Mount Olive, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mount Olive, North Carolina
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| Motto(s):
"We Value Hometown Tradition"
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 Mount Olive, North Carolina
Location in North Carolina
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | North Carolina | ||
| Counties | Wayne, Duplin | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 2.74 sq mi (7.09 km2) | ||
| • Land | 2.74 sq mi (7.09 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 164 ft (50 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 4,198 | ||
| • Density | 1,533.24/sq mi (591.92/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | ||
| ZIP code |
28365
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| Area code(s) | 919 | ||
| FIPS code | 37-45100 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 2406209 | ||
Mount Olive is a town in Duplin and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 4,589 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is home to the Mt. Olive Pickle Company and the University of Mount Olive.
Contents
History
The Mount Olive High School (Former), Mount Olive Historic District, Perry-Cherry House, Southerland-Burnette House, former United States Post Office, and Vernon are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Wilmington & Raleigh Railroad (which was renamed the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad in 1855) completed in 1840 ran through Mt. Olive on land sold to the railroad by Adam Winn Sr., a prominent free black landowner.
Geography
Mount Olive is located in southern Wayne County with a small portion of the town extending south into Duplin County.
U.S. Route 117, a four-lane highway, runs along the western edge of Mount Olive, leading north 14 miles (23 km) to Goldsboro and south 15 miles (24 km) to Warsaw. North Carolina Highway 55, which crosses US 117 at the northern end of town, leads east 31 miles (50 km) to Kinston and west 17 miles (27 km) to Newton Grove.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Mount Olive has a total area of 2.7 square miles (6.9 km2), all land.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 393 | — | |
| 1900 | 617 | 57.0% | |
| 1910 | 1,071 | 73.6% | |
| 1920 | 2,297 | 114.5% | |
| 1930 | 2,685 | 16.9% | |
| 1940 | 2,929 | 9.1% | |
| 1950 | 3,732 | 27.4% | |
| 1960 | 4,673 | 25.2% | |
| 1970 | 4,914 | 5.2% | |
| 1980 | 4,876 | −0.8% | |
| 1990 | 4,582 | −6.0% | |
| 2000 | 4,567 | −0.3% | |
| 2010 | 4,589 | 0.5% | |
| 2020 | 4,198 | −8.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 1,463 | 34.85% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,060 | 49.07% |
| Native American | 14 | 0.33% |
| Asian | 14 | 0.33% |
| Other/Mixed | 112 | 2.67% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 535 | 12.74% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,198 people, 1,803 households, and 985 families residing in the town.
Haitian immigration wave
Between 2010 and 2012, as many as 3,000 Haitians have settled in and around Mount Olive. The newcomers' lure: the Butterball turkey processing plant and a handful of other meat producers within commuting distance of Mount Olive.
Jim Johnson, a professor at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said the new wave of Haitians in Eastern North Carolina is the classic immigrant labor story. "The jobs at Butterball are what we can call 3D: dirty, difficult and dangerous," Johnson said. "Nobody wants to do them, and the immigrants fill the gap."
Pickles
The Mt. Olive Pickle Company, established in 1926, is located on the corner of Cucumber and Vine streets.
The North Carolina Pickle Festival is held the last full weekend of April each year. The annual celebration is put on by both the community of Mount Olive and the Mt. Olive Pickle Company.
On New Year's Eve, the Mt. Olive Pickle Company celebrates in unusual fashion by dropping a three-foot pickle down a flagpole into a pickle tank. However, instead of midnight local time, the drop takes place at 7 p.m. The event first took place on New Year's Eve 1999.
Area landscape
Mount Olive is part of the Atlantic coastal plain.
Education
Education in Mount Olive is administered by the Wayne County Public Schools system & Duplin County Schools located in the town include Carver Elementary School and Mount Olive Middle School. On the outskirts of town is Southern Wayne High School in Dudley and North Duplin Jr & Sr High School. Higher education is offered through Wayne Community College in Goldsboro and the private, liberal arts institution University of Mount Olive.
Transportation
Passenger
- Air: Mount Olive is served through Mount Olive Municipal Airport for corporate and general aviation aircraft and nearby Kinston Regional Jetport (IATA: ISO, ICAO: KISO) with service to Orlando, Florida. Raleigh-Durham International Airport is the closest major airport with service to more than 45 domestic and international destinations.
- Interstate Highway: I-40 is the closest Interstate to Mount Olive, which is located 9 miles south near Faison.
- Mount Olive is not served directly by passenger trains. The closest Amtrak station is located in Selma. CSX freight rail goes through Mount Olive.
- Bus: The area is served by Greyhound with a location in nearby Goldsboro.
Roads
- The main highways in Mount Olive are US 117 and NC 55.
Notable people
- Morrie Aderholt, former MLB player
- Leora Jones, former handball player who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1988 Summer Olympics, and 1992 Summer Olympics
- Greg Warren, former NFL long snapper and 2x Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers
See also
In Spanish: Mount Olive (Carolina del Norte) para niños
