Trees are a valuable part of any landscape, providing shade, beauty, privacy, and environmental benefits. To ensure they continue to thrive, many homeowners are embracing a proactive approach to tree care that focuses on long-term health, safety, and growth rather than simply addressing problems as they arise.
Healthy trees require regular attention throughout their lifespan. Factors such as changing weather conditions, soil quality, pest activity, and disease can all affect a tree’s health and stability. Without proper care, minor issues can gradually develop into significant concerns that threaten both the tree and the surrounding property.
Professional tree services help protect and preserve trees through routine inspections, pruning, trimming, and health assessments. Experienced arborists can identify signs of stress, decay, structural weakness, or insect damage before they become more serious. Early intervention not only improves tree health but can also reduce the risk of falling branches, property damage, and costly emergency removals.
While many property owners contact a tree service company after storm damage or visible decline occurs, preventative maintenance is often the most effective strategy. Regular care promotes stronger growth, improves structural integrity, and helps trees adapt to environmental challenges throughout the year.
As trees face increasing pressures from severe weather, drought conditions, invasive pests, and plant diseases, professional maintenance plays an important role in supporting their resilience. A comprehensive tree care plan helps ensure trees remain healthy, attractive, and structurally sound, allowing property owners to enjoy the many benefits they provide for years to come.
Sandwiched between Buena Vista to the northwest and Ardmore to the southwest, West Highlands is a centrally located Winston-Salem neighborhood best known for sharing its borders with the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds. Since the early 1950s, the 70-acre fairgrounds in the neighborhood’s northeast corner have hosted the Carolina Classic Fair each October, drawing roughly 325,000 visitors annually for rides, agricultural competitions, and fair food. The same grounds keep busy year-round with the weekly Fairground Farmers Market, a public ice rink in the Fairgrounds Annex, and a skate park featuring a 325-foot pump track.
Beyond the fairgrounds, West Highlands is a largely residential neighborhood whose homes mostly date from the 1940s through the 1960s, with additional construction continuing through the end of the century. The northern stretch of the neighborhood favors midcentury ranch houses and Cape Cod cottages, generally priced in line with or below the citywide average, while other pockets include brick ranchers, Colonial-style homes, and the occasional Craftsman bungalow tucked among the trees. That range of housing styles and price points has made West Highlands appealing to a broad mix of buyers, from young families to retirees.
The neighborhood’s tree-lined, sidewalk-friendly streets connect to a handful of well-used green spaces. Runnymeade Park offers a quiet setting for walking near a small creek, while nearby Hanes Park, donated to the city by the Hanes family, includes sports fields and the Joe White Tennis Center. West Highlands sits only a few miles from downtown Winston-Salem and roughly three miles from Wake Forest University, putting both city amenities and university resources within easy reach. Wake Forest Baptist Health, along with a Whole Foods Market and a Publix, add to the neighborhood’s everyday convenience.
Families in West Highlands are zoned for Kimberly Park Elementary, Wiley Magnet Middle School, and R.J. Reynolds High School, the last of which still occupies its original 1923 campus and offers an arts magnet program with classes in subjects like ballet, sculpture, and guitar. Census data puts the neighborhood’s population at just over 1,000 residents, and surveys of locals consistently highlight its walkability, safety, and quiet, dog-friendly streets as some of its biggest draws.
With a fairgrounds steeped in decades of local tradition, a varied housing stock, and a location that splits the difference between downtown energy and suburban calm, West Highlands continues to be one of Winston-Salem’s more versatile and well-rounded neighborhoods.
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