Sparta, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sparta, North Carolina
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Aerial view of Sparta
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  North Carolina |
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| County | Alleghany | |
| Named for | Sparta, the Greek city-state | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 2.36 sq mi (6.11 km2) | |
| • Land | 2.35 sq mi (6.08 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) | |
| Elevation | 2,861 ft (872 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,834 | |
| • Density | 780.76/sq mi (301.47/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | |
| ZIP code |
28675
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| Area code(s) | 336 | |
| FIPS code | 37-63680 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 2407378 | |
Sparta is a town and the county seat of Alleghany County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 1,834.
Contents
History
James H. Parks, an early businessman whose store stood near the present location of the ABC store, was one of three men who donated land for the county seat in 1866. Parks is credited with suggesting the name "Sparta", after the Greek city-state.
Noteworthy businesses established in Sparta included The Alleghany News (1889), the Bank of Sparta (1902), and the second store purchased by home improvement giant Lowe's (1949). Sparta's first shopping center, Trojan Village, opened in 1977, followed by Sparta Plaza in 1986.
The Alleghany County Courthouse and Jarvis House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
On August 9, 2020, the town was the epicenter of a moderate earthquake that was felt as far as Georgia. The earthquake, which registered as a 5.1 on the Richter magnitude scale, was the largest earthquake to occur in North Carolina in over 100 years.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2), of which 0.0077 square miles (0.02 km2), or 0.32%, is water.
Climate
| Climate data for SPARTA 3.5 SSW, NC, 1991-2020 normals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 44.5 (6.9) |
46.4 (8.0) |
52.8 (11.6) |
63.4 (17.4) |
70.6 (21.4) |
79.8 (26.6) |
83.6 (28.7) |
82.1 (27.8) |
75.0 (23.9) |
65.8 (18.8) |
54.8 (12.7) |
46.2 (7.9) |
63.8 (17.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 33.4 (0.8) |
35.4 (1.9) |
42.1 (5.6) |
51.6 (10.9) |
59.9 (15.5) |
68.5 (20.3) |
72.7 (22.6) |
70.9 (21.6) |
63.9 (17.7) |
53.5 (11.9) |
43.4 (6.3) |
36.0 (2.2) |
52.6 (11.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 22.3 (−5.4) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
31.3 (−0.4) |
39.8 (4.3) |
49.2 (9.6) |
57.1 (13.9) |
61.7 (16.5) |
59.6 (15.3) |
52.7 (11.5) |
41.2 (5.1) |
31.9 (−0.1) |
25.8 (−3.4) |
41.4 (5.2) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.46 (113) |
3.15 (80) |
4.91 (125) |
5.36 (136) |
5.48 (139) |
4.87 (124) |
5.23 (133) |
4.93 (125) |
5.13 (130) |
4.52 (115) |
4.54 (115) |
4.51 (115) |
57.09 (1,450) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 5.3 (13) |
4.2 (11) |
3.1 (7.9) |
1.0 (2.5) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
4.7 (12) |
18.6 (47) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 6.2 | 7.2 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 10.2 | 11.0 | 11.3 | 11.1 | 8.1 | 6.9 | 6.6 | 6.9 | 101.1 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 1.5 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 6.7 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 95 | — | |
| 1900 | 501 | 427.4% | |
| 1910 | 199 | −60.3% | |
| 1920 | 159 | −20.1% | |
| 1930 | 466 | 193.1% | |
| 1940 | 648 | 39.1% | |
| 1950 | 620 | −4.3% | |
| 1960 | 1,047 | 68.9% | |
| 1970 | 1,304 | 24.5% | |
| 1980 | 1,687 | 29.4% | |
| 1990 | 1,957 | 16.0% | |
| 2000 | 1,817 | −7.2% | |
| 2010 | 1,770 | −2.6% | |
| 2020 | 1,834 | 3.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 1,329 | 72.46% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 35 | 1.91% |
| Native American | 6 | 0.33% |
| Asian | 10 | 0.55% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.05% |
| Other/Mixed | 59 | 3.22% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 394 | 21.48% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,834 people, 732 households, and 409 families residing in the town.
Notable locations
- The Sparta Teapot Museum (now permanently closed).
Notable people
- Boyden Carpenter (1909–1995), bluegrass artist
- Zach Galifianakis (born 1969), American actor, comedian, musician and writer
- Del Reeves (1932–2007), country singer
See also
In Spanish: Sparta (Carolina del Norte) para niños
