A long-time suburb for commuters to Raleigh, Wilson has been named "The City of Beautiful Trees" for the beautiful tree-lined area of Raleigh Road, right off Ward Boulevard.  This area is a sight to behold in the springtime, bejeweled with azaleas, dogwoods and many other flowering trees, bushes and bulbs.  Wilson has also been called "Wide-Awake Wilson" and used to have a big rooster on top of the water tower off I-95.  Another of Wilson's moniker's was "The World's Greatest Tobacco Market", for the town used to have numerous tobacco warehouses and carried on a lively trade in tobacco.  The radio station WGTM AM (World's Greatest Tobacco Market) was so-named by the Wilson Tobacco Board of Trade in the 1930's (ended 2011).  In its tobacco heyday, Wilson was once rumoured to have more millionaires per capita than any other city in the state.  Today, Wilson is sometimes called "The City of Antiques", with more than 25 area antique shops.

     Now Wilson has several pharmaceutical companies and is also home to manufacturing companies Bridgestone-Firestone Inc, Carolina Classic, Purdue Pharmaceuticals LP, Carolina Cabinet Co Inc, EonCoat, Alliance One International Inc, Weener Plastics Inc, Inconen Corporation, UTC Aerospace Systems, Parker Hannifin, and Keihin North America (Tarboro).  

    Wilson has a population of 49,610 (2012) and is the 18th largest city in the state.  Quick access to Raleigh, Goldsboro, Greenville, and Rocky Mount can be had by primarily interstate highways.  Highway 264 to Raleigh is now mostly 70 mph and takes about a 45 minute drive from Wilson.  Wilson is also a convenient place to get around in town: you can get anywhere you want to go in about 15 minutes or less.  Speaking of convenience, the electric bill, gas bill, water bill, and solid waste bill are all in one bill, payable to the City of Wilson.  Even better, if you opt to use Greenlight fiber-optic service for your tv, phone, and internet, you get to pay that at the same place: the City of Wilson. Greenlight has some of the fastest broadband speeds in the nation and wonderful service at a comparable price (http://www.greenlightnc.com/).  It is also worth mentioning that the cost of living and the quality of the air and water are much better than in some of the larger cities in N.C.

     Wilson has several options for graduating high-school students: Barton College at http://www.barton.edu/, (previously known as Atlantic Christian College, Wilson Community College at http://www.wilsoncc.edu/, and Mitchell's hairstyling at  http://www.mitchells.edu/.   There's a lovely rose garden at the Wilson Community College and the Wilson Botanical Gardens (http://www.wilsonbotanicalgardens.com/) are equally beautiful.  The Wilson Arts Council and others are strong supporters of the arts in Wilson, home to several galleries, including the Case Art Gallery at Barton College (http://www.barton.edu/tag/barton-art-galleries/).  Not to be missed is Vollis Simpson's Whirligig Park, a truly unique blend of art in movement, light and sound (http://www.wilsonwhirligigpark.org/).  Wilson also has many historic buildings and a walking tour (http://www.wilson-nc.com/walkingtour.cfm).  Local and nearby museums include: The Imagination Station Science Museum, North Carolina Baseball Museum, Oliver Nestus Freeman Round House Museum, Railroad Modelers Train, Porch Tours, Tobacco Farm Life, Charles B. Aycock Birthplace, P.L. Woodard House, Country Doctor Museum, and Dan Finch Pottery.  For more info, please see http://www.wilson-nc.com/museums.cfm.

     There are also plenty of great places to eat.  Parker's Barbecue and Bill's Barbecue are nationally famous for their eastern-NC bbq. Parker's is located on NC Hwy. 301, the predecessor to I-95, so many older visitors to (or through) Wilson are familiar with it (reviewed here: https://plus.google.com/115042298195911917841/about?gl=us&hl=en). Bill's has a whole fleet of mobile kitchens and is known coast-to-coast (http://www.bills-bbq.com/index.html). And Dick's Hot Dog Stand on Nash St., an old favorite of Wilson residents since 1921, is practically a museum with all the photos on the walls (http://www.dickshotdogstand.com/). If you're a steak person, The Beefmastor Inn is a great place for you.  Really, the list of great places to eat in Wilson is too long for this writer to make! (someone please edit!)

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