Editing Spring Lake, North Carolina (section)

== History ==
The current name of the town first appeared around 1923 for a spring fed lake, which probably formed when the railroad was built about 1860. The community grew slowly until World War II. At its incorporation, the town selected the post office on Main Street as the center of town. The town limits extended only eight-tenths of a mile from its center, but increased rapidly as nearby Fort Bragg was built up. Today, Spring Lake remains a quaint town with its close ties to nearby Fort Bragg.<ref>"Images of America: Spring Lake, NC" https://www.amazon.com/Spring-Lake-NC-Images-America/dp/0738517224</ref>

Previously, the area was called "Clayton Cut", due to the pathway cut that ran through the area where the railroad later resided, and also "Prince's Siding", after a man named Prince who owned a sawmill on this land.

Spring Lake was officially incorporated on April 9, 1951. [[Grady Howard]] was named interim mayor on this date, and was officially elected the first mayor of Spring Lake on June 5, 1951.

The modern growth spurt beginning in [[World War II]] is attributed to the proximity of [[Fort Bragg]].

[[Long Valley Farm]] was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1994.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>