Town file
Summerfield, North Carolina
Summerfield, North Carolina (Guilford County, North Carolina) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 409, "Cousins, Lovers & Killers" (27 July 2023). Summerfield, North Carolina, is a small town of about 11,000 people just outside Greensboro, and the case James tells begins with a family from nearby Reedsville.
- Town
- Summerfield
- County
- Guilford County
- State
- North Carolina
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 409
- Approximate location
- 36.197, -79.897
Episode 409 / 27 July 2023 / 175 min / full
Cousins, Lovers & Killers
"This is Summerfield, North Carolina; the story and the people are from Reedsville, but what happened was in Summerfield. It is in Guilford County." about 0:04:45
The case: Murders of Deloris and Janie Lynch (July 1984); Murders of the Newsom family (May 1985); Deaths of John and Jim Lynch (June 3rd, 1985). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2023
- Population
- 11,026
- Median age
- 49.3
- Median household income
- $102,713
- Median home value
- $420,600
- Two-bedroom rent
- $1,100
- Religious
- 49.6%
- Property crime
- about average
- Violent crime
- ▼ about one quarter lower
History, in brief
- The town's motto is 'Respectful of the past, focused on the future'. about 0:05:35
- The town traces back to 1769, when Charles Bruce bought 640 acres in what is now Summerfield. about 0:06:00
- During the Revolutionary War Bruce's home was the birthplace of a group of patriots called the Friends of Liberty, and Bruce acted as a recruiting officer for the American army. about 0:06:07
- The community was called Bruce's Crossroads until 1812, when it was renamed Summerfield after the evangelist John Summerfield, who preached a revival in the area and settled there. about 0:06:39
- In its early years the town was agricultural, growing corn and tobacco and raising cattle. about 0:07:26
- Stores and businesses followed the farmers, and the town grew around them. about 0:07:36
- Founders Day honours the original founders of Bruce's Crossroads and the second set of founders who incorporated the town in 1996. about 0:17:35
The reviews read out
5 stars
"An amazing town: next to Greensboro you get small-town life with the energy of a suburban city, plus parks, lakes, fishing, hiking, inclusive people and good schools, Northwest Middle and High School and Northern Middle and High School."about 0:07:55
4 stars
"A beautiful place to live next to Greensboro, with many festivals, events, places to eat, parks, gyms, churches and classes such as rock climbing and dance."about 0:08:48
3 stars
"I would live here again and recommend the area, but the schools are mediocre; if you live in the right place the school is okay."about 0:10:20
3 stars
"Sports are imperative and most school funding goes to them; the high school can build a new football stadium but cannot get orchestra classes out of trailers. The writer moved from New Jersey, where constant robberies made the family fearful, and feels safer in Summerfield."about 0:10:51
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- High Point, North Carolina15 miles
- Wallburg, North Carolina20 miles
- Burlington, North Carolina25 miles
- Clemmons, North Carolina30 miles
- Collinsville, Virginia36 miles
- Mount Airy, North Carolina45 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.