Castalia, North Carolina

Castalia, North Carolina
Town
Main Street in Castalia
Location in Nash County and the state of North Carolina.
Coordinates: 36°04′56″N78°03′27″W / 36.08222°N 78.05750°W / 36.08222; -78.05750
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Nash
Area [1]
• Total	0.75 sq mi (1.95 km2)
• Land	0.75 sq mi (1.95 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [2]	305 ft (93 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	264
• Density	350.60/sq mi (135.42/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	27816
Area code(s)	919, 252
FIPS code	37-10860 [3]
GNIS feature ID	2406235 [2]

Castalia (pronounced "Cas-tale-yuh"), is a town in Nash County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Rocky Mount, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 268 at the 2010 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	133		—
1890	159		19.5%
1900	163		2.5%
1910	219		34.4%
1920	263		20.1%
1930	292		11.0%
1940	341		16.8%
1950	421		23.5%
1960	267		−36.6%
1970	265		−0.7%
1980	358		35.1%
1990	261		−27.1%
2000	340		30.3%
2010	268		−21.2%
2020	264		−1.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [4]

As of the census ^[3] of 2000, there were 340 people, 132 households, and 102 families residing in the town. The population density was 462.4 inhabitants per square mile (178.5/km²). There were 139 housing units at an average density of 189.0 per square mile (73.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 50.59% White, 48.24% African American, and 1.18% Hispanic or Latino or more races.

There were 132 households, out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 18.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $23,438, and the median income for a family was $29,375. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $19,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,455. About 23.2% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.5% of those under age 18 and 37.5% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

Castalia, being located in eastern North Carolina, has long hot humid summers, and winters which are short and mild by comparison to much of the rest of the country, with snow being a rarity. In Castalia, between 60 and 90 days per year are over 86 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Heat Zone Map published by the American Horticultural Society. ^[5] By comparison, the great majority of the upper midwest and northeast has less than 30 such days per year. ^[5] These hot days, combined with the South's high humidity, make it sweltering in the summer. The average daytime temperature is in the high 70s or above for at least 5 months out of the year (May through September). ^{[6] [7] [8] [9] [10]}

The following is the average weather for Castalia:

Climate data for Castalia, North Carolina
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	50 (10)	54 (12)	62 (17)	72 (22)	79 (26)	85 (29)	89 (32)	87 (31)	81 (27)	71 (22)	64 (18)	54 (12)	71 (22)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	29 (−2)	31 (−1)	38 (3)	47 (8)	55 (13)	64 (18)	68 (20)	67 (19)	61 (16)	48 (9)	40 (4)	31 (−1)	48 (9)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	4.05 (103)	3.62 (92)	4.28 (109)	2.86 (73)	4.32 (110)	3.39 (86)	4.05 (103)	3.84 (98)	3.70 (94)	2.76 (70)	3.03 (77)	2.99 (76)	42.89 (1,089)
Source: Weather.com [11]

Notable people

• Thomas Sills, painter

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Castalia, North Carolina
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
5. http://www.ahs.org/pdfs/05_heat_map.pdf ^{[ bare URL PDF ]}
6. "PRISM Products". www.prism.oregonstate.edu. Archived from the original on July 20, 2010.
7. "PRISM Products". www.prism.oregonstate.edu. Archived from the original on July 20, 2010.
8. "PRISM Products". www.prism.oregonstate.edu. Archived from the original on July 20, 2010.
9. "PRISM Products". www.prism.oregonstate.edu. Archived from the original on July 20, 2010.
10. "PRISM Products". www.prism.oregonstate.edu. Archived from the original on July 20, 2010.
11. "Average Weather for Castalia, NC". The Weather Channel. 2010. Retrieved April 9, 2010.