Moving to Pittsboro, NC?

Pittsboro has a true small-town feel, with a population of just under 5,000 people. Just 16 miles south of Chapel Hill, Pittsboro residents enjoy the peace of country living while being close to larger cities, universities, and an international airport. You’ll find a welcoming and diverse community in Pittsboro, a mix of families, students, farmers, retirees, and artisans. 

Pittsboro provides easy access to a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities and is just a short drive from the Haw River and the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, which is a great place for all great outdoor activities - hiking, camping, and boating...another great plus!

Its charming Main Street features unique retail shopping, with everything from antiques, baked goods, boutique dress shops to handcrafted jewelry, and a classic soda shop. 

Several eclectic restaurants, breweries, wine shops, and even a distillery make up the downtown area. Interesting restaurants include Small B&B Cafe, an affordable breakfast and lunch place focused on farm-to-table practices. Virlie’s Grill is a charming southern diner known for its attentive staff and good home cooking.

Located in the old Pittsboro Post Office, the Postal Fish Company is a casual full-service seafood restaurant whose personnel personally travel twice a week to the coast to procure the best fish & shellfish. Wood-fired pizzas and sandwiches are the order of the day at The Mod while The City Tap is a mellow bar that features local craft beers and live music.  

Pittsboro has several year-round farmers’ markets. Chatham Mills Farmers’ Market is the largest, open each Saturday and offering special events throughout the year.  

Chatham Marketplace, located at the front of the historic Chatham Mills, is a co-op grocery store featuring local fruits and vegetables, local wines and beer.  It also houses the Co-op Cafe, which serves up tasty breakfast and lunch items with both indoor and outdoor seating. 

A town steeped in historic traditions, Pittsboro has more historic buildings and houses than any other town its size in North Carolina. Its iconic traffic circle surrounds a historic courthouse. Even with strong roots in the past, Pittsboro has built its own modern traditions through local events such as a holiday parade, October Street Fair, and an annual tree lighting event. 

Change is coming to Pittsboro, though, in a dramatic way, with the arrival of Chatham Park, a 7-000 acre “live, work, play, learn” development just east of town. Chatham Park is expected to add significant growth - up to 60,000 new residents - over the next several decades, and we expect the real estate prices to increase as a result of all the growth.

Why I like Pittsboro

Builders are busy creating new homes for sale in Pittsboro, with a range of amenities and price points to fit any family. These new construction options are great for those looking for a low maintenance home or lifestyle - new homes require a lot less work!

And Pittsboro is less expensive than neighboring cities in the Triangle such as Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill. For example, a $550,000 house in Raleigh would be closer to $400,000 in Pittsboro. Yes, it's a little extra drive if you want to go to the bigger cities for a concert or event, but you will have many, many, local options for restaurants, shops and grocery stores.

Like a lot of NC real estate, home values are holding strong and in Pittsboro, you have a good chance of finding a home with a great lot size and an expansive yard. With all the growth planned here, buyers will probably do well, house value wise,  over the long term.

Here are my picks for the top 10 neighborhoods in (and close to) Pittsboro.

Top 10 Neighborhoods in Pittsboro, NC 

Chatham Park

Since Chatham Park is the 800-pound gorilla in the room, let’s start there! Although it seems that a development of this size could just swallow Pittsboro whole, Chatham Park has positioned itself as an enhancement to the area, with no intention of detracting from the charm and tight knit community that is Pittsboro. Chatham Park is also planning to improve infrastructure that will benefit all residents - not to mention expanding the tax base! 

If you’re an environmentalist at heart, Chatham Park bills itself as a “green, diverse, sustainable, walkable, inclusive, all-in-one, collective identity.” Its plans include many environmentally friendly features, including its own 46-acre solar farm to power up to 750 homes, energy-efficient houses, a water system that provides a sustainable source of water for irrigation, and a promise that nearly ⅓ of the community will be parks or open space.

As a “work, work, play, learn” community, Chatham Park is focusing on buyers who consider time as their most precious commodity. With amenities for entertainment, dining, outdoor activities, and even medical care, residents of Chatham Park will have quick, convenient access to many of the things that traditionally meant a lengthy drive time. 

There is a range of commercial office space - both pre-built and build-to-design - available in the master plan. 22,000 homes are currently planned in Chatham Park - let’s look at the two offerings available now. 

Chatham Park - Vineyards

Vineyards consists of approximately 550 single-family detached homes and townhomes. A variety of styles will be available from cozy cottages to homes with open floor plans designed for entertaining. Prices for single-family homes will start in the mid $370s for new homes and start around $600k for custom builds. 

Builders for the Vineyards include four different floor plans from Garman Homes. Custom home builders are Prewitt Custom Homes, Walker DesignBuild, Upton & Co., and Upright Builders. 

Chatham Park - Mosaic

Mosaic is a 44-acre, $180 million development, a mixed-use blend of retail, office, and residential space. To build out the business profile, MOSAIC is partnering with UNC’s Innovate Carolina to create the ultimate innovation hub in the community, designed to enhance and invigorate the businesses housed there. 

On the lifestyle side, Mosaic will include a performing arts theater, casual and fine dining, fitness club, medical services, spa and salon, plus easy access to miles of trails and parks and greenways. There is a high-end apartment complex on-site as well as one, two, and three-bedroom condominiums built by Montgomery Contracting, which will be priced from the mid $260s to $600. 

Learn more about Chatham Park.

Seaforth Landing

Looking for a lot of space? In Seaforth Landing, you’ll have our own personal oasis on wooded homesites of 1.4 to 5+ acres. Not only that, but Jordan Lake at Vista Point is right outside the neighborhood, offering camping, a beach, walking/hiking trails, and access to a boating ramp. 

The builders—Poythress Construction Co., Medallion Construction, J.P. Swain Company, and Cotton Custom Homes—are building homes with amenities like oversized breakfast rooms and porches with fireplaces. Homes for sale will range from the $700s to $1.5 million. 

Homes in this community are often featured in the Triangle Parade of Homes. 

Learn more about Seaforth Landing.

Chatham Forest

Here’s a reasonably priced, well-established, community with single-family homes ranging from $290,000 to over $500k for 1,400 to 4,800 square feet. And it’s friendly, with community events throughout the year and a website that often features photos of the wildlife that share the area! 

You’ll enjoy features like covered porches and decks and luxury bathrooms and will be less than five miles from a good variety of shopping options, restaurants, and fitness centers. Outdoor recreation is easily accessed at Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park, which is a 10-acre neighborhood park, and the Lower Haw River State Natural Area.

Learn more about Chatham Forest.

Cedar Mountain

If privacy is a priority, you’ll like the Cedar Mountain community, where each home is located on at least 1.5 acres - some are close to 5 acres. Situated in mature hardwood forest surrounded by creeks and hills, you’re still just a short drive to all the conveniences of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, including shopping, recreational activities, and three major universities.

The average homes are larger here, sized from 2,750 to 5,812 square feet, and are available from the $380s. You can also buy a lot starting at $80,000 to build any home plan. There are no HOA fees in this community.

Learn more about Cedar Mountain at one of the builder’s sites, Lewis Building Co. The other builder in this community is Tuscan Group. Both are husband and wife teams!

Chapel Ridge

Just north of Pittsboro is Chapel Ridge, is a planned residential community of over 1,000 acres. This is an upscale atmosphere with tremendous amenities, including a Fred Couples signature golf course, clubhouse with restaurant, sports courts, fitness center, and pool. Properties are spacious, usually on lots of 1 to 3+acres, situated around the golf course, creekfront, or wooded sites. 

The community has a good mix of retirees and working families, and young professionals who appreciate the close proximity to the Research Triangle, UNC, and Duke.  The Chapel Ridge HOA organizes several regularly scheduled events and resident social groups also host get-togethers to build community.

The homes, built by Capital City Homes, start in the $400s, are sized from 1804 to 3186 square feet, and are on lots of 1 to 3+ acres.

Learn more about Chapel Ridge.

Sunset Grove

For sophisticated and private country living, take a look at Sunset Grove! Your meticulously crafted home will be situated on a 1+ acre homesite in a tranquil setting, Homes built here are sized in the upper 2000s for square feet and at price points ranging from the $650s to the $800s. 

This community, situated in rolling hills, is just 1-½ miles from two major highways, giving you a quick commute to Research Triangle Park, Pittsboro, Apex, Chapel Hill, and Cary. 

The homes, from builders Halcyon Homes, Poythress Construction Co., Clarity Design Build, and Walker DesignBuild, are doing brisk business, but the community’s interactive map shows there are still a handful of finished homes available with about 13 lots still for sale for custom build. 

Learn more about Sunset Grove.

Fearrington Village

For many Triangle residents, “Fearrington Village'' means a wedding venue, a spa, a beautiful inn, and restaurants. In fact, it has a rich history, dating back to 1786 when the 600+ acres that would eventually become Fearrington Village, were sold for $80. 

In 1974, R.B. Fitch and his wife turned what had become a dairy farm and the surrounding land into a country village. Since then, the original farmhouse and outbuildings have been converted into shops (including an indie bookstore), pristine gardens, and restaurants ranging from quaint to grand. 

Many people call Fearrington Village “home” and it boasts residents from all over the world. Surrounding the Village Center are a variety of neighborhoods offering townhomes and single-family homes. The average home price is $400,000, and homes range from small and low maintenance to large, wooded estates. 

Fearrington Village is proud that its growth has been slow and thoughtful, emphasizing community and natural surroundings. It has kept its small-town feel with walking paths and trails, community groups, and a farmers’ market held each Tuesday throughout the year. But even though the community has a secluded feel, you’re still close to all the Triangle amenities and about ½ hour from RDU.

Learn more about Fearrington Village.

Pennington at Jordan Lake

For those who love lakeside activities like fishing and swimming, Pennington at Jordan Lake is only two minutes from Jordan Lake’s nearest boat launch. You’ll enjoy private, wooded lots, winding roads, and beautiful views—but you’ll also have easy access to the charming shops and incredible dining of downtown Apex, as well as Pittsboro and Chapel Hill. 

Got kids? Seaforth High School is slated to open in the fall of 2021 right next to the community.

Custom homes from ICG Homes, Triple A Homes, Sage Built, WT Barker, Clarity Homes, and Arroyo Custom Homes start in the $600s with sizes starting at 3,200 square feet. Average lots around 1.23 acres start at $120k. You can also “bring your own builder” and have your dream-home plan approved by Pennington at Jordan Lake. 

Learn more about Pennington at Jordan Lake.

Stonecrest at Norwood

This community is in the northern part of Chatham County. With big, open floor plans that highlight the outdoors, these homes offer seclusion and peace. Heavily wooded one to four-acre lots are designed to fit right into the forest that surrounds them. 

The entire community was built to meld seamlessly into the environment, which includes Wilkinson Creek and its tributaries. There are biking, running, and walking trails meandering along the streams, as well as a community park. 

Recently, Stonecrest finished a new pavilion that is a meeting place, a “front porch” for the community. Many residents meet for planned Saturday evening events, or spontaneously during the week, to get to know each other.

Custom homes for sale are in the $700s+ and all homes are designed and built by local, hand-selected custom home builders: Bold Construction, Horizon Custom Builders, and Wagoner Homes.

Learn more about Stonecrest at Norwood.

Ready to find your new home in Pittsboro? Use our advanced search or map search to check out the homes for sale, or contact us for a consultation.