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The new Edwards home is in the rolling countryside south of Chapel Hill, not far from University Lake. The area around Old Greensboro Road is in transition -- cows graze on pastureland, and there is a scattering of modest homes. There are also high-priced subdivisions, one of which includes the home of former Tar Heel basketball coach Dean Smith.

But the area has not been completely gentrified.

Across the road from the entrance to the Edwards estate is Big Valley Auto Repair, a modest garage crowded with cars.

There is a sign painted on the fence: "Go Rudy Giuliani 2008," a reference to the former New York City mayor who is expected to seek the Republican nomination for president.

Monty Johnson, owner of the garage site and one of Edwards' closest neighbors, is no Edwards fan. Johnson has left standing an abandoned house facing the entrance to the Edwards property.

"He claims to be for the poor people," said Johnson, 55, a farmer and retired landscaper. "He don't care about us. I see him jogging. He doesn't pull over and say, 'How are you doing?' "

Danny Hulon, 48, who operates the auto repair shop on Johnson's land, is not anti-Edwards. But he is concerned about disruptions to his business if Edwards advances far enough as a candidate to receive Secret Service protection. Hulon has already noticed TV helicopters overhead.

Elizabeth Edwards said they purchased 102 acres -- valued for tax purposes at $1.1 million -- in 2003 after spotting it while searching the Internet.

The Edwardses began building their home shortly after his Senate term ended in January 2005. They moved in last summer, although construction is continuing on one wing.

No trespassing

Through their campaign spokeswoman, the Edwardses declined to allow a reporter or photographer to view the property. There is a no-trespassing sign at the entrance.

Visitors to the estate leave the highway and take a long, winding road to the house, which is set in a clearing. The building is valued for tax purposes at $4.2 million, making it the most expensive house in Orange County, according to Tax Assessor John Smith.

The main living section of the house is 10,778 square feet and has a tax value of $3.1 million, according to tax records. It has five bedrooms, 6 1/2 baths and a library. A second wing of the house is connected by a heated enclosed walkway, valued at $192,664, that is lined with family and political photographs.

The second wing, called "The Barn" by the family, has 6,336 square feet and includes a lounge and offices that are 70 percent complete. It has a current tax value of $567,403. It also has a basketball court, which is 60 percent complete and valued at $300,960; a racquetball court, 70 percent complete and valued at $41,000; and a pool, according to tax records.

The tax value for those projects is based on appraisals as of Jan. 1. The appraisals will rise when the house is finished.

Elizabeth Edwards said the gym fulfilled her husband's dream of having his own basketball court to use when he wished.

"Every kid who grew up in North Carolina has exactly the same dream," she said. "Even though he is 53 and not in basketball shape, he goes down and shoots."

The racquetball court, Elizabeth Edwards said, was a sort of "valentine" from her husband to help with her lifelong battles to control her weight.

Functional, not grand

She said that there is nothing "grandiose" about the house and that it was designed to be a functional home with room for her children to play outdoors and a large kitchen to entertain friends and family.

"This house is a truly fabulous family home," she said. "The house has one fireplace, no grand staircase. It's not unlike our lives in smaller quarters for over 30 years, starting with John's apartment in Oakwood."

She portrayed their lifestyle as lacking pretension.

"We don't take fancy vacations," she said. "When the kids were young, we used frequent flier miles to take a trip to Europe. We don't have jewelry. We don't have furs. We don't have fancy cars. Those kinds of accoutrements don't matter to him. What matters to him is home."

Elizabeth Edwards said owning a large house does not conflict with Edwards' political principles of making sure others have an opportunity in life.

She said the political views of her husband -- whom she described as "the embodiment of the American dream" -- were informed by growing up in mill towns across the South. She said she and her husband have used their wealth for community projects, such as computer labs to help disadvantaged children in Raleigh and Goldsboro.

Elizabeth Edwards said she and her husband never discussed the political implications of a $6 million estate. They chose to spend their money on their abode.

"We'd rather spend our money on family and home," she said when asked about the wisdom of building a mansion while running for president. "If people are uneasy with that, I'd like to know. But you have to be who you are. The minute you make those calculations, you are no longer running as you."

(Researcher Denise Jones contributed to this report.)

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