Burlington, North Carolina
| City of Burlington | ||
|---|---|---|
| — Satellite city — | ||
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| Nickname(s): Hosiery Center of the South | ||
| Motto: I'll Tell The World | ||
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| Coordinates: 36°5′23″N 79°26′44″W / 36.08972°N 79.44556°WCoordinates: 36°5′23″N 79°26′44″W / 36.08972°N 79.44556°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | North Carolina | |
| Counties | Alamance | |
| Founded | 1857 (Company Shops) | |
| Founded | 1886 (Burlington) | |
| Incorporated | February 14, 1893 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Ronnie K. Wall | |
| Area | ||
| • Satellite city | 21.3 sq mi (55.3 km2) | |
| • Land | 21.3 sq mi (55.1 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) 0.28% | |
| • Urban | 64 sq mi (103 km2) | |
| Elevation | 633 ft (193 m) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Satellite city | 49,963 | |
| • Density | 2,111/sq mi (815/km2) | |
| • Urban | 94,248 | |
| • Metro | 148,053 | |
| • Metro density | 1,472/sq mi (915/km2) | |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | |
| ZIP Code | 27215, 27216, 27217 | |
| Area code(s) | 336 | |
| FIPS code | 37-09060[1] | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0982279[2] | |
| Daily Newspaper Web Site | www.TheTimesNews.com | |
| Website | www.BurlingtonNC.gov | |
Burlington is a city in Alamance and Guilford counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the principal city of the Burlington, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Alamance County, in which most of the city is located. The population was 49,963 at the 2010 census, which makes Burlington the 17th largest city in North Carolina. The Metropolitan Statistical Area population was nearly 150,000 in 2008.
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Early History[edit]
Alamance County was created when Orange County was partitioned in 1849. Early settlers included several groups of Quakers, many of which remain active in the Snow Camp area, German farmers, and Scots-Irish immigrants. Alamance County, where Burlington is located, is the site of several skirmishes that were part of the American Revolution. These include the War of the Regulation, which took place prior to the actual Revolution, when citizens rebelled against the corrupt British Colonial Government, the Battle of Lindley's Mill, the Battle of Clapp's Mill, and Pyle's Defeat.
The need of the North Carolina Railroad in the 1850s to locate land where they could build, repair and do maintenance on its track was the genesis of Burlington, North Carolina. The Company selected a piece of land slightly west of present day Graham, North Carolina. On January 29, 1856, the last spikes were driven into the final tie of the North Carolina Railroad project uniting the cities of Goldsboro and Charlotte by rail. The next day, the first locomotive passed along the new route. When that iron horse arrived in Alamance County, locals referred to it as “the eight wonder of the world.”
Not long after this historic opening, the railroad realized a pressing need for repair shops. With Alamance County’s position along the new line, it became the logical choice for the shops’ location. After several debates concerning where the shops would be located, Gen. Benjamin Trollinger, a progressive Alamance County manufacturer, made an offer that settled the matter. Gen. Trollinger owned land just northwest of Graham, and he convinced several other prominent citizens owning adjacent lots to join him and sell their property to the railroad. By 1859, construction of the shops began. Seemingly overnight, a town was born. A church, bank, hotel and restaurant sprung up. “Company Shops”, as the town became known, was also chosen as the railroad’s headquarters. By the time the shops were completed, the village had grown to twenty-seven buildings. Thirty-nine white men, twenty Negro slaves and two free Negroes were employed in or around the shops. Sale of town lots soon started, but not surprisingly, the sale of lots was slow until after the Civil War. By 1864, Company Shops numbered about 300 persons.
After twenty-five years of operations, the shops closed as most of the railroad’s facilities. In 1886, the North Carolina Railroad Company transferred its operations to Spencer, NC. The railroad offices and shops at Company Shops were closed. With the railroad shops no longer operated there, the citizens of Company Shops decided a new name was needed. Company Shops was reborn as Burlington on February 14, 1893. The city of Burlington was incorporated and a charter was issued by the State Legislature.
Around the turn of the century, the great industrial progress began, and Alamance County made rich contributions to the industrial advancement of the country. Gen. Trollinger and E.M. Holt established small textile operations along the Haw River and Great Alamance Creek. In 1908, E.M. Holt built the first cotton mill in the South. From the establishment of this single factory, Alamance County grew to eventually operate 30 cotton mills and 10 to 15 yarn manufacturing plants employing 15,000 people. Eventually, the early textile venture of E.M. Holt became known all over the world as Burlington Industries, and is now headquartered in nearby Greensboro. Throughout this period, Burlington became a prosperous and vibrant little city filled with graded schools, churches, private schools, newspapers, telegraph and telephone lines, roads and a streetcar line; all in keeping with the latest “modern progress” of the times.
Though textiles continued to dominate the local economy well into the 1970s, the people of Burlington knew they could not survive on the back of a single industry, and the country’s involvement in World War II brought important local economic changes. In 1942, the federal government purchased and leased a 22-acre site to Fairchild Aircraft Corporation for the construction of test aircraft. After two years of production, the site was leased to Firestone Tire Company for the Army’s tank rebuilding program. At the close of the war, the federal government chose not to leave, but continued utilizing the property for government contract business. This decision would bring Western Electric to town along with new employees from around the country and beyond. Their contracts ensured Burlington’s placement on the “hit list” during the Cold War due to the manufacturing and testing of emerging defense technologies. Four decades later (1991), however, the doors to Western Electric (then Lucent Technologies) were locked and another chapter of Burlington’s history was closed.
Throughout this century-and-a-half of economic change, Burlington grew, adapted and prospered. Originally the center of commerce for Company Shops, the downtown area still serves as the heart of today’s community with financial services, government services, an expanded library, small shops, eateries and a restored theater. Downtown has also returned to its status as a major employment center, becoming the home to Laboratory Corporation of America, one of the world’s largest biomedical testing firms and Burlington/Alamance County’s largest employer. A blend of old and new, Downtown Burlington is poised for a continued prosperous and dynamic future.
Geography[edit]
Burlington is located at 36°5′23″N 79°26′44″W / 36.08972°N 79.44556°W (36.089636, -79.445578).[3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.3 square miles (55 km2), of which, 21.3 square miles (55 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.28%) is water.
Parks[edit]
There are a variety of parks that can be found in Burlington. These parks include Joe Davidson Park, Cedarock Park, and the Burlington City Park. Upon visiting these parks one can find a variety of things for various activities, such as baseball fields, basketball courts, soccer fields, playgrounds, disc golf and tennis courts.
The Alamance County Recreation and Parks Commission is composed of seven citizen volunteers and one representative from both the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education and the Alamance County Board of Commissioners. ACRPD Mission Statement: The Alamance County Recreation and Parks Department will provide parks, trails and programs that inspire visitors and welcome all participants.
The Alamance County Recreation and Parks Department manages parks and community centers at the follwing locations:
- Cedarock Park
- Shallow Ford Natural Area
- Great Bend Park at Glencoe
- Pleasant Grove Park and Community Center
- Eli Whitney Park and Community Center
Alamance County offers many hiking and paddle opportunities including the Haw River Trail and the NC Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The Alamance County Recreation and Parks Department manages accesses to the Haw River Paddle and Hiking Trail at the following locations:
- Altamahaw Paddle Access
- Shallow Ford Natural Area
- Great Bend Park at Glencoe
- Glencoe Paddle Access
- Saxapahaw Lake Paddle Access
- Saxapahaw Mill Race Paddle Access
Demographics[edit]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 817 |
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| 1890 | 1,716 | 110.0% | |
| 1900 | 3,692 | 115.2% | |
| 1910 | 4,808 | 30.2% | |
| 1920 | 5,952 | 23.8% | |
| 1930 | 9,737 | 63.6% | |
| 1940 | 12,198 | 25.3% | |
| 1950 | 24,560 | 101.3% | |
| 1960 | 33,199 | 35.2% | |
| 1970 | 35,930 | 8.2% | |
| 1980 | 37,266 | 3.7% | |
| 1990 | 39,498 | 6.0% | |
| 2000 | 44,917 | 13.7% | |
| Est. 2008 | 50,857 | [4] | |
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 44,917 people, 18,280 households, and 11,754 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,111.0 people per square mile (815.0/km²). There were 19,567 housing units at an average density of 919.6 per square mile (355.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.27% White, 25.05% African American, 0.34% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.16% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.07% of the population.
There were 18,280 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,301, and the median income for a family was $45,441. Males had a median income of $31,697 versus $22,466 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,640. About 9.7% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education[edit]
The local school system is known as the Alamance-Burlington School System, which was created by a merger between the Alamance County School System and the Burlington City School System in 1996.
Local public schools in Burlington include:
- Alamance-Burlington School System
- Alamance-Burlington Middle College
- Alexander Wilson Elementary School
- Altamahaw-Ossipee Elementary School
- R. Homer Andrews Elementary School
- Broadview Middle School
- Career and Technical Education Center
- Hugh M Cummings High School
- Eastern Alamance High School
- Eastlawn Elementary School
- Elon Elementary School
- Audrey W. Garrett Elementary School
- Graham High School
- Graham Middle School
- Grove Park Elementary School
- Hawfields Middle School
- Haw River Elementary School
- Highland Elementary School
- Hillcrest Elementary School
- E. M. Holt Elementary School
- B. Everett Jordan Elementary School
- Harvey R. Newlin Elementary School
- North Graham Elementary School
- Pleasant Grove Elementary School
- Sellars-Gunn Education Center
- Marvin B. Smith Elementary School
- Southern Alamance High School
- Southern Middle School
- South Graham Elementary School
- South Mebane Elementary School
- Sylvan Elementary School
- Turrentine Middle School
- Western Alamance High School
- Western Alamace Middle School
- Walter M. Williams High School
- Woodlawn Middle School
- E. M. Yoder Elementary School
Private Schools include:
- Alamance Christian School
- Blessed Sacrament School
- Burlington Day School
- Burlington Christian Academy
- The Elon School
Charter Schools include:
Transportation[edit]
Amtrak's Carolinian and Piedmont train connects Burlington with the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Raleigh and Charlotte. The Amtrak station is situated at 101 North Main Street.
Burlington is a short drive to Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro and Raleigh-Durham International Airport in Morrisville. The city is almost centrally located between these two major North Carolina airports.
Burlington has no public busing system. It relies on the BioBus from nearby Elon University.
Sports[edit]
The Burlington Royals, a rookie-level farm team of Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals, have played in Burlington since 2006. The team is based at Burlington Athletic Stadium. Prior to 2006 team was known as the Burlington Indians, functioning as a farm team of the Cleveland Indians since 1985.
Business[edit]
- Burlington Coat Factory had it's original headquarters in Burlington, before relocating to Burlington, NJ in 1924 under new ownership.[5]
- LabCorp has its headquarters and several testing facilities in Burlington. LabCorp is Alamance County's largest employer, employing over 3,000 people in the county.
- Honda Aero, a subsidiary of Honda, recently announced that it will move its corporate headquarters to Burlington and build a $27 million plant at the Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport where it will build its HF120 jet engines for use in very light jets.
- Biscuitville, a regional fast food chain, is based in Burlington.
- Burlington is also the operations headquarters for Gold Toe Brands, a manufacturer of socks.
- The Times-News is Burlington's only daily newspaper, and the area's dominant media outlet.
- Zack's Hotdogs, a local restaurant opened by Zack Touloupas in 1928 is located in the revitalized downtown area.
- National Agents Alliance has its headquarters in Burlington.
- Company Shops Market, a cooperatively owned, full-service grocery store and cafe located in downtown Burlington. Opened in 2011.
area.
Shopping[edit]
I-40/85 and US 70 corridors. The city's only indoor mall, Holly Hill Mall is located at the intersection of Huffman Mill Road and Church Street (US 70). An outdoor mall, Alamance Crossing, opened in 2007 at Interstate 40/85 and University Drive. Just off I-85/40 at Exit 145 is North Carolina's original outlet mall, Burlington Outlet Village(formerly BMOC).[6]
Sister cities[edit]
Burlington has two sister cities:[7]
Gwacheon, South Korea
Soledad de Graciano Sánchez, Mexico
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "Population Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
- ^ "About Burlington Coat Factory".
- ^ "Events that shaped the county". The Times News. 2007-07-24. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
- ^ "Burlington-Alamance Sister Cities". Raleighnc.gov. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Burlington, North Carolina |
- Official website
- TheTimesNews.com - Burlington, NC Primary Newspaper website
- Burlington/Alamance County Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Alamance-Burlington School System
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