Living in Sanford NC: Contents

Sanford’s NC Personality

Things are changing in Sanford. This old railroad town once supplied 10% of the bricks in the United States.

In the mid-2000’s Sanford attracted its first Life Science Company, Wyeth – now part of vaccine maker Pfizer. Other Life Science developers are buying up large parcels outside of town.

In 2023 Vinvast broke ground on their electric vehicle manufacturing plant just outside of town.

Sanford is experiencing a significant shift in its personality. And it’s having a big impact on living in Sanford NC. The county seat of Lee County, it is making the transition from old school manufacturing to 21st century technology innovation. If you’re thinking of moving to Sanford, now might be the time.

Sanford still is a small rural town, but unlike many small North Carolina towns, it is actively, and successfully, transitioning itself. We call it a boomtown. Just wait.

Moving to Sanford, NC: Location

If you’re living in Sanford NC, you’ll be about 42 miles southwest of Raleigh, the state capital, 57 miles southeast of Greensboro, and 36 miles (58 km) northwest of Fayetteville.

Sanford has good highway access on US 1 and the commute into Raleigh or RTP is about 45 minutes. Some choose to live in Sanford for the much more affordable lifestyle compared to the Raleigh area. It’s about 35-45 minutes to Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU). If you’re thinking of moving to Sanford and proximity to RDU is important, this might be a drawback.

Being on the west side of the Triangle, Sanford is a little bit closer to the mountains and a little bit further from the beach. Wrightsville Beach is a 2 1/2 hour drive and both Boone and Morganton are about a 2 hour 40 minute drive if you need to see the mountains.

It’s a little more than a 2 hour drive to Charlotte. 

Moving to Sanford, NC: Cost of Living

Check out Homes Currently For Sale in Sanford here.

Living in Sanford NC is much more affordable than the Triangle overall and the median home value is currently around $312,000. For those looking to relocate to the Triangle, but want to spend less on housing, moving to Sanford might be a good option.

For that price you can get a brand new single family home that’s around 1600 square feet. And it’s still possible to get a nice single family home in the 200’s in Sanford. 

According to Bestplaces.net, overall cost of living in Sanford NC is about 19% lower than the US average and 10% lower than North Carolina.

Groceries and other miscellaneous costs like clothing, restaurants, repairs and entertainment are all cheaper in Sanford, but housing and transportation costs are significantly cheaper than the US and the state. 

Watch my video about why Sanford’s real estate market is getting ready to BOOM!

Jobs & Economy in Sanford NC

In 2022, the median household income in Sanford was 53,000, according to the US Census Bureau.

Manufacturing and agriculture have been the primary industries in Sanford, until recently.

Sanford made significant investments toward the development of Triangle Innovation Point, a 2150 acre Life Sciences and Advanced Manufacturing Park 10 minutes north of Sanford.  Triangle Innovation Point isn’t technically in Sanford. However, it’s so close and will have such an impact on the growth of Sanford, that the town was willing to help incentivize Vinfast’s future electic vehicle manufacturing plant there.

Make no mistake, people will be moving to Sanford to work at Triangle Innovation Point and the new Vinvast plant.

Major employers in Sanford:

• Caterpillar: Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives.
• Pfizer: The 230-acre site in Sanford, North Carolina, just south of the famed Research Triangle, is home to one of the largest U.S. biotechnology hubs. The site has flexible, multi-product manufacturing capabilities and facilities focused on vaccines intermediates and drug substance, and gene therapy drug substance and drug product.
• Tyson Foods: The Sanford manufacturing facility is where they make taco shells and tortillas. Raise your hand if you didn’t know Tyson makes taco shells.
• Astellas Gene Therapies: They develop gene therapies for patients around the world with genetic diseases.
• Vinfast: Vinfast is the first company to move into Triangle Innovation Point (TIP). Vinfast is a Vietnamese electric car battery manufacturer. Their headquarters will sit on the eastern side of  TIP. They plan to create 7500 jobs over the next 5 years.

For context, Triangle Innovation Point is about one third the size of Research Triangle Park.

RTP, is the largest research park in the US, with over 7000 acres.

The second largest research park is Cummings Research Park in Huntsville, AL with 3800 acres.

I wasn’t able to find more detailed information, but Triangle Innovation Point with 2100 acres may be the third largest research park in the US. This is a significant development for the Triangle region and for Sanford.

TIP is 10 minutes from Sanford, 10 minutes from Pittsboro, 20 minutes from Holly Springs, 20 minutes from Apex and 25 minutes from Cary. Having a research park of this size and scale in rural Chatham county will significantly change the culture and lifestyle of those living in Sanford NC and the surrounding towns. 

Culture and Community 

Downtown Sanford

Living in Sanford NC, you’ll have access to an extensive downtown, much larger than other small towns of its size in the Triangle region.

This is because Sanford was a more significant town, historically and economically speaking, than many of the small towns that surround Raleigh.

While Fuquay, Wake Forest, and Apex have very small historic downtown districts that are generally about a city block, Sanfords downtown is multiple city blocks. 

Some of my favorite things about downtown Sanford are the historic railroad museum complex. Sanford was founded as a railroad town and the beautiful architecture of the railroad museum and welcome center are so stunning.  

Also the historic Temple theater is a community theater that used to be on the Vaudeville circuit. It’s a great place to visit for a show. 

Living in Sanford NC: Festivals

There is always something happening in Sanford!

Every Thursday during the summer they have free concerts in the park.

Or even better, each spring Sanford hosts the Neighborhood Block Party.

This is a town-wide volunteer event where everyone gets together and makes one neighborhood beautiful.

Downtown Sanford Streetfest happens every October. The Sanford Police and Fire Department Corn Hole Tournament is the epitome of small town charm. 

Living in Sanford NC: Parks & Activities

There are currently 11 parks in Lee County and 8 parks in Sanford, totally about 600 acres of greenspace. Additionally there are 14 miles of hiking and biking trails. If you decided to move to Sanford, here are some of the most popular parks you’ll likely make use of.

San-Lee District Park: This 177 acre park is really popular for all the activities offered. They have 12 miles of hiking and biking trails, paddle boats, fishing, tent camping and an ampitheatre. The park also has a Gravity Park course, which is designed for mountain bike jumping. There are lots of educational opportunities at the nature and raptor center.

Kiwanis Family Park: This park serves as a community hub and is the trailhead for the Endor Iron Furnace Greenway. Kiwanis Family Park features outdoor exercise facilities, a shelter, and a gazebo. The front section, managed by the City of Sanford, includes a modern splash pad, inclusive playground, and renovated facilities, making it a popular destination for families. The park also has four pickleball courts. 

O.T. Sloan Community Park: A 42 acre park, O.T. Sloan provides multiple sports fields, tennis courts, pickleball courts, a swimming pool and disc golf course.

Tramway Road Park: Tramway Road Park is a 20 acre park that serves as the local sports destination with its soccer field, baseball diamonds and large playground. There is also a partial walking loop.

Religion in Sanford

Sanford is a rural town where houses of worship are primarily Christian denominations. However, it is an open and accepting community.

Sanford is about a 35-40 minute drive to Cary and Morrisville, where there are a large selection of religious houses of worship, including Mosques, Hindu and Buddhist Temples and Jewish Synagogues. 

Living in Sanford, NC: Weather 

Sanford has a moderate climate with mild winters and warm, humid summers. Rainfall gets 47 inches of rain each year, more than the national average of 38 inches.

Sanford only gets 3 inches of snow. The national average is 28 inches of snow. And Sanford also has 215 sunshine days per year, much higher than the national average of 205 days.  

In relation to the Triangle, the Sanford area is much more likely to see rain than snow.

When we get ice in the Triangle, they get rain.

When we get snow, they get ice.

But none of this weather is common. We usually see it once or twice in a year, and sometimes not all. Generally speaking, the weather is mild enough to be outside year round. 

If you move to Sanford from up North, you’ll likely love the weather.

Living in Sanford NC Education

Public Schools

Sanford is part of the Lee County Public School System. Public schools that serve Sanford:

Private & Charter Schools:

(Charter schools are publicly funded schools, run similar to the way a private school is run.) 

Central Carolina Academy: This newly formed, tuition free public charter school serves grades 6-12 in the Lee County area. The school was modeled after Chatham Charter School in Siler City, NC.

Ascend Leadership Academy: Ascend Leadership Academy is a tuition free, public charter school that uses project based learning and real world applications. Ascend serves students in grades 6-12. 

MINA Charter School of Lee County: MINA is a tuition free public charter school with a  special focus on helping traditionally disadvantaged students to thrive academically and socially while acquiring the necessary skills to prepare them for our technologically-oriented workforce. MINA serves grades K-5.

Lee Christian School: Lee Christian serves students from infant through age 4 in their preschool and from Kindergarten to grade 12. Unique to Lee Christian is the their STEM lab with state of the art technology and 3D Printers. And a newly formed Esports program. 

Grace Christian School: Grace Christian is a private school in Sanford serving Pre-K – 12th grade. Distinctives: Grace Christian offers dual enrollment for students in grades 9-12 to take college courses in English, History, Math, Science and Bible. Grace Christian is also accredited by two accreditation bodies: ACIS and Cognia. Grace also offers AIG testing and differentiated instruction for AIG students. 

Crime in Sanford NC

A lot of people want to know if Sanford NC is a safe place to live.

Sanford, North Carolina’s crime rate for violent crime is 33% less than the US average (15.2 to 22.7 on a 100-point scale). 

Property crime in Sanford NC, is a little higher than the national average, rated as 48 compared to the national average of 35.4.

Comparing the numbers to Raleigh proper, we see that, Sanford’s violent crime is less than what is seen in Raleigh. But property crime in Sanford is about the same as Raleigh.

In summary, Sanford is a safe place to live!  The crime rate shouldn’t be a deterrent from moving to Sanford.

Sports & Recreation

The town of Sanford offers the following sports and recreation opportunities: 

Adults Recreation

• Softball 
• Fitness & Wellness

Youth Recreation 

• Gymnastics (recreational and competitive) 
• Swimming
• TBall
• Flag Football
• Volleyball
• Basketball
• Baseball/Softball
• Kickball
• Other recreational activities include: dance, family movie night, special olympics, 

Food & Shopping in Sanford

Sanford NC has a few big box stores including, Marshalls, Ross, Petco, Rack Room Shoes and Hobby Lobby. There is also a Super Walmart. The closest Target is 30 minutes away in Holly Springs. 

Boutique Shopping

Sanford has a fantastic downtown area with some really sweet boutiques.

Even if you don’t move to Sanford, it’s still a great place to visit to walk through the downtown and spend a day shopping.

In small towns like this you can get lots of variety because, let’s face it, there just isn’t much variety in the big box stores.

Some of my favorites: With Love Boutique, The Purple Poodle, High Cotton Couture, Piper Kate & Co. Morgan’s Menswear is a men’s shop that just opened, but I haven’t visited it yet. Guess I need another trip to downtown Sanford! 

Grocery Stores if you live in Sanford

Sanford has some good options for grocery stores including Lowes Foods, which is a North Carolina based store, and Food Lion. They also have a Piggly Wiggly which is a classic North Carolina store.

You must visit Piggly Wiggly just for the experience.

Sanford also has several discount grocers: Walmart, Save A Lot, Aldi and my personal favorite, Lidl.

If you have not been to a Lidl, you really must try it. They are a small European grocer, similar in size to Aldi, but much nicer inside.

There is also a local mom and pop grocery store: B & B’s Market. This is owned by a Sanford family for 3 generations. It’s kind of half farmers market with ziplock bags of dried beans and fresh produce from local farms and homemade local staples like pimento cheese. 

Sanford has several hispanic markets as well: Rivera’s Supermarket, Mundo Latino, and La Cumplidora.

Costco, Whole Foods and Trader Joes are 30 minutes away in Apex/Cary.

Popular Restaurants when living in Sanford 

Popular Neighborhoods in Sanford NC

If you’re thinking about living in Sanford, NC, these are some of the most popular neighborhoods, offering different lifestyles. 

Carolina Trace $$ – $$$$: Carolina Trace is a large master planned community situated around Lake Trace and the Carolina Trace Country Club.

The homes are well organized around the lake offering a lot of lake views from individual properties as well as driving through the community.

Lake Trace is a 315 acre lake. Only electric motors are allowed, and you’ll often see locals with their pontoon boats tethered for a party at the holidays or to watch fireworks for the fourth.

There’s a marina and the club offers a full range of golf, tennis, social events, and two restaurants. Home prices are very affordable for such a beautiful community, with single family homes starting in the $200k’s and ranging up through about $800k+ for waterfront properties. 

McIver Park: $-$$ This truly incredible neighborhood is in the historic district of Sanford. I’m often shocked at the affordability of such architecturally unique and interesting homes.

It makes me want to buy them all up because they will not stay this affordable. Homes range from small, simple brick ranches, to truly stunning midcentury marvels or 1930’s historic estates…all under $500,000. 

Sanford’s Future 

With Sanford’s close proximity to the new Triangle Innovation Point, Sanford can’t help but grow into an economic powerhouse.

And it’s already starting to happen.

Helix Ventures is a developer that has been involved in bringing big name companies to the Triangle. Most recently, they were part of development that moved Amgen and Fujifilm Diosynth into Holly Springs, creating the foundation for that town’s life sciences hub.

Now Helix Ventures is involved in some similar developments in Sanford. Helix Innovation Park at the Brickyard is an 885 acre advanced manufacturing facility currently in development in Sanford.

This is North Carolina’s newest life sciences hub. Additionally, Helix Ventures has purchased a 213 acre parcel in Lee County October of 2023.

It’s clear that Sanford has a very business friendly environment and that the economic base of Sanford is growing into much higher paying jobs.

For example, Holly Springs has a similar life sciences base and the median household salary there is $127,000. In my opinion, this is the time to get into Sanford, especially if you don’t have a big budget.

Affordable housing is still very accessible and it’s extremely likely that Sanford will be a boomtown, with real estate investments doing very well over the years. 

Cons of Living in Sanford

I really love the town of Sanford. But the truth is, there are still some downsides. 

1. Sanford is still removed from the amenities of the Triangle. I do believe many of the things I would miss (like more upscale grocery shopping) will be in Sanford in coming years. But that kind of development takes time. 
2. It’s far from the airport. RDU Airport is pretty centrally located and convenient to most of the Triangle. But it’s 45 minutes from Sanford, which is a lot when you already have to be there for a flight 3 hours in advance. 
3. There isn’t much variety in restaurants… yet. Again, I think all of this will come in time. But for now, if you want variety, you’ll need to go to Cary or Raleigh. 

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)