Famous Neighbors: Celebrities Who Call North Carolina Home

If you spend much time in North Carolina looking for famous neighbors and celebrities who call North Carolina home, you already know: this state has range. From oceanfront cottages and Lake Norman estates to quiet small-town streets and historic downtowns, there is literally a “just right” spot for almost anyone.
That includes some very famous faces.
This blog takes a fun look at a few celebrities who live in North Carolina today or still closely anchor their lives here, and what their choices say about the homes, communities, and lifestyles your clients are looking for.

Michael Jordan – Charlotte

Michael Jordan – Charlotte
You cannot talk about North Carolina without talking about Michael Jordan. The six-time NBA champion and UNC legend has deep Tar Heel roots, having grown up in Wilmington and starring at the University of North Carolina before his Chicago Bulls career made him a global icon.(NCPedia)
Today, Jordan is widely reported to live in Charlotte and has been closely tied to the city’s growth through his long-time ownership of the Charlotte Hornets and community projects like funding Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Clinics, which provide medical care in underserved neighborhoods.(Charlotte Stories)
Real estate angle:
Charlotte offers exactly what you would expect a global superstar to want: professional sports, banking and tech jobs, a major airport, luxury neighborhoods, and strong appreciation potential. For your clients, Jordan’s presence highlights Charlotte as a true “big-league city” that still retains North Carolina charm.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Mooresville / Lake Norman

Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR history, makes his home in Mooresville, just north of Lake Norman. His property has been widely covered in the media: a multi-hundred-acre ranch with a custom home, go-kart track, and even a full “Old West” style town built just for fun.(Virtual Globetrotting)
Local reporting has highlighted the value of his Mooresville estate, which ranks among the higher-valued residential properties in Iredell County.(lakenormanpublications.com)
Real estate angle:
Earnhardt Jr. could have chosen anywhere, but he stayed in racing country – close to Charlotte’s NASCAR teams, Lake Norman’s lifestyle, and family roots. That is the same draw for many buyers: space, privacy, and recreation, yet still within reach of Charlotte, Concord, and Huntersville job centers.

J. Cole – Raleigh (Fayetteville Roots)

Platinum-selling rapper and producer J. Cole is another star who has kept North Carolina at the center of his story. Born in Germany but raised in Fayetteville, he has long celebrated his hometown – right down to naming his 2014 album “2014 Forest Hills Drive” after the Fayetteville house where he grew up.(ABC11 Raleigh-Durham)
According to the Fayetteville Observer, Cole now lives in Raleigh, home of his annual Dreamville Festival, which draws fans from all over the country to Dorothea Dix Park.(Fayetteville Observer)
Real estate angle:
Raleigh shows up again and again in “best places to live” rankings, thanks to its Research Triangle tech jobs, universities, cultural scene, and relative affordability compared with other major metros. J. Cole’s decision to base himself here reinforces a trend brokers already see: young professionals, creatives, and remote workers choosing Raleigh for a high-opportunity, high-quality-of-life home base.
.

Nicholas Sparks – New Bern

If your clients have ever swooned over The Notebook or A Walk to Remember, they may already be in love with North Carolina and not even realize it.
Best-selling novelist Nicholas Sparks has lived in New Bern, a historic waterfront town in eastern North Carolina, for more than 30 years. He has said that he still calls New Bern home and has set several of his novels there because of its riverfront beauty and small-town charm.(Southern Living)
Real estate angle:
Sparks’ devotion to New Bern mirrors what many buyers are looking for post-pandemic: walkable historic downtowns, water access, and a quieter lifestyle that still offers restaurants, festivals, and culture. Coastal river towns like New Bern, Washington, and Elizabeth City combine storybook streetscapes with boating, fishing, and second-home possibilities.
For brokers, it is a reminder not to overlook smaller markets. A “literary celebrity” can easily choose New York or LA – and yet New Bern won his heart.

Vivian Howard – Deep Run / Kinston

From PBS to James Beard awards, chef and author Vivian Howard has helped put eastern North Carolina food on the national map.
Howard grew up in Deep Run, a rural community near Kinston, and moved back home to open her acclaimed restaurant, Chef & the Farmer, using local ingredients and eastern NC traditions.(Wikipedia) Profiles of her life describe her living in a modern farmhouse in Deep Run with her family, surrounded by farmland, while building a restaurant group and TV career from a rural base.(Garden & Gun)
Real estate angle:
Howard’s story is a powerful example of how lifestyle, values, and work can intersect in rural North Carolina:
• Space for family and farming
• Lower cost of land
• Proximity to emerging food and tourism scenes in towns like Kinston
For brokers, that points to an important message: not every “dream home” is in Charlotte or Raleigh. Some of your future clients want acreage, a workshop, a chef’s garden, or a small-town main street where everybody knows their name.

What This Means for NC Brokers

From Michael Jordan’s Charlotte base to Nicholas Sparks’ New Bern sunsets and Vivian Howard’s Deep Run farmhouse, one pattern shows up over and over:
People with the freedom to live anywhere often choose North Carolina.
Why?
• Variety of lifestyles: urban, suburban, lakeside, coastal, mountain, and rural
• Strong job markets in the Triangle and Charlotte
• Relatively affordable housing compared to many major U.S. metros
• Rich culture: music, sports, food, film, festivals, and history
For North Carolina brokers, that is both an opportunity and a responsibility. You are not just selling houses – you are helping people plug into communities that have inspired some of the world’s most recognizable names.

Wrap-Up: Turn Your NC Knowledge Into a Career Advantage

At Ignite School of Real Estate, we love showing students how local knowledge becomes a superpower:
• Knowing which lake neighborhoods might attract a Dale Jr.-type buyer
• Knowing which historic districts feel like a Nicholas Sparks novel
• Knowing which up-and-coming areas appeal to creatives, tech workers, and J. Cole fans
If you are ready to turn your love of North Carolina into a real estate career, or to level up the one you already have, Ignite is here with prelicensing, postlicensing, and CE classes designed by North Carolina brokers for North Carolina brokers.
Because you never know… your next client might be someone whose name is already on a billboard.