Cornelius, North Carolina

Cornelius, North Carolina
Town
The Cornelius branch of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County
Seal
Location of Cornelius, North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°28′21″N80°52′53″W / 35.47250°N 80.88139°W / 35.47250; -80.88139
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Mecklenburg
Founded	1893
Incorporated	1905
Named for	Joe B. Cornelius [1]
Government
•  Mayor	Woodrow Washam[ citation needed ]
•  Chief of Police	Kevin Black[ citation needed ]
Area [2]
• Total	13.12 sq mi (33.98 km2)
• Land	12.66 sq mi (32.78 km2)
• Water	0.46 sq mi (1.20 km2)
Elevation [3]	742 ft (226 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	31,412
• Density	2,481.79/sq mi (958.23/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code	28031
Area code	704
FIPS code	37-14700 [4]
GNIS feature ID	2406314 [3]
Website	www.cornelius.org

Cornelius is a suburban town located along Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. It is a major suburb of Charlotte and part of its metropolitan area. The population was 31,412 at the 2020 census.

History

The Cornelius area has been settled since at least the 1750s. ^[5] Potts Plantation was established near Cornelius in 1753, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. ^[6] The Town of Cornelius, the second youngest of Mecklenburg County's six incorporated towns, was founded in 1893, but not incorporated until March 4, 1905. The town's origin has been traced by many historians to a dispute over cotton weighing. ^[7]

Cornelius has experienced explosive growth during the 2000s, swelling from under 2,600 in the 1990 census to over 31,000 in the 2020 census. The greatest percentage growth was 364% between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, but in absolute terms the population has nearly tripled from under 12,000 in 2000 to the low to mid 30,000s today.

Geography

Cornelius is located along Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County. The town lies approximately 20 miles (30 km) north of Charlotte, ^[8] at an elevation of 742 feet.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 12.1 square miles (31 km²), of which 11.8 square miles (31 km²) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) (3.20%) is water. Cornelius is one of three towns in Mecklenburg County located north of Charlotte. Along with its sister towns – Davidson and Huntersville – Cornelius serves as a suburb to Charlotte.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	833		—
1920	1,141		37.0%
1930	1,230		7.8%
1940	1,195		−2.8%
1950	1,548		29.5%
1960	1,444		−6.7%
1970	1,296		−10.2%
1980	1,460		12.7%
1990	2,581		76.8%
2000	11,969		363.7%
2010	24,866		107.8%
2020	31,412		26.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [9]

2020 census

Cornelius racial composition ^[10]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	25,017	79.64%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	1,957	6.23%
Native American	42	0.13%
Asian	757	2.41%
Pacific Islander	5	0.02%
Other/Mixed	1,327	4.22%
Hispanic or Latino	2,307	7.34%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 31,412 people, 12,307 households, and 7,853 families residing in the town.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, ^[4] there were 11,969 people, 5,113 households, and 3,374 families living in the town. The population density was 1,415.5 people per square mile (546.5 people/km²). There were 5,716 housing units at an average density of 676.0 per square mile (261.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.65% White, 5.62% African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.24% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.79% of the population.

Of the 5,113 households 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 27.0% of households were one person and 5.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.87.

The age distribution was 22.4% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 36.7% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.9 males.

According to Claritas Market Statistics, ^[11] the median household income in 2010 was $83,789.

Schools and libraries

School system

The citizens of Cornelius, NC, attend the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. ^[12] Elementary schools include Cornelius Elementary ^[13] and JV Washam Elementary. ^[14] Middle schools include Bailey Middle School. ^[15] William A. Hough High School is the zoned high school. ^[16] Hough opened in August 2010 and currently^{[ when? ]} serves over 2,000 students.

Private schools

• Grace Covenant Academy
• New Beginnings Christian Academy
• Phoenix Montessori Academy

Libraries

Cornelius is served by a branch of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. ^[17] The library is located in the heart of Cornelius, on Catawba Avenue just east of exit 28 on I-77. 35°28′59.84″N80°51′50.68″W / 35.4832889°N 80.8640778°W / 35.4832889; -80.8640778

Notable people

• Erika Brown, Olympic swimmer ^[18]
• Vicky Bruce, professional women's soccer player ^[19]
• Kevin Conway, professional stock car racing driver ^[20]
• Amber Cope, NASCAR driver ^[21]
• Jerry K. Crump, soldier in the United States Army; received Medal of Honor during the Korean War ^[22]
• Blaine Donahue, professional stock car racing driver
• Christian Elder, NASCAR driver ^[23]
• Mark Fields, NFL cornerback ^[24]
• Erik Jones, NASCAR driver
• Michael Jordan, Hall of Fame NBA basketball player (resident) ^{[25] [ dead link ‍]}
• Steve Letarte, sportscaster and former NASCAR crew chief ^[26]
• Joey Logano, NASCAR driver (resident)
• Leilani Munter, former professional race car driver and environmental activist ^[27]
• Ricky Rudd, NASCAR driver ^[28]
• Daniel Steedman, soccer player ^[29]
• Jeff Tarte, politician ^[30]
• Thom Tillis, politician and businessman
• Brian Voss, PBA and United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame bowler
• Scot Walters, NASCAR driver ^[31]
• Hoyt Wilhelm, MLB pitcher and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame

References

1. "North Carolina Gazetteer" . Retrieved November 24, 2023.
2. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cornelius, North Carolina
4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. Davvd Foard Hood (April 1997). "Potts Plantation" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
6. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
7. "History of The Town | Cornelius, NC - Official Website". www.cornelius.org. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
8. "Quick Facts | Cornelius, NC - Official Website". www.cornelius.org. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
10. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
11. "Demographics". Town Of Cornelius. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
12. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Mecklenburg County, NC" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved February 14, 2023.
13. "Cornelius Elementary School" (PDF). Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
14. "John V. Washam Elementary School" (PDF). Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
15. "Bailey Middle School" (PDF). Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
16. "William Amos Hough High School" (PDF). Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools . Retrieved February 18, 2023.
17. "Corneliis branch of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County". Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2008.
18. Erika Brown. swimcloud.com. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
19. Vicky Bruce - Women's Soccer - Davidson College Athletics. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
20. Kevin Conway. Motor Sport Magazine Database.
21. Soble, Stacey. (October 4, 2011). With Millennium's Help, Twin Stylists Pursue their NASCAR Dream. Salon Today. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
22. Cpl. Jerry K. Crump Bronze Portrait Statue - Cornelius Veterans Memorial. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
23. (August 18, 2007). Christian Stuart Elder Obituary. Star Tribune. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
24. Mark Fields, William Amos Hough, Cornerback. 247sports.com.
25. "Your Next Move Starts Here".
26. Slater, Darryl. (April 2, 2006). From Sweeping Floors to Making Sweeping Changes. Daily Press. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
27. Leilani Munter - Women of Motorsports. Zimbio.
28. (September 18, 2018). Allison & Rudd To Be Honored By N.C. Auto Racing HoF. Speed Sport. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
29. Daniel Steedman - Charlotte Soccer Academy. chrl.ussoccerda.com.
30. Meet Senator Tarte - Jeff Tarte. jefftarte.com.
31. Driver Scot Walters Career Statistics. racing-reference.info.

External links

• Official website
• Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce
• Visit Lake Norman