Town of Holly Springs Awards and Accolades

Below are some of the awards, honors, and recognition that the Town of Holly Springs has received in recent years, plus other honors that reflect on the community.

2023

One of the Best Small Cities in America

Holly Springs ranked as one of the Best Small Cities in America. WalletHub "compared more than 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 based on 45 key indicators of livability." They discovered what we all know to be true - Holly Springs is a great place to call home!

#2 Safest Town in North Carolina

Once again, Holly Springs is ranked one of the safest towns in North Carolina! The latest ranking from MoneyGeek continues a consistent trend of the Town being ranked as one of the best and safest places to live in the state and nation. MoneyGeek cited the Town’s low violent and property crime rates and minimal economic losses attributed to crime as factors influencing their ranking of Holly Springs as the #2 safest town in North Carolina. 

Holly Springs Named One of Seven Best Small Towns in North Carolina For A Weekend Escape

The community's many cultural and recreational activities, and the thriving historic downtown, are noted among the draws that rank Holly Springs among the seven best small towns in the state for a weekend getaway, according to WorldAtlas.

Town E-Newsletter is Best in Nation

Holly Springs has the #1 best digital newsletter in the nation. The 3CMA - City-County Communications & Marketing Association awarded Holly Springs the top honor for "answering the demand from residents to provide a streamlined way of delivering the news." The top award for cities under 100,000 population was presented to the Holly Springs Communications & Marketing team at the 2023 annual conference. Click here to sign up to receive the biweekly newsletter via email or text message.

Planning Efforts Gain Recognition

The Holly Springs Comprehensive Transportation Plan won a first-place award from the American Planning Association’s North Carolina Chapter, and the Town took home an honorable mention award for the Northeast Gateway Master Plan. 

Holly Springs Awarded for Communications & Marketing Initiatives

The Holly Springs Communications & Marketing Department was recognized with statewide awards for excellence by the North Carolina City & County Communicators Association. Thirty-nine North Carolina cities and counties were evaluated by an impartial, external group of judges from the Minnesota Communicators Association. The awards recognize the Town's work to inform residents and businesses about Town projects and initiatives. This year's awards include: First Place, Digital External Newsletter/Blog; First Place, Promotional Video; Second Place, External Newsletter; and Second Place, Multi-Platform Campaign.

2022

Citizen Engagement Award

The N.C. League of Municipalities Local Leadership Foundation awarded Holly Springs the 2022 Citizen Engagement Award for working with the community to develop the Black History Tour. The mobile, interactive tour can be viewed via cell phone or desktop computer and gives visitors a glimpse into the rich history of Holly Springs. Users can enjoy photographs, listen to residents' recollections, and view information. The Town also received a national Savvy award in the Digital Interactive Media category tour from the City-County Communications & Marketing Association for the tour.

2021

#3 Most Popular Zip Code in Triangle

Zillow ranked the most popular ZIP codes in June across Wake, Durham and Orange counties for home searches to see where home buyers are interested in living. Holly Springs' 27540 ZIP code ranks third.  

Holly Springs Ranked #1 Safest City in North Carolina

Holly Springs is named the #1 safest city in North Carolina for 2021 by SafeWise. The home security research company noted factors securing the top spot for Holly Springs included having the lowest property crime rate in the state and the third-lowest violent crime rate. The Town also earned this recognition in past years, including 2019 and 2018.

2020

Holly Springs Ranked #1 Safest City in North Carolina

Holly Springs ranked #1 as the safest city in North Carolina in an analysis of data on violent and property crimes per capita according to HomeSnacks.

2019

Holly Springs Ranked #1 Safest City in North Carolina

Holly Springs ranked #1 as the safest city in North Carolina in an analysis of data on violent and property crimes per capita according to HomeSnacks.

Holly Springs Receives National Budget Presentation Award

The Town of Holly Springs has received a national budget award for demonstrating best practices. Last year, the Government Finance Officers Association’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award was given to only 1,604 government entities, such as local government agencies, school districts and community colleges, out of about 90,000 such entities in the United States. The association assesses how well a budget serves as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide and communications device. This is the first time the Town of Holly Springs has received the award.

Holly Springs Farmers Market #4 in Southeast, #1 in North Carolina

The Holly Springs Farmers Market ranked #4 in the Southeast and #1 in North Carolina in the American Farmland Trust Farmers Market Celebration contest. The market has been voted the #1 market in the state for the last several years.

Holly Springs Ranked Fifth Best Place in North Carolina to Raise a Family

The financial advice website WalletHub ranked Holly Springs fifth best in N.C. after analyzing 87 cities and towns on 21 factors of family-friendliness. Groupings of factors included family life and fun; education, health and safety; and affordability.

Holly Springs Tops List of Best Cities in N.C. to Get a Job

Holly Springs ranked first in Zippia's 2019 list of Best Cities for Jobs in N.C. The website ranked 40 municipalities with at least 5,000 people on criteria including current unemployment rate, unemployment rate change year to year; current median household income, and change in median household income from year to year.

Holly Springs Named Safest City in North Carolina

Holly Springs was ranked the #1 Safest City in North Carolina by SafeWise. FBI crime report statistics and population data were reviewed as part of the ranking system.

Holly Springs Top-Ranked in Triangle Area, Third in State, for Safety

Holly Springs was the top-ranked town in the Triangle area and third statewide in The Home Security Advisor’s 2019 Guide to North Carolina’s 50 Safest Cities. The ranking applies to cities and towns with at least 10,000 population.

Holly Springs Ranks Among Best Places to Live in N.C.

Holly Springs ranked fourth in the website HomeSnacks' Best Places to Live in N.C. for 2019.