Hope Mills, North Carolina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hope Mills is a town in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 11,237 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Ancestry
4 Today
5 Demographics
6 Crime
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Hope Mills is located at 34°58′14″N, 78°57′24″W (34.970679, -78.956603)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 16.2 km² (6.2 mi²). 15.8 km² (6.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (2.40%) is water.

[edit] History

Chartered in 1891, Hope Mills can trace its beginning back to 1766, when due to the wealth of natural water power and the abundance of timber, a lumber camp, saw mill, grist mill and pottery business were established. In 1839, construction of the first cotton mill was completed and was the beginning of a new era for the town. Much of the heritage and the town's name itself can be attributed to the cotton milling industry that followed.

Before it was know as Hope Mills, the area was known as Little Rockfish Village and as Hope Mills Number One.

The local cotton mill and many other buildings were burned by General Sherman and his troops during the Civil War.

[edit] Ancestry

Major ancestry groups reported by Hope Mills residents include Black or African American - 18%, German - 13%, Irish - 10%, English - 8%, Scotch-Irish - 4%, Italian - 3%, Scottish - 3%, Puerto Rican - 3%, French - 2%, American Indian tribes, specified - 2%, Polish - 2%, Mexican - 2%, European - 1%, Other Hispanic or Latino - 1%, Korean - 1%, Lumbee - 1%, Norwegian - 1%, West Indian (excluding Hispanic groups) - 1%, Dutch - 1%, French Canadian - 1%, Cherokee - 1%

[edit] Today

While the town is small, it offers its residents a full variety of services and recreation. There are public parks and recreational facilities located throughout the town. These facilities provide a wide range of activities from walking trails to tennis courts. Hope Mills has its own Police and Fire Departments and is only minutes away from four major hospitals. Our new county library provides a number of special services including summer reading programs and public meeting rooms. Five shopping centers, the historic downtown district, a post office, two medical clinics, four elementary schools Baldwin Elementary, Rockfish Elementary, Collier Elementary, and Cashwell Elementary, two middle schools South View Middle and Hope Mills Middle, two high schools South View Highand Gray's Creek High, and twenty churches round out a community in which to raise a family and enjoy life

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 11,237 people, 4,112 households, and 3,108 families residing in the town. The population density was 712.4/km² (1,844.6/mi²). There were 4,497 housing units at an average density of 285.1/km² (738.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 73.04% White, 17.61% African American, 2.03% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 2.77% from other races, and 3.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.40% of the population.

There were 4,112 households out of which 46.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the town the population was spread out with 32.1% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 37.0% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,697, and the median income for a family was $44,866. Males had a median income of $34,120 versus $21,845 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,534. About 5.7% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Crime

The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 74. The number of murders and homicides was 0. The violent crime rate was 6.2 per 1,000 people.^{[citation needed]}