Garner projects

[closeminded]

Has anybody noticed this little jewel in wake county. Garner is a very friendly, clean, and complete little town that no one talks about. Also what's intresting is that, it's a town of 22,000, which is bigger than some of the more popular towns in the triangle. Garner has a very nostalgic and simple feel about it. It's like when you go there all of the modern complications in life virtually disapear. The general population are blue collar hard working class of peolple who have a patriotic pride for there little jewel. Garner has a strong since of commmunity unlike Cary, the new Wake Forest, etc. The town literally treats their high school football team The Garner Trojans as if they were a college/pro team . Kind of reminds me of movies such as "Friday Night Lights", and "Remember the Titans." A very closenit, Hard working community indeed. If anyone grew up there, they are bound to have fond old southern memories of the place. "Garner, The Unknown Jewel in the Corner of the Triangle."

[Jones_]

I like the historic preservation taking place on Main Street. Oldest house in Wake County stands on Colonial Dr too (c 1743), older than the Joel Lane House on Hargett St.

[urbanesq]

The community suffers, perhaps unfairly, from a reputation as being a redneck haven. I think this, in combination with its proximity to/extension of the ecomonically challenged (and largely minority) Southeast Raleigh neighborhoods, has kept it from becoming an upscale development mecca. Not saying that's how it should be; just speculating as to how it is.

[Tayfromcarolina]

Garner just sits too close to downtown in my opinion Raleigh should have annexed the town decades ago. Especially since you skip right over garner to get to Wake Techs main campus and the address is still Raleigh. The Eastern Side of Garner where the new White Oak development is is a bustle with all kinds of development. Rex has a health plex there. The Target, BJ's, Best Buy, Kohls etc. is really something else considering there was nothing there a few years ago. And soon a new 16 screen theater will open. A new luxury apartment comples just opened and there are already plans for a new car dealership row similar to the cary auto mall. I have even heard murmerings of a new regional mall within the next decade. Don't sleep on garner it's day is coming I believe.

[closeminded]

Why don't people understand that all places and neighborhoods can't be rich. It disappoints me that most of the rich think that, anyone who doesn't have a brinks truck parking in garage, must be lower than them. Garner is "AMERICA." Most people in this country are blue collar hardworking folks. To act as if there is just the "RICH" then everything else is disgusting. Garner is reality, but yet it's a very peaceful place at the same time. It's a place with realistic southern charm, not some area disignated by rich yuppys, that immitates what their vision of down home is. It is down home.

[ChiefJoJo]

I used to live there, off Timber Drive. It was OK, but not the best place for me. It is affordable and closer to DT than many parts of N. Raleigh are (that's why I moved there), but I am happy to live DT now. Check out the "Toot and Tell" for old fashioned country cooking for a good price.

[JunktionFET]

Garner just seems to be an extension of south Raleigh. I don't think I've ever seen "downtown" Garner--or it doesn't stick out in my memory if I have seen it.

Back in the late 90s I looked into renting a house with some friends in Garner, and I recall it being much less expensive than places in Raleigh and Cary during that time.

When I worked for Wake County schools in the arts department, I remember Garner High School had a fairly good theatre program... not sure what has become of it now, but back then it was alright.

US70 through parts of Garner is an "expressway", and I believe this has helped it avoid becoming like Capital Blvd in north Raleigh.

[MR-2]

I expect Garner to balloon now that it has sizeable commercial developments in it. I would not be surprised if its population eventually approached Cary's. It doesn't look like Raleigh will annex any land to its south, so that's basically a free ticket for these suburbs. There's a LOT of land remaining in southern Wake County.

[orulz]

This isn't about Garner, but I'm rather stunned that some of the land south of Tryon Rd hasn't been developed and annexed yet. Some of that land is about 200 yards from an exit on I-40, and less than 3 miles from downtown... but it's still undeveloped and agricultural! This stands in stark contrast to the nearly 15 miles between Downtown and the outer limits of North Raleigh. I'm not necessarily saying that this is a bad thing, but such lopsided development has to be unusual. I wonder whether some political forces are at work here. More likely, it could be due to the seperating and insulating effect of the vast open spaces of Dorothea Dix and Centennial Campus.

[NCMike1981]

I have never been to downtown Garner. I'm assuming it's really small, like downtown Apex or Cary. Someone post directions to it

Garner does have a bit of a reputation, but hey it's cheaper then alot of the other Wake County suburbs, does pretty much appear to be an extention of South Raleigh...

[waynehead]

I grew up just south of Garner and attended Garner High School (go Trojans!). There is that reputation of it being a redneck town, and I think that's certainly true if you contrast it with Cary or Apex but I think the person who said that "Garner is America" was on-target, or at least, it's more "north carolina" than some of the Yankee-rich suburbs in the Triangle.

Things are certainly changing in the town. The construction of Timber drive about 10 years ago was really the start of something big, and once it is extended over to White Oak I think you'll see a lot of development along the US-50 corridor. The town is slowly creeping southward, they've just opened up a very nice park with a few soccer fields on 50 south of Timber Drive, on the outskirts of their border now, but I don't think you build a park on the perimeter of your town if you expect your borders to stay that way. I expect they will annex south on 50 towards Rand Rd and down to Ten-Ten, there are a lot of big unincoporated subdivisions down there like Turner Farms. I also think you'll see Garner expand out along Simpkins and Lake Wheeler road, as someone else said: why not? There is a lot of prime real estate out there by the Lake and someone has to move in eventually.

Downtown Garner has a nice historic feel to it (if you want to check it out go to Main Street just off New Rand Road and Hwy 50). The town was originally established as a train stop and the tracks still run through downtown. The old Garner High School on Garner Rd is a nice building that now serves as a retirement home. But the DT area suffers b/c it is surrounded by low income housing and it is perceived as being a dangerous place. The real future of Garner, I believe, is in the White Oak area. That 40/70 intersection is obviously an important crossing, and I like what the town is doing in the shopping center. If you ride down the timber drive extension you'll see a lot of mix-use buildings and a very pleasant apartment complex.

If the 540 extension through southern wake county ever gets built, then I think the prediction that Garner could explode into another Cary could be true. Hopefully though, if that happens it can retain some of the southern and rural qualities that made it such an appealing place to grow up, qualities that I think Cary certainly lacks.

[Subway Scoundrel]

OK, this is my dream for Garner. I wish/dream that several large Asian companies will move their North American HQs to DT Raleigh and along with it comes all the support businesses that have Asian ties. Therefore, a large Asian community will move to the Triangle. Many of this new Asian community will move to a location where they will be able to live in surroundings they are use to and get items (food, restaurants, shops) they require.

Garner is the perfect place for a total redevelopment due to lower costs, rail corridor and an old industrial base that doesn

[closeminded]

I know. Go trogans. Just a few years ago. They were oneeof the baddest football teams around. Thanks to coach Hal Stewart!

[paletexan]

Much of this development would happen down the current rail corridor and that would turn into one of the future TTA lines along with (I think)  EasTrans.  Since this is so close to downtown, it would be the perfect place to tie in that open space and help build an identity for Garner.  So someone could take the TTA from Durham for an afternoon of shopping in the proposed

[willrusso]

This isn't about Garner, but I'm rather stunned that some of the land south of Tryon Rd hasn't been developed and annexed yet. Some of that land is about 200 yards from an exit on I-40, and less than 3 miles from downtown... but it's still undeveloped and agricultural! This stands in stark contrast to the nearly 15 miles between Downtown and the outer limits of North Raleigh. I'm not necessarily saying that this is a bad thing, but such lopsided development has to be unusual. I wonder whether some political forces are at work here. More likely, it could be due to the seperating and insulating effect of the vast open spaces of Dorothea Dix and Centennial Campus.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I know EXACTLY what you are talking about! I live on Lake Wheeler Rd right at the exit to I-40. 2 miles to my north is downtown Raleigh, 1.5 miles to my south is wide open spaces and a huge farm!! It almost contradicts itself. I've always wondered why that is.

[Subway Scoundrel]

That's an interesting take on things.  Isnt there a huge Asian store down there already (A&C SuperMarket maybe).  Anyhow, your dream sounds exactly like what happened a couple decades ago in Atlanta with Buford Highway.  Granted, the Asian development did not go all the way up to Buford (A town much like Garner), but a similar section of town became a magnet for authentic Asian food and service oriented business.

I am a fan of Vietnamese food too.  Pho Cali off Capital is second to none for an authentic experience. Ask for the spicy pork soup not on the menu (it's great).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have never been to Fho Cali but have been to Dalat at Mission Valley and La Vie on Capital. I am going to Vietnam in November for 2 weeks so I am sure I will get my fill.

There is a loosely established Asian community in Durham and a growing Asian community in Raleigh between Capital Blvd and Wake Forest Rd. I call this the international section of Raleigh. More to come on that. But I think Garner is ripe for growing but I just wish they would come up with a comprehensive plan instead of developing parcels to anyone with a couple of bucks. Hwy 70 is the next Capital Blvd.