Mount Gilead, North Carolina

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Coordinates: 35°12′57″N 80°0′19″W / 35.21583, -80.00528
Mount Gilead, North Carolina
Location of Mount Gilead, North Carolina
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Montgomery
Area
- Total	3.3 sq mi (8.5 km²)
- Land	3.3 sq mi (8.5 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	427 ft (130 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,389
- Density	424.2/sq mi (163.8/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	27306
Area code(s)	910
FIPS code	37-44900^[1]
GNIS feature ID	1013735^[2]

Mount Gilead is a town in Montgomery County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,389 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Mount Gilead is located at 35°12′57″N, 80°0′19″W (35.215793, -80.005252)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²), all of it land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,389 people, 502 households, and 367 families residing in the town. The population density was 424.2 people per square mile (164.0/km²). There were 553 housing units at an average density of 168.9/sq mi (65.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 46.29% White, 50.04% African American, 0.50% Native American, 2.16% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.58% of the population.

There were 502 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 20.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 80.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,250, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $21,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,236. About 15.6% of families and 18.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.5% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over. Mayor: Earl S. Poplin Town Commissioners: Benjamin Blake, Sandra Miller, Timothy McAuley, Lewis Dorsett The Mount Gilead Downtown Historic District is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The town was incorporated in 1899. Local resident Bob Jordan is a former Lt. Governor of N.C. Mayor Jimmy Haithcock was the longest serving mayor, having served 33 years and David Wilder served as a town commissioner for 40 years. Like many small southern towns, Mount Gilead suffered decline with the loss of textile jobs. However, the town is in the process of reinventing itself. Mount Gilead was recently selected to participate in the N.C. Small Town Main Street Program and received a S.T.E.P. (Small Town Economic Prosperity) grant of $220,000 to help revitalize the downtown area and create jobs, respectively. The Mount Gilead Museum is located in a restored Victorian house near the downtown area. The house belonged to the McAulay family who played an important role in Mount Gilead business, church, social, and civic life. The museum houses many documents, photographs, and historic artifacts that tell the story of Mount Gilead's past.