Friendly Davidson County Grows, Yet Retains Small-Town Feel
Back in 1968‚ Dr. David Williams was just out of the U.S. Air Force and looking for a small community where he could practice pediatrics. A former high school friend suggested Thomasville‚ a community where children feel safe and everybody follows high school sports‚ whether their child is throwing the football or not.
“The location was perfect‚ kind of halfway between the mountains and the beach‚” Williams says‚ “and we’ve made a lot of friends here.”
Williams’ practice now has 13 pediatricians‚ including his son‚ and a satellite office with three doctors in Randolph County. Since 1990‚ the population of Davidson County has increased by almost 25‚000‚ according to U.S. census data.
“People laugh when I complain about the traffic‚” Williams says. “The growth is still very manageable‚ and the county is looking for industry.”
Williams is active on the Chamber of Commerce and YMCA boards and speaks glowingly of the YMCA’s indoor swimming pool‚ gym and health club. For young families‚ a day-care center and after-school program operate out of the Y.
Mack Parrott and his ancestors have called Davidson County home since 1750. “My great-great-great‚ I don’t know how many times‚ grandfather came from England‚ settled near what became Lexington and served in the American Revolution‚” he says.
Parrott located his insurance office in Uptown Lexington‚ a revitalized historic‚ cultural and business district. “It has a good‚ small-town feel‚” he says.
New sidewalks‚ period lamps‚ restaurants‚ and retail and specialty shops attract tourists and local folks alike. Renovated buildings now house antiques‚ craft and gift shops‚ as well as art galleries‚ clothing shops and hardware stores. Businesses and apartments perch above the retail stores.
The Lexington area blends the best of history with the verve of contemporary culture. The Greek Revival-style courthouse‚ now the Davison County Historical Museum‚ and the old 1911 Post Office‚ home to the art museum‚ rub historic shoulders with the turbocharged Richard Childress Racing Shop and Museum. The small-town flavor of the Barbecue Festival‚ held on the fourth Saturday in October‚ rounds out the scene.
“I am the luckiest person in the world to have the chances to do things here. That’s the beauty of this town‚” says Evelyn Harris‚ a Davidson County resident for 27 years. “My daughter lives in New York. I’ve done a lot of acting‚ but the truth is that I couldn’t have gotten those parts in New York.”
Harris directs the Youth Theater and Actor’s Charity Theater and is on the boards of Family Services and the Davidson County Community College Foundation.
“We have softer living here‚” she says. “People are good to each other and are not afraid to smile.”
She is proud of the organizations the people of Davidson County support: an adult day care‚ the battered women’s center‚ Crisis Ministry and Hope Helpline.
“The fact that this community can take care of its own is fabulous. Life is not about living like the rich and famous‚” Harris says.
Williams‚ Parrott and Harris love the proximity to Winston-Salem‚ Greensboro and High Point. In about half an hour‚ they can be at a meeting‚ taking in a play or dining in a restaurant in one of the big cities. As Harris says‚ “If I want sushi‚ I can drive to it‚ but yet I can come back to this idyllic farm setting.”
