Goldston, North Carolina

Goldston, North Carolina
—  Town  —
Commercial buildings along North Main.
Location of Goldston, North Carolina
Coordinates:
Country United States
State North Carolina
County Chatham
Area
 • Total 0.8 sq mi (2.0 km2)
 • Land 0.8 sq mi (2.0 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 420 ft (128 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 319
 • Density 403.8/sq mi (155.9/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 27252
Area code(s) 919
FIPS code 37-26920[1]
GNIS feature ID 0985783[2]

Goldston is a town in Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 319 at the 2000 census.

Contents

Geography

Goldston is located at (35.592478, -79.329615)[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2), all of it land.

Historic features

The downtown business district is registered on the National Register of Historic Places. The town is, also, home to several historic homes. The town is named for the Goldston family who founded the town.

Business and industry

The town has always been a predominately rural town and most of the business and industry over the years has been centered around the area's agricultural heritage, mainly the poultry industry. The towns location near the railroad line has helped to keep industry going in the area, although in recent years the town has seen a decline in industry.

Railroad

Goldston is located on a spur of the Norfolk Southern Railway that runs between Greensboro and Sanford. The railroad was historically been important to the growth of the town. The rail line was once part of the now defunct Southern Railway and prior to that the Atlantic & Yadkin Railway and until a few years ago many older Southern marked freight gondolas could be found parked on a side track downtown and at the nearby old Pomona Clay pit. The Goldston area (actually Gulf) is also an interconnection point for the Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway. Most of the rail traffic that comes through town is local freight traffic going back and forth from Sanford to Greensboro or freight going to AC&W. Most of this freight is composed of grain hopper cars going to local poultry feed mills. Norfolk Southern Right of Way Maintenance equipment and cars are also frequently parked on the side trackage in Goldston.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2010, there were 268 people, 144 households, and 121 occupied houses in the town. As of the census of 2000, the population density was 403.8 people per square mile (155.9/km²). There were 142 housing units at an average density of 179.8/sq mi (69.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.91% White, 6.58% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.63% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.45% of the population.

There were 128 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.92.

As of the census of 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $35,000, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $40,114 versus $22,188 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,485. About 8.9% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 20.8% of those age 65 or over.

Miscellaneous

References

  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
  4. ^ Owens, Jonathan. "Charlie Daniels inducted into Opry Hall of Fame". No Point Intended. http://jonbowens.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/charlie-daniels-inducted-into-opry-hall-of-fame/.