Dudley, North Carolina

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The current Dudley Post Office

Dudley is an unincorporated town located in Wayne County, North Carolina, about 9 miles south from Goldsboro. According to the 2000 census, the population of the Dudley area (28333 zipcode) was 11,543. Part of this area includes the Brogden CDP. Dudley is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 References

[edit] History

Another town named Dudley originally existed several miles north from its current location. It was founded by Labon Lewis, the son of a Revolutionary soldier, named for his deceased brother Dudley Lewis. On January 13, 1840, a post office was established for this town. This office's name was later changed to Everettsville, which was moved to a new location in 1849 and was closed in 1866.

The second and present town bearing the name was set up around 1836-1840 as a camp for the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad. This time, however, it was named for Governor Edward B. Dudley, the railroad's founder. In the years in which the village grew, it gained a depot and a passenger station. Its post office was established on February 3, 1850.

Dudley was incorporated in 1897, with J. W. Hatch elected as the town's first mayor. The town's government lasted for many years until eventually no more officials were elected and the incorporation ended.

Notable people from Dudley include:

Greg Warren, an American football player
Tim Pratt, a science fiction/fantasy writer and poet

[edit] Geography

Dudley is located at 35°17'51" North, 78°1'40" West (35.297594, -78.027817)^GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 122.1 km² (47.2 mi²). 120.4 km² (46.5 mi²) of it is land and 1.7 km² (0.7 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.48% water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there are 11,543 people, 4,113 households, and 3,070 families residing in the area. The population density is 95.9/km² (248.2/mi²). There are 4,629 housing units at an average density of 38.4/km² (99.5/mi²)?. The racial makeup of the town is 45.4% White, 45.2% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, 6.8% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. 9.7% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 4,113 households out of which 38.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% are married couples living together, 19.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% are non-families. 44.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 17.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.80 and the average family size is 3.20.

In the area the population is spread out with 32.8% under the age of 20, 7.2% from 20 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31.9 years. For every 100 females there are 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.1 males.

The median income for a household in the area is $31,647, and the median income for a family is $32,913. Males have a median income of $27,039 versus $18,858 for females. The per capita income for the area is $14,570. 14.4% of the population and 12.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21% of those under the age of 18 and 14.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.