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It was actually incorporated as the Town of Royall Mills in 1907, two years prior to the official incorporation of the Town of Wake Forest. Residents of the mill village had no say in the gov- erning of their town because only property owners could vote and the only property owner was the mill. The mill Board of Directors served as the town board. In the early 1940s the company subdivided the village and began selling lots and houses. Then, in 1945, the company peti- tioned the NC General Assembly and the town’s charter was repealed. The village was annexed into the Town of Wake Forest in September 1977, as part of a large annexation that nearly doubled the size of the town. The mill continued operation until its closing in 1976, providing a second major blow to Wake Forest area residents. The loss of this major employer eliminated the only livelihood of many families. The mill building was renovated into apartments in 1996. The commissary building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 and was also converted into apartments. The surrounding mill village was designated as the Glen Royall Mill Village National Register Historic District on August 27, 1999. Late 20th Century Until Today Although the college’s move in 1956, along with the relocation of US-1 west of town in 1952, brought some hard times the town persevered, attracting new industry such as Schrader Brothers and Athey in the mid-1960s and Weavexx in the early 1970s. Those companies are gone now, swept away by changes in the national economy and the growth of global markets but the town continues to pursue and attract new employment opportunities. Beginning in the 1990s and continuing today, Wake Forest has seen explosive growth. In recent years the town has given high priority to its planning, historic preservation, down- town revitalization, and urban forestry programs. Two additional historic districts have been listed in the National Register, the Downtown Historic District, listed on February 2, 2002 and a large Wake Forest Historic District which includes the locally designated historic district, the historic college campus, and the surrounding residential areas, on December 18, 2003. Though the Town of Wake Forest continues to enjoy the beauty and dignity of the centrally located campus, it now has its own identity as it successfully responds to new roles and oppor- tunities as a rapidly growing residential and commercial community. With a progressive town government and active organizations, such as the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce and Wake Forest Downtown, Inc., Wake Forest is redefining itself with an eye on the new century while maintaining respect for the last two. Wake Forest Historic Districts Wake Forest has one locally-designated historic district which falls under the historic pres- ervation ordinance. Proposed changes to a property in the local historic district requires an approved Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) from the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). There are also three National Register Historic Districts which do not fall under the historic preservation ordinance for exterior changes. See the map for district locations.
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