St. James Plantation, NC

A Little over a decade ago, Saint James was 3,300 acres of undeveloped farmland. Now, the newly incorporated up-scale golf course development west of Southport, is a favorite of retirees seeking a golf clubcentered lifestyle.

Besides the two neighborhoods in the development, Saint James Plantation and The Reserve, Saint James has something working for it a lot of older, more established communities lack – cooperation between city officials and the home owners association, as they are one in the same.

"The development is speckled with parks, open spaces, and walking trails throughout the neighborhood."

Designed in 1991, this community centers around four designer golf courses. Each course is designed to provide a different golfing experience. Designed by Hale Irwin, P.B. Dye and the Tar Heel state’s own Tim Catem, residents never tire of the challenging layouts and varied course designs. The crown jewel of the development is the Jack Nicklaus designed course that is part of The Reserve neighborhood, set to open in 2005.

Unlike a lot of neighborhood developments that have sprung up in the last 20 years, Saint James does not offer model homes, or homes built on speculation. Residents are sold lots, and the design and style of the home on that particular lot is left up to the home owner. There are, however, guidelines builders are required to adhere to, but the wide range of home styles in the neighborhood gives the eclectic feel common in older, long-established neighborhoods.

The variety in home styles also leads to the mixing of the price range of homes within the same neighborhood, and even on the same street. Homes range from $125,000 to $850,000 in the Plantation neighborhood, and go up from there in the higher end Reserve neighborhood.

Both subdivisions are nestled behind gates, designed to maintain a small town feel, where parents can let their kids play in the yard and not have to worry about who is coming into the neighborhood. Besides golf, there is plenty for Saint James residents to do. The development is speckled with parks, open spaces, and walking trails wonder through the wooded areas of the neighborhood. And with the Intracoastal Waterway nearby, boating and fishing are favorite activities of residents.