Calm, country living in northern Iredell County
Olin offers a quiet lifestyle set amid pastures, cornfields and forests in northern Iredell County. “It’s a tiny little township between Statesville and Mount Airy,” says Keller Williams Realtor Luke Reid, who has about five years of experience. “Most of the time, when I’m selling out here, it’s to people who already live out here or people who are familiar with the area and trying to get out of the bigger towns.” Dairy and cattle farming are top industries in the area, and hunting is a popular pastime. Reid says land sales account for a significant percentage of the local real estate market. “It’s beautiful land, highly desirable.”
Olin homes sell for below the national median
New Traditionals, cottages, farmhouses, manufactured and ranch-style homes are common. The median lot size is 1 acre, but many homes have more land. Some are obscured from the road by thick pine groves, others front broad, grassy lawns. Prices start close to $170,000 and rise to $360,000. The median hovers around the $300,000 mark, well below the national median of about $420,000 reported by the National Association of Realtors. Land typically sells for between $20,000 and $190,000. Properties with over 100 acres can sell for more than $1.2 million.
Olin Creek, Rocky Creek and other nearby streams are prone to flooding. Iredell County is moderately vulnerable to tornadoes and hurricanes; severe thunderstorms are more likely to cause high water and wind damage in Olin.
Highly rated Agriculture & Science Early College
The Iredell-Statesville Schools district earns an A-minus from Niche and allows school transfers by application. Kids may attend Harmony Elementary (B-plus) between preschool and fifth grade, then North Iredell Middle (B) and North Iredell High (B) between sixth and 12th. The high school shares a campus with the A-minus-rated Agriculture & Science Early College, one of three early college high schools in the district. Students participating in the five-year magnet program graduate with their high school diploma and a two-year college degree from Mitchell Community College.
Hunting preserves, Statesville parks, Lake Norman not far
For game bird hunting, Waterfall Preserve, Quail Haven Hunting Preserve and Rimrock Preserve are nearby. Quail Haven also offers skeet shooting; Rimrock provides bird dogs. Hunting licenses are available at the Iredell County Hall of Justice Annex building in Statesville. The county seat also has parks with playgrounds, walking trails and other outdoor recreational amenities, including Martin Luther King Jr. Park and Mac Anderson Park, which are less than 20 miles from Olin. Lake Norman State Park is a popular destination for boating, fishing, hiking and camping on the south side of Iredell County, less than 30 miles away.
Olin locals head to Harmony and Statesville for shopping/dining
The neighboring town of Harmony has several retailers, including Dollar General, Family Dollar, Lowry Livestock Feeds and the IGA Marketplace of Harmony, a small grocery store. Statesville has more shopping options. On the north side, near the intersection of U.S. Route 21 and Interstate 40, there’s a Walmart Supercenter, an Ingles Market and an Aldi. Home improvement stores and national chain restaurants, like Olive Garden and Cracker Barrel, are also in the area.
Getting around rural Iredell County via I-77, ICATS
Interstate 77 runs south toward Statesville and Charlotte. Iredell Memorial Hospital, a top regional employer, is on the north side of Statesville, less than 15 miles from central Olin. Charlotte Douglas International Airport is about 55 miles away. The Iredell County Area Transportation System, or ICATS, offers demand-response and other public transit services to Iredell County.
