Fearrington Village, North Carolina

Fearrington Village, North Carolina
Census-designated place
Location of Fearrington Village, North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°47′58″N79°04′54″W / 35.79944°N 79.08167°W / 35.79944; -79.08167
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Chatham
Area [1]
• Total	1.79 sq mi (4.64 km2)
• Land	1.79 sq mi (4.63 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation [2]	440 ft (130 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,557
• Density	1,431.69/sq mi (552.70/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	27312 [3]
Area code(s)	919 and 984
FIPS code	37-22982 [4]
GNIS feature ID	2402476 [2]

Fearrington Village is a residential development and census-designated place (CDP) in Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,339 at the 2010 census, ^[5] up from 903 in 2000. The 2020 census counted 2,557 residents. Its name is phonetically pronounced FAIR-ington, not FEAR-ington as the spelling might indicate. The CDP occupies what was formerly the area of the unincorporated community of Farrington. It is a mixed-use community located on farmland dating back to the 18th century in Pittsboro, North Carolina. The community is located about 15 minutes from Chapel Hill, a half-hour from Durham and 45 minutes from Raleigh.

Geography

Fearrington Village is located in northeastern Chatham County. U.S. Routes 15 and 501 form the northwestern edge of the community, leading north 8 miles (13 km) to Chapel Hill and south 8 miles (13 km) to Pittsboro, the Chatham County seat.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.6 km²), of which 0.004 square miles (0.01 km²), or 0.32%, is water. ^[5]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	2,557		—
U.S. Decennial Census [6]

2020 census

Fearrington Village racial composition ^[7]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	2,378	93.0%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	26	1.02%
Native American	1	0.04%
Asian	29	1.13%
Pacific Islander	1	0.04%
Other/Mixed	67	2.62%
Hispanic or Latino	55	2.15%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,557 people, 1,663 households, and 787 families residing in the CDP.

2010 census

As of the census ^[4] of 2010, there were 2,339 people. As of the census of 2000, there were 903 people, 506 households, and 357 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 391.9 inhabitants per square mile (151.3/km²). There were 533 housing units at an average density of 231.3 per square mile (89.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.79% White, 2.99% African American, 0.11% Pacific Islander, and 0.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.22% of the population.

There were 506 households, out of which 2.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.0% were married couples living together, 3.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.78 and the average family size was 2.08. A 2018 analysis by the National Center for Health Statistics found that the life expectancy in Fearrington is 97 years old. ^[8]

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 2.1% under the age of 18, 0.8% from 18 to 24, 5.6% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 71.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 70 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.9 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $66,198, and the median income for a family was $68,281. Males had a median income of $55,278 versus $28,068 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $41,000. About 3.8% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

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. ^[9] Jesse inherited the 640 acre farm that was purchased for 100 shillings in 1786 from John Oldham by his great-great-great grandfather, William Cole. ^[10] They named the community Fearrington to honor the stewardship of Jesse and his forebears.

Located midway between Chapel Hill and Pittsboro along U.S. 15-501 in Chatham County, Fearrington currently occupies about 1,200 acres (4.9 km²). ^[11] 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. ^[11] 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. ^[9]

The Fearrington House Country Inn is one of only two AAA five-diamond facilities in the state, ^[12] earning the Five Diamond designation 15 years in a row, more times than any other accommodation in the Carolinas. ^[13] The Inn is also North Carolina's only five-star hotel, according to Mobil Travel Guide's annual rankings. ^[14]

Crafts

Fearrington Village is home to many creative visual artists and producers of fine crafts, who welcome visitors to their studios. ^[15]

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fearrington Village, North Carolina
3. "Fearrington Village ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Fearrington Village CDP, North Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
7. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
8. "U.S. Small-area Life Expectancy Estimates Project". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. September 26, 2018.
9. [Cowell, Rebekah L. (2008, August 10). "True to His Vision" The Chapel Hill News, pp C1.]
10. The original deed is on file with the UNC Southern Historical Collection, collection #05747. See Contents List, Folder 3, for the deeds. https://finding-aids.lib.unc.edu/05747/ .
11. [Oates, Nancy E. (2007, July/August). "So You're Thinking of Moving to Fearrington Village" Chapel Hill Magazine, pp 95.]
12. (2007, November 27). "AAA unveils list of Triangle's four-diamond restaurants, hotels" Triangle Business Journal.
13. (2008, January 10). "Fearrington, Umstead Snag AAA Top Honors" WRAL.
14. (2006, November 9). "Fearrington House inn merits five-star status" Triangle Business Journal.
15. see Artist Studios at Fearrington Village

External links

• Fearrington Village developer
• Fearrington House Country Inn