Wilkesboro, North Carolina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wilkesboro is a town in Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,159 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wilkes County^GR6. The town is located along the south bank of the Yadkin River, directly opposite the slightly larger town of North Wilkesboro.

1 Trivia and History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] Trivia and History

Wilkesboro was the adopted home of Chang and Eng Bunker, the famous Chinese American Siamese twins who were a popular international attraction in the early years of the 19th century. Wilkesboro is also the home of Wilkes Community College, which hosts the annual MerleFest music festival. Merlefest, which is sponsored by the legendary guitar player Doc Watson, has grown into the largest bluegrass and folk music festival in the United States, attracting over 85,000 music fans each year.

Wilkesboro's largest industry is the Tyson Poultry food processing plant - it is one of the largest poultry plants east of the Mississippi River. The town also hosts a number of furniture and textile factories. Wilkesboro was founded in 1800 and quickly designated as the county seat. During the American Civil War many of the town's residents remained loyal to the Union, and the town and surrounding area were nicknamed "The Old United States" by pro-Confederate citizens. In March 1865 George Stoneman, a Union Cavalry General, led a cavalry raid through the town. Tom Dula (Dooley), a Wilkes native and Confederate veteran, was arrested shortly after the war and charged with the murder of his fiancee, Laura Foster. He was kept in the county jail (now a museum), before being convicted and hanged for the murder. To this day many people believe that Dula was innocent of the crime, and his legend was popularized by the Kingston Trio, a folk music group, in the top-selling 1958 ballad "Hang Down Your Head, Tom Dooley". Dula's story was subsequently turned into a 1959 movie starring Michael Landon as Dula, and each summer the Wilkes Playmakers present a popular play based on the story. Zach Galifianakis, a popular stand-up comedian and actor, is a native of Wilkesboro.

(Note: "Wilkesboro" is not to be confused with the city of Wilkes-Barre, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, located about 550 miles from Wilkesboro.)

[edit] Geography

Wilkesboro is located at 36°8′33″N, 81°9′45″W (36.142490, -81.162533)^GR1. The town is located on the south bank of the Yadkin River, directly opposite the slightly larger town of North Wilkesboro.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.3 km² (5.5 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,159 people, 1,305 households, and 805 families residing in the town. The population density was 221.0/km² (572.0/mi²). There were 1,382 housing units at an average density of 96.7/km² (250.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 85.38% White, 9.81% African American, 0.19% Native American, 2.72% Asian, 1.27% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.12% of the population.

There were 1,305 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,982, and the median income for a family was $53,355. Males had a median income of $37,931 versus $23,893 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,300. About 9.8% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.