Terry Sanford - Fayetteville, NC Area Guide

Incorporated as part of Fayetteville, these neighborhoods sit just south of Fort Bragg and, for the most part, the area grew up as a community for military families. Kings Grant in particular was developed for exactly that reason. The majority of the area takes its name from Terry Sanford, ex-Governor of North Carolina, whose legacy also resides in the name of the local high school. This part of the city was originally developed as an English settlement along the upper Cape Fear River, the only navigable waterway within the colony. Since then, it has joined with the rest of Fayetteville and lost its reputation for lawlessness.

Visit the JFK Special Warfare Museum within the district or the Busy Bodies Exploratory, a children's museum just to the west. Watch out for the annual International Folk Festival just to the south of the neighborhood, along with the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival.

You'll find plenty of chain restaurants within this neighborhood of Fayetteville, but it also provides a few eclectic treats, mostly on the major thoroughfares through the area.

For fine dining and a modern twist on American cuisine, visit the Hilltop House Restaurant, open for lunch and dinner throughout the week and brunch on Sunday. Enjoy comfort foods such as Belgian waffles, French toast and grits at brunch, or select your meal from the cold seafood bar. Choose from a range of salads, soups and sandwiches at lunch, visit in the evening for an Angus beef steak, or sample one of the chef's specialties, including bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin and herb-crusted salmon.

If Japanese cuisine tickles your taste buds, try Shogun, an eatery that bases its lunch menu on bento boxes, hibachi and sushi. In the evenings, choose from an extensive menu of Japanese favorites, including sashimi, sushi, yaki udon and hot pots. Try one of the chef's special rolls, such as the sandy springs roll, the lobster tempura roll or the Godzilla roll.

Sample some authentic German cooking at Das Bavarian Haus, which combines American traditions with a German-style preparation. Select an entree such as currywurst or chicken schnitzel, then choose from sides that include red cabbage and Bavarian potato dumplings. According to locals, no meal at this eatery should end without a slice of the homemade black forest cake, and you can also choose from the selection of bottled and draft beers imported from Germany.

You'll find a large selection of nightlife options in and around the neighborhoods, ranging from the Speakeasy Cigar and Martini Bar to the Cadillac Ranch country bar. Catch a live performance at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre, take advantage of the dance floor at Office Pub, or watch a game on the overhead screens at Louie's Sports Bar and the Red Zone Sports Bar.

You'll find plenty of express and local bus routes running through this neighborhood, including Route 1 Express travelling from Massey Hill Hardware to Southern Avenue, hitting destinations such as the Montibello Shopping Center an the Cross Creek Mall. Though these will take you across the neighborhood and to adjacent destinations, locals tend to rely on their cars to get around this large sector of the city. Not many businesses within the neighborhood can be reached on foot within a reasonable amount of time, nor will you fare much better by bicycle.

Expect an acceptable amount of public parking within the district and an easy commute to the city and beyond using major thoroughfares such as the All American Expressway just to the west, the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway to the south and Ramsey Street to the east. Uber does operate within this neighborhood, and you can also call one of the local taxi cab companies to arrange a pickup.

Whether you're looking for a place to exercise in the fresh air or a day in the outdoors with the kids, this neighborhood has what you need. Visit Honeycutt Park to find youth baseball and softball opportunities, as well as a gymnasium, horseshoes, a walking track and playgrounds for the kids. At Mazarick Park, you'll have the opportunity to rent a boat, go fishing or enjoy a picnic in the shelter before hiking the trails and playing disc golf or tennis.

Visit North Street Park for a relaxing green space with playground equipment for the little ones, or Seabrook Park to play basketball and horseshoes, and take advantage of the fitness equipment. The latter serves as a venue for local events and family reunions, and also hosts the city's only public swimming pool. You'll find a place to exercise your four-legged friends at the Riverside Dog Park, open from dawn to dusk with a small enclosure for little dogs and a larger area for big ones.

Like the rest of the City of Fayetteville, one of the major advantages that you can expect from living in this neck of the woods is its low cost of living compared to all of North Carolina and to the rest of the nation. This neighborhood lies on par with the rest of the city at just under 5 percent below the North Carolina average. The median rental cost for a one-bedroom apartment stands around $600 per month, and travel to the city center via bus will set you back $1.25 for a one-way ticket. Expect to pay $8 to $9 for a glass of beer in a local bar or restaurant, and the cost per gallon of gasoline hovers approximately 2 percent above the national average.

With the Cross Creek Mall and the Westwood Shopping Center to the west, you'll find plenty of shopping to keep you occupied in this neighborhood. Along North Carolina Highway 24, you'll also find a few boutiques and specialty stores. Visit Fleishman's Tiny Town to find children's clothing, or Hayes Hobby House for radio-controlled vehicles and models. Find formal wear and prom dresses at Bridal & Pageant Connection, or update your home with a new loveseat or a bedroom set from Regency Furniture.

Find the next book on your reading list at Edward McKay Used Books, which carries a variety of titles at deeply discounted prices. While you're there, check out the stock of vintage vinyl albums, or trade in your used books for cash, store credit or trade. Shoppers with kids love the store's Monkey Shines summer reading program.

Pick up your groceries at a number of local markets and supermarkets, such as Walmart, Food Lion, ALDI and Harris Teeter, or grab some international ingredients at the Mediterranean Mart. You'll find two farmers' markets within a reasonable drive: Reilly Road Farmers Market to the west and the Carolina Farmers Market just to the south.