Hoke County

Hoke County, North Carolina stakes claim to nearly 400 square miles of the scenic southeastern portion of the state.  Located just over an hour outside of Raleigh, NC’s state capital, Hoke County also claims a portion of the massive Fayetteville Metropolitan Area.  The City of Fayetteville holds a population of more than 121,000 residents and is NC’s sixth-largest city.  This history-rich community features a bustling academic scene and a wide variety of cultural activities from which to choose.

Eight townships and seven towns encompass this lovely pastoral area of Hoke County.  Incorporated cities and towns include Ashley Heights, Bowmore, Dundarrach, Five Points, Raeford, Rockfish and Silver City.  Rockfish is home to nearly 3,000 residents and Silver City has 1,146 individuals, while the towns of Ashley Heights, Bowmore, Dundarrach and Five Points each have less than four hundred citizens.  According to Census 2000 data, Hoke County population was 33,646 residents; however, estimates in 2005 indicate an increase to 41,016 individuals.

Raeford, population 3,386, remains the largest city in Hoke County.  Located twenty-miles outside of Fayetteville, Raeford acts as Hoke County’s center of commerce and county seat.  Beginning in 1985, the Raeford community played host of the annual North Carolina Turkey Festival, which honors NC’s ranking as the nation’s leading turkey industry.  This exciting community festival features arts, crafts and an impressive array of live music and entertainment.  Raeford, also famous for housing the Lumbee Native American Indians, is home to the House of Raeford, a local company well known for its poultry products.

Hoke County, formed in 1911, once featured numerous cotton plantations, whose products drove the regional economy at the time.  Over the years, the cotton industry’s domination gave way to the mechanization of local farms and an increase in industrial development.  Today, employers such as Johnson Concrete and the Unilever Corporation operate in Hoke County, providing jobs and services to the community.  Hoke County businesses enjoy easy access to surrounding regional markets via Interstate 95, US 401 and nearby airports, such as Fayetteville Regional Airport.  The Raeford-Hoke Chamber of Commerce and their affiliated Economic Development Commission also take great pride in providing resources to new and existing businesses in the Hoke County area.

Opportunities for recreation abound in the beautiful Hoke County region.  Visitors enjoy the Raeford-Hoke Museum and Five Points is home to the prestigious Carolina Horse Park.  Each of the communities has its own historic cemeteries and other interesting sites to see.  The military enjoys a strong presence in the area, with Pope Air Force Base and Fort Bragg both within a short drive of Hoke County.  The Fort Bragg Military Cemetery is the region’s most popular historic site to visit.  A seventeen-mile historical tour of the facilities of Fort Bragg features twenty-four points of interest.   

Hoke County, North Carolina features a patchwork of small, friendly communities that enjoy a slower paced way of life.  Residents have access to excellent schools and neighborhoods with a low rate of crime, while the other amenities remain within easy reach in nearby cities such as Fayetteville and Raleigh.