ZEBULON, N.C. – As Wake County continues its growth, some of its towns are trying to keep up with the growth while maintaining their small-town feel.
Zebulon, about 20 miles east of Raleigh, is one of those towns dealing with expansion.
- Zebulon is growing along with Wake County
- The town gains one to four persons per day
- Living areas in the northern part of Zebulon appear to be popular with newcomers
“Wake County is growing, given the day, between 63 and 67 people a day,” Zebulon Town Manager Joe Moore says. “As a proportional share of that, Zebulon is getting between one and four of those people every day.”
For the past 43 years, Jim Debnam has been a business owner in downtown Zebulon. He has seen the town expand rapidly.
“It’s great!” Debnam says. “It’s what I have been waiting for.”
Areas in the northern area of Zebulon, particularly off of Old Bunn Road and Weaver’s Pond, appear to be popular, according to realtor Dallas Pearce.
“We talked about when we were first on-board that Zebulon was one day going to explode, and it has,” Pearce says.
Some of the small towns have difficulty providing the new residents emergency services, new roads, and schools, but Zebulon is embracing the challenge.
“You’ve got to get them engaged not only with their government but with each other as well,” Moore says.