 Carrie Quinlan remembers vividly the devastation caused by a summer storm that pocketed over Devenger Pointe two years ago.
Dozens of trees were knocked over, including a pear tree in front of her two-story gray house with black shutters. Tree limbs clogged the streets.
But neighbors came together quickly in the aftermath. For Quinlan, that tells the story of Devenger Pointe.
"You could see everybody out in the middle of the road trying to help each other," she said.
Devenger Pointe features a mix of brick and vinyl-sided houses with distinct looks, unlike the sprawling cookie-cutter developments that have sprouted around Greenville in the past 20 years. The houses come in all shapes and styles, from neo-classical to modern, nestled in about a half- dozen cul-de-sacs. There are ranch styles and two-story styles. There are large lawns and abundant trees.
Woods and corn fields surround the neighborhood - not other subdivisions. There is only one entrance.
"It's not a cut-through to anywhere," said Betty Howard, who has lived in Devenger Pointe for 18 years.
Developer Bill Smith started building houses here in the early 1980s, said Greg Kazian, treasurer of the homeowner association.
The land was once all peach orchards, with natural hot springs nearby. Those springs, in fact, gave nearby Boiling Springs Road its name.
Devenger Pointe is located just minutes from Pelham Road and Haywood Mall, and Quinlan said its location is what attracted her and husband, Thomas, four years ago. They also found the house they wanted right away.
"It was just the right location," she said. "We wanted a house at the end of cul-de-sac and a great front porch. That's what we got."
Quinlan said neighbors here look out for each other. Because there are fewer than 100 houses in Devenger Pointe, "if something suspicious is going on, neighbors will notice," she said.
Cindy Kahler said people care about the neighborhood, which makes it different from a lot of subdivisions.
"Everyone seems interested in the neighborhood," she said.
There is a neighborhood association, but dues are paid through county taxes and not by collecting in the neighborhood.
The fees pay for things such as streetlights and a new sign at the neighborhood's entrance.
Angie Ownbey and her family moved to Devenger Pointe about a year ago from Asheville.
Perched on a riding lawn mower, she said she likes the neighborhood's family-oriented atmosphere."
"It has convenience and you kind of feel you are out in the country, even though you are two miles to everything," she said.
A plus for the Ownbeys is they got to plant their first garden here. They are growing squash, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and broccoli this summer.
"It's nice because you can sit on the sun deck and just look at your own garden," she said.
James Mehaffey is another North Carolina transplant.
He and his wife, Alma, moved to Devenger Pointe four years ago to be closer to one of their daughters.
They wanted a brick house with a small front lawn and a fenced-in back yard. After some searching, they found it here.
"It's like somebody read my mind," he joked. |
