Lexington is a city in North Carolina, United States. It is the main city of Davidson County. In 2020, about 19,632 people lived there. Lexington is located in central North Carolina, about 20 miles south of Winston-Salem.

Many major highways pass through or near Lexington. These include I-85 and U.S. Route 52. The city is part of the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina.

Lexington is famous for its barbecue. It is even called the "Barbecue Capital of the World." U.S. News & World Report once named it one of America's top four cities for barbecue.

History of Lexington
Business and Jobs in Lexington
Lexington's Culture and Fun
Geography and Climate
- Lexington's Weather
Population of Lexington
Famous People from Lexington
Images for kids
See also

History of Lexington

The area where Lexington is now was first settled by Europeans around 1775. The settlers named their new community after Lexington, Massachusetts. That town was where the first fight of the American Revolutionary War happened. Lexington, North Carolina, officially became a city in 1828.

A few miles south of Lexington, the Silver Hill Mine opened in 1838. This was the first working silver mine in the United States.

Lexington's oldest home, The Homestead, is a historic landmark.

The oldest house still standing in Lexington is called The Homestead. Dr. William Rainey Holt, a doctor, built it. This house has special windows and details that were popular in old architectural books. Many other buildings in Lexington are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites.

Business and Jobs in Lexington

For many years, Lexington's economy was mostly about making textiles (like cloth) and furniture. But in the late 1990s, many factories moved their production to other countries. This was to save money and stay competitive. Because of this, many factories in Lexington closed. This made it hard for people who worked in those industries.

Since then, Lexington's economy has become more varied. In 2023, a big company called Siemens Mobility announced they would build a new factory in Lexington. This factory will make railcars and fix trains. Construction started in August 2023 and should finish by late 2024. This new factory will bring many jobs to the city.

Other large companies that employ many people in Lexington include:

Halyard Health
Jeld-Wen
PPG Industries
Vitacost
Siemens Mobility

Lexington's Culture and Fun

Famous Barbecue in Lexington

Pigs in the City and the Lexington Barbecue Festival attract many visitors.

Lexington is known as the "Barbecue Capital of the World." Since 1984, the city has hosted the Lexington Barbecue Festival. This is one of the biggest street festivals in North Carolina. In 2003, Lexington had more than twenty barbecue restaurants. That's a lot for a city its size!

Lexington-style barbecue uses pork shoulder. It is cooked slowly over a hardwood fire, usually hickory. The meat is brushed with a special sauce called "dip." This sauce is made with vinegar, ketchup, water, salt, pepper, and other spices. Each restaurant has its own secret recipe.

A special part of a "Lexington Barbecue Sandwich" is the red slaw. This is a mix of cabbage, vinegar, ketchup, and black pepper. It's different from regular coleslaw because it doesn't have mayonnaise. Many people in Lexington love red slaw with their barbecue. It's also served as a side dish or on hot dogs.

Pigs in the City Art Project

"Pigs in the City" is a fun art project in Lexington. It was started by a group that helps improve downtown Lexington. Artists decorate life-sized pig sculptures. These colorful pigs are placed all around the city.

The project began in 2003. It brought over 40,000 visitors to Lexington in its first year. People could pay to "sponsor" a pig. This helped pay for the project. "Pigs in the City" ran from 2003 to 2005, and again from 2008 to 2009. It was announced that the pigs would return in 2020.

High Rock Lake Fun

High Rock Lake is a popular spot for fishing.

High Rock Lake is the second-largest lake in North Carolina. It is located a few miles south of Lexington. The lake covers about 15,180 acres (61.4 km²) of water. It has about 365 miles (587 km) of shoreline. The lake starts where the Yadkin and South Yadkin rivers meet.

High Rock Lake is known as one of the best fishing lakes in North Carolina. It has hosted many big fishing tournaments, including the Bassmaster Classic. The lake has many types of fish, like channel, blue, and flathead catfish. You can also find crappie and different kinds of sunfish.

The lake is especially famous for its many large largemouth bass. This attracts anglers from all over the United States. The lake is relatively shallow, which is good for bass.

Geography and Climate

Davidson County Governmental Center

Lexington is in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. It is about 11 miles (18 km) northeast of High Rock Lake. This lake is part of the Yadkin-Pee Dee chain of lakes.

The city covers about 18 square miles (46.6 km²). All of this area is land. Many major highways meet in Lexington. These include Interstate 85 Business, Interstate 85, U.S. Route 29, and U.S. Route 64.

Lexington's Weather

Lexington has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has moderate temperatures in spring and autumn. Summers are warm to hot. Winters are usually mild and wet. High temperatures in winter are often in the 40s or 50s Fahrenheit (4-15 Celsius). Overnight lows are usually just below freezing.

Thunderstorms are common during spring and summer. Some of these storms can be strong. Lexington is located between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mid-Atlantic coast.

Climate data for Lexington, North Carolina
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	49.6 (9.8)	54.4 (12.4)	63.3 (17.4)	72.5 (22.5)	79.3 (26.3)	85.5 (29.7)	89.1 (31.7)	87.4 (30.8)	81.6 (27.6)	71.9 (22.2)	61.7 (16.5)	52.6 (11.4)	70.7 (21.5)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	28.6 (−1.9)	30.9 (−0.6)	38.0 (3.3)	45.3 (7.4)	54.5 (12.5)	62.9 (17.2)	67.1 (19.5)	65.5 (18.6)	59.1 (15.1)	46.7 (8.2)	37.9 (3.3)	31.0 (−0.6)	47.3 (8.5)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	4.06 (103)	3.78 (96)	4.31 (109)	3.63 (92)	3.93 (100)	4.06 (103)	3.85 (98)	3.63 (92)	3.84 (98)	3.52 (89)	3.47 (88)	3.37 (86)	45.45 (1,154)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	2.4 (6.1)	2.8 (7.1)	1.2 (3.0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.6 (1.5)	7 (17.7)
Average precipitation days	10.2	9.3	10.2	9.0	10.0	9.5	10.4	8.4	7.7	6.6	8.8	9.6	109.7
Average snowy days	0.8	0.9	0.4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.3	2.4
Mean monthly sunshine hours	170.5	175.2	229.4	246.0	260.4	270.0	269.7	248.0	225.0	220.1	174.0	164.3	2,652.6
Source: NOAA, HKO (sun)

Population of Lexington

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	475	—
1880	475	0.0%
1890	626	31.8%
1900	1,440	130.0%
1910	4,163	189.1%
1920	5,234	25.7%
1930	9,652	84.4%
1940	10,550	9.3%
1950	13,571	28.6%
1960	16,093	18.6%
1970	17,205	6.9%
1980	15,711	−8.7%
1990	16,581	5.5%
2000	19,953	20.3%
2010	18,931	−5.1%
2020	19,632	3.7%
2022 (est.)	19,679	4.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

Davidson County Courthouse

As of the 2020 United States census, Lexington had 19,632 people living in the city. There were 7,448 households.

Famous People from Lexington

Many notable people have come from Lexington:

Josh Bush (born 1989), a former football player for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets. He was on the team that won Super Bowl 50.
Mike Dillon, a former NASCAR race car driver.
Lee Hall (1934–2017), an abstract painter, teacher, and writer.
Richard Benjamin Harrison and Rick Harrison, stars of the TV show Pawn Stars.
Deems May (born 1969), a former NFL football player for the San Diego Chargers and Seattle Seahawks.
Joe McIntosh, an NFL football player.
Terry McMillan, a musician.
Robert Sink, a lieutenant general in the United States Army. He led the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II, which was shown in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers.
Caskey Swaim, an actor who starred in the TV series Project U.F.O..
Johnny Temple, a six-time All-Star baseball player.
Rick Terry, an NFL football player for the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.
Bob Timberlake, a realist artist.
Perry Tuttle, a former NFL football player for the Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Wednesday 13 (Joseph Poole), a horror punk musician.