Founded in 1754, Hillsborough, N.C., is a small town with a big history. Laid out on a prime parcel of real estate where the Great Indian Trading Path crosses the Eno River, the town today capitalizes on its distinctive heritage, eye-catching natural beauty and proximity to the nearby business and academic centers of Raleigh, Durham and the Durham-based Research Triangle Park. During the town's early years, several royal and elected governors lived in this center of political activity, as did a signer of the Declaration of Independence, William Hooper, whose house still stands. Among its other claims to fame, the town hosted the third Provincial Congress in 1775 and the state's constitutional convention in 1788. Hillsborough remained a political and cultural center in the nineteenth century, and today the home that served as Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's headquarters when he surrendered the largest of the Confederate armies to Gen. William T. Sherman, is the town's visitors' center. The centerpiece of old Hillsborough is Churton St., a picturesque and charming southern byway with a number of inviting restaurants, shops and galleries. The town is a favorite of both Revolutionary War re-enactors and barbecue lovers, who descend each June for the annual Hog Day celebration, and is also the home of the Occoneechee Speedway, one of the first two NASCAR tracks and the only one remaining from the inaugural 1949 season. Outdoor enthusiasts won't want to miss hiking Occoneechee Mountain State Park, the highest point in the area, or the 1-mile Poet's Walk at the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Partner Place, Ayr Mount, an 1815 Federal-era plantation house, magnificently restored and furnished with period antiques and fine art.

For these reasons, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the country's largest private, nonprofit preservation organization, today named Hillsborough, N.C., to its 2007 list of America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations, an annual list of unique and lovingly preserved communities in the United States. Hillsborough was selected from 63 destinations in 27 states that were nominated by individuals, preservation organizations and local communities.

"Hillsborough is a perfect Southern host -- charming, hospitable and always fun," said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "While Hillsborough cherishes its history, this is no staid museum exhibit but a vibrant town with an eye firmly focused on the future."

For more information about Hillsborough, please visit historichillsborough.org