Fayetteville's total package shines bright.

• Author: Burnette, Kristine
• Position: Special advertising section: regional focus

Fayetteville offers numerous benefits that attract business and industry. But the city also has a rich quality of life, with comprehensive health care, education and entertainment available.

"Fayetteville offers a total package," says Talmage S. Baggett Jr., chair man of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners. "Our community is home to great hospitals, schools, housing and entertainment--all of which are important to economic development. Having available workers is only a portion of the mix."

Home to the state's 10th-largest hospital system, Fayetteville is a leader in modern health care. The publicly owned Cape Fear Valley Health System employs 4,000 and serves patients in Cumberland, Bladen, Harnett, Hoke, Robeson and Sampson counties. It has grown from a 200-bed, one-building hospital in 1956 to a regional health-care system with 741 beds, four hospitals and a plethora of primary-care physician offices.

The system includes Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, an acute-care hospital, and Highsmith-Rainey Memorial Hospital, which provides medical, surgical and emergency services. Southeastern Regional Rehabilitation Center and Behavioral Health's Melrose Center, a comprehensive psychiatric hospital, also are part of the system. Fort Bragg houses Womack Army Medical Center for members of the military and their families. Over the last decade, Cape Fear Valley Health System has added new programs, such as open-heart surgery and pediatric intensive care. Now patients don't have to travel outside the county for health care, unless it's for burn treatment or organ transplants.

Moving from the exam room to the classroom, Fayetteville is home to several colleges and universities, as well as the state's fourth-largest school district. Fayetteville Technical Community College is North Carolina's third-largest technical training college, with 7,000 fulltime students. It houses a center for business and industry, which provides specialized training programs for new employers.

Nearby Fayetteville State University, part of the UNC system, offers both graduate and undergraduate programs and serves about 4,000 students. And the 2,000 student Methodist College, focusing on the liberal arts and sciences, offers bachelor's degrees in 44 fields. It's the fastest-growing private college in North Carolina.

Cumberland County Schools has 53 elementary schools, 15 middle schools and 10 high schools. The system offers year-round schooling, along with character...