Kernersville is a centrally located town in the Triad region of North Carolina boasting a tight-knit community, historic charm, and a convenient proximity to larger cities.
Real Estate
Kernersville residents enjoy a relatively low cost of living and average home prices, making this a desirable place to call home. Some of the rural farmland surrounding the town has been transformed into new housing developments, providing a variety of options for buyers, including both new construction homes and historic properties. Homes in Kernersville are primarily traditional and Colonial, with charming and updated features.
Lifestyle and Attractions
Kernersville is a relatively small town with a population of about 24,000. It is located in the middle of the Triad, situated an equal distance from Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point, which are each located within 15 minutes. This proximity makes Kernersville an ideal residence for employment in any major Triad city. Primary employers in Kernersville include Caterpillar, FedEx, Deere-Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. Inc., Grass USA, and Highland Industries. Kernersville is a wonderful community for families, as the public schools have support from the local community with partnerships, mentoring and grant programs.
The town maintains nine parks, and has a number of beautiful green spaces and outdoor recreation venues, including the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, a 2-acre area with 14 showcase gardens. Bucked Up Music Park is an outdoor venue hosting local, regional and national bands on the largest permanent outdoor stage in the Triad. The Kernersville Little Theatre is a community theater producing holiday shows, well-known productions and popular musicals. Kernersville is home to Körner’s Folly, an architectural wonder built in 1880, which served as the home of artist and designer Jule Gilmer Körner, and is now a popular historical museum. The community hosts a number of annual events and festivals, including Spring Folly, the Kernersville Honeybee Festival, Music at Twilight, and the Annual Kernersville Oktoberfest.
Nearby Schools and Higher Education
There are 10 schools within the Winston-Salem/Forsyth School System located in Kernersville. Additionally, Kernersville is in the vicinity of more than 15 private schools. The town contains no institutions of higher learning within its boundaries, but a reasonable commute puts many opportunities within reach. Nearby colleges and universities include Greensboro College, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Wake Forest University, High Point University, Winston-Salem State University, and Salem College.
History
Over the years, the story of Kernersville’s history has been considered a tale or even a rumor. It is said that an Irishman named Caleb Story received a land grant for the area that would eventually become Kernersville. When he decided to leave the area, he sold the land for just 4 gallons of rum. Eventually, a man named William Dobson owned the land and built an inn and store on the property, which he eventually passed onto Joseph F. Kerner in 1817. The town officially became Kernersville in 1871, and 20 years later, the population had reached about 1,000 people. Other nearby towns were closer to the railroad and Wooden Plank Road, which served as major transportation hubs during that time, but Kernersville benefitted from its proximity to large communities.
In 1973, Kernersville resident Brady Mullinax began an effort to distinguish the honeybee as North Carolina’s state insect. He traveled with a group of people to the state legislature in Raleigh that same year, and the legislators subsequently named the honeybee as the state’s official state insect. Two years later, Kernersville held its first Honeybee Festival, which still happens every year to celebrate Mullinax’s efforts.
Approximate Distance to:
Winston-Salem: 10.5 Miles
High Point: 13.5 Miles
Greensboro: 17.5 Miles
Piedmont Triad International Airport: 11.5 Miles
Hospitals:
Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center: 3.5 Miles
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center: 12.5 Miles
Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital: 18.5 Miles
Major Highway:
US-421: 1.5 Miles
I-40: 3 Miles
