Business and Industry
Garner offers the perfect environment for businesses big and small. The town has a growing tech and creative-class cluster in its historic downtown and in other places around the community. Major multinational corporations such as Konica Minolta have a business presence in Garner, and companies including Butterball have made Garner home to their corporate headquarters. The Garner Chamber of Commerce (garnerchamber.com) and the town government’s Economic Development Department (garnernc.gov) offer support and an abundance of resources to both existing and prospective businesses.
Homes
Since 2015, over 3,000 new residential units—including more than 2,000 single-family homes and townhomes—have been approved, are under construction or have been completed. Much of the new residential construction is occurring around new public schools in south Garner. Although real estate values have been increasing steadily in recent years, Garner still boasts great housing options at a variety of price points. The Village at Aversboro and Auburn Village offer great single-family housing options for residents ages 55 and over.
Education
Most children in Garner attend schools in the Wake County Public School System, one of the nation’s largest public school systems. Three Garner-area schools—Smith Elementary, East Garner Middle and Garner Magnet High—are accredited by the International Baccalaureate Program, an academically rigorous curriculum focused on preparing young people to become productive citizens in a global economy. Two new schools are opening in Garner in 2018, South Garner High and Bryan Road Elementary. Two other schools—Garner Magnet High and Vandora Springs Elementary—are being rebuilt in order to meet the needs of the community for many years to come.
There are 10 colleges and universities in the immediate area, including Duke, NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill. Most of these institutions offer both day and evening classes that are open to full- and part-time students. These institutions include large research universities, private colleges and seminaries. Wake Technical Community College is just minutes from Garner and offers associate’s degrees, continuing education courses and workforce training opportunities.
Recreation
White Deer Park (2400 Aversboro Road) and neighboring Lake Benson Park (921 Buffaloe Road) comprise 160 acres of open space and several miles of paved and unpaved trails. White Deer Park’s LEED Gold-certified Nature Center offers educational programming year-round and has a classroom and outdoor learning deck available for rental. The Garner Veterans Memorial (garnerveteransmemorial.org) in Lake Benson Park is a popular and moving destination.
Visitors can enjoy boating and fishing on weekends spring through fall on the 364-acre Lake Benson. A town-operated boathouse (975 Buffaloe Road) rents canoes, kayaks and jon boats (with or without motors) at affordable hourly and daily rates.
The town’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department (garnernc.gov) offers an impressive array of recreational programming for people of all ages. The Garner Senior Center (205 E. Garner Road) and Garner Recreation Center (opening in fall 2018 at the corner of Main and Montague Streets) are hubs of recreational activity year round.
The new Poole Family YMCA facility (2110 Aversboro Road) also offers a wide range of programming and amenities, including an outdoor aquatics center.
Garner residents are approximately two hours from some of the nation’s best beaches and four hours from the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains.
Health Care
WakeMed operates a 24/7 emergency department at 400 U.S. 70 in Garner. There are five hospitals (WakeMed-Raleigh, WakeMed-Cary, UNC Rex Healthcare, Johnston UNC Healthcare and Duke Raleigh Hospital) within 25 minutes of Garner, three of which are affiliated with the medical teaching programs of UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University. Quality care including family birth centers, cancer treatment, convalescent care, same-day surgery and heart and vascular centers—as well as dedicated clinics for pain management, sleep disorders and sports medicine—can be readily found at these hospitals.
There are also four urgent care centers in Garner: Med Mart Primary & Urgent Care, NextCare Urgent Care, FastMed Urgent Care and Uncommon Care Urgent & Primary Care.
Residents in Garner can also take full advantage of the Rex Wellness Center at White Oak Crossing (1400 Timber Drive East).
Community Service
Garner earned its All-America City designation because of strong civic engagement. The faith community plays a large role in helping to meet community needs. A comprehensive listing of community service organizations can be found at garnernc.gov.