Kernersville, North Carolina

Kernersville, North Carolina
Town
Motto:  "The Heart of the Triad"
Location in Forsyth County and the state of North Carolina
Coordinates: 36°06′22″N80°05′03″W / 36.10611°N 80.08417°W / 36.10611; -80.08417 [1]
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Counties	Forsyth, Guilford
Founded	1756
Incorporated	1873
Named after	Joseph Kerner [2]
Government
• Mayor	Dawn H. Morgan [3]
Area [4]
• Total	18.22 sq mi (47.18 km2)
• Land	18.10 sq mi (46.88 km2)
• Water	0.11 sq mi (0.29 km2)
Elevation [5]	938 ft (286 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	26,481
• Estimate  (2024)	28,760
• Density	1,461.2/sq mi (564.16/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	27284–27285
Area code	336
FIPS code	37-35600 [6]
GNIS feature ID	2405941 [5]
Website	toknc.com

Kernersville is a town in Forsyth County, North Carolina, and the largest suburb of Winston-Salem. A small portion of the town is also in Guilford County. The population was 26,481 at the 2020 census, ^[7] up from 23,123 in 2010. Kernersville is located at the center of the Piedmont Triad metropolitan area, between Greensboro to the east, High Point to the south, and Winston-Salem to the west.

History

The site was first settled by an Irishman named Caleb Story in 1756. Circa 1770, the site was purchased by William Dobson and was called "Dobson's Crossroads". George Washington was served breakfast at Dobson's tavern on June 2, 1791. Joseph Kerner bought the property in 1817, continuing to operate the inn; the town became known as "Kerners Crossroads". Kerner (Joseph Kirner, born in Furtwangen im Schwarzwald Germany) left his property to two sons and a daughter. Not long after the arrival of the railroad, the town was incorporated as "Kernersville" in 1873. ^{[8] [9]}

There was brief flirtation with relocating the Minnesota Twins to Kernersville in 1998. ^{[10] [11]}

In late 2005, President George W. Bush visited Kernersville's Deere-Hitachi plant to give a speech about the American economy. ^[12] In the summer of 2008, former president Bill Clinton spoke at R. B. Glenn High school. He was campaigning for his wife, Hillary Clinton, in the Democratic primary. ^[13] Donald Trump Jr. hosted a campaign rally for his father and then-president, Donald Trump, at Salem One Inc. on October 19, 2020. ^[14]

Geography

Kernersville is located 10 miles (16 km) east of Winston-Salem and 17 miles (27 km) west of Greensboro.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 17.4 square miles (45.1 km²), of which 17.3 square miles (44.9 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²), or 0.63%, is water. ^[15]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	585		—
1890	900		53.8%
1900	652		−27.6%
1910	1,128		73.0%
1920	1,219		8.1%
1930	1,754		43.9%
1940	2,103		19.9%
1950	2,396		13.9%
1960	2,942		22.8%
1970	4,815		63.7%
1980	5,875		22.0%
1990	10,836		84.4%
2000	17,126		58.0%
2010	23,123		35.0%
2020	26,481		14.5%
2023 (est.)	28,016	[16]	5.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [17] [18]

2020 census

Kernersville racial composition ^[19]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	17,690	66.88%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	4,050	15.31%
Native American	96	0.36%
Asian	524	1.98%
Pacific Islander	7	0.03%
Other/Mixed	1,248	4.72%
Hispanic or Latino	2,834	10.71%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 26,449 people, 10,564 households, and 6,055 families residing in the town.

2010 census

As of the census ^[6] of 2010, there were 23,123 people, 7,286 households, and 4,663 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,415.7 inhabitants per square mile (546.6/km²). There were 7,950 housing units at an average density of 657.2 per square mile (253.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 84.11% White, 8.74% African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.33% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.36% of the population.

There were 7,286 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,520, and the median income for a family was $52,266. Males had a median income of $36,777 versus $26,873 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,506. About 6.3% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Attractions and events include:

• Korner's Folly, completed in 1880., which features 22 rooms on seven levels, 15 decorated fireplaces, and the first private theatre in the United States, dating to 1896. A model of the house was made into an ornament to represent North Carolina on the White House christmas tree in 2001. ^[20]
• The annual Honeybee Festival. ^[21]
• The Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden. ^[22]
• Kernersville Museum, which focuses on town history.
• The 1873 Train Depot, the original Train Depot in Kernersville. ^[23]

First Baptist Church, Kernersville Depot, Korner's Folly, Isaac Harrison McKaughan House, North Cherry Street Historic District, Roberts-Justice House, South Main Street Historic District, and Stuart Motor Company are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ^[24]

Parks and recreation

• Skate World Roller Skating Rink, opened in 1966. ^[25]
• Mountain Bike Single Track Park. ^[26]

Education

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools serves the community.

Kernersville is served by five public elementary schools, three public middle schools, and two public high schools – Robert B. Glenn High School and East Forsyth High School. These public schools are all a part of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools system. Kernersville is also home to four private schools, most prominently the Brookside Montessori School and Triad Baptist Christian Academy, ^[27] as well as Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School.

Kernersville contains a branch of Forsyth Technical Community College.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways include:

• I-40
• Salem Parkway
• US 421
• NC 66
• NC 150

Notable people

• Madison Bailey, actress notable for her role of Kiara Carrera on the Netflix series Outer Banks
• Turner Battle, college basketball coach ^[28]
• Larry R. Brown, former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
• Drew Fulk, songwriter and producer
• DeLana Harvick, former co-manager of Kevin Harvick Incorporated and wife of NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick
• Chris Lane, country music singer
• Brent LaRue, represented Slovenia in the men's 400 meters hurdles at the 2012 Summer Olympics
• John Linville, former NASCAR Xfinity Series driver
• Ben Newnam, professional soccer player ^[29]
• Ramekon O'Arwisters, artist
• Danny O'Brien, former Canadian Football League quarterback and current coach ^[30]
• Pat Preston, former NFL player; later served as the athletic director of Wake Forest University from 1954 to 1955 ^[31]
• Kemp Wicker, former MLB pitcher and two-time World Series champion with the New York Yankees (1936, 1937)

References

1. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
2. "North Carolina Gazetteer" . Retrieved November 24, 2023.
3. Town Government. Retrieved: May 21, 2021
4. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
5. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Kernersville, North Carolina
6. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
7. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
8. Powell, William S. The North Carolina Gazetteer: A Dictionary of Tar Heel Places, Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 1968.
9. Joseph of Kernersville, 2002 Edition.
10. "Save the Minnesota Twins.com - Articles - Carolina heads to polls over baseball". savetheminnesotatwins.com.
11. "Twins Meet Don Beaver: He Inks Letter of Intent to Buy Team". sportsbusinessdaily.com/. Street and Smith's Sports Business Daily Global Journal. October 6, 1997. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
12. "President Bush Visits U.S.-based Deere-Hitachi Construction Machinery".
13. "Bill Clinton scheduled to visit Glenn, Reidsville schools today". May 4, 2008.
14. "Donald Trump Jr. Campaigns in Kernersville". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
15. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), Kernersville town, North Carolina". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
16. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
17. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
18. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
19. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
20. "Körner's Folly". Archived from the original on March 6, 2005.
21. Drabble, Jenny (August 18, 2018). "Kernersville Honeybee festival the place to be on Saturday". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
22. "Home | Paul J Ciener Botanical Garden". garden. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
23. Horner, Mike. "Kernersville, North Carolina, United States" . Retrieved March 26, 2025.
24. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
25. World, Skate. "Welcome to Skate World". Skate World Kernersville NC.
26. Horner, Mike. "Kernersville, North Carolina, United States" . Retrieved March 26, 2025.
27. Media, Church Plant. "Triad Baptist Christian Academy: Kernersville, NC". Triad Baptist Christian Academy: Kernersville, NC. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
28. Turner Battle - Men's Basketball Coach. uabsports.com. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
29. Ben Newnam - Men's Soccer - Wake Forest University. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
30. Danny O'Brien, Wisconsin, Pro-Style Quarterback. 247Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
31. Pat Preston Stats. Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved July 27, 2020.

External links

• Official website
• Chamber of Commerce