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McAdenville, North Carolina
Nickname(s): 
Christmas Town USA
Location of McAdenville, North Carolina
Location of McAdenville, North Carolina
Country  United States
State  North Carolina
County Gaston
Area
 • Total 1.42 sq mi (3.67 km2)
 • Land 1.36 sq mi (3.51 km2)
 • Water 0.06 sq mi (0.16 km2)
Elevation
571 ft (174 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 651
 • Estimate 
(2019)
673
 • Density 496.31/sq mi (191.66/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
28101
Area code(s) 704
FIPS code 37-39880
GNIS feature ID 1021377

McAdenville, also known as Christmas Town USA, is a small town in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of Charlotte and located east of Gastonia. The population was 651 at the 2010 census.

History

A Christmas tradition in the town for many years has been the decorating of the entire town in Christmas lights. The event is called Christmas Town USA. The Christmas Town USA contains 375 lit trees and over 200 wreaths attached to city light poles. The lights attract visitors from all over the country and is one of the biggest light shows in the US. Begun in 1956 with the assistance of Pharr Yarns, the largest employer and land owner in the town, many trees and buildings in the town are covered in Christmas lights and some form of decoration. More than 300,000 vehicles visit each year. The lights are entirely maintained by volunteers from the community, and no admission is charged. Pharr Yarns picks up the electric bill for the event.

McAdenville was incorporated in 1881. It was named after Rufus Yancey McAden, president of McAden Mills, the town's textile mill. McAden had served in the North Carolina House of Commons from 1862 to 1867, and was Speaker of the House in 1866. He came to Charlotte in 1867 to become president of the two-year-old First National Bank.

The McAdenville Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Geography

McAdenville is located on the South Fork Catawba River at 35°15′50″N 81°4′45″W / 35.26389°N 81.07917°W / 35.26389; -81.07917 (35.263893, -81.079282). McAdenville Lake is formed by a dam on the South Fork in central McAdenville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.8 km2), of which 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2) is land and 0.077 square miles (0.2 km2), or 4.33%, is water. The town lies in the Cramerton Watershed.

The McAdenville Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 1,144
1910 983 −14.1%
1920 1,162 18.2%
1930 914 −21.3%
1940 887 −3.0%
1950 1,060 19.5%
1960 748 −29.4%
1970 950 27.0%
1980 947 −0.3%
1990 830 −12.4%
2000 619 −25.4%
2010 651 5.2%
2019 (est.) 673 3.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

McAdenville racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 757 85.06%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 33 3.71%
Asian 21 2.36%
Other/Mixed 31 3.48%
Hispanic or Latino 48 5.39%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 890 people, 330 households, and 274 families residing in the town.

Transportation

The primary east-west highway passing through McAdenville is Interstate 85, with access to the town from Exit 23. Other important highways include U.S. Route 29/U.S. Route 74 (Wilkinson Blvd.) and North Carolina Highway 7 (Main St./Hickory Grove Rd./Riverside Dr./McAdenville Rd.).

Education

Public education in McAdenville is administered by the Gaston County Schools public school system. The only school in McAdenville is McAdenville Elementary School. Some elementary age children from the northern part of McAdenville attend Lowell Elementary School in Lowell.

Most McAdenville students in grades 6-8 attend Holbrook Middle School in Lowell, except for those in a small section of town who attend Belmont Middle School in Belmont.

High school-age students attend Stuart W. Cramer High School in Cramerton.

Notable person

In 1883, Thomas Edison was hired to build a hydroelectric generator, No. 31, known as a dynamo, to power the lighting in the mill and mill houses.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: McAdenville (Carolina del Norte) para niños

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