water features. Free for residents but must have a Resident Splash Pad card which can be picked up at the Community Center during regular business hours (Monday-Friday 8 am-9 pm; Saturday 8 am-5 pm).
Government
Fuquay-Varina is governed by a council-manager form of government. The current mayor is Blake Massengill while the town manager is Adam Mitchell. The Town Board serves as the main legislative body, whose members, called commissioners, are all elected
at-large
At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...
for staggered four-year terms, with one member serving as mayor pro ten for a two-year term. The mayor is elected at-large for a two-year term, and serves as chairman of the board. The mayor and commissioners are elected on a
nonpartisan
Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party.
While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...
basis.
* Blake Massengill, Mayor (2021 - )
* Larry Smith, Mayor Pro-Tem (2019 - )
* Marilyn Gardner, Commissioner (2015 - )
* Bill Harris, Commissioner (1987 - )
* Bryan Haynes, Commissioner (2021 - )
* Tracy Watson, Commissioner (2021 - )
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
dairyman, farmer and politician
*
Curley Bridges
Curley Wilson Bridges (February 7, 1934 – November 27, 2014) was an American electric blues, rock and roll, and rhythm and blues singer, pianist and songwriter.
Life and career
Bridges was born in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. His father, G ...
(1934–2014), was an American
electric blues
Electric blues refers to any type of blues music distinguished by the use of electric amplifier, amplification for musical instruments. The guitar was the first instrument to be popularly amplified and used by early pioneers T-Bone Walker in the ...
,
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
, and
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...
singer, pianist and songwriter
*
Andre Bowden
Andre Bowden (born April 4, 1968) is a former fullback and linebacker in the Arena Football League and became the all-time leading rusher for the Tampa Bay Storm from 1993-1994, 1997- 2001, 2003- 2004.
Bowden played college football for Fayett ...
,
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
fullback and linebacker
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Beverly Buchanan
Beverly Buchanan (October 8, 1940 – July 4, 2015) was an African-American artist whose works include painting, sculpture, video, and land art. Buchanan is noted for her exploration of Southern vernacular architecture through her art.
Earl ...
,
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
artist
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...
whose works include painting, sculpture, video, and land art
* Connor Donovan, professional
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
Count Grog
Greg Mosorjak (born June 21, 1961), better known as Count Grog, is an American professional wrestling manager, referee, ring announcer, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Cueball Carmichael's Independent Professio ...
, professional wrestling manager and promoter
* C.J. Hunter, US Olympic Shot Putter
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Rhett and Link
Rhett James McLaughlin (born October 11, 1977) and Charles Lincoln "Link" Neal III (born June 1, 1978) are an American comedy duo. Self-styled as "Internetainers" (a portmanteau of "Internet" and "entertainers"), they are known for creating a ...
, Internetainers (a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsKatharine Stinson, aeronautical engineer and the
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
's first female engineerMarkovich, Jeremy. (June 29, 2020) The Sky is Her Limit , Our State ''Our State''. Retrieved July 16, 2020.