Williamston, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Williamston, North Carolina
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Washington Street
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| Motto(s):
"Easy Living with Hometown Values"
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Location of Williamston, North Carolina
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | North Carolina | ||
| County | Martin | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 4.51 sq mi (11.68 km2) | ||
| • Land | 4.51 sq mi (11.68 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 62 ft (19 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 5,248 | ||
| • Density | 1,163.38/sq mi (449.14/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | ||
| ZIP code |
27892
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| Area code(s) | 252 | ||
| FIPS code | 37-74220 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 2406889 | ||
Williamston is a town and the county seat of Martin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,248 at the 2020 census. It is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. The closest major city is Greenville, approximately 28 miles (45 km) to the southwest.
Contents
History
Williamston was founded in 1779, and named after Williams William, a local military commander during the American Revolution.
Williamston was the focus of activity in the Civil Rights Movement. Beginning in June 1963, civil rights activists protested at City Hall for 29 consecutive days led by Golden Frinks. The Ku Klux Klan was very active in this part of the state during this time, including a well-documented rally in Williamston on October 5, 1963, attended by mostly local residents but with several carloads of attendees traveling over 150 miles to attend.
On August 3, 2023, Martin General Hospital in Williamston announced that it would suspend operations due to Quorum Health, which operated the hospital, filing for bankruptcy. The hospital said that it faced challenges due to a declining population and residents opting to go to other hospitals. The next day, former hospital employees organized a protest after its closure. They said the goal was to get the attention of an elected official in hopes they would rethink the decision of the hospital being shut down. On August 14–15, Governor Roy Cooper visited Williamston to hold roundtable discussions about the lack of access of medical care in rural areas. He used the recent closure of the hospital as an example of why he supported expanding Medicaid across rural areas of North Carolina. On October 5, four clinics in Williamston also closed, further adding to the current healthcare crisis in the town.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.6 km2), all land. Williamston is on the Roanoke River.
Major highways include US 13, US 17 and US 64.
Climate
| Climate data for Williamston, North Carolina, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1952–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) |
86 (30) |
89 (32) |
95 (35) |
97 (36) |
101 (38) |
101 (38) |
101 (38) |
100 (38) |
97 (36) |
86 (30) |
82 (28) |
101 (38) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 73.3 (22.9) |
75.0 (23.9) |
81.0 (27.2) |
86.3 (30.2) |
90.6 (32.6) |
94.7 (34.8) |
95.9 (35.5) |
94.5 (34.7) |
90.9 (32.7) |
86.0 (30.0) |
79.5 (26.4) |
74.0 (23.3) |
97.4 (36.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 51.8 (11.0) |
54.9 (12.7) |
62.0 (16.7) |
71.4 (21.9) |
78.2 (25.7) |
85.3 (29.6) |
88.5 (31.4) |
86.9 (30.5) |
81.8 (27.7) |
73.0 (22.8) |
63.1 (17.3) |
55.3 (12.9) |
71.0 (21.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 42.5 (5.8) |
45.2 (7.3) |
51.8 (11.0) |
60.8 (16.0) |
68.5 (20.3) |
76.3 (24.6) |
79.9 (26.6) |
78.4 (25.8) |
73.0 (22.8) |
62.6 (17.0) |
52.7 (11.5) |
45.8 (7.7) |
61.4 (16.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 33.1 (0.6) |
35.4 (1.9) |
41.7 (5.4) |
50.1 (10.1) |
58.8 (14.9) |
67.3 (19.6) |
71.4 (21.9) |
69.9 (21.1) |
64.3 (17.9) |
52.1 (11.2) |
42.2 (5.7) |
36.3 (2.4) |
51.9 (11.1) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 17.1 (−8.3) |
21.6 (−5.8) |
26.7 (−2.9) |
35.0 (1.7) |
45.0 (7.2) |
54.5 (12.5) |
62.0 (16.7) |
60.0 (15.6) |
51.8 (11.0) |
36.9 (2.7) |
27.1 (−2.7) |
23.0 (−5.0) |
15.6 (−9.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −3 (−19) |
8 (−13) |
7 (−14) |
24 (−4) |
34 (1) |
45 (7) |
51 (11) |
49 (9) |
40 (4) |
22 (−6) |
20 (−7) |
4 (−16) |
−3 (−19) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.69 (94) |
3.22 (82) |
4.13 (105) |
3.72 (94) |
3.69 (94) |
5.13 (130) |
5.75 (146) |
5.70 (145) |
6.92 (176) |
4.29 (109) |
3.39 (86) |
3.57 (91) |
53.20 (1,351) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.4 (1.0) |
0.5 (1.3) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 10.9 | 9.8 | 11.3 | 9.9 | 10.4 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 10.8 | 10.3 | 8.2 | 8.5 | 10.9 | 122.3 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 616 | — | |
| 1870 | 520 | −15.6% | |
| 1880 | 482 | −7.3% | |
| 1890 | 751 | 55.8% | |
| 1900 | 912 | 21.4% | |
| 1910 | 1,574 | 72.6% | |
| 1920 | 1,800 | 14.4% | |
| 1930 | 2,781 | 54.5% | |
| 1940 | 3,966 | 42.6% | |
| 1950 | 4,975 | 25.4% | |
| 1960 | 6,924 | 39.2% | |
| 1970 | 6,570 | −5.1% | |
| 1980 | 6,159 | −6.3% | |
| 1990 | 5,503 | −10.7% | |
| 2000 | 5,843 | 6.2% | |
| 2010 | 5,511 | −5.7% | |
| 2020 | 5,248 | −4.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 1,638 | 31.21% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 3,234 | 61.62% |
| Native American | 23 | 0.44% |
| Asian | 60 | 1.14% |
| Other/Mixed | 147 | 2.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 146 | 2.78% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,248 people, 2,274 households, and 1,388 families residing in the town.
Arts and culture
Williamston has long been a town centered around equine activity. Its logo showcases a horse and the town houses one of the largest agricultural centers in Eastern North Carolina - The Senator Bob Martin Agricultural Center. Many events including horse shoes, rodeos, tractor pulls, and monster truck shows take place in the Agricultural Center. Williamston also draws thousands of people to its annual "Carolina Country Stampede" each year in September which is a two-day festival showcasing local food, vendors, business owners and bands typically with a well known headlining band to end the Festival such as Emerson Drive in 2017.
Education
Williamston is one of the communities that is covered by Martin County Schools, a public school district that covers the entire county. The schools in the Williamston area include:
- Williamston Primary School, a school serving grades PK-2.
- E.J Hayes Elementary School, a school serving grades 3-5.
- Riverside Middle School, a school serving grades 6-8.
- Martin County High School, a school serving grades 9-12.
Williamston is also home to Martin Community College, a public community college which is unique among other community colleges for having its own equine health program.
Infrastructure
Emergency services
The Williamston Fire Rescue EMS responds to approximately 2,500 fire, rescue, EMS or hazardous materials calls per year, and covers a 122 sq mi (320 km2) area. It has 19 full-time members, and approximately 37 volunteers.
Notable people
- Asa Biggs, U.S. congressman from North Carolina and United States federal judge
- Tillie Ehringhaus, First Lady of North Carolina
- William E. Ingram, Jr., former director of the Army National Guard
- Gaylord Perry, Major League Baseball pitcher and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Jim Perry, Major League Baseball pitcher
- Sarah J. C. Whittlesey (1824–1896), author, poet, hymn writer
See also
In Spanish: Williamston (Carolina del Norte) para niños
