North Wilkesboro, North Carolina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

North Wilkesboro is a town in Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,116 at the 2000 census. It is the original home of Lowe's Home Improvement, though the chain has since relocated its headquarters. North Wilkesboro's major industries include furniture, mirror, and textile production.

1 History
2 Famous Citizens
3 Geography
4 Demographics
5 External links

[edit] History

North Wilkesboro was founded in 1891 when the Norfolk and Southern Railroad built a railroad line into Wilkes County. The line ended on the northern bank of the Yadkin River opposite Wilkesboro, the county seat. The town of North Wilkesboro quickly developed around the railroad tracks. North Wilkesboro is the home of the Carolina Mirror Company, which for many years was the largest mirror factory in the United States. Although this is no longer the case, the town remains a major producer of mirrors. Lowe's Foods, one of the Southeast's largest supermarket chains, was started in North Wilkesboro in 1954. Lowes Foods currently has its corporate headquarters in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse, the nation's second-largest chain of home-improvement stores, was started in North Wilkesboro in 1946. The company maintained its corporate headquarters in North Wilkesboro until 2005, when it relocated its headquarters to Mooresville, North Carolina, a fast-growing suburb of Charlotte, the state's largest city.

From 1947 to 1996 North Wilkesboro was the home of the North Wilkesboro Speedway, one of the first tracks on the NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Racing) circuit, and the town earned considerable revenue and publicity from the two NASCAR races that were held at the track each year. In 1996 the track was sold to two new owners, who closed the North Wilkesboro Speedway and moved its NASCAR races to their speedways in Texas and New Hampshire. A group known as "Save the Speedway" is currently trying to purchase the track and reopen it for auto racing. NASCAR driver Jimmy Pardue was from the town.

North Wilkesboro is the home of the annual Brushy Mountain Apple Festival, which is held to celebrate the apple harvest from the nearby Brushy Mountains. Crowds of up to 100,000 people usually attend the two-day festival, which features music, dancing, and food traditional to the Southern Appalachian Mountains. North Wilkesboro recently opened the Yadkin River Greenway. The Greenway contains biking, jogging, and walking trails which follow the Yadkin River and Reddies River for several miles between the towns of North Wilkesboro and Wilkesboro. One of the most popular spots on the Greenway is a 156-foot-long bridge which spans the Reddies River at its mouth, where it joins the Yadkin River.

[edit] Famous Citizens

Daniel Boone, the famed explorer and pioneer, lived for several years in the area where North Wilkesboro is located before moving west to Kentucky. John Swofford, since 1997 the Commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, one of the nation's premiere college sports conferences, is from North Wilkesboro. Robert Byrd, the senior U.S. Senator from West Virginia since 1959, was born in North Wilkesboro. He is the longest-serving Senator in American history. James B. Gordon, a General of Cavalry in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, lived in what is now the city limits of North Wilkesboro.

[edit] Geography

Location of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina

North Wilkesboro is located at 36°10′15″N, 81°8′31″W (36.170910, -81.142048)^GR1, along the Yadkin River at the mouth of the Reddies River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.3 km² (5.1 mi²), all land.The town is located on the north bank of the Yadkin River opposite Wilkesboro, the seat of Wilkes County, North Carolina.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 5,116 people, 1,639 households, and 942 families residing in the town. The population density was 310.4/km² (803.9/mi²). There were 1,837 housing units at an average density of 138.5/km² (358.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 78.47% White, 13.90% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.49% Pacific Islander, 4.25% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.27% of the population.

There were 1,639 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.5% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $22,813, and the median income for a family was $29,844. Males had a median income of $22,204 versus $17,872 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,594. About 21.8% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 27.2% of those age 65 or over.