Taylorsville, North Carolina

Taylorsville, North Carolina
Town
Main Street in Taylorsville
Seal
Location in North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°55′03″N81°10′32″W / 35.91750°N 81.17556°W / 35.91750; -81.17556
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Alexander
Named for	Zachary Taylor
Government
• Mayor	George Holleman
Area [1]
• Total	2.40 sq mi (6.21 km2)
• Land	2.40 sq mi (6.20 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation [2]	1,175 ft (358 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,320
• Density	968.68/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 ID	2406720 [2]
Website	www.taylorsvillenc.com

Taylorsville is a town in Alexander County, North Carolina, United States. ^[2] The population was 2,098 at the 2010 census. ^[4] It is the county seat of Alexander County. ^[5]

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. ^[6] 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 113⁄4 acres for a total of 463⁄4 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 Swain, 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.

The town of Taylorsville was incorporated in 1851. 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.

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. ^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	169		—
1880	180		6.5%
1900	413		—
1910	662		60.3%
1920	1,122		69.5%
1930	926		−17.5%
1940	1,122		21.2%
1950	1,310		16.8%
1960	1,470		12.2%
1970	1,231		−16.3%
1980	1,103		−10.4%
1990	1,566		42.0%
2000	1,799		14.9%
2010	2,098		16.6%
2020	2,320		10.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [7]

2020 census

Taylorsville racial composition ^[8]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	1,776	76.55%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	238	10.26%
Native American	4	0.17%
Asian	17	0.73%
Other/Mixed	110	4.74%
Hispanic or Latino	175	7.54%

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

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. ^[9] 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. ^[10]

Notable people

• Charles E. Allen – former Undersecretary for Intelligence and Analysis at the US Department of Homeland Security
• Henlee Hulix Barnette – American social activist and professor of Christian ethics
• Zach Brzykcy – MLB pitcher ^[11]
• Harry Deal and the Galaxies – longtime "beach music" band
• Harry Gant – former NASCAR Cup Series driver
• Wesley Harris – member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
• Romulus Z. Linney – U.S. congressman from 1895 to 1901
• Jim Poole – MLB first baseman
• Jerry Rushing – bootlegger and inspiration for The Dukes of Hazzard
• Guppy Troup – former professional ten-pin bowler
• Kyle Troup – professional ten-pin bowler
• Onur Tukel – filmmaker
• William Vanderbloemen – entrepreneur, pastor, speaker, and author
• Rex White – former NASCAR Grand National Division (now Cup Series) champion

See also

• Taylorsville Times

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Taylorsville, North Carolina
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "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.
5. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
6. Alexander County Genealogical Society, The Heritage of Alexander County
7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
8. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
9. "Schools". Alexander County Schools. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
10. "Challenger Early College High School Data" (PDF). Retrieved December 31, 2012.
11. Zack Brzykcy. thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved November 21, 2024.

External links

• Official website