Spencer, North Carolina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Spencer is a town in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States, incorporated in 1905. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 3,355.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Places of Education
5 External links

[edit] History

The town was named for Samuel Spencer, first president of the Southern Railway, who is credited with establishment of the railroad's mechanical shops in the new town beginning in the 1890s. The shops were sited to be located approximately the midpoint of the railroad's line between Atlanta, GA and Washington, DC.

The former Spencer Shops were phased out during the 1950s through 1970s and have now become the location of the North Carolina Transportation Museum.

[edit] Geography

Spencer is located at 35°41′37″N, 80°25′55″W (35.693672, -80.431906)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.9 km² (2.7 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,355 people, 1,308 households, and 844 families residing in the town. The population density was 488.8/km² (1,264.3/mi²). There were 1,427 housing units at an average density of 207.9/km² (537.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 70.28% White, 23.61% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.61% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.77% of the population.

There were 1,308 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% 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 3.04.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $36,687, and the median income for a family was $43,702. Males had a median income of $28,860 versus $25,766 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,354. About 7.7% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.