High Point.
The Furniture Capital of the World. The most affordable city in the Triad. And the most overlooked.
High Point
The Furniture Capital of the World. The most affordable city in the Triad. And the most overlooked.
High Point
High Point sits at the southern end of the Piedmont Triad, roughly 18 miles from both Greensboro and Winston-Salem along I-85 and I-74.
It's smaller than either of its Triad neighbors, and for that reason it tends to come up last in conversations about where to live in NC. That's a mistake — particularly for buyers who are working with a budget and don't want to compromise on space or quality of life.
The city's identity is built around the furniture industry in a way that's hard to overstate. The High Point Market, held twice a year, is the largest home furnishings trade show in the world — drawing more than 75,000 attendees from 100 countries. The iconic 38-foot chest of drawers downtown makes the point visually. That heritage shapes the local economy, the international character of the city, and the density of design-focused businesses you find here in a way you don't find anywhere else in the Triad.
Beyond furniture, High Point University is a private university that has undergone a significant transformation over the past 15 years and now enrolls around 6,000 students. The university's investment in the surrounding area has been a visible driver of development. Downtown has its own momentum: Truist Point, home of the High Point Rockers minor league baseball team, and the adjacent Stock and Grain Food Hall anchor a downtown that has more life than most people expect.
Oak Hollow Lake sits near the center of the city and gives High Point an outdoor amenity that anchors several of the most popular neighborhoods. The Bicentennial Greenway runs through the city. High Point City Lake Park and the Piedmont Environmental Center add to the outdoor options.
The housing stock runs a wide range. Emerywood in the northwest part of the city has some of the most significant estates in the Triad — large homes on wooded lots, a private golf club. Deep River in the north has lakeside appeal with family-friendly streets and strong school access. Oakview is historic, walkable, and architecturally interesting. Johnson Street Historic District has bungalows and character homes that attract buyers who want something with age and personality at a price point that doesn't exist in comparable Winston or Greensboro neighborhoods.
High Point's median home price running around $258,000 — while Greensboro sits closer to $289,000 and Winston-Salem in the $240,000–$265,000 range — puts it at the accessible end of the Triad. But within High Point, the range is significant. You can buy a starter home for well under $200,000 or a significant Emerywood estate for well over $1 million. Knowing which part of the market you're in matters more here than in more uniform neighborhoods.
Twice a year, the High Point Market transforms the city. Hotels fill, showrooms open, and the energy is unlike anything else in the Triad. For residents, this means occasional traffic and hotel pricing spikes — but it also means a city with a genuinely international economic connection that most comparable cities don't have.
The university's investment over the past 15 years has been significant and visible. Neighborhoods near campus have seen development, renovation, and rising buyer interest. For buyers looking at those areas, understanding the university's continued growth trajectory is relevant context.
High Point's neighborhoods vary significantly in character, price, and trajectory. Emerywood and Deep River feel nothing like downtown or the areas around the university. A conversation about which part of High Point fits your lifestyle is worth having before you start touring.
If you're weighing High Point against other options, I'm happy to walk you through the differences — on the phone, over coffee, or in person.