Lincolnton, North Carolina

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Lincolnton, North Carolina
City
Lincolnton-Main-St.jpg
View along Main Street (NC 27)
Lincolnton, NC City Flag.gif
Flag
Lincolnton, NC City Seal.jpg
Seal
Motto: 
"Near the City. Near the Mountains. Near Perfect."
NCMap-doton-Lincolnton.PNG
Location of Lincolnton, North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°28′30″N81°14′19″W / 35.47500°N 81.23861°W / 35.47500; -81.23861 [1]
Country United States
State North Carolina
County Lincoln
Named for Benjamin Lincoln
Government
 • MayorEd Hatley (D) [2]
 • City ManagerRichard Haynes [3]
Area
[4]
 • Total
8.75 sq mi (22.66 km2)
 • Land8.68 sq mi (22.47 km2)
 • Water0.07 sq mi (0.19 km2)
Elevation
[1]
883 ft (269 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
11,091
 • Density1,278.50/sq mi (493.65/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)
28092, 29093
Area code(s) 704, 980
FIPS code 37-38320 [5]
GNIS feature ID2404933 [1]
Website ci.lincolnton.nc.us

Lincolnton is a city in Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States within the Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 11,091 at the 2020 census, with an estimated population of 12,128, as of 2023. [6] Lincolnton is northwest of Charlotte, on the South Fork of the Catawba River. The city is the county seat of Lincoln County. [7]

Contents

History

Lincoln Cotton Mills, built 1813 Schenck Mill Lincolnton North Carolina 1813.jpg
Lincoln Cotton Mills, built 1813
10-year-old factory worker in Lincolnton, 1908. Photo by Lewis Hine. Rhodes-mfg-co.jpg
10-year-old factory worker in Lincolnton, 1908. Photo by Lewis Hine.

In June 1780 during the American Revolutionary War, the future site of Lincolnton was the site of the Battle of Ramsour's Mill, a small engagement in which local Loyalists were defeated by pro-independence forces. Some historians[ who? ] consider the battle significant because it disrupted Loyalist organizing in the region at a crucial time.

After the Revolution, the legislature organized a new county by splitting this area from old Tryon County (named in the colonial era for a royally appointed governor). The 1780 battle site was chosen for the seat of Lincoln County. The new city and the county were named for Major General Benjamin Lincoln, who served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. [8]

The Piedmont area was developed for industry, based on using the water power from the streams and rivers there. With the advantage of the South Fork of the Catawba, Lincolnton was the site of the first textile mill in North Carolina, constructed by Michael Schenck in 1813. [9] It was the first cotton mill built south of the Potomac River. [10] Cotton processing became a major industry in the area. St. Luke's Episcopal Church was founded in 1841. [11]

During the American Civil War, Lincoln County had many residents who either joined or were conscripted to the Confederate Army. Among them was Major General Stephen Dodson Ramseur, who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Cedar Creek in Virginia in the final year of the war. His body was returned to Lincolnton for burial. Episcopal missionary bishop Henry C. Lay spent the final months of the Civil War in the town. Union forces occupied Lincoln County on Easter Monday, 1865, shortly before the close of the war. [11]

As county seat and a center of the textile industry, city residents prospered on the returns from cotton cultivation. The city has numerous properties, including churches, which have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since the late 20th century. It has three recognized historic districts: Lincolnton Commercial Historic District, South Aspen Street Historic District, and West Main Street Historic District. These were centers of the earliest businesses and retail activities. There was much activity around the Lincoln County Courthouse on court days, when farmers typically came to town to trade and sell their goods.

Residences, churches and other notable buildings marked the development of the city; they include the Caldwell-Cobb-Love House, Emanuel United Church of Christ, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Eureka Manufacturing Company Cotton Mill, First Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church, First United Methodist Church, Methodist Church Cemetery, Lincolnton Recreation Department Youth Center, Loretz House, Old White Church Cemetery, Pleasant Retreat Academy, Shadow Lawn, St. Luke's Church and Cemetery, and Woodside. [12] [13]

In 1986, Lincolnton expanded by annexing the town of Boger City. [14]

Geography

Lincolnton is in central Lincoln County in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. U.S. Route 321, a four-lane freeway, passes through the east side of the city.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.7 square miles (22.6 km2), of which 8.6 square miles (22.4 km2) are land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2), or 0.93%, are water. [15] The city is sited on the northeastern side of the South Fork of the Catawba River, which flows southeast to join the Catawba River at the South Carolina border. Clark Creek joins the South Fork in the northwestern part of the city.

Demographics

The city has grown since 1980 as part of the Charlotte metropolitan area expansion.

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1860 848—
1870 8864.5%
1880 708−20.1%
1890 95735.2%
1900 828−13.5%
1910 2,413191.4%
1920 3,30036.8%
1930 3,78114.6%
1940 4,52519.7%
1950 5,42319.8%
1960 5,6995.1%
1970 5,293−7.1%
1980 4,879−7.8%
1990 6,84740.3%
2000 9,96545.5%
2010 10,4865.2%
2020 11,0915.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [16]

2020 census

Lincolnton racial composition [17]
RaceNumberPercentage
White (non-Hispanic)7,41366.84%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)1,48513.39%
Native American 430.39%
Asian 1030.93%
Pacific Islander 10.01%
Other/Mixed 5044.54%
Hispanic or Latino 1,54213.9%

As of the 2020 United States census there were 11,091 people, 4,668 households, and 2,652 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the census [5] of 2010, there were 10,683 people, 3,878 households, and 2,943 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,219.4 inhabitants per square mile (470.8/km2). There were 4,146 housing units at an average density of 507.4 per square mile (195.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 65.98% White, 24.49% African American, 0.41% Asian, 0.33% Native American, 4.15% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.87% of the population.

There were 3,878 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,684, and the median income for a family was $39,949. Males had a median income of $29,615 versus $21,768 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,667. About 14.4% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 15.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Lincolnton is governed by a mayor and four-member city council, who hire a city manager to oversee day-to-day governance. City council members serve four-year terms and the mayor serves for two years. They are elected in partisan elections in odd-numbered years. Council members represent city wards [18] in which they must reside, but are elected at-large. The mayor conducts city meetings, normally the first Thursday of each month, and votes only in case of a tie.

The mayor, Edward L. Hatley (D), was first elected as mayor in 2015 with 68.75% of the vote. [19] In 2022, he ran unopposed winning his third term as mayor with 84.01% of the vote. [20]

Education

Public education is administered by Lincoln County Schools. Schools within Lincolnton include: [21]

High schools

Middle schools

Elementary schools

Colleges

Media

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lincolnton, North Carolina
  2. ↑ "Mayor | Lincolnton, NC - Official Website".
  3. ↑ "Directory for the mayor's staff".
  4. ↑ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  5. 1 2 "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  6. ↑ "United Census, Recent and Estimated Populations of Lincolnton, North Carolina".
  7. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  8. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p.  187.
  9. ↑ Michael Schenck Archived 2011-07-28 at the Wayback Machine , textilehistory.org
  10. ↑ "Schenk-Warlick Mill (O-7) | NC DNCR". www.dncr.nc.gov. January 18, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  11. 1 2 "Historical Brochure" (PDF). St. Luke's Episcopal Church. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  12. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  13. ↑ "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 12/16/13 through 12/20/13. National Park Service. December 27, 2013.
  14. ↑ Harrison, Jenna-Ley. "New City Fire Station Opened in Boger City". Lincoln Times-News. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  15. ↑ "U.S. Gazetteer Files: 2019: Places: North Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Lincolnton City Council Ward Map".
  19. ↑ "2015 Lincolnton City Election Results".
  20. ↑ "2022 Lincolnton City Election Results".
  21. ↑ "Schools". Lincoln County Schools. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  22. ↑ 2010 Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy & Dynamics Recipient. American Physical Society. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  23. ↑ Friedlander, Brett. (June 2, 2020). 100 in 100: Lincoln County’s Dennis Byrd, pillar of NC State’s ‘White Shoes Defense’. North State Journal. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  24. ↑ Connie Guion, Pioneering Female Physician. ncdcr.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  25. ↑ "M. Basketball: Barclay Radebaugh :: CSUsports.com". Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
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