Sims’ Story

The Town of Sims, chartered in 1919, and incorporated in 1923, was named for the owner of W.W. Simms Co., a large lumber company located beside the Norfolk Southern Railroad. The lumber company provided growth for this small rural community, and ultimately, birth to a new town in the Old Fields Township. The Town’s prosperity was due in larger part to the surrounding agricultural production and the railroad stop for freight exchange. In 1908 there was already a United States Post Office located in “Old Fields” and the Sims School opened in 1922 and operated until 1978. It wasn’t until 1923 that the Town was incorporated and re-named Sims.

Our Town established the first gated community in Wilson County, Crystal Lake Commons and since has added several other subdivisions within the Town limits. Based on the most recent North Carolina State OSBM information, the Town’s population is an estimated 424. Sims is currently home to approximately 15 businesses and rapidly growing. In fact, the Town of Sims is the fastest growing area in Wilson County. Along with the Town of Sims Planning Board, a Land Use Regulation committee has been commissioned to help plan for our future and to ensure changes align with the vision of our current Land Use Plan.

Even as our Town continues to grow, it is essential that we keep that small town feel that makes Sims so desirable. Living in Sims evokes a sense of community, familiarity, and a slower pace of life. The atmosphere of our town is typically characterized by a strong sense of community, where people know each other and are often involved in each other's lives. Like other small towns who often have a slower, more relaxed pace compared to larger cities, with a focus on local traditions and a simpler way, so is life in Sims. The citizens of Sims are friendly, neighborly, and close-knit, with a strong sense of belonging and a connection to the local community.