Whitakers, North Carolina

Whitakers, North Carolina
Town
Buildings in the center of Whitakers
Location in Edgecombe County and the state of North Carolina.
Coordinates: 36°6′21″N 77°42′49″W
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Counties	Edgecombe, Nash
Founded	1740
Incorporated	1872
Government
• Mayor	Esterine Gary Pitt
Area
• Total	0.8 sq mi (2.1 km2)
• Land	0.8 sq mi (2.1 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	128 ft (39 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	744
• Estimate  (2018)	706
• Density	930/sq mi (350/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	27891
Area code	252
FIPS code	37-73160
GNIS feature ID	0997124
Website	http://townofwhitakers.org

Whitakers /ˈhwɪtəkərz/ is a town in Edgecombe and Nash Counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is divided between the two counties by railroad tracks and is the northernmost town in the two counties. It is part of the Rocky Mount, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 744 in 2010.

History

The Porter Houses and Armstrong Kitchen was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Geography

Whitakers is located at 36°6′21″N 77°42′49″W (36.105951, -77.713582).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of .81 square miles (2.1 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	388		—
1910	755		94.6%
1920	723		−4.2%
1930	930		28.6%
1940	883		−5.1%
1950	962		8.9%
1960	1,004		4.4%
1970	926		−7.8%
1980	924		−0.2%
1990	860		−6.9%
2000	799		−7.1%
2010	744		−6.9%
2018 (est.)	706		−5.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

At the 2000 census there were 799 people, 331 households, and 219 families in the town. The population density was 977.9 people per square mile (376.2/km²). There were 370 housing units at an average density of 452.9 per square mile (174.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 40.55% White, 58.32% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.88% from other races, and 0.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88%.

Of the 331 households 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% were married couples living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 31.4% of households were one person and 13.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.04.

The age distribution was 22.0% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.

The median household income was $24,141 and the median family income was $27,188. Males had a median income of $29,643 versus $21,736 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,893. About 25.4% of families and 33.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.2% of those under age 18 and 34.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Dwight Watson, aka "Tractor man," brought much of Washington, D.C. to a standstill for two days when he drove a tractor into the pond in the Constitution Gardens area of the National Mall and claimed to have explosives.
• Nathan Mayo, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture