For 60-some years, this place was about pine trees, a farm from which International Paper had been harvesting timber. In the 1970s, developers had started buying pieces here and there, and in the early 1990s, IP decided to grow a self-contained community from scratch.

For people moving to live and work here, Carolina Forest is a lesson in building something from nothing. Unlike towns that spring up by a railroad or a river and grow willy-nilly, Carolina Forest was mapped out from the start. Site planners picked spots for subdivisions, a fire station, schools, a post office, commercial development and churches, said Allen Moore, regional manager of International Paper Realty.

Even the name came from several focus groups at IP in 1993, said Moore, who picked Carolina Forest from the original list of 30 choices.

Once the Buist Tract had its suburban name, the realty company put together a team of surveyors, engineers and other urban planners for the project, which already was attracting interest from developers.

While there is room for another 45,000 or so residents, the community is well formed.


Excerpts courtesy of The Sun News May 19, 2002