The Gate City is a cultural and economic leader of the Piedmont Triad
Situated where the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains meet the coastal plain of the Atlantic, Greensboro is an economic and cultural powerhouse in central North Carolina. With 300,000 residents, Greensboro is the largest city within the Piedmont Triad, a metropolitan region also encompassing Winston-Salem and High Point historically known for its industry and manufacturing.
Greensboro’s emergence as a railroad hub in the mid-1800s gave it the nickname “The Gate City,” and the town’s proximity to regional and North Carolina attractions lends to its popularity even today. “I can get anywhere in 20 to 30 minutes – And I mean anywhere,” says Chris Pappalardo, Realtor with Keller Williams who has been selling homes for 14 years. “I’m three hours from the beach and two hours from the mountains. I took my son snowboarding last Friday, and we were back home by 5 p.m.”
Historically, tobacco and especially textiles drove Greensboro. At one point the largest producer of denim in the world, the city earned the moniker “Jeansboro.” And the construction of a massive Toyota Battery Plant dubbed by some as the “megasite” just south of Greensboro is a sure sign that the Gate City is making a name for itself into the 21st century.
“Growth and jobs are attracting people from up north looking to escape the cold and from down in states like Florida looking to escape the hurricanes,” says Robert Canner, owner of Robert Canner Real Estate and a 40-year resident of the city. “In my years as a Realtor, I’ve relocated over 100 people from other states. This has also made Greensboro one of the most diverse cities in the southeast United States.”
Downtown condos, old money mansions and lakeside residences
As of December 2024, the median home price is $290,000. This is 7% up from 2023, roughly $120,000 lower than the national median and about on par with Winston-Salem’s. Homes last 32 days on average on the market, which is a bit below the national average of 44.
Downtown Greensboro offers high-rise condo units, while historic American Foursquares are just down the street in Southside. Outside of this urban core, the city is very suburban feeling. Many of the tobacco and industrial tycoons who built Greensboro lived in Old Irving Park . The community features a mix of stately Federal, Georgian and Italianate manors. The median home price in this neighborhood stands at $430,000, though sales can easily reach above $1.2 million.
Neighborhoods like White Oak were developed when the denim industry was flourishing and provided affordable housing for mill workers. These neighborhoods tend to offer smaller builds like bungalows and national-style homes which sell between $120,000 and $300,000 but are nonetheless close to downtown. Other neighborhoods like Hamilton Lakes and Lake Jeanette grant homeowners waterfront Colonial Revival and ranch-style properties priced between $450,000 and $2 million. New Traditional homes comprise much of the inventory in neighborhoods on the southwest side like Adams Farm and range from $200,000 to $450,000.
You can find a variety of huge homes with well-manicured lawns in Old Irving Park in Greensboro.
Condos in Downtown Greensboro offer great views of the city.
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Abundant parks put the “green” in Greensboro
The Greensboro Parks & Recreation Department maintains more than 80 neighborhood parks, most of which have a playground and a walking trail or multipurpose court for sports such as basketball. These green spaces are strewn through the city and typically offer between one to 15 acres of outdoor space. Additionally, Parks & Rec manages 12 recreation centers which usually offer a gym, fitness center, meeting rooms and various classes.
Larger parks managed by the department include the 400-acre Country Park on the north side of town, which has multiple picnic shelters, paved trails, a dog park and lakes for fishing or steering rental pedal boats. The Greensboro Science Center, a joint museum, aquarium and zoo, is also in the vicinity. On the west side of town, the Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden invites visitors to explore different themed gardens and an interpretive center. Golfers have plenty of venues to choose from, including the Greensboro Country Club ensconced within Old Irving Park and Sedgefield Country Club on the city’s southwestern edge, which hosts the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship.
Although the Atlantic Coast Conference moved its headquarters from Greensboro to Charlotte in 2023, the city is still recognized by many as a tournament town. The Greensboro Coliseum is the home stadium of the UNC Greensboro Spartans men’s basketball team, the Greensboro Swarm minor league basketball team and the Carolina Cobras indoor football team. The coliseum is part of the bigger Greensboro Complex, a multi-use facility in Rainbow-Meadowood that has seen monster truck shows, circus performances and concerts. The Greensboro Grasshoppers minor league baseball team plays at First National Bank Field downtown.
Downtown Greensboro is also the site of the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, where locals can watch Broadway plays and listen to orchestral performances. The International Civil Rights Center and Museum tells the story of the Greensboro Four who protested segregation in the very Woolworth’s where their lunch counter sit-ins took place.
Locals can enjoy shore fishing less than 5 miles from O Henry Oaks at Keeley Park.
Skateboard enthusiasts love hanging out at the skate park in Latham Park.
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Guilford County Schools, colleges and universities
Guilford County Schools serves around 70,000 students across 126 schools. Niche awards the district an overall B-plus. On top of traditional schools, the district also offers magnet schools such as The Early College at Guilford, which Niche gives an A-plus and ranks as the best magnet high school in the state. Standout private options include Greensboro Day School and, for a faith-based education, St. Pius X Catholic School. Both score A-pluses on Niche.
Greensboro offers a few higher education institutions. The 20,000 students attending the University of North Carolina at Greensboro can choose from more than 120 different undergraduate and graduate programs. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, also known simply as A&T, was founded in 1891 and sits just east of downtown. With around 16,000 undergraduate and graduate students, it is the largest historically Black college or university in the country. Guilford College, a private liberal arts institution on the west edge of town, is distinct for being the only Quaker-founded college in the southeast U.S. and for its low student-faculty ratio of 11:1.
Kiser Middle School serves the youth in Downtown Greensboro.
Ragsdale High School boasts a modern entrance design.
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The North Carolina Folk Festival and other seasonal celebrations
In 2018, Greensboro established the North Carolina Folk Festival, a three-day celebration each September of traditional sounds and rhythms from around the world, ranging from Appalachian ballads and Irish fiddle tunes to Congolese rumba and Dominican merengue. The Summer Solstice usually takes place in June at the Greensboro Arboretum, inviting a plethora of local musicians and artists to perform and local vendors to share their treats and crafts. Residents come together in downtown Greensboro for the Festival of Lights in early December to carol, meet Santa Claus and watch the lighting of the town’s holiday tree.
Interstates 73, 85 and 840 come together and form the Greensboro Urban Loop, a 40-mile beltway which wraps around the city. Interstate 40 runs 30 miles west to Winston-Salem and 80 miles east to Raleigh. “Greensboro is intentionally overbuilt. The Department of Transportation identifies areas that will need improvement and rolls out highways 10 years in advance before the roads get too congested. The Greensboro Urban Loop was a 30-year project,” says John Nosek, Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway and lifelong resident of the city.
The Greensboro Transit Agency operates 17 bus routes around the city. All lead to the J. Douglas Gaylon Depot, locally known as the Greensboro station. The depot is served by Amtrak trains such as the Crescent, which runs from New Orleans to New York City. Piedmont Triad International Airport sits just west of the city. Charlotte Douglas International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the country, is 90 miles south.
A downtown social district and the Four Seasons Town Centre shopping mall
Elm Street in Downtown Greensboro is one of the city’s biggest commercial corridors, lined with local boutiques and restaurants. This cultural hub continues south of the railroad tracks into Southside . In 2022, the city launched a social district program, allowing people to carry open containers of alcohol from designated establishments in a select area downtown.
Four Seasons Town Centre is Greensboro’s only indoor mall and stands three stories tall, offering dozens of department stores, a food court and a bowling alley and arcade. Located on the southwest side of the neighborhood in Sedge-Town , the mall is anchored by JCPenney and Dillard’s. The Gate City also offers several outdoor shopping centers, the Friendly Center in Green Valley being one of the most popular. The sprawling plaza is home to high-end boutiques, restaurants, a cinema and department stores such as Belk and Macy’s.
Greensboro’s culinary scene is diverse, with Chinese, Indian, Japanese and Mexican options, plus many venues specializing in the comfort food the South is known for and award-winning establishments. Machete was named a James Beard Best New Restaurant finalist in 2022 and one of the Top 50 Best Wine Restaurants in America in 2024.
Enjoy tacos at Crafted - The Art of the Taco in Downtown Greensboro.
You can find amazing restaurants like Machete in downtown Greensboro.
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Crime and climate in Greensboro
According to FBI crime statistics, there was a 5.6% increase in violent crime between 2022 and 2023. The FBI also reports that property crimes remained relatively stable over the same period. Property and violent crime rates for Greensboro were higher than national and state figures.
Greensboro experiences four distinct seasons with humid summers and mild winters. In 2022, the city adopted the Strategic Energy Plan, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and eventually rely entirely on renewable energy in municipal operations.
On average, homes in Greensboro, NC sell after 38 days on the market compared to the national average of 49 days. The median sale price for homes in Greensboro, NC over the last 12 months is $293,717, up 3% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
Housing Trends
Median List Price
$306,990
Median Sale Price
$293,717
Median Single Family Sale Price
$322,000
Median Townhouse Sale Price
$264,990
Median 2 Bedroom Sale Price
$150,000
Median Change From 1st List Price
1%
Last 12 months Home Sales
3,807
Median Home Sale Price YoY Change
$3
Average Price Per Sq Ft
$181
Neighborhood Facts
Number of Homes for Sale
641
Months of Supply
2.00
Average Home Value
Source: Public Records
Top Schools in Greensboro, NC
Source:
Best Public Elementary Schools
#1 Oak Ridge Elementary School
A-
Niche
10
GreatSchools
#2 E.P. Pearce Elementary School
A-
Niche
8
GreatSchools
#3 Summerfield Elementary School
A-
Niche
7
GreatSchools
#4 Pleasant Garden Elementary School
B+
Niche
7
GreatSchools
#5 Alamance Elementary School
A-
Niche
6
GreatSchools
#6 Colfax Elementary School
A-
Niche
6
GreatSchools
#7 Florence Elementary School
A-
Niche
6
GreatSchools
#8 Northern Elementary School
A-
Niche
6
GreatSchools
#9 Sternberger Elementary
A-
Niche
6
GreatSchools
Best Public Middle Schools
#1 Northwest Guilford Middle School
A-
Niche
9
GreatSchools
#2 Kernodle Middle School
A-
Niche
8
GreatSchools
#3 Northern Guilford Middle School
A-
Niche
7
GreatSchools
#4 Mendenhall Middle School
B
Niche
6
GreatSchools
#5 Southeast Guilford Middle School
B
Niche
5
GreatSchools
#6 Guilford Elearning University Prep
C+
Niche
#7 The Academy at Lincoln
B+
Niche
4
GreatSchools
#8 Kiser Middle School
B+
Niche
3
GreatSchools
#9 Southwest Guilford Middle School
B+
Niche
3
GreatSchools
Best Public High Schools
#1 The STEM Early College at N.C. A&T
A
Niche
10
GreatSchools
#2 The Early College At Guilford College
A+
Niche
9
GreatSchools
#3 The Middle College at GTCC-Greensboro
A-
Niche
10
GreatSchools
#4 Guilford County Middle College High School
A
Niche
9
GreatSchools
#5 Northwest Guilford High School
A
Niche
9
GreatSchools
#6 Weaver Academy
A
Niche
9
GreatSchools
#7 The Middle College at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
