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Highland Scots attracted by the natural inland port
(the Cape Fear River). These settlements merged into Fayetteville in 1783. Named
in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, Lafayette actually visited here in 1825,
and received a rousing hero's welcome.
Fayetteville's unemployment rate is very low (4.5 %) and its
large labor pool of trained professionals is in demand with employers like
Fort Bragg;
Pope Air Force Base; Kelly Springfield Tire Co., Black & Decker; and
Purolator. The large population also demands a large government and service
labor pool for the Cumberland County Schools; Cape Fear Valley Medical Center,
Cumberland County Government, the City of Fayetteville; and Fayetteville
Technical Community College. Restaurants, services, and recreation and
entertainment complete the employment picture. Other Cumberland County
municipalities, such as Falcon, Godwin,
Hope Mills, Linden,
Spring
Lake, Stedman and Wade share in this rosy economy and high
employment.
But, Fayetteville is not the hard-rock business town that the
statistics seem to say that it is. Patriotism and Southern Hospitality run deep
here. Operation Enduring Freedom saw more than 25,000 soldiers and
airmen deployed to the Middle East from Fort Bragg and Pope AFB. The city of
Fayetteville and Cumberland County created a helpline, "Operation Home
Front" offering support to military spouses and dependents. Fayetteville
Technical Community College offered a $30,000 scholarship fund for active-duty
family members. Many local businesses ran their own help programs such as free
flat-tire repairs and discounted auto repairs to military spouses.
Fayetteville's
current downtown
revitalization will spotlight culture and the arts while preserving
Fayetteville's history. Shopping and dining are varied and excellent in this
historical city. (There are over 400 restaurants in Fayetteville.)
The Crown
Coliseum is the premier venue in eastern North Carolina, with world-class
concerts, performances, and an ice floor for pro hockey and ice shows.
The Airborne
& Special Operations Museum is part of the U.S. Army Museum System
featuring the history and rare exhibits of Army airborne and special operations
units.
Museum of the Cape
Fear,
Fayetteville Arts
Center, Fayetteville State University,
Fascinate-U Childrens
Museum, and the Arts Council of Fayetteville
are
favorite sites for residents and visitors alike.
And, as this is North
Carolina, Fayetteville boasts over 20 golf courses within an hour's drive.
Putt-Putt Golf was begun in Fayetteville, and it is the home of Putt-Putt
corporate headquarters.
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