Mayor Mayo Celebrates Tarboro's Charm

Last week we covered the adoption of a new Social District by the Tarboro town council. This week, we sat down with the Mayor of Tarboro, Tate Mayo, to discuss the new zone and other topics related to the development of the community. The whole conversation is available as this week’s TC Spotlight.

When he became mayor earlier this year, Mayo wanted to continue the work he had done as a councilman. His three main objectives were to work on housing, internet, and transportation. In the last few years, they have added 200 new homes to the community of about 12,000 residents, and they have about 200 new homes ready to be built.

They have also brought in a new internet provider in InfinityLink, providing fiber-optic internet to the area. Mayor Mayo commented that the city is still researching solutions to help with transportation concerns, as 14% of the community lacks reliable transportation.

Housing in Tarboro has benefited from programs that give 20% state and 20% federal tax credits for restoring historic homes on the registry. The restoration of these homes has helped revitalize the downtown, which is continuing to develop. Mayo described the downtown as the backbone of the whole community and said that stimulating its economy would help the whole town thrive.

The codification of the Social District intends to incentivize residential development and attract new businesses to the area. Mayo believes that these changes will help people see that this is a thriving and beautiful community if they take the time to notice.

According to Mayo, Tarboro has a lot to offer including a beautiful downtown, which boasts the nation’s second oldest Town Common (behind only Boston, MA), a beautiful view of the river, and a strong sense of community. He believes these assets are attracting and will continue to do so, young people looking to start families, as well as newly retired people looking to relocate.

Mayo boasted about Tarboro’s parks and outdoor spaces, as well as Main Street and the Common area as offering visitors and new residents plenty of opportunities within the community for dining and activities.

Mayor Mayo described the city as having a wonderful atmosphere, one that “once you experience it, you understand it.”