The rolling terrain and open spaces of scenic northern Orange County in North
Carolina have long attracted Triangle residents who enjoy fine country living —
who crave space to ride a horse or grow a garden, who long to walk along the edge
of a winding river or cast a line into a lake teaming with bass and brim. And as
the sun drops behind the trees, how pleasant to stroll lazily back to the privacy
and comfort of one’s own luxury country home where the family will gather to share
the day’s events and create special and lasting memories.
Twenty-five years ago George and Alice Horton found their version of the perfect
Southern country life when they purchased 500 acres in northern Orange County near
the historic town of Hillsborough. Over the years, the Hortons transformed their
property into a combination beef cattle farm, working horse facility and home-grown
nature preserve where their three young children could experience, first-hand, the
land and the critters on it and the joys of unfettered outdoor play. The children
learned to ride horses and care for them, grow a garden and weed it, bait hooks and
catch fish in the lake, play hide-and-seek in the woods, climb trees and wander
along the endlessly intriguing banks of the South Fork of the Little River, which
runs for two miles through the farm.
After the children left home to pursue their own lives and careers, George and
Alice wanted to reduce the time they spent operating and maintaining Pleasant Green
Farm, while still preserving its pristine natural environment and meticulously
maintained amenities. The family’s years of stewardship of the land had resulted in
acres of fences and lush horse and cattle fields, a nine-stall horse barn with fenced
riding and jumping ring, productive hayfields, a stocked five-acre lake and miles of
trails for horseback riding and nature hikes. “We thought about ways to preserve
what was so special about the farm and our time here while still sharing it with other
families who might want to have a similar experience to ours,” says Alice.
The logical choice was to design a conservation community of carefully planned home
sites that would entitle owners to share 61 acres of open ranch land,
including the farm’s lake and the well-maintained riding and walking trails that
meander through the woods and meadows and along the river.
George, an established Orange County developer, took on the task of creating Pleasant
Green Farms, a 473-acre gated community comprising 33 large lots of 10 acres or more,
each with a specified footprint for a custom-built home and ancillary buildings. These
lots are now some of the choicest new properties for sale in Hillsborough and near
Chapel Hill and Research Triangle Park (RTP).
“We placed private deed restrictions on the property, similar to those we learned about
through discussions with the Triangle Land Conservancy and Orange County’s Land Legacy
Program,” says George. “We have permanent easements across many properties to give a sense
of continuity and shared community to Pleasant Green Farms.” George also notes that two-thirds
of the lots can accommodate horses. Easements allow riders to cross the property at designated
access points.
Indeed, Pleasant Green Farms is truly an equestrian-friendly community that has grown
naturally out of the family’s long involvement in breeding and showing both horses and
ponies for junior riders. The stable and training facility George built has been refurbished
and put to good use by Laura Virkler, the Hortons’ eldest child. “A few years ago, Laura and
her husband, Drayton, purchased the family home and 64 acres, including the stable, training
rings and paddocks,” says Alice. Laura now oversees a “horse community” consisting of
boarding facilities for six “guest” horses in addition to the three she maintains for herself
and her three young children.
Home owners’ privacy in this Orange County community is guaranteed by picturesque stone
walls and a security gate at the entrance, where mail is delivered to a central kiosk.
Pleasant Green Farms’ paved roads nestle comfortably within the rolling terrain and mainly
follow some of the old farm paths, including the one leading to a restored cattle barn and
farm utility building, once essential accessories for farm living.
An exclusive team of builders is available to design and build your dream home in this
country community. Prospective buyers may visit the Pleasant Green Farms web site to learn
about the property, its neighboring communities, local recreational facilities and other
amenities, all conveniently highlighted on a user-friendly area map at www.pleasantgreenfarms.com.
As the sun sets over Pleasant Green Farms’ well groomed meadows, framed with stands of
hardwoods, and the quiet of evening is broken only by a fish jumping in the lake, Pleasant
Green Farms resident Laura Virkler sums up the new life the Horton family has envisioned
for their beloved farm. “The experiences you have as a family at Pleasant Green Farms are
ones you and your children and your grandchildren will remember forever. And creating
those memories is such an important piece of life!”
Pleasant Green Farms – a place where country living is like it used to be – as private
as you want it, but never lacking for good neighbors and good times. So, if you have a
longing for old-fashioned country living, come see us today. We’ll leave the light on
for you at Pleasant Green Farms.