trained infantry, artillery, and engineering units bound for the Pacific and European theaters of war. This history has contributed to the Town now being home to several state and federal institutions. Mayor Dr. Linda Jordon moved to Butner over 30 years ago, drawn by its small-town, family-friendly ambiance. “People like to come here because it is a quiet, quaint community with the opportunity for citizens to live, work, and play,” she says.“I moved here because of the qualities that the town of Butner had to offer –great schools, lots of activities for families and children to enjoy. People feel comfortable and relaxed. It was a place I wanted my daughter to grow up in.” THE SMALL TOWN IS READY TO GROW Mayor Jordon insists that she wants Butner to remain “quaint.” But that aspiration is going to be challenged in the years to come as the town sits on the cusp of significant growth, due to its prime geographic location and the addition of some major infrastructure projects -- some complete, some in progress, and some in the planning stages – that will open up the town to new businesses and more residents. First, geography: Butner is close to the Research Triangle Park (RTP), the largest research park in the United States with more than 370 companies and 65,000 workers. It is also just 24 miles from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). In June 2022, construction was completed on the $142 million, East End Connector road project, which now connects I-85, which runs right through Butner, to I-40 in the RTP, providing the town’s residents and businesses a stoplight-free connection to and from RDU, downtown Durham, Raleigh, and beyond. There’s no doubt the new transit option is going to fuel growth. A DRAW FOR BUSINESS Joe Stallings is Granville County’s Economic Development Director. He says that Butner is already a vital part of the region’s economic landscape, with four of the six largest employers in the county, and he believes that the town has an extremely bright future. 143 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 07 BUTNER, NC
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