Buy near Charlotte if you need to be close to jobs, family, and the airport, and expect to pay far more per acre for less open land. Tryon, Southern Pines, and Aiken trade that convenience for established riding country: private trail networks, large preserves open to riders, and long horse-sport traditions. Outer Piedmont counties around Charlotte sit in between, with lower farmland values and fewer built-in riding resources.
How we compared the markets
Horse property doesn't have its own public price index, so we used three public data sets that can be checked:
- Farmland value per acre. The 2022 Census of Agriculture reports the estimated market value of land and buildings on farms, averaged per acre, for every county. It is a broad measure of farmland, not a price quote for any one farm.
- Share of land in farms. The same census reports what share of each county's land area is in farms. That is a rough guide to how much open, agricultural land is left.
- Population growth. The Census Bureau's county estimates compare April 2020 with July 1, 2025.
For riding resources, we used each organization's own description.
Side-by-side snapshot
| Area (county) | Farmland value per acre, 2022 | Share of land in farms, 2022 | Population change, 2020 to 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte core (Mecklenburg) | $27,096 | 2.3% | +10.6% |
| Charlotte ring (Union) | $6,148 | 52.4% | +12.4% |
| Charlotte ring (Iredell) | $7,124 | 32.5% | +13.5% |
| Tryon (Polk) | $7,577 | 15.8% | +6.3% |
| Southern Pines (Moore) | $5,542 | 23.8% | +10.9% |
| Aiken (Aiken County, SC) | $5,606 | 20.2% | +7.5% |
Two things stand out. Mecklenburg County has almost no farmland left: 7,704 acres in farms in 2022, about 2.3 percent of its land, and those acres carried an average value more than three times that of any other county in the table. And every area here is growing, with Union and Iredell adding people faster than Mecklenburg in percentage terms.
Statewide values have kept rising since 2022. USDA's Land Values 2026 Summary, released July 31, 2026, puts North Carolina pasture at $6,380 per acre in 2026, up 5.5 percent from 2025, and South Carolina pasture at $4,500, up 4.7 percent.
A worked example
Fifteen acres at each county's 2022 average farmland value:
- Mecklenburg: 15 x $27,096 = $406,440
- Union: 15 x $6,148 = $92,220
- Moore: 15 x $5,542 = $83,130
Real listings won't match these figures. The averages blend land and buildings across every kind of farm, and a parcel with a house, barn, and road frontage will sell for more. The gap between counties is still the point: inside Mecklenburg, acreage itself is the expensive part.
Charlotte and its ring counties: convenience, at a price
With so little farmland left in Mecklenburg, most of the region's acreage is in the counties around it. Union had more than half its land in farms in 2022, and Iredell (32.5 percent), Cabarrus (27.8 percent), Lincoln (25.9 percent), and York County, SC (24.1 percent) still had a large share. Our Mecklenburg vs. Union County comparison goes deeper on that choice.
On the Charlotte side, plan on a private farm with your own arena, or boarding at a facility with one, and hauling out to public trails and shows. The markets below are built around a trail network or riding preserve.
The general housing market gives some context, with a caveat: these numbers cover all homes, not horse properties. Canopy Realtor Association data for September 2026 shows a median sales price of $450,000 in Mecklenburg County and $474,000 in Union County, with 3.7 and 3.3 months of supply.
Tryon and Polk County: private trails and a show venue
Polk County's draw is the Foothills Equestrian Trails Association (FETA) trail system and Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) in Mill Spring. FETA estimates its system at 125 to 150 miles, all on private land:
"The trails are all on private property and available only for horseback riding and only to FETA members."
Riding membership is limited to people who live in, own land in, or board in Polk County, NC, or Landrum or Campobello, SC. TIEC says it hosts more than 40 horse shows a year, and its directions put Charlotte Douglas International Airport about 1 hour 10 minutes away.
Polk is small: about 20,500 residents in 2025, and 15.8 percent of its land in farms. That means fewer parcels for sale at any one time, and a lot of foothills terrain. Our Tryon buyer's guide covers FETA access, Polk zoning, and slope.
Southern Pines and Moore County: the Walthour-Moss Foundation
Southern Pines is in Moore County, in the Sandhills. (It has nothing to do with Mooresville, which is in Iredell County.) Its anchor is the Walthour-Moss Foundation, which says it occupies over 4,000 acres one mile from the town of Southern Pines.
"The mission of The Walthour-Moss Foundation is to preserve open land, to protect and improve wildlife habitat, and to offer a place for equestrian purposes."
The foundation is open sunrise to sunset every day. Its rules require a signed risk and release waiver each year and bar dogs, with an exception for foxhounds from member hunts of the Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America. The mission page says the land continues to attract riders and carriage drivers.
Moore's 2022 farmland value averaged $5,542 per acre, below every Charlotte ring county in the table. See our Southern Pines area page for more on the town.
Aiken, South Carolina: Hitchcock Woods and winter training
Aiken's riding culture centers on Hitchcock Woods, a forest preserve in the city of Aiken. The Hitchcock Woods Foundation says:
"The Foundation acknowledges the rich history and tradition of equestrian use in the Woods, which provides a unique and unparalleled opportunity in an urban setting to ride your horse over natural terrain."
According to the foundation, the Aiken Horse Show has been held in the Woods since 1916, and the Aiken Hounds meet there on Tuesdays and Saturdays from October through March. Polo is not allowed in the Woods, and groups of more than 10 riders must notify the foundation in advance.
Aiken also has a racing side. The Aiken Training Track offers a mile track and a 5/8 mile track for racehorse training and promotes Aiken's winter weather as a reason trainers come.
Aiken County's 2022 farmland value averaged $5,606 per acre. Keep in mind that South Carolina has its own zoning, tax, and closing rules, so North Carolina rules such as the bona fide farm exemption don't carry over. Our Aiken horse farm page covers the local market.
Other Piedmont counties: more land, fewer amenities
If your priority is acreage within reach of Charlotte, the outer Piedmont counties had lower 2022 farmland values than the closer-in ring:
- Anson: $5,138 per acre
- Stanly: $5,580 per acre
- Cleveland: $6,086 per acre
- Rowan: $6,780 per acre
All four grew more slowly than Union and Iredell between 2020 and 2025, and Anson lost population. Before you commit, check drive times to the shows you attend and ask which farriers and equine vets serve the area.
Questions that decide it
- How often do you need Charlotte? If you commute in several days a week, the ring counties usually make more sense than Tryon, Southern Pines, or Aiken.
- How do you ride? FETA, Walthour-Moss, and Hitchcock Woods each serve trail riders and foxhunters. Competitors should weigh how often they haul to which venue.
- How much land do you need? Work out the acreage first, then use county farmland values to see where it fits your budget.
- Which rules apply? Each county and town zones differently, and NC and SC law differ.
- What happens nearby? Growth is strongest in the counties closest to Charlotte, which can change the land around a farm over time.
You can browse current North Carolina horse farms for sale by area, or contact us to compare specific parcels in two markets side by side.
Sources
- USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture, North Carolina County Table 8
- USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture, South Carolina County Table 8
- USDA NASS, Land Values 2026 Summary
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Population Totals 2020 to 2025 (data file)
- Canopy Realtor Association, Local Market Update September 2026: Mecklenburg County
- Canopy Realtor Association, Local Market Update September 2026: Union County
- Foothills Equestrian Trails Association, Home
- Foothills Equestrian Trails Association, History and Mission
- Tryon International, Ten Years of Tryon International
- Tryon International, Venue Information
- The Walthour-Moss Foundation, Home
- The Walthour-Moss Foundation, Our Mission
- The Walthour-Moss Foundation, Safety and Rules
- Hitchcock Woods Foundation, Equestrian Use
- Hitchcock Woods Foundation, History
- Aiken Training Track, Home
