Rolling land and quiet living in Mooresboro
Resting between two small cities in the western Piedmont of North Carolina, Mooresboro is a rural community that tourists pass by on their way to the Blue Ridge Mountains. “We’re in the foothills of the mountains. We’re rolling land, so we’re not flat,” says Barbara Keever, a lifelong resident of the region and the owner of Odean Keever & Associates. She says homebuyers looking in Mooresboro and the surrounding small towns are seeking a slower pace of life away from urban centers. “They like that we’re quiet and we don’t have all that traffic.” Along with accessible home prices, Mooresboro offers seclusion and access to the outdoors. The Broad River flows through the southern half of the community and the South Mountains are to the north.
Settled in the late 18th century, Mooresboro has largely been a farming community throughout its history. However, energy is a prominent industry today. Duke Energy operates a coal and natural gas power plant, as well as a 500-acre solar plant, south of the Broad River.
Mooresboro receives a CAP Index Crime Score of 2 out of 10, compared to the national average of 4 out of 10.
A range of home styles for less than the national median
Mooresboro’s two-lane residential streets gently curve over the community’s hilly terrain, passing by pastures, creeks and dense swaths of forest. Single-family homes rest on spacious lots, typically well over an acre. Midcentury ranch-style homes and farmhouses are the most common architectural styles here. However, Cliffside features bungalows and cottages and New Traditional designs, and the private Lake Houser community offers waterfront custom builds.
The median price for a single-family home in Mooresboro is around $210,000, roughly half the national median. However, homes can cost as little as $150,000 and exceed $500,000. Properties do tend to sit on the market for an extended period of time, selling after around 95 days, nearly double the national average.
Parks, trails and campgrounds offer outdoor activities in Mooresboro
A few public parks and athletic facilities are sprinkled across the community. Honeysuckle Park features three baseball fields and a playground, while Frank West Park offers open green space, a fishing pond and a gravel walking trail. Golfers have several courses within driving distance, including Dogwood Valley Golf Course, a public nine-hole course perched on a hill overlooking the Second Broad River.
The community has several ways to enjoy the Broad River, from hiking along the waterside Washburn Trail to launching a kayak off the Broad River Greenway. Camping is a popular activity, with multiple campgrounds in the area, including the expansive Lake Houser Adventures Off-Road Park, where primitive sites are often used for weekends of off-roading. About 25 north of Mooresboro, South Mountains State Park has 47 miles of hiking trails, as well as trails for mountain biking and horseback riding. The adjacent game lands covers approximately 21,000 acres and is open to hunting.
Agriculture-themed events and traditions in Cleveland County
Agriculture is at the heart of many events and traditions in Mooresboro and the surrounding area, from the annual Ebony Horsemen Saddle Club Rodeo, which provides a welcoming space for Black equestrians, to the Foothills Farmers’ Market held every Saturday morning in Shelby. One of the biggest events is the Cleveland County Fair, which has been in operation for more than 100 years. The event features classic fair activities, such as carnival rides and games, livestock competitions and live music.
Shopping and dining options in Forest City, Shelby and Boiling Springs
Small locally owned markets and discount chains dot Mooresboro, but for most shopping needs, residents typically drive upwards of 20 miles into neighboring communities. To the west, Forest City offers national retailers and grocery chains like Walmart Supercenter and Food Lion. To the east, Shelby is home to the Cleveland Mall, which features over a dozen name-brand and department stores as well as an AMC movie theater. Mooresboro has a few local restaurants, including Ameego's, an eclectic diner inside the Hilltop Home & Market Variety Store that’s been serving American fare and Honduran and Mexican dishes for generations, and Tony’s Sandwich Co., a family-run lunch spot known for its freshly baked bread. More dining options, from fast food chains to family-owned eateries, are nearby in Boiling Springs.
Mooresboro’s educational options from kindergarten to university
Two school districts serve Mooresboro. Homes on the east side of the community are zoned for Cleveland County Schools, which earns a B-plus overall rating from Niche and has around 15,000 students across 27 schools and one virtual academy. Students on the west side of the community can attend Rutherford County Schools, which receives an A-minus overall rating and has about 7,400 students and 16 schools.
Parents can also elect to send children to Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, an A-rated charter school, which Niche ranks as the best public elementary school in Rutherford County.
Gardner-Webb University, a small private Christian university, is nearby in Boiling Springs.
Residents take country roads to get around Mooresboro
As a rural community, Mooresboro is primarily car-dependent. Getting anywhere often starts by taking several country roads for several miles to area highways. U.S. Routes 74 and 221 Alternate connect commuters to nearby towns and cities like Forest City and Shelby, which are about 15 miles away from most homes. Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport are both roughly 50 miles away.
