Fearrington Village
Encyclopedia
Fearrington Village is a mixed-use community located on farmland dating back to the 18th century in Pittsboro
, North Carolina
. The community is located just minutes from Chapel Hill
, Durham
and Raleigh
.
Located midway between Chapel Hill
and Pittsboro
along U.S. 15-501 in Chatham County, Fearrington currently occupies about 1200 acres (4.9 km²). The Fitches slowly began to craft a unique community from the rolling pastures and wooded acres of the farm, where residents would enjoy dining, relaxing, shopping and living.
The Fitches aimed to recreate the smaller villages of England and modeled the Fearrington Village Center after those hamlets long before the term "mixed-use community" joined the lexicon. They wanted to create a "coming together place" where one could pick up daily necessities, have lunch with friends, and enjoy an English garden setting.
Over the last 30 years the community has grown to include over 1800 residents, an award-winning country inn and restaurant (The Fearrington House), a cafe & bar, chocolate and wine shop, an independent bookstore
, a home décor shop, plants and garden art shop and more. Belted Galloway
cows, the village's iconic mascot, were added to the farm in 1983.
The Fearrington House Country Inn is one of only two AAA five-diamond facilities in the state, earning the Five Diamond designation 15 years in a row, more times than any other accommodation in the Carolinas. The Inn is also North Carolina's only five-star hotel, according to Mobil Travel Guide's annual rankings.
Pittsboro, North Carolina
Pittsboro, North Carolina is a town located in Chatham County, 34 miles southwest of Raleigh, 47 miles southeast of Greensboro, and 17 miles south of Chapel Hill. The population was 3,743 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chatham County....
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The community is located just minutes from Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
, Durham
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
and Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
.
History
The community began in 1974 when R.B. Fitch and his late wife Jenny purchased the two-centuries old dairy farm from Jesse Fearrington. Jesse inherited the farm that was started by his great-great grandfather, William Cole who staked out a 640 acres (2.6 km²) claim in 1786. They named the community Fearrington to honor the stewardship of Jesse and his forebears.Located midway between Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
and Pittsboro
Pittsboro, North Carolina
Pittsboro, North Carolina is a town located in Chatham County, 34 miles southwest of Raleigh, 47 miles southeast of Greensboro, and 17 miles south of Chapel Hill. The population was 3,743 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chatham County....
along U.S. 15-501 in Chatham County, Fearrington currently occupies about 1200 acres (4.9 km²). The Fitches slowly began to craft a unique community from the rolling pastures and wooded acres of the farm, where residents would enjoy dining, relaxing, shopping and living.
The Fitches aimed to recreate the smaller villages of England and modeled the Fearrington Village Center after those hamlets long before the term "mixed-use community" joined the lexicon. They wanted to create a "coming together place" where one could pick up daily necessities, have lunch with friends, and enjoy an English garden setting.
Over the last 30 years the community has grown to include over 1800 residents, an award-winning country inn and restaurant (The Fearrington House), a cafe & bar, chocolate and wine shop, an independent bookstore
Independent bookstore
An independent bookstore is a retail bookstore which is independently owned.-Literary and countercultural history:Author events at independent bookstores sometimes take the role of literary salons. The bookstores themselves, "have historically supported and cultivated the work of independent...
, a home décor shop, plants and garden art shop and more. Belted Galloway
Belted Galloway
The Belted Galloway is a rare beef breed of cattle originating from Galloway in South West Scotland, adapted to living on the poor upland pastures and windswept moorlands of the region...
cows, the village's iconic mascot, were added to the farm in 1983.
The Fearrington House Country Inn is one of only two AAA five-diamond facilities in the state, earning the Five Diamond designation 15 years in a row, more times than any other accommodation in the Carolinas. The Inn is also North Carolina's only five-star hotel, according to Mobil Travel Guide's annual rankings.