Fayetteville, North Carolina

Fayetteville is a great place to raise a military family. Not only is it known as a military town, it was also named the “World’s First Sanctuary for Soldiers and Their Families” in 2008. This means that, within the county, soldiers are to be provided with local services, ranging from free childcare to job placement for soldiers’ spouses. There may not be a ton to do, but activities in Fayetteville can be enjoyed by the entire family. If your family likes being outdoors, check out the Cape Fear River Trail or the Cape Fear River Botanical Garden. There are also a ton of festivals to enjoy in the summer and the beaches are only an hour and a half drive away!

Looking at the statistics, the crime rate in Fayetteville cannot be ignored. Violent crime rates in Fayetteville are double both the North Carolina and National Median. You’ll hear a very divided view of Fayetteville from both current residents and past residents. Some people swear up and down it’s the worst place they’ve lived, while the current residents seem to have a more rational view. If you talk to a local, they’ll tell you to take steps like making sure to lock your doors at night and not to leave any valuables in your car. Overall, the sentiment seems to be that things are getting better, but the numbers are still something to consider.

Local's pov on Fayetteville:
*Having lived in NYC about half of my life, far east of the city on Long Island for most of the rest of it, and Fayetteville for half a decade, I can’t see anything here that’s worse than anywhere else in the US. Do we have loads of strip clubs? Sure, but didn’t it take decades for NYC to clean up the sex-in-the-street trade? Parts of Long Island are even worse.

About the only thing Fayetteville has that most other cities don’t is the US Army. But that doesn’t change anything - some cities that have never seen a soldier are worse. And who cares if a customer in Walmart is wearing fatigues?*