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Ayden, North Carolina
Lee Street in Ayden
Lee Street in Ayden
Flag of Ayden, North Carolina
Flag
Official seal of Ayden, North Carolina
Seal
Motto(s): 
"A great place to visit, a better place to live."
"A vibrant community with hometown charm"
Location of Ayden, North Carolina
Location of Ayden, North Carolina
Country United States
State North Carolina
County Pitt
Area
 • Total 3.81 sq mi (9.88 km2)
 • Land 3.81 sq mi (9.88 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
59 ft (18 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 4,977
 • Density 1,304.93/sq mi (503.83/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
28513
Area code(s) 252
FIPS code 37-02840
GNIS feature ID 2405193
Website www.ayden.com

Ayden is a town in Pitt County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,977 at the 2020 census. The town is a part of the Greenville Metropolitan Area of North Carolina's Inner Banks region.

Geography

Ayden has a total area of 3.84 square miles, all land.

History

In 1891, William Henry Harris asked the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad to build a railroad depot on a portion of his farm in order to create a village. A 40-acre (160,000 m2) parcel of land was divided into residential lots surrounding the depot in "Harristown", with Harris owning every other lot. Within the next several years, lots were sold and homes built. Businesses began to open up to support the new residents, and on February 3, 1891, the town was incorporated as "Ayden." Within a few years, the Carolina Christian College and the Free Will Baptist Seminary were established. By 1919, Ayden had full-time electricity supplied by the Ayden municipal light plant. In 1922, the Mutual Building and Loan Association of Ayden was organized to help families obtain mortgages to build homes in Ayden.

After experiencing difficult times during the Great Depression, and after the Second World War, the town began to grow. To accommodate the growth, commercial, cultural, religious, and other establishments were opened within and around Ayden. The community is still growing today, due to the continued development of Greenville as an industrial and economic center for eastern North Carolina.

The Ayden Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 557
1910 990 77.7%
1920 1,673 69.0%
1930 1,607 −3.9%
1940 1,884 17.2%
1950 2,282 21.1%
1960 3,108 36.2%
1970 3,450 11.0%
1980 4,361 26.4%
1990 4,740 8.7%
2000 4,622 −2.5%
2010 4,932 6.7%
2020 4,977 0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

Ayden racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 2,618 52.6%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 1,832 36.8%
Native American 20 0.4%
Asian 85 1.7%
Two or More Races 245 4.9%
Hispanic or Latino 483 9.7%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,977 people, 2,160 households, and 1,230 families residing in the town.

Education

Education in Ayden is administered by the Pitt County Public School System. The three schools located in Ayden include Ayden Elementary School, Ayden Middle School and Ayden-Grifton High School.

Higher education is provided by Pitt Community College, located between Ayden and Greenville. East Carolina University is located in downtown Greenville.

Local events

The Ayden Collard Festival is held the week immediately following Labor Day in September. The annual event started in 1975 and includes a Collard Queen contest which has been renamed as the Miss Ayden contest, sporting events, rides, live music, food, and a parade.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Ayden para niños

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