Love Valley, NC

Tucked into the Brushy Mountains about 16 miles north of Statesville, Love Valley is a tiny Old West community of around 150 residents. Founded in the 1950s as a cowboy haven, the town centers around an unpaved Main Street where horses still take priority over cars. Locals ride into town, tie up at wooden hitching posts outside shops, and hit the surrounding mountain trails. It offers a unique, slow-paced rural lifestyle with a tight-knit community feel you won't find anywhere else in North Carolina.