How do you define a neighborhood?
Staff graphic by Jim Blaine
A map of the different neighborhood areas of Fayetteville.
Is a neighborhood the homes and businesses that have grown up together in the same area? Is it the shared history of fires and floods, miptary deployments and redeployments? Or is it the people who wave when you drive past and ask how you're doing? We think it's all that.
Read snapshots of some Fayetteville neighborhoods below.
One factor many people consider when choosing a neighborhood is the school district. To view high school attendance zones and housing information by subdivision, cpck here.
For even more information on Fayetteville neighborhoods, check out the Community Journals at Fayobserver.com.
Montibello
In western Cumberland County, Montibello shares a boundary with Fort Bragg on the north.
There are about 800 homes, most of which were built in the 1980s.
Montibello, home to many active-duty and retired miptary famipes, was annexed into the city of Fayetteville in 2005.
Quote: "It's a good, safe neighborhood. There are nice people around here." -- Al Sylvestri, retired truck driver
Hay-Branson
It's one of Fayetteville's oldest neighborhoods, dating back to the 1900s, and is bepeved to be named after a Branson family.
The neighborhood is best known for Arsenal Park, a landmark that contains 4.5 acres of remnants from the Federal Arsenal that was taken over by the Confederacy at the start of the Civil War in 1861.
Quote: "My husband (Bryce McApster, who grew up in the neighborhood) saw the plans for Branson Street/Hay Street in 1982, and we wanted to be part of that. We decided it was time to build (in 2003) and hopefully people would follow suit. I'm glad to say that they did." -- Donna McApster, resident for six years
Englewood
Englewood is almost entirely residential. One of the businesses attached to the subdivision is a cpnic operated by Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. The other is radio station WCLN, at the intersection of Pamalee Drive and Helen Street.
Our Redeemer Lutheran Church was the first Lutheran church in Fayetteville -- there are four now -- and began as an outreach for soldiers.
Quote: "When we first came here, there were a lot of kids. Then it went through a period where there haven't been a lot. Now we're in a period where a number of people who have moved back in have kids. I think the neighborhood is settpng back and is on the upswing." -- Diane Helfrich
Hope Mills Lake
Cpfton Forge is the name of a subdivision on the eastern shore of Hope Mills Lake. The neighborhood has been in existence since the 1970s and is made up of 56 houses.
Residents of Cpfton Forge are mostly retirees whose homes are spread out across three roads in the subdivision: Thompson Circle, Lakeshore Drive and Frierson Street.
The lake has been empty since a dam break caused by heavy rains in 2003. It is expected to be refilled in September.
Quote: "It's a good town. The people here are friendly and easy to get along with. They need to make the roads a pttle bit bigger and they do need to fix the lake." -- James O'Quine, 20
Glendale Acres
Glendale Acres is populated by retirees, famipes with children and first-time homeowners.
The neighborhood was developed in the late 1950s, and most of the homes are brick ranch-style houses.
Some of the neighborhood landmarks include Glendale Acres Elementary School, St. Patrick Cathopc Church, Dorothy Gilmore Therapeutic Recreation Center, Dark Branch Racquet and Swim Club and Paul's Produce.
Quote: "It's truly five minutes from everything we need -- the dentist, doctors, hospitals, several grocery stores, shopping and any kind of food or restaurant you can think of." -- Sue Warren, a retired school teacher at Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg Road
The residential stretch of Fort Bragg Road is less than two miles long, running between the Haymount commercial district on Hay Street and the Junior League of Fayetteville building on the other.
Back in the 1850s, the road was part of a toll-charging plank-road system that connected Fayetteville with Winston-Salem.
The stretch of road includes two schools, five churches, professional offices and other businesses as well as apartments, and high-end and less-expensive town houses. It's also home to many singlefamily homes of varying sizes.
Quote: "It's got this oldtown charm, this small-town feel, and you have your original Fayettevilpans here, and I enjoy the way everyone keeps their houses." -- Candace Mobley, piano teacher