Person County, North Carolina

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Person County, North Carolina
Map
File:Map of North Carolina highlighting Person County.png Location in the state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location in the USA
Statistics
Founded	1791
Seat	Roxboro
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	sq mi ( km²)  sq mi ( km²)  sq mi ( km²),
wikipedia:Population  - (2005)  - Density	37344
Website: www.personcounty.net

Person County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the northwestern piedmont Research Triangle region. As of 2005, the population was 37,344. Its county seat is Roxboro⁶. The southern part of the county is the fastest growing with new subdivisions & businesses due to its proximity to neighboring Durham County.

Contents 1 History 2 Elected Officials 3 Law and government 4 Geography 5 Cities, townships and communities 6 Adjacent Counties 7 Demographics 8 Education 8.1 Institution of higher education 9 Business 10 Culture 11 Famous residents 12 External links

[edit] History

Person County, as we know it today, was first part of Edgecombe County in 1746; part of Granville County from 1746-1752; included in Orange County until 1778, and even part of Caswell County until 1791/1792. By dividing Caswell County into two squares–each side measuring approximately twenty (20) miles in length, two counties of 400–square miles were formed.

The county was named for General Thomas Person, a Revolutionary War Patriot, who made significant contributions to Person County and surround areas. He was a trustee of the University of North Carolina, donating large sums of money to the institution and being recognized by the construction of Person Hall.

Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Moore (fondly bestowed the title of General) was another Revolutionary War hero of note, commanding troops in Person County. The story is told of his riding to the top of hill, admiring the beauty of the view and vowing to return to his "Lost Eden" after the war. In 1793 he purchased property in the southern part of the county and named it Mt. Tirzah (Mount Beautiful) or "General Moore's Mountain." The old home is still located at its original site and owned by a descendant. The front porch overlooks the same inspiring view. Moore was buried on a nearby hill.

Person County was a well–established plantation center before the Civil War. Crops included tobacco, cotton, corn, wheat, oats, fruits, vegetables, cattle, hogs and sheep—many of the same crops grown here today.

During the Civil War, Person County supplied 800 to 1000 soldiers to the Confederate cause. A granite monument on the Person County Courthouse lawn honors E. Fletcher Satterfield, who advanced the Confederate flag at Gettysburg. After the war, the area's large plantations were divided into many small farms.

J.A. Long, W.W. Kitchin, A.R. Foushee, J.S. Bradsher, J.C. Pass, W.F. Reade, and R.E. Long were key leaders who helped make a transition to a more diversified economic base after the Civil War. The Norfolk and Western Railroad Company was a major influence around 1890, facilitating the addition of tobacco processing plants and warehouses. Although the processing plants disappeared many years ago, a few of the warehouses still stand.

J.A. Long established Peoples Bank in 1891 and the Roxboro Cotton Mills in 1899, later known as Tultex Yarns. Long died in 1915 but was succeeded by his son, J.A. Long, Jr., who began attracting new business to Roxboro. Baker Company opened here in 1923, making textiles a major contributor to the local economy. Baker was merged with Collins and Aikman Corporation (C&A), becoming a major industry in Person County.

Roxboro is the only incorporated municipality in the county although there nine townships, many with community centers or postal offices. The city of Roxboro was chartered Jan. 9, 1855. As of 2005 the city's population is 8755 and the county's latest (2005) census registers 37,344 citizens.

[edit] Elected Officials

Brad Miller (D), U.S. House of Representatives
Ellie Kinnaird (D), State Senator
W.A. "Winkie" Wilkins (D), State Representative

Johnny M. Lunsford (D), County Commission Chair
Larry Bowes (D), County Commissioner
Larry Yarborough (R), County Commissioner
Kyle Puryear (R), County Commissioner
Jimmy Clayton (D), County Commissioner

Gordon Powell, School Board Chairman
Jimmy Wilkins, School Board Vice-Chairman
Pecolia Beatty, School Board Member
Ronnie P. King, School Board Member
Vickie L. Nelson, School Board Member

[edit] Law and government

Person County is a member of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments. The county government is administered by an elected county commission, and county law enforcement is administered by an elected Sheriff and his officers. Although the county is politically conservative, local politics is still dominated by the Democratic Party.

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,047 km² (404 sq mi). 1,016 km² (392 sq mi) of it is land and 31 km² (12 sq mi) of it (2.92%) is water.

Person County contains parts of three major river basins: the Neuse, the Roanoke and the Tar, providing essential clean drinking water to the south and east of the state. The origin of the Tar River is in SE Person County. In the northwest section of the county is Hyco Lake, with Mayo Reservoir in the northeast section. Both lakes are used for electrical power generation and recreation. Near the western border with Caswell County is Roxboro Lake. Part of the Neuse begins here with the Flat River, where it combines with the Little and Eno rivers to go into Falls Lake and create the Neuse.

The county is largely covered by rolling hills divided by farmlands and forest. The area's ridges are not narrow and sharp like those in much of the Piedmont, and the gullies and ditches are not as abrupt. The northern part of the county between the lakes is skirted by a plateau. The highest point of the county is a prominent hill in Roxboro, where the county seat has located its water reservoir tank. Other high elevation areas of the county include a rocky igneous prominence called Hagers Mountain, north of Roxboro, and Mt. Tirzah in the southern part of the county. The geology of the county is dominated by igneous formation, overlaid by a variety of soils, with granite boulders strewn across the county.

[edit] Cities, townships and communities

Roxboro is the county seat, and located roughly at the center of the county.

The county is divided into nine township districts: Allensville, Bushy Fork, Cunningham, Flat River, Holloway, Mount Tirzah, Olive Hill, Roxboro, and Woodsdale (which includes Bethel Hill).

Other unincorporated communities include Timberlake, Hurdle Mills, and Leasburg (mostly in Caswell County).

[edit] Adjacent Counties

• Halifax County - north
• Granville County - east
• Durham County - south-southeast
• Orange County - south-southwest
• Caswell County - west

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2005, there were 37,344 people, 14,085 households, and 10,113 families residing in the county. The population density was 35/km² (91/sq mi). There were 15,504 housing units at an average density of 15/km² (40/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 68.79% White, 28.21% Black or African American, 0.61% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.37% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 2.09% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. (This reporting does not take into account the massive annual influx of Hispanic migrant labor.)

The population has surged drastically since the 1980s due to white flight from the nearby city of Durham, NC. This population surge has led to a drastic increase in real estate prices in the last twenty years.

There were 14,085 households out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.80% were married couples living together, 13.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 24.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,159, and the median income for a family was $44,598. Males had a median income of $30,970 versus $22,804 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,709. About 9.40% of families and 12.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.90% of those under age 18 and 17.30% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

Person County administers a single unified school district with a K-12 program.

seven elementary schools: (K-6)

• Helena Elementary School
• North Elementary School
• North End Elementary School
• Oak Lane Elementary
• South Elementary School
• Stories Creek Elementary School
• Woodland Elementary School

two middle schools: (6-8)

• Northern Middle School
• Southern Middle School

and all students matriculating from a single high school: (9-12)

• Person High School

Additional Learning Centers:

• Earl Bradsher Pre-School Center
• Person County Learning Academy

• Bethel Hill Charter School, is a public school exempt from the state's public school system that offers young kids an alternative for grades K-6.

• Roxboro Community School, is an alternative to the state public school system located near Uptown Roxboro. The school is housed in a renovated cotton mill and opened for the 2006-2007 school year. After the grade levels are phased in the school will be open for grades 7-12.

• Roxboro Christian Academy, a private school founded in 1976, also has a K-12 program.

• Zion Christian Academy was founded in 2002 and offers a 1-12 program.

[edit] Institution of higher education

• Piedmont Community College with branches in Person County and neighboring Caswell County, offers associate degrees, technical training programs, and college credit which is transferable to local state supported colleges/universities.

[edit] Business

The economy of Person County is dominated by electrical/textile production, administrative, brokering, food processing, automotive, aluminum and paper products. Diversification from traditional flue cured tobacco to include burley tobacco and other modes of agriculture, is underway. Person County is also part of North Carolina's Research Triangle, home to numerous high-tech companies and enterprises..

Person County offers a strategic location for business and industry, being within an hour’s drive of North Carolina's two major economic centers, the Research Triangle Park (Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh) and the Piedmont Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point), and a two-hour drive of Richmond, Virginia.

[edit] Culture

Person County was settled by a variety of groups including Native Americans, Scots, Scots-Irish, English, Germans, French Hugeonots, and Africans. Religious affiliation in the county is predominantly Protestant with a small contingent of Catholics and other groups. Due to its proximity to Virginia, the Carolina coast, and the Appalachian foothills, a wide variety of Southern American English dialects can be heard in the county, with Virginia Piedmont, Coastal Southern, South Midland, and African American Vernacular English being the most common.

Local legends claim that the Indians of Person County are descended from the first British colonists of North America, the Elizabethan era settlement of Roanoke Island, often called the Lost Colony. Indeed, when these Indians were first encountered by subsequent settlers, they noted that these Native Americans already spoke English and were of the Christian religion. The historical surnames of this group also correspond with those of the Roanoke Island settlers, and many exhibit European physical features along with Native American features. Others discount these remarkable coincidences and classify the Indians of Person County as an offshoot of the Saponi tribe.

[edit] Famous residents

• Robert L. Blackwell, the only soldier from North Carolina to receive the Medal of Honor for service during World War I. He was killed in action in 1918.
• Carl Long, NASCAR driver
• Jim Thorpe, Champions Tour golfer
• Dolley Madison, former First Lady of the United States
• Tom Long, CEO and President of SABMiller Brewing Company
• Jamie Barnette, CFL quarterback, and record setting college quarterback at N.C. State
• Enos Slaughter, aka "Country", St. Louis Cardinals, and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
• Wendy Palmer, former WNBA player
• Tracey Chambers, stock car driver

[edit] External links

• Person County government official website
• Person County GIS
• Official website of Roxboro, NC
• Roxboro Area Chamber of Commerce
• Visit Roxboro
• Person County Economic Development
• Person County Schools
• The Courier-Times
• Person Memorial Hospital

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Person County, North Carolina, North Carolina
County seat: Roxboro, North Carolina
City	Roxboro
Communities	Hurdle Mills | Leasburg | Rougemont | Semora | Timberlake

v • d • e Metropolitan Area of "The Triangle" (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill)
Primary Cities	Raleigh • Durham
Other Large Cities	Cary • Chapel Hill • Apex • Carrboro • Wake Forest • Clayton • Oxford • Smifthfield • Henderson • Garner • Sanford • Morrisville
Counties	Chatham • Durham • Franklin • Granville • Harnett • Johnston • Lee • Moore • Orange • Person • Vance • Wake
Major Universities	Duke • UNC-Chapel Hill • NC State • NC Central • Shaw University • Meredith College
Miscellaneous	Research Triangle Park • Triangle J Council of Governments

State of North Carolina Raleigh (capital)

Culture | Economy | Geography | History | Music | North Carolinians | Wildlife

Coordinates: 36°23′N 78°59′W / 36.39, -78.98

This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Person County, North Carolina. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.