Letter from the Founder

It is common for marketing literature to mention lifestyle in the promotion of real estate offerings. While we all have living patterns that we engage in or aspire to, the term lifestyle has always seemed an awkward, almost superficial choice as a guide for choosing where to live. Life is more than style. It is the substance of our lives that makes the real difference. That substance comes from enjoying those activities which we are passionate about, genuine engagement with others and a connection to the natural world. Style comes from the personal expression of our unique traits. Enabling a life of substance lived with style, is my goal for Woodsong.

Several years ago, I began thinking about building a different kind of neighborhood. This would be a place that provided routine, everyday opportunities for enjoying nature, casual socializing, and solitude, all without planned effort. I envisioned a place where residents would be part of an existing town that provided not just water, sewer, police and fire protection, but more importantly, the social support of churches, schools, clubs and volunteer groups, in short, community. Woodsong is now a reality, a neighborhood in my hometown of Shallotte, N.C. which celebrated its 100th birthday in 1999.

It is typical to call what I do development. However, the real “development” of Woodsong will be carried out by the neighbors who live here. The relationships that form will provide the foundation and vitality for Woodsong to nurture the lives of its residents. No amount of picket fences, traditional architecture, parks or plazas will by themselves create the magic of community. And no single neighborhood can call itself a community without being connected to a town and that town to its region. It takes places and people. But place matters.  Physical layout and physical character matter. We shape our homes and our neighborhoods and thereafter they shape us. My job as founder is to provide the initial “topsoil” in which community can grow.  In Woodsong your home is on land that is part of an interconnected web of street, block, neighborhood, town and region. These connections correspond with basic human needs that have remained unchanged throughout history.

Woodsong will enable you to engage in the full spectrum of daily living, and in the long run a variety of housing choices means you don’t have to uproot and find a new neighborhood just because you experience a life change. Only a few patterns of activity order our lives; Family Time, Working, Shopping, Playing, Socializing, Learning and Solitude. They all occur in some physical setting. Providing an extraordinary place for these ordinary, but essential rites of life is what Woodsong is all about. Everything is within walking distance and therefore close enough to use routinely, on the spur of the moment.

I began this journey of building Woodsong under the assumption that I was developing the land. As it turns out, it is the land that has developed me. I invite you to visit Woodsong and take a walk around. If it feels right, then I’ll be glad to welcome you as our next neighbor. However, no matter where you decide to live, I urge you to acquire not just a piece of real estate or “heated square footage”, but a place that will nurture your soul. Thank you for your interest.

Yours truly,
Buddy Milliken, Woodsong Founder