Like baseball? Baseball likes Lenoir. Five MLB players were born in town or have lived there from Johnny Allen at the turn of the century to Madison Bumgarner, born in 1989. Bring your bat and glove, you might be headed for the majors if you move to Lenoir.
There's a mountain in the middle of town in Lenoir. Perched in the Blue Ridge foothills, the Brushy Mountains, a part of the Blue Ridge, includes Hibriten Mountain which is right within the city limits. Just put on your hiking boots and find a trail. With an historic downtown and a population of just over 18,000, Lenoir is a part of the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton North Carolina Metro area, and a the recipient of a 2008 award for All-American City. Named for Revolutionary War participant and North Carolina statesman William Lenoir, Fort Defiance, his home, is also a popular tourist attraction.
Moving to Town
If you're looking for a rental property in Lenoir, NC, you'll have plenty of choices. From two-bedroom apartments to one-bedroom apartments to rent, or three-bedroom houses to rent, you'll have plenty of choices in this community. Although there are often a good amount of vacancies available in Lenoir, you'll want to allow a month to find the right rental property for you. Be sure to look in the local newspaper and online, and do spend some time walking or driving around the various neighborhoods to find the best location for you to call home. Is a riverfront area what you're looking for? Lots of green space? You have plenty of choices. And when you do find the right spot? Be sure to come equipped with the information most landlords require in order to provide a lease: bank information, W2s or tax returns, and your credit report, as well as your identification.
Neighborhoods in Lenoir
Like the outdoors and a little history thrown in? This pleasant community with its charming downtown Main Street shops may be your spot.
Buffalo Cove/Mulberry: This is a rural neighborhood encompassing some of the vast Julian Price Memorial Park. There's plenty of room to walk, hike and explore in this neighborhood, and although much of the real estate is owner occupied, you can find rentals with a careful search. Made up most of single-unit and mobile homes, this community features homes built primarily between 1940 and 1999.
Lenoir City Center: Suburban by density and located just off Highway 64, this central location is a mix of owned and rented single-unit homes and apartments. Residences are primarily older, built between 1940 and 1969, with some newer properties built from the 1970s to the 1990s.
Kings Creek/Grandin: Small and pleasant creeks bisect this rural community -- so get ready to skip some stones and do some bird watching. Here you'll find primarily single-unit and mobile homes, with construction years ranging from 1940 to 1999.
Whitnel: Suburban and occupied by a mix of owners and renters, you'll find mobile homes, and single-unit homes in this area, built primarily between 1940 and 1999. Convenient to Highway 321, a road which leads residents and visitors to nearby Lake Hickory and Rhodhiss Lake. Bring your fishing gear.
Life in Lenoir
Community activities are important in Lenoir, where youth sports teams from soccer to basketball are well regarded. Fort Defiance hosts a tasty annual oyster roast and wine festival every October on its capacious and historic grounds. In September, Fort Defiance hosts a weekend long Colonial Living Days event to drop you right into the middle of the area's fascinating past.
Local fun is in full swing at the Main Street festivals of art, food and crafts; and Lenoir was on the cover of "Parade" magazine in 2012 for its urban gardening projects -- community crops and flowers have their agricultural roots in a region where farming was once a major profession.
The Caldwell Arts Council located in town offers gallery art shows and entertainment activities ranging from a comedy night to an April Fool's Day arts party. The Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina crisscross the region. Lenoir has a slogan "Where Art is Big." So if you're artistically inclined or just love the visual arts, this is a great spot to live.
With a strong music, arts and crafts heritage, there's always something to do in Lenoir. Of course, if you want to head out of town, you'll find plenty of natural wonders and entertainment, too. Only 75 miles east of urban Raleigh, NC, you're also at the doorstep of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, which draw visitors year-round, with particular attention paid to the vibrant fall foliage season.
If you like fly fishing, there are plenty of opportunities around the area to cast off. Guided backcountry tours allowing anglers to walk and wade are offered, and both trout and big mouth bass are on the fly fishing menu. Prepare to indulge your pescatarian impulses with your fresh mountain catch.