Starting with the Pros of living in Holly Springs NC, Pro #4 involves Holly Springs’ access to a variety of amazing breweries!

PRO #4 – Access to Breweries

Holly Springs NC is home to Carolina Brewing Company, one of the oldest breweries in the state and oldest in Wake county.  

It also has the popular Bombshell Beer Company, the first female-owned breweries in North Carolina and is one of the top ten best women led breweries in the world according to USA Today.

Both of these places are local favorites and have great atmostpheres, but Holly Springs NC is also right next to Apex and Fuquay-Varina, where you can quickly enjoy the offerings there as well.  

The Aviator is just a few minutes away near downtown Fuquay-Varina, and is definitely on the list of being one of the best breweries in the whole area. 

Moving on, Pro #3 of living in Holly Springs NC is the benefit of completing the outer beltine, called I-540.  

PRO #3 – Benefits of I-540 Completion

The outer loop around Raleigh, called I-540, has been under construction for quite a while.  It began north of Raleigh, and is now in the construction phases south west and soon to be south east of Raleigh.  

While construction can be a pain now, once completed, the whole Holly Springs area will see a number of benefits.

First off, traffic issues will be alleviated in some areas.  This should help ease some of the traffic on highway 55, and will provide much quicker access to RTP, RDU airport, and the Durham and North Raleigh areas in general.

And with the benefit of easier travel, additional development will follow and demand for the area will increase.  The increase in demand will ultimately drive up home values, just like what happened in north Raleigh, West Cary, and Apex.

So for those on the fence on buying now or waiting in Holly Springs, I would highly suggest getting in now while the home values are still relatively low, as it will be a good investment over time.

Next up, Pro #2, Holly Springs NC has some amazing neighborhoods.

PRO #2 – Amazing Neighborhoods

There is a great variety in Holly Springs of both established and new construction neighborhoods, and you get pretty good value for your money as the price per square currently averages around $225.

Sunset Ridge has a network of quite a few interconnected neighborhoods that have an established feel are is absolutely stunning to drive when the leaves change, as the streets are lined with trees.

Holly Glen is another great, family friendly neighborhood with plenty of trees and amenities.

Twelve Oaks is one of the most popular newer construction neighborhoods in the area, as it has it’s own country club within the community, and Woodcreek and Honeycutt Farms are two other new construction favorites.

The schools are also great in this area with Holly Springs and Holly Ridge schools.

So that brings us to our #1 Pro about living in Holly Springs NC, which is its’ park system.

PRO #1 – Parks

Holly Springs NC has put a lot into their parks, and has become one of its’ biggest strengths.  

Beyond having easy access to both Harris and Jordan Lakes for boating, Bass Lake is one of those popular outdoor spaces in the area.  

It’s a beautiful lake with natural walking trails that also connect to the area’s greenway system.  

Sugg Farm at Bass Lake Park is a massive space that hosts major outdoor events, and has it’s own access to Bass Lake as well as a variety of other trails, a dog park, and archery field.

Ting Park was built for sports, as their are well manicured soccer fields and tennis courts, as well as a baseball stadium where the collegiate summer ball Holly Springs Salamanders play.  

Womble Park is another great, all around park that has playgrounds for any age, and more sports fields for kids to enjoy.  

So these are some of the best parts about living in Holly Springs NC, but let’s get into some of the things that drive people crazy about living there.

Starting with #4, much of Holly Springs NC is within close proximity to a nuclear power plant.

Con #4 – Proximity to Nuclear Power Plant

Duke Energy, the area’s main electrical utility, has its’ Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant just west of Holly Springs, which puts the much of the town within the 10 mile radius that is known by the utility as the emergency planning zone.

So, if there were ever an emergency at the power plant, those within the 10 mile radius would be the first that would require action.  There are also periodic testing of the warning sirens that are placed within this 10 mile radius every few months, but these tests are communicated in advance. 

While this may sound scary, Nuclear Power Plants are ALL over the country and so many people live within these zones.  The government closely monitors these plants, and they’ve been providing safe and reliable energy for many years in this country without incident.

Personally, I know quite a few people who have worked at the plant or for Duke Energy, and I wouldn’t hesitate to live within the zone myself.  

Next up, Con #3 of living in Holly Springs NC is the lack of historic feel in comparison to other suburbs.

Con #3 – Minimal Historic Feel

Now many people may not care about this, but for those that do like historic charm, you won’t find much of it in Holly Springs.

The downtown area is newly built and a VERY nice space, but this obviously means it doesn’t have that historic feel that neighboring Cary, Apex, and even Fuquay-Varina have.  

If this is important to you, those neighboring suburbs are very short drives away, so you can still experience it pretty easily.

Moving into our next Con of Living in Holly Springs NC is #2, the landfill.

Con #2 – Landfill

Landfills are necessary evils and are placed as far away as reasonably possible from developments and neighborhoods, which was initially the case with the landfill in Holly Springs.

However, the rapid development of the area has neighborhoods and commercial spaces immediately adjacent to this landfill, and when the wind blows, can be a stinky nuisance.  

So, when looking for a home in the area, make sure you spend some time outdoors and make sure you don’t smell the odor, and talk with your realtor and neighbors as well to see if the home is in a trouble area. 

It’s certainly better than it used to be, but the landfill is slated to remain open until the mid-2030s.  When the landfill is closed though, home prices in the immediate area will rise, just like they did in North Raleigh after the landfill off Durant Rd closed and became a beautiful park.

Moving on to what Holly Springs residents complain about the most, is the traffic along its’ major roadways.

Con #1 – Traffic Along Major Roadways

Holly Springs relies heavily on Hwy 55 to US-1, and Holly Springs roads for commuting.  

Holly Springs is mainly a one lane road, and Hwy 55 and US-1 are relied upon for man residents living in the surrounding suburbs as well.

These limited number of options leave these highways pretty crowded during rush hour, and cause quite a bit of frustration for residents.

The completion of I-540 is projected to alleviate some of this traffic, but I would suggest commuting outside of rush hour whenever possible in this area.

The popularity of Holly Springs NC has really grown over the past 5 years, and while it certainly its’ pain points, there is so much to love about living in Holly Springs NC.

I hope this blog was helpful and if you want more information on the area, please take a look at some of our other blogs and visit our YouTube channel!  You can also check out our blogs on the best neighborhoods in Holly Springs NC as well as our suburbs page for more info on Raleigh NC suburbs.

Please reach out via the contact information in the description below if you need assistance finding your next home in Holly Springs, or anywhere in the greater Raleigh area.

Please reach out via our contact information below:

Phone:  919-504-5265

Email:  Alison@thewgroupraleigh.com

Website:  www.thewgroupraleigh.com