ASHEBORO — On the corner of Sunset Avenue at Bicentennial Park, a guitarist strums popular cover music with a few of his own tunes weaved throughout his sets. A small crowd gathers to listen for a few minutes before walking back to work after lunch in one of the cafés around the corner on Church Street.
Visiting college students pause at sculptures erected in various locations throughout downtown after having already studied the ones on Dixie Drive and North and South Fayetteville streets.
The weather is pleasant and sunny with comfortable temperatures, which means the streets of downtown Asheboro are somewhat busier than usual with shoppers, lunching nine-to-fivers, students and tourists.
A class of third-graders lines up at the Bicentennial Park Station for the Asheboro light-rail trolley. It comes through downtown along repurposed tracks that used to accommodate freight trains loading and unloading during the city’s manufacturing heyday. The trolley makes several stops in downtown, connects the North Asheboro Middle School and Balfour campus with the Asheboro High School and South Asheboro Middle School campuses, and also includes stops at the N.C. Zoo and Randolph Community College (RCC).
Construction is under way to increase the number of stops within Asheboro as well as provide service out to the Franklinville Deep River Rail Trail. The Rail Trail, a greenway for hikers, joggers, bird watchers and nature walkers, extends from Franklinville east toward Ramseur and then southwest where it meets the N.C. Zoo. It also reaches north from Franklinville through the county to Greensboro. Long-term plans include an extension of the Rail Trail to the Uwharrie National Forest.
The zoo has just received funding to add the sixth and seventh continents to its sprawling campus. While some visitors prefer the comfort of the array of hotels in Asheboro, there are scenic camping facilities adjacent to the zoo, as well. Hotels and campgrounds stay busy as most tourists take several days to experience Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica and Asia. In addition, students from all over the country and world stay weeks and months at time to study at the zoo.
A student housing facility will be built along with Europe and Australia. There is a proposal to install a satellite campus within the N.C. University system being debated in the N.C. General Assembly.
Tourism along the trolley system, associated with the zoo, and along the Rail Trail blossomed over the past decade, allowing steady population growth in Asheboro. The downtown area, in particular, experienced growth in the form of unique shops, more varied restaurants and new housing for everyone from students and young families to seniors.
The jobs created by the trolley and greenway projects and then the resulting growth in retail and tourism strengthened the local economy. Arts and entertainment blossomed over the past few decades as well, enhancing the unique character of the city.
This fantastical description of the City of Asheboro is a reach into the possible future of a small Southern town that has the capacity to grow, yet maintain its sophisticated, rural charm.
Asheboro Mayor David Smith sees the future of Asheboro as rich with positive growth, not too different from today, but bigger and more prosperous. Tourism and its proximity to major cities, like Greensboro, Raleigh and Charlotte, anchor this growth, which is fueled by its unique and talented citizens.
“I see downtown becoming an arts and entertainment district,” Smith said.
He also envisions a city filled with healthy, active citizens taking advantage of the growing amenities Asheboro has the capacity to offer.
While such a vision would require funding, it would also require a solid infrastructure. A fat budget is useless without the infrastructure to support growth. We have the systems and structures in place, according to Smith, that can support the city’s growth and will allow Asheboro’s citizens to take the city in whatever direction they dream up and decide would be best.
Asheboro is ready to accommodate a sprawling, expanded downtown and improvements throughout the city as we move 25, 50 or even 100 years into the future, Smith says. We are reaping the benefits of the foresight of our past leaders and will continue to do so far into the future.
Asheboro, situated in the heart of the county set in the heart of North Carolina, has the potential to be a mecca of small town living with the capacity to nourish the biggest of dreams.
Leave a Reply