Richlands hopes new signs will invite visitors

The town of Richlands hopes new entrance signs slated to go up this spring will encourage more people to visit the town.

Perry Holcomb loves the rich history of not only his historic home -- built in 1915 -- but also his community. He says, "The children love it here. It's a warm place, everybody knows each other."

And because of that, Holcomb says new entrance signs will welcome others.

Holcomb says, "I grew up here so I think it's great."

A great idea that Town Administrator Gregg Whitehead says won't cost taxpayers.

Whitehead says, "It's an enhancement, it's an improvement, it's not a burden on our citizens wallets."

Whitehead says that's because the NCDOT approached the town about the maintenance project last year, so the updates will be funded through the state.

The updates will include replacing an entrance sign and two others on highway 24. The project will also include landscaping around the signs.

Whitehead says, "We're going to look to maybe buying some wayfinding signs to direct people to our downtown."

For those who call Richlands home -- natives or new -- they say they hope bringing more people to downtown will encourage growth.