Butterfield

All-American Kinston, located in Lenoir County, is a classic small town in Eastern North Carolina. Founded as Kingston in 1762, the town, renamed “Kinston” after the American Revolution, has been home to farms, lumber, cotton mills, and manufacturing plants. It offers easy access to Goldsboro, Greenville, and New Bern.

The Atlantic Ocean is 57 miles to the southeast, and Raleigh, the state capital, is 80 miles to the northwest. Today, the city along the Neuse River is having a renaissance, appealing to foodies, art lovers, and history lovers alike. It is known for its Minor League baseball team (the Down East Wood Ducks), delicious farm-to-fork dinners, the African American Music Trail, and NC’s largest public art trail.

Kinston’s culinary scene ranges from North Carolina barbecue to innovative dishes inspired by the area’s agricultural bounty. (James Beard award-winning chef Vivian Howard showcases this heritage at her restaurant, The Chef and the Farmer!) Small-town shopping abounds at locally owned boutiques, art galleries, consignment stores, and the genuine general store.

The Kinston Music Park celebrates jazz, R&B, funk, gospel, and rap. Blount Street is home to Kinston’s Arts and Cultural District. Its Victorian cottages, bungalows, and fine historic homes are distinctively Kinston. The new SmART District is recasting abandoned buildings and homes into studios, lofts, and apartments for artists to live, produce and sell their art. With so much happening, it’s no wonder that DR Horton is building many new homes near Kinston, NC.