Lexington, North Carolina

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Country	United States
Lexington, North Carolina

Nickname: "Barbecue Capital of the World"
Location in Davidson County and the state of North Carolina
State	North Carolina
Counties	Davidson
Government
- Mayor	Richard L. Thomas
Area
- City	17.6 sq mi (45.6 km²)
- Land	17.6 sq mi (45.6 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0 km²)
Elevation	809 ft (246.5 m)
Population (2000)
- City	19,953
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
Website: http://www.lexingtonnc.net/

Lexington is the county seat of Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 19,953. It is located in central North Carolina, twenty miles south of Winston-Salem, near the intersection of I-85, U.S. Highway 29, U.S. Highway 70, U.S. Highway 52 (soon to be I-285) and U.S. Highway 64. Lexington is part of the Piedmont Triad region of the state.

Lexington, Thomasville, and the rural areas surrounding them are slowly turning into bedroom communities for nearby cities such as Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point.

1 Barbecue
2 History
3 Popular Attractions
4 Geography
5 Demographics
6 Famous residents
7 External links

[edit] Barbecue

Lexington calls itself the "Barbecue Capital of the World" Since 1984, the city has hosted the "Lexington Barbecue Festival", one of the largest street festivals in North Carolina. As of 2004, the city has over twenty barbecue restaurants: an average of more than one per thousand residents.

Lexington-style BBQ is made with pork shoulder cooked slowly over a hickory fire, basted in a sauce (called "dip" locally) made with vinegar, ketchup, water, salt, and pepper.

One of the distinguishing features of the "Lexington Barbecue Sandwich" is red slaw, a sweet, vinegar- and ketchup-based slaw. This key difference sets the Lexington BBQ sandwich apart from many others across the state. The norm in Lexington is to use red slaw; however, across the state of North Carolina many barbecue sandwiches come with coleslaw. Many Lexingtonians consider red slaw a staple for a quality barbeque experience.

[edit] History

The Lexington area was at least sparsely settled by Europeans in 1775; its settlers named their community in honor of Lexington, Massachusetts, the site of the first skirmish of the American Revolutionary War. Lexington was incorporated as a city in 1828. Until the late 1990s, Lexington's economy was mainly textile and furniture manufacturing-based. However, foreign competition forced the closure of many textile and furniture factories. The city has yet to recover from this economic downturn.

Silver Hill Mine, located a few miles south of Lexington, opened in 1838, and was the first operating silver mine in the country.

[edit] Popular Attractions

Aside from the Barbecue Festival, Lexington is the home of world famous artist and designer Bob Timberlake's gallery and the Childress Winery.

[edit] Geography

Lexington is located in the Piedmont. It is centered at 35°49'0" North, 80°15'31" West (35.816768, -80.258643)^GR1, in the valley of the Yadkin River. Lexington is 11 miles northeast of High Rock Lake, part of the Yadkin-Pee Dee chain of lakes in central North Carolina.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 45.6 km² (17.6 mi²). 45.6 km² (17.6 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

[edit] Demographics

One of Lexington's famous pig statues is situated in front of the Davidson County Courthouse.

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there are 19,953 people in the city, organized into 7,926 households and 5,072 families. The population density is 437.2/km² (1,132.6/mi²). There are 8,510 housing units at an average density of 186.5/km² (483.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 58.80% White, 29.91% African American, 2.56% Asian, 0.46% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 6.02% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. 10.70% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 7,926 households out of which 28.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% are married couples living together, 17.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% are non-families. 30.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.42 and the average family size is 3.00.

In the city the population is spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $26,226, and the median income for a family is $32,339. Males have a median income of $25,555 versus $20,939 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,310. 21.2% of the population and 16.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 31.7% of those under the age of 18 and 18.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. The global outsourcing of textile and furniture manufacturing has negatively impacted Lexington's economy in the past few years.