Taylorsville, North Carolina

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Taylorsville, North Carolina
Taylorsville, North Carolina.jpg
Main Street in Taylorsville
TaylorsvilleNCseal.png
NCMap-doton-Taylorsville.PNG
Location in North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°55′03″N81°10′32″W / 35.91750°N 81.17556°W / 35.91750; -81.17556
Country Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
State Flag of North Carolina.svg North Carolina
County Alexander
Incorporated1879
Named after Zachary Taylor
Government
  MayorGeorge Holleman
Area
[1]
  Total
2.40 sq mi (6.21 km2)
  Land2.40 sq mi (6.20 km2)
  Water0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation
[2]
1,175 ft (358 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
2,320
  Density968.68/sq mi (373.94/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
28681
Area code 828
FIPS code 37-66960 [3]
GNIS feature ID2406720 [2]
Website www.taylorsvillenc.com

Taylorsville is a town in Alexander County, North Carolina, United States. [2] The population was 2,320 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Alexander County. [4]

Contents

Taylorsville is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The town of Taylorsville was formed in 1847 along with Alexander County. A commission of William Dula of Caldwell County, Dr. James Calloway of Wilkes County, Milton Campbell of Iredell County, and Robert Allen, Reuben Watts and Robert L. Steel of Alexander County were named to select a site as near the center of the county as possible for the seat of justice. [5] The town was named Taylorsville in honor of General Zachary Taylor who at that time was in Mexico engaged in the Mexican–American War.

The land for the town was donated by J.M. Bogle who gave 22 acres (89,000 m2), William Matheson who gave 13 acres (53,000 m2) and James James who gave 1134 acres for a total of 4634 acres. Most of the land was woodland, and the road from Statesville to Morganton passed to the south of town.

A commission of Alexander C. McIntosh, R.L. Steel, Sion Harrington, J.H. Newland, and George Swaim, treasurer, were appointed to lay out the town of Taylorsville and sell lots to raise money for the building of a courthouse and jail. An auction of lots was held August 11, 1847, and 47 lots were sold. The second sale was November 30, 1847, and 10 lots were sold. At a third auction on March 8, 1848, five lots were sold. The total amounted to $6,674.75 (equivalent to $242,576in 2024).

The town of Taylorsville was incorporated in 1879. [6] The first mayor was John Watts and was appointed by the commissioners. The boundaries of the incorporated town were square, with each side 160 poles or one-half mile long. [7]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.1 km2), of which 0.0039 square miles (0.01 km2), or 0.17%, is water. [8]

Climate

Climate data for Taylorsville, North Carolina (1991–2020)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)48.7
(9.3)
52.7
(11.5)
60.1
(15.6)
69.5
(20.8)
77.0
(25.0)
84.2
(29.0)
87.2
(30.7)
85.5
(29.7)
79.7
(26.5)
70.1
(21.2)
60.0
(15.6)
51.4
(10.8)
68.8
(20.5)
Daily mean °F (°C)39.0
(3.9)
42.2
(5.7)
49.3
(9.6)
57.9
(14.4)
65.7
(18.7)
73.4
(23.0)
76.7
(24.8)
75.5
(24.2)
69.6
(20.9)
59.1
(15.1)
49.1
(9.5)
41.6
(5.3)
58.3
(14.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)29.2
(−1.6)
31.6
(−0.2)
38.6
(3.7)
46.4
(8.0)
54.4
(12.4)
62.6
(17.0)
66.2
(19.0)
65.5
(18.6)
59.4
(15.2)
48.1
(8.9)
38.3
(3.5)
31.8
(−0.1)
47.7
(8.7)
Average precipitation inches (mm)4.36
(111)
3.57
(91)
4.26
(108)
4.73
(120)
4.56
(116)
5.07
(129)
4.33
(110)
5.42
(138)
4.47
(114)
3.77
(96)
3.75
(95)
4.27
(108)
52.56
(1,336)
Average snowfall inches (cm)1.7
(4.3)
0.4
(1.0)
0.2
(0.51)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
1.5
(3.8)
3.8
(9.61)
Source: NOAA [9]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1870 169
1880 1806.5%
1900 413
1910 66260.3%
1920 1,12269.5%
1930 926−17.5%
1940 1,12221.2%
1950 1,31016.8%
1960 1,47012.2%
1970 1,231−16.3%
1980 1,103−10.4%
1990 1,56642.0%
2000 1,79914.9%
2010 2,09816.6%
2020 2,32010.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [10]

2020 census

Taylorsville racial composition [11]
RaceNumberPercentage
White (non-Hispanic)1,77676.55%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)23810.26%
Native American 40.17%
Asian 170.73%
Other/Mixed 1104.74%
Hispanic or Latino 1757.54%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,320 people, 927 households, and 573 families residing in the town.

2000 census

Taylorsville Town Hall Taylorsville town hall.jpg
Taylorsville Town Hall

As of the census [3] of 2000, there were 1,798 people, 746 households, and 446 families residing in the town. The population density was 897.6 inhabitants per square mile (346.6/km2). There were 819 housing units at an average density of 408.6 per square mile (157.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 82.71% White, 11.40% African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 3.50% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.17% of the population.

There were 746 households, out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 25.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $24,875, and the median income for a family was $34,063. Males had a median income of $29,737 versus $20,135 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,876. About 12.7% of families and 21.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.8% of those under age 18 and 21.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The students of Taylorsville are served by the Alexander County Schools district. There are two high schools in the district, Alexander Central High School and Alexander Early College, both of which are located in the town. [12] However, 9% of students at Challenger Early College High School (a public high school in Hickory, North Carolina operated by Catawba County Schools) reside in Alexander County. [13]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Taylorsville, North Carolina
  3. 1 2 "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. Alexander County Genealogical Society, The Heritage of Alexander County
  6. "Town of Taylorsville - Alexander County, NC". www.taylorsvillenc.com. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  7. "Town of Taylorsville - Taylorsville, NC". www.taylorsvillenc.com. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  8. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Taylorsville town, North Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  9. "NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access". NOAA. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  11. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  12. "Schools". Alexander County Schools. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  13. "Challenger Early College High School Data" (PDF). Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  14. Zack Brzykcy. thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved November 21, 2024.