Jim and Susan Parks

“We looked around at several riverfront properties and settled here because of the golf course and because the land was so reasonable compared to other places,” says Jim Parks. “I love it here because it’s so spacious. We bought two lots, so we have 1.7 acres, but even if you don’t buy two lots, the houses aren’t on top of each other like at some other places. We didn’t want that.” With the ability to “spread out,” Jim and Susan have created a backyard Nirvana, complete with a full outdoor kitchen inside a cabana, a pool, pool house and a professional bocci court which is 75 feet long, 13 feet wide and took 85 tons of gravel to complete. “It’s like English lawn bowling, but bocci is an Italian game,” says Jim. “It’s a lot of fun and you don’t have to be built like Hercules to play. Older people can play, young people can play. It’s just a fun game.” When he isn’t playing bocci or learning how to play golf, Jim enjoys being able to go to Smithfield for a few of life’s little pleasures. “I quit smoking five years ago, but my bad habit now is to get a Starbucks. Every morning I drive through the little town of Smithfi eld on my way to Farm Fresh to get my Starbucks.”

Susan and Dean Helms

Cypress Creek is just minutes away from Smithfield, so it’s very close to the things we want and that we’re involved in—like restaurants, churches and more. Plus it’s got a rural feeling. We love the cotton fields and the feel of being in the country even though you’re in a community.” Susan and Dean have been in Cypress Creek for a little over four years and they still love the fact that their neighbors are all so friendly and everyone comes together as a community throughout the year. “Before we even moved into the house, we had so many people in Cypress Creek coming over to get to know us and to invite us to functions,” says Susan. “This is probably one of the most friendly neighborhoods that I have ever lived in. People just go out of their way to support one another here.” Susan also likes the diversity in the neighbors at Cypress Creek. “We have neighborhood functions a couple of times a year where the neighbors get together in a cul-desac or someone’s driveway. The last gathering we had was a tailgate party during football and everyone wore their school colors. There were a few school rivalries going on, as you can imagine, but with people there who were from all over the country, it really was fun to get together, exchange stories and learn about each other.”

Larry and Marianne McKee

"I like that Cypress Creek is outside of the big city, but is still accessible to the amenities of city life,” says Larry McKee. “Out here it’s still somewhat of a small town atmosphere. You get to know the people in the local businesses and you make friends in the community. I own my own business and we try to do things locally whenever we can. We have our Christmas party at the Smithfield Inn on Main Street and they’ve always done a great job for us. And we get our catering from a small Smithfield bakery and they’re always wonderful.” Larry and Marianne were originally looking to build in Yorktown but the development where they wanted to be was taking too long to get up and running. According to Larry, “We wanted a ranch-style house and when we found this home at Cypress Creek, it was 90% of what we had started drafting on our own plans.” After adding a swimming pool, finishing the attic for an office space, their new home was just what they were looking for.