Websites:
www.co.chatham.nc.us
Jordan Lake
Chatham Community Neighborhoods
Area
Referrals Working-Together
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Maps and aerial photos
Coordinates:
35.720332° -79.176393°
Media outlets
Chatham Journal Newspaper, PO Box 520, Pittsboro, NC 27312
The town
of Pittsboro, county seat of Chatham County, is named after
William Pitt the Younger and was established in 1771. No town is
a better example of the changes that are overtaking the state of
North Carolina than this one. A walk down Hillsboro Street is
like a visit to Mayberry and there are a number of historic
houses and buildings to see and at least fourteen interesting
antique and old-clothing shops. Yet it's facing major changes
and decisions on growth. Pittsboro was the scene of a political
struggle that pitted out-of-state developers against anti-growth
locals. County commissioner Gary Phillips, a progressive
Democrat, was ousted in the primary by
Republican-turned-Democrat used-car-salesman Bunky Morgan, who
was backed by a California real estate developing company that
pumped a small fortune into this local election in the hopes of
clearing the way for their building plans. After beating
Phillips in the primary, the Republican candidates obligingly
stepped aside to allow Morgan easy access to the seat on the
board. So you can't say that Republicans and "Democrats" can't
work together when it's in their best interests (or somebody's
best interest).
There
are several things that make Pittsboro attractive to developers
and the people who will soon fill these homes. The town is less
than an hour from Raleigh and thirty minutes from
Chapel Hill or Durham. Nearby
Jordan Lake , a huge manmade body of water built by the
Army Corp of Engineers, provides all sorts of resources for
summer activity, including swimming, boating, fishing,
waterskiing, hiking on the nature trails and picnic areas. The
Haw River is a couple miles from downtown Pittsboro, where you
can fish, kayak and some people even swim in its waters, which
have been gradually getting cleaner. There is a 198-mile system
of bicycle trails that covers lightly-traveled country roads to
connect the towns, crossroad communities and points of interest
in Chatham County. But what makes Pittsboro the most attractive
to developers is that there is so much to develop. The town is
surrounded by farms, forests, fields and hills, and some
envision it as a bedroom community for Raleigh and Research
Triangle Park.
The
Chatham County Courthouse was built in 1881, designed by a local
lawyer after the roof blew off an earlier building. It is the
fourth courthouse built in the county since 1771. The building
(listed on the National Historic Register) is open on weekdays,
and the modest Chatham Historical Museum is open Wednesdays from
noon-3pm. A Confederate monument (erected in 1907) is on the
grounds. Old-timers say that as children, they tossed bottle
caps from the balcony of the courthouse, competing to get the
caps to stay in the brim of the soldier's hat. The Pittsboro
Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places and stretches beyond the original four-block center of
the town. It includes Chatham Mills, the Patrick St. Lawrence
House, the Pittsboro Community House, the County Courthouse and
other places erected between the 1780s and 1949.
Out of the Gate: New Chatham Board Wants Land Transfer Tax
After much speculation, the newly elected Chatham County Board
of Commissioners have made their first “slow growth” move. On
Monday, December 4, 2006, the commissioners will consider a
three-page resolution seeking permission from the NC General
Assembly for a 1% land transfer tax. Many local leaders thought
the new board would consider a development moratorium.
Click here for a copy of the three-page resolution.
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