Knightdale is the Triangle's second fastest growing town and boasts the lowest tax rates. Located six miles east of Raleigh on U.S. 64, this community of over 6,000 has small-town charm with a family atmosphere. The U.S. 64 Bypass (slated to be complete in December 2004) is anticipated to ease traffic headaches, as Knightdale has experienced a lot of congestion in recent years.
According to town records, in 1700, a young man named John Lawson was hired to explore the interior of the area of the land that was called Carolina. Starting near present day Charleston, South Carolina, Lawson began a trek that covered roughly 1,000 miles through the heart of the Carolina Colony. According to his diary, he passed through the area in February 1701.
During the 18th century, people took interest in acquiring the new land and, after receiving the report from Lawson, the King of England decided that the time had come to apportion the land to settlers. Around 1730, John Hinton – described as a “hardy woodsman” – left his home and headed west from the coast, finally settling in what would one day be called Knightdale. The colonial government appointed Hinton to be the Justice of the Peace for the area. After forming Johnston County out of Craven County in the 1750's, the colonial government looked to Hinton to organize a militia and gave him the rank of colonel. The militia saw no action until after the county had been divided again. In 1771, Wake County was carved out of Johnston County.
When
the American Revolution began, Hinton was called on again to serve as a military
leader and he played a key role in the first battle fought on North Carolina
soil in 1776. Afterward, Hinton was chosen as a delegate to the Fourth
Provincial Congress. Three of the seven Hinton plantations in the Knightdale
area are still intact: The Oaks, Midway and Beaver Dam.
Toward the end of the Civil War, many armies came through Knightdale. The Clay Hill and Midway Plantations saw the greatest damage. The residents of this area, however, began to rebuild and at the same time, Raleigh experienced tremendous growth. As a result, Wake County redrew the map of the county and divided it into townships. The area that became Knightdale was located in St. Matthew's Township, where it still is today.
The Town of Knightdale came about as people began to congregate in an area within the St. Matthew's Township of Wake County. For many years the area was a crossroads served only by a post office. Most of the people in the area were farmers who grew a variety of crops.
Near the end of the 19th century, the citizens saw the need to establish a town. One of these people was Henry Haywood Knight, who donated some of his vast land holdings in the area to the Norfolk and Southern Railroad Company in the hopes that a railroad would come to the area. After his death in 1904, the railroad finally came to Knightdale.
Many of the older homes in Knightdale were built specifically for the use of railroad workers and their families. The railroad stationmaster's house still exists today on Railroad Street. Knightdale's first medical doctor moved to the community in 1910 and many new businesses followed. As a result, Knightdale was officially incorporated on March 9, 1927. Despite the growth, Knightdale suffered from not having a municipal water system – in the early morning hours of February 7, 1940, a fire swept through downtown Knightdale and virtually destroyed the downtown.
Helped along by the baby boom following World War II, the population of Knightdale grew at a steady pace, but Knightdale retained its small town atmosphere. The corner drugstore, the bank, and the barbershop on First Avenue not only served as places of business, but places for social gatherings. Movies were often shown on the wall of the old bank building, which is located at the intersection of First Avenue and Main Street. In 1952 a municipal water system was installed.
Since the 1960s, new businesses in Knightdale have primarily located along U.S. 64, which was widened to four lanes in ‘70s.
In the late 1980s the Mingo Creek sewer outfall was built, opening up development on the south side of 64 including the Parkside, Planter's Walk and Mingo Creek subdivisions. Between 1990 and 2000 Knightdale's population increased from 1,700 to more than 6,250 residents, making it the 13th-fastest growing town in North Carolina.
Parks in town include the Eugene F. Harper Memorial Park and a children's park with picnic areas. A new environmental park with walking trails is being built near the town hall.
Annual events include the Arbor Arts Festival and Easter egg hunt for children in the spring, a Volunteer’s Day celebration in September and a well-attended Christmas parade and Santa’s Magical Workshop in early December.
Knightdale is a blend of old and new neighborhoods. The prestigious Maplewood enjoys good resale values with homes starting at $200,000. Planters Walk and Magnolia Place are part of why the town was honored as the No. 1 town in the Triangle several years ago. Planters Walk offers amenities such as pools and tennis courts. Single-family homes in the $150,000 to $200,000 price range are mixed with townhomes and upscale apartments.