Locust NC and Stanfield NC—Great Country Towns Near Charlotte NC
Miles of rolling farmland and hardwood forest. Horse farms and equestrian facilities behind white fencing. Fresh country air and breathing room.
These phrases describe Stanly County NC but don’t reveal everything you should know about this rural area just to the east of Charlotte NC. In the middle of the farmland and horse farms are two small towns determined to provide modern amenities for their residents. These two towns, Locust NC and Stanfield NC, are located side-by-side just 25 miles east of uptown Charlotte and just 11 miles from Mint Hill NC and I-485.
Locust NC calls itself A City with a Soul. Drive into Locust and you will see a fresh new Town Center with buildings that evoke turn-of-the-century Carolina small towns. A modern horse statue dominates the town square. You’ll find banks, shops, restaurants, the town hall and a library in the Locust Town Center. The Locust City Park hosts adult and youth softball leagues, a spring festival and movies in the park during the summer months. You can even find a brand new Walmart Superstore near downtown Locust. The Crutchfield Campus of Stanly Community College welcomes you as you approach Locust from Charlotte.
Stanfield NC, next door to Locust, isn’t as large as its neighbor. Stanfield wants to stay in touch with its past. A reconstructed old log barn at Pete Henkel Park welcomes you to Stanfield’s small main street with its original buildings. Stanfield, like so many Carolina small towns, exists because of the railroad. It was established in 1912 and named after the railroad engineer who had just brought the trains to the town.
Locust was established earlier in the 1860s by German, Scotts-Irish and English immigrants. Its first name was Crossroads because of the many travelers who passed through the area. The only water available in those days for travelers was a central well dug close to a locust tree. In 1869, the new post office for the area was named Locust Level for the locust tree and the level fields and road nearby. In 1894, Level was dropped and the town became simply Locust.
Stanly County’s estimated population in 2008 was 59,614. 2005 estimates put the number of residents in Locust at 2526 and in Stanfield at 1110. Locust and Stanfield are located where Highway 24/27 and Highway 200 intersect.
Want to know more about homes and farms in Locust and Stanfield? Click here to request a list of properties for sale in Stanly County NC.
Copyright 2010. Carol Fox. Allen Tate Realtors. *Locust NC and Stanfield NC—Great Country Towns Near Charlotte NC*
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