Lenoir, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lenoir, North Carolina
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Main Street in downtown Lenoir
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Motto(s):
"Where the High Country Begins"
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Location of Lenoir, North Carolina
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Country | United States |
State | North Carolina |
County | Caldwell |
Named for | William Lenoir |
Government | |
• Type | Council-Manager |
Area | |
• Total | 20.82 sq mi (53.92 km2) |
• Land | 20.81 sq mi (53.90 km2) |
• Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) |
Elevation | 1,171 ft (357 m) |
Population
(2010)
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• Total | 18,228 |
• Estimate
(2019)
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17,913 |
• Density | 860.71/sq mi (332.33/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
ZIP Codes |
28633, 28645
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Area code(s) | 828; Exchanges: 757,758,759 |
FIPS code | 37-37760 |
GNIS feature ID | 1021132 |
Lenoir is a city in and the county seat of Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 18,228 at the 2010 census. Lenoir is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. To the northeast are the Brushy Mountains, a spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hibriten Mountain, located just east of the city limits, marks the western end of the Brushy Mountains range.
Lenoir is one of the principal cities in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
History
The city was named for Revolutionary War general and early North Carolina statesman William Lenoir, who settled north of present-day Lenoir. His restored home, Fort Defiance, is a tourist attraction.
Nat'l. Register of Historic Places listings
In addition to Fort Defiance, the Caldwell County Courthouse, Lenoir Downtown Historic District, Lenoir Grammar School, Lenoir High School, Mary's Grove, and Edgar Allan Poe House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Awards
Lenoir was one of the recipients of the 2008 All-America City Award.
Geography
Lenoir is located southeast of the center of Caldwell County at 35°54′30″N 81°31′48″W / 35.90833°N 81.53000°W (35.908438, -81.530012). It is bordered to the south by the towns of Hudson and Cajah's Mountain, and to the southwest by the town of Gamewell.
The city is at the intersection of U.S. Highways 64 and 321. US 64 leads east 42 miles (68 km) to Statesville and southwest 15 miles (24 km) to Morganton, while US 321 leads north 27 miles (43 km) to Boone and southeast 17 miles (27 km) to Hickory.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.7 square miles (50.9 km2), all land. The city is in the valley of Lower Creek, between the Brushy Mountains to the east and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. Lower Creek flows southwest to the Catawba River valley.
Climate
Climate data for Lenoir, North Carolina (1981–2010 normals), | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Average high °F (°C) | 50 (10) |
53 (12) |
61 (16) |
70 (21) |
78 (26) |
85 (29) |
88 (31) |
87 (31) |
81 (27) |
71 (22) |
62 (17) |
52 (11) |
70 (21) |
Average low °F (°C) | 26 (−3) |
29 (−2) |
35 (2) |
44 (7) |
53 (12) |
62 (17) |
66 (19) |
65 (18) |
58 (14) |
45 (7) |
36 (2) |
28 (−2) |
46 (8) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.53 (90) |
3.67 (93) |
4.33 (110) |
3.64 (92) |
4.34 (110) |
4.57 (116) |
4.85 (123) |
3.92 (100) |
4.19 (106) |
3.40 (86) |
3.25 (83) |
3.76 (96) |
47.7 (1,210) |
Source: NOAA (North Carolina Observed Climate Normals) |
Demographics
Historical population | |||
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Census | Pop. | %± | |
1870 | 446 | — | |
1880 | 422 | −5.4% | |
1890 | 673 | 59.5% | |
1900 | 1,296 | 92.6% | |
1910 | 3,364 | 159.6% | |
1920 | 3,718 | 10.5% | |
1930 | 6,532 | 75.7% | |
1940 | 7,598 | 16.3% | |
1950 | 7,888 | 3.8% | |
1960 | 10,257 | 30.0% | |
1970 | 14,705 | 43.4% | |
1980 | 13,748 | −6.5% | |
1990 | 14,192 | 3.2% | |
2000 | 16,793 | 18.3% | |
2010 | 18,228 | 8.5% | |
2020 | 18,352 | 0.7% | |
U.S. Decennial Census |
2020 census
Race | Number | Percentage |
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White (non-Hispanic) | 13,147 | 71.64% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,101 | 11.45% |
Native American | 37 | 0.2% |
Asian | 175 | 0.95% |
Pacific Islander | 7 | 0.04% |
Other/Mixed | 827 | 4.51% |
Hispanic or Latino | 2,058 | 11.21% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 18,352 people, 7,340 households, and 4,539 families residing in the city.
Parks & Grounds
Recreation
- The 18-hole Lenoir Golf Club in Lenoir features 6,385 yards of golf, with a course rating of 71.3 and a slope rating of 125, on Bermuda grass. The course opened in 1928 as a nine-hole course, was redesigned by Donald Ross in 1945, and was expanded to 18 holes in 1961.
Hiking
- Hibriten Mountain shows a wonderful view of Lenoir and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The hike is 5.4 miles, climbing 740 ft. on a gated-gravel road.
Gym
Highways
Economy
The Broyhill Furniture company, one of the largest furniture companies in the United States and part of Heritage Home Group (KPS Capital Partners), recently closed its headquarters in Lenoir. Furniture in general has historically been one of the city's largest employers. The Bernhardt, Kincaid, and Fairfield furniture companies are based in or around Lenoir. In the 1990s, these companies began changing their business models to reflect consumer trends, and closed several of Lenoir's furniture factories. Recent consolidations of area furniture facilities (Thomasville, Taylorsville, North Wilkesboro, etc.) have netted modest gains in positions in the industry around Lenoir. The medical and education sectors are now the area's largest employers.
Google, Inc. has a server farm, or "data center", in Lenoir. There was controversy over the nature, amount, and potential benefits of economic development incentives that the City of Lenoir, Caldwell County, and the State of North Carolina gave Google in 2007 to induce the company to build the server farm. The less celebrated benefits of the investment have been construction employment and spending, a small-time server farm investment just outside downtown, Dacentec, as well as local charitable and educational endeavors by Google.
Wholesale nurseries, shipping large balled and burlap plants to landscapers in metropolitan areas, have been a strong source of employment in Lenoir over the last 75 years. Companies such as Roger Coffey and Sons Nursery have seen an increase in sales over the last three years. Valley View Nursery is a third-generation nursery carrying on the tradition of shipping high-quality trees and shrubs directly to high-end residential homes across the East Coast and upper Midwest. Local nurseries employ around two percent of the local population.
Education
High schools
- Hibriten
- West Caldwell
Middle schools
- Gamewell Middle School
- William Lenoir Middle School
K–8 schools
- Happy Valley School
- Kings Creek School
- Oak Hill School
Elementary schools
- Davenport A+ School
- Gamewell Elementary School
- Lower Creek Elementary School
- Valmead Elementary School
- West Lenoir Elementary School
- Whitnel Elementary School
Alternative schools
- Horizons Elementary
- Gateway School
College
- Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute is the community college serving Caldwell County
Infrastructure
Highways
Notable people
- Claude Baker, composer
- Etta Baker, musician
- Leonard Bolick, bishop of the ELCA North Carolina Synod
- William Horton Bower, U.S. congressman from 1893–1895
- Jim Broyhill, former United States congressman for North Carolina from 1962 to 1986 and a U.S. senator from July 1986 to November 1986
- Ervin M. Bruner, Wisconsin State Assemblyman
- Claudia Church, country music artist
- Clinton A. Cilley, former mayor of Lenoir and Medal of Honor recipient during the American Civil War
- Linda Combs, former U.S. government official
- Nick Easton, NFL offensive lineman; played at Hibriten High School
- Jan Karon, New York Times-bestselling author of the Mitford Series and the Father Tim novels
- William Lenoir, soldier and statesman
- Harry Martin, former North Carolina Supreme Court justice
- Bob McCreary, former NFL player and entrepreneur
- Kary Banks Mullis, Ph.D. biochemist and Nobel laureate; inventor of the PCR
- William C. Newland, was the Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina from 1909–1913
- James Pritchett, actor who played the central character of Dr. Matt Powers on The Doctors soap opera for its entire 1963 to 1982 run
- Mark Schwartz, former professional soccer player and college coach
- Larry Smith, former NASCAR driver
- Carl Story, influential bluegrass musician
- Hassan Whiteside, NBA player; attended The Patterson School in Lenoir
- Parker T. Williamson, minister and author
- Louis Round Wilson, University Librarian and first director of the library school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1901–1932
- George Younce, southern gospel musician, known for singing bass with The Cathedrals
Baseball players
Five Major League Baseball players were born or have been residents in Lenoir:
- Johnny Allen, World Series Champion with the New York Yankees in 1932 and All-Star selection in 1938
- Lindsay Deal, who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers
- Charlie Cozart, who played for the Boston Braves
- Rube Walker, two-time World Series Champion with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers
- Madison Bumgarner, three-time World Series Champion with the San Francisco Giants and 2014 World Series MVP
See also
In Spanish: Lenoir (Carolina del Norte) para niños