Garner, North Carolina

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Garner is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 17,757 at the 2000 census. Garner is approximately 6.1 miles from Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Government
4 2005 Election
5 Demographics
6 Shopping
7 External links

[edit] History

Garner got its start with the coming of the railroad through the area beginning in 1847. In that year, after a tie-breaker vote by the Speaker of the State House of Representatives, what is now Garner was chosen as the location of a station of the North Carolina Railroad between Goldsboro and Charlotte. "Garner's Station" was established with the construction of a post office in 1878 and the Town of Garner's Station incorporated in 1883.

Garner is situated in the St. Mary's Township, which got its name from a Church of the England parish. It is known that there were settlers in the area before the Revolutionary War. There are documented records of a church south of Garner in the Panther Branch Township as far back as 1756. According to the late Parker Rand, a 3,000 acre tract of land was granted his forefathers by King George in 1759. Part of this area later was to be the site of a community known as Rand's Mill.Rand's Mill Pond was later renamed Lake Benson. It was enlarged in 1951 and is now used as a reservoir.Garner has continued to grow and prosper since its early beginnings. In 1891, the village of Garner's Station had its charter repealed, and in 1905 application was made and granted for its reinstatement as the Town of Garner. The first town officials in 1905 were, J.B. Richardson, mayor; H.D. Rand, J.J. Bagwell, H. Bryan, M.C. Penny, and J.S. Buffaloe, all aldermen. These gentlemen were appointed to serve one year or until their successors were duly elected and qualified.

There are several legends as to how Garner got its name. One story has it that Thomas Bingham named the town.Bingham is said to have combined a general store with handling the mail. Since Webster defines “garner" as a "granary," hence figuratively, a "store," he named the town "Garner."

The late Parker Rand believed that Garner was named for a family that lived in the area and later moved to Texas. Others believe the town was named by Henry Fort, a black cabinetmaker and carpenter who owned some land along the railroad after the Civil War. William S. Powell stated that Garner was named for its founder, H.C. Garner. An article in The State also named H.C. Garner as its founder, but not much information has been found about the man.

Garner experienced actual combat in the closing days of the Civil War. Some skirmishes occurred in the area, as witnessed by the carefully preserved bullet holes in Bethel Church and the “Garner” house, which is said to have been used as a hospital for wounded soldiers.

Times immediately after the close of the war must have been difficult, but by 1878 the little community had succeeded in getting a post office established. This was when the name "Garner's Station" originated. Thomas Bingharn was the first postmaster.

An old map dated 1887 shows Garner connected with the city of Raleigh by a road, listed as Holloman's Road. This was a typical country road at the time, unpaved until about 1918. Its importance, aside from its serving as a link between the small Garner community and the State Capitol, lay in the fact that it was a small section of what was to become one of the oldest and longest traveled corridors in North Carolina, the Central Highway.

In 1910, the road became jointly known as Number 10 and U.S. 70 on the popular maps of the day. Highway 70 was the first paved road to be built in the state and was financed by the first bonds sold by the state to build highways. The Central Highway from the mountains to the sea was started in 1911. The portion of the highway between Garner and Raleigh was paved around 1916 or 1917.

Sam Mitchiner recalls going to W.W.I by way of the muddy dirt road and returning to find it paved. This section of the highway today is know as Garner Road.

Farming was the chief source of income for the early settlers of Garner and nearby areas, with cotton the principal crop. Before the turn of the century some small businesses were beginning to be developed. The first business in Garner is said to have been a wood shop owned by Henry Fort. Fort was said to have been a fine cabinetmaker and carpenter,making wardrobes, bureaus, and other pieces of wood furniture still being used by some Garner residents today. One of the first grocery stores in town was owned by Thomas Bennett. Other early businesses included a mercantile business owned by H.D. Rand, a drug store operated by George Montague, and several general stores operated by people such as C.H. Dupree, Jr., R. Garner, J.B. Hobby, and J.R. Williams. In addition to general stores and cotton gins in the area, other businesses such as blacksmith, repair shops, barber shops, livery stables, and boarding houses existed. The first bank was established in Garner in 1910. H.D. Rand was president and J.A. Weathers was the cashier. In 1912, telephone service came to Garner. In a short while, there were as many as 10 subscribers. The first switchboard was operated in the home of Vera Jones. The telephone service closed after two years and then returned in 1924. The business and residential life of Garner continued to grow steadily throughout the years, with more rapid growth in recent times.

With the increased population and residential growth, Garner has burgeoned in business and service establishments, both within the corporation limits and the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the town. Town officials predict the town will continue to grow at a rapid rate.

“The recently published book, A History of Garner: Growth & Prosperity, can be purchased in the Finance Department at Town Hall. All information stated was obtained through the Town of Garner's web site at www.ci.garner.nc.us

[edit] Geography

Garner is located at 35°41′54″N, 78°37′22″W (35.698243, -78.622865)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 35.2 km² (13.6 mi²). 33.2 km² (12.8 mi²) of it is land and 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (5.60%) is water.

[edit] Government

Mayor: Ronald S. Williams

Board of Aldermen:

Kathy Behringer

Jackie Johns, Sr.

Buck Kennedy

Phil Matthews

(Mayor Pro-Tem) Gra Singleton

Town Manager: Mary Lou Todd (retiring Spring 2007)

Assistant Town Manager: Rodney Dickerson

Chief of Police: Chief Tom Moss

Director of Planning: Brad Bass, AICP

Parks and Recreation Director: Thomas S. Maynard

Finance Director: Lin Jones

Public Works Director: Paul Cox

Town Engineer: Frank Powell, PE

Human Resources Director: Sheila Cain

Town Clerk: Judy Bass

[edit] 2005 Election

2005 saw a change in Garner politics. A referendum on the ballot to increase the Mayoral term from 2 to 4 years passed 67% to 33%. Longtime Garner Alderman and Mayor Pro-Tem Ronnie Williams captured the Mayoral race against then 6 year Alderman veteran Phil Matthews. Matthews defeat saw him returning to the Board, having 2 years left on his Alderman term. It is unsure whether Matthews will challenge Williams again in 2007, considering Williams' immense popularity among voters and being one of the easiest accessible and popular Mayors in Garner history. With Williams escalading to the Mayor’s position, this left 1 open seat on the Board of Aldermen. Former Town Planning Board Commissioner Kathy Behringer won the seat with one of the closest margins in recent history with 11 votes against Parks & Rec. Commissioner Ken Marshburn. It is expected that Marshburn will run again in 2007. Top vote getter and 12 year Board veteran Gra Singleton returned to the Board and was elected Mayor Pro-Tem by the Board, a position usually given to the top vote getter of the last election. Lifelong Garner resident Philip Penny finished last, and it has been stated by Penny that he plans to run again in 2007.

2005 Election Results:

GARNER MAYOR

PHILLIP D MATTHEWS 1,257 45.05%

RONALD S WILLIAMS 1,511 54.16%

GARNER ALDERMAN

=== vote for ===> 2

KATHY LONG BEHRINGER 1,225 23.79%

KEN R MARSHBURN 1,214 23.58%

PHILIP PENNY 1,078 20.94%

GRA SINGLETON 1,622 31.50%

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 17,757 people, 6,950 households, and 4,830 families residing in the town. The population density was 534.8/km² (1,385.1/mi²). There were 7,252 housing units at an average density of 218.4/km² (565.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 67.02% White, 27.13% African American, 0.41% Native American, 1.11% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.77% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.75% of the population.

There were 6,950 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $47,380, and the median income for a family was $58,302. Males had a median income of $37,359 versus $29,805 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,433. About 4.9% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.