Spencer Mountain, North Carolina

Spencer Mountain, North Carolina
—  Town  —
Location of Spencer Mountain, North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°18′29″N 81°6′31″W
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Gaston
Incorporated	1963
Government
• Mayor	Janice H. Abernathy
Area
• Total	0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2)
• Land	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	679 ft (207 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	51
• Density	104.9/sq mi (40.5/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	28054
Area code(s)	704
FIPS code	37-63780
GNIS feature ID	1022733

Spencer Mountain is a town in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 51 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Spencer Mountain is located at 35°18′29″N 81°6′31″W (35.308017, -81.108656) at the foothills of a mountainous ridge.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.4 km²), of which, 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (7.55%) is water.

The town was named after one of Gaston County's mountain summits, Spencer Mountain that has an elevation of around 1,250 feet.

History

Spencer Mountain was settled in 1772 by Zachariah Spencer, a local Tory. In 1874, J. Harvey Wilson II built a water-powered textile mill (Wilson & Moore Cotton Mill) at the base of Spencer Mountain. W. Thomas Love and John C. Rankin purchased the mill in 1895 and changed its name to Spencer Mountain Mills. A predecessor of Duke Power purchased the mill and the hydroelectric plant that powered it in 1926. The mill was purchased by Pharr Yarns in 1957 and was shut down in 1999. Spencer Mountain was incorporated for a brief period of time between 1895 and 1909 and again in 1963.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 51 people, 16 households, and 14 families residing in the town. The population density was 104.9 people per square mile (40.2/km²). There were 17 housing units at an average density of 35.0 per square mile (13.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 72.55% White, 19.61% African American and 7.84% Asian.

There were 16 households out of which 50.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 25.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.5% were non-families. 12.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.19 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the town the population was spread out with 37.3% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 3.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 82.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,143, and the median income for a family was $32,143. Males had a median income of $32,083 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,848. There were no families and 1.3% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

Small Town Election Oddities

As of Oct. 27, 2009 there were only 29 registered voters and no official candidates for mayor or town council. Two years before, only 4 people voted and did so by writing in their own name. [1]