ZIP Code 18701

Wilkesboro is a town in and the county seat of Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,687 at the 2020 census. The town is built atop a low, broad ridge which runs for over a mile along the south bank of the Yadkin River. Wilkesboro's largest industry is the Tyson Foods poultry processing plant; it is one of the largest poultry plants east of the Mississippi River. Local communication companies, Wilkes Communications and Carolina West Wireless are based in Wilkesborough. Most of the town's high school students attend Wilkes Central High School; Wilkes Early College, based at Wilkes Community College, and one charter school, Bridges Charter School, are located in the adjacent community of Moravian Falls. The Wilkes Playmakers present a popular play based on the story of Tom Dooley, a Confederate veteran who was hanged for the murder of his fiancée, Laura Foster. The story was turned into a top-selling ballad in 1958 by the Kingston Trio, and a 1959 movie starring Michael Landon as Dula was made about the story. The city is home to the annual MerleFest, Carolina in the Fall, and Brushy Mountain Peach & Heritage festivals. The mayor is the former mayor of North Wilkesville, which is located directly opposite the town of Wilkeboro. The current mayor of Wilk'sboro is the current Mayor of North Wilmington, who was elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2010.

History

Wilkesboro was founded in 1800 and quickly designated as the county seat. The town is built atop a low, broad ridge which runs for over a mile along the south bank of the Yadkin River. During the Civil War, many of Wilkesboro's residents remained loyal to the Union and opposed the Confederacy. Shortly after the war ended, a Confederate veteran, Tom Dula (Dooley), was tried and hanged for the murder of his fiancée, Laura Foster. Dula's story was turned into a top-selling ballad in 1958 by the Kingston Trio, the title of which was Tom Dooley. Each summer the Wilkes Playmakers present a popular play based on the story. The Robert Cleveland Log House, Downtown Wilkesborough Historic District, Federal Building, J. T. Ferguson Store, Thomas B. Finley Law Office, and Old Wilkes County Jail are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Wilkes-Smithey Hotel is also listed in the National register of historic places. It is located in the historic district and was built in the 19th century as a home for the family of Robert Cleveland, who was a well-known Wilkes county patriot during the American Revolutionary War. It was also the home of Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, a Loyalist militia leader who supported the British King and opposed U.S. independence from Britain. In March 1865 General George Stoneman, a Union cavalry leader, led a raid through the town.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,687 people, 1,386 households, and 808 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of Wilkesboro was 81.5% White, 8.9% African American, 3.0% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 4.0%) and 2.3% from two or more races. The population was spread out, with 21.7% being under the age of 20, 6.1% from 20-24, 21.9%. from 25-44, 25.6% from 45-64, and 24.5%. being 65 and over. The median age was 45.2 years old, more specifically 40.8 for males and 49.5 for females. The town has a population of 3,413 as of the 2010 U.S. census, with the population density of 622.5 people per square mile (14.2/km²) The town is located on the banks of the Susquehanna River, which flows into the Little River Gorge, which runs through the city. The city's name is derived from the town's name, which means "little river" or "little stream" in English. It is also known as "Wilkesboro" and "Wesboro" in Spanish. The name is a contraction of "weskelsboro" which translates to "little town" or 'little town' or "westerly town".

Economy

Wilkesboro's largest industry is the Tyson Foods poultry processing plant. Local communication companies, Wilkes Communications and Carolina West Wireless are based in Wilkesboro. Lowe's has a call center and satellite corporate office in Wilkinsboro. The company employs approximately 2,000 people at its campus in Wilksboro. It is one of the largest poultry plants east of the Mississippi River. The city is home to the U.S. Air Force base at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. It also hosts the Air Force National Guard base at Fort LeJeune, South Carolina. The town has a population of about 2,500. It has a history of being the site of several World War II-era battles. It was also the location of the Battle of the Bulge, which took place in World War I. It's also the birthplace of the Civil War, which was fought from 18th to 20th century. The community is known as "The Birthplace of the Confederacy" for its history of support for the Confederate States of America and its role in the American Civil War. It still has a long history of supporting the military and its veterans, which dates back to the late 1800s and early 1900s. The area is also home to a number of colleges and universities, including North Carolina State University and North Carolina-Wilkesville. It hosts the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, which has a chapter of the College of Arts and Sciences, which is located in the town.

Education

Wilkesboro is served by the Wilkes County Schools system. Most of Wilkesboro's high school students attend Wilkes Central High School. Wilkes Community College is a public, coed, two-year college within the North Carolina Community College System. The college's enrollment is typically around 3,500 students. The town also has one charter school, Bridges Charter School, based at Wilkes Early College, and one high-school option, Central Wilkes Middle School, located in Moravian Falls. The elementary schools that serve the town are Wilkesborough Elementary, Moravia Falls Elementary, and CC Wright Elementary. The city is home to one high school, WilkesCentral High School, which is located in the adjacent community of Moravians Falls. It also has a middle school, CentralWilkesMiddle School, and a high- school, Central Wilkes High School based in the nearby town of Morvian Falls, North Carolina. It is also home to a high school charter, Bridges charter School, in State Road, N.C., which offers other high school options to the town's students. It has one elementary school, CC Wright elementary, and two middle schools, Wilkeboro Elementary and Wilkeville Elementary, both of which are located in North Carolina's Piedmont region. There are no high schools in the town, but the town does have a charter school called Wilkes early college, which offers classes to high school and middle school students.

Transportation

WTA, Wilkes Transportation Authority, is a local shuttle service based in Wilkesboro that utilizes vans and buses to serve Wilkes County. Fares range from $2-$24, but are typically around $4. There is scheduled shuttle service that runs every hour roughly and unscheduled service that allows for riders to request a van pick up in any part of the county. daily bus service is available on Greyhound. Sunway buses are advertised as Greyhound Express buses and the bus stop is in front of the Former Federal Building. Bus service goes to Boone, NC and Greensboro, NC, known as the Mountaineer East/West line. Passengers can connect to Greyhound services throughout the East Coast via the J. Douglas Galyon Depot where the line ends. The bus stop for Sunway is located at 207 West Main Street,Wilkesboro. The stop for Greyhound is at the former Federal Building at 207 W Main Street. The price of a Greyhound ticket is about $4, with prices as low as $4 on the Sunway line. The cost of a bus ticket on the Intercity Bus is around $2-24, depending on the number of people on the bus and the location of the stop. The average fare for a Sunway bus is $3-4, but prices can vary from $1-3. The Sunway Express bus stops at the intersection of West Main and Main Streets in Wilkeboro, North Carolina, and at the junction of Main Street and East Main Street in Greensboro.

Politics and religion

Wilkesboro has long been a bastion of the Republican Party. Wilkesboro's largest religious group are the Southern Baptists. The town does contain substantial numbers of Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, and Episcopalians. The first two churches to be established in Wilkes County were built in Wilesboro. The nearby town of North Wilkesborough contains Wilkes county's only Roman Catholic church. The church is named for Saint John Baptist de la Salle, and part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. It is one of the largest churches in the state, with more than 2,000 members. It was built in 1872. It's the first church to be built in the county, and was built for the Episcopal and Presbyterian denominations. It cost $1.5 million to build and is located in the town's historic center. It has been there since 1872, and is now home to more than 3,000 people. It also has a hospital, which opened in 1881. It opened in 1886. It became the first hospital in the U.S. to serve the county in 1883. It closed in 1891. It reopened in 1894. It still serves the county's poorest residents, and has a population of about 1,000. It had a hospital in 1892. It now has a post office, which serves the town of about 2,500 people. The hospital was the first to open in 1882, and it is the only one in the area.

Attractions

MerleFest is one of the biggest festivals in North Carolina. Wilkesboro is also home to a number of other attractions, such as a dog park and a disc golf course. The festival runs from September 26 to October 1.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Wilkesboro, Wilkes County, North Carolina = 87. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 85. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Wilkesboro = 4.4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 7,679 individuals with a median age of 47.3 age the population grows by 2.25% in Wilkesboro, Wilkes County, North Carolina population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 573.76 residents per square mile of area (221.52/km²). There are average 2.13 people per household in the 1,364 households with an average household income of $41,480 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 13.40% of the available work force and has dropped -4.36% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 17.88%. The number of physicians in Wilkesboro per 100,000 population = 87.2.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Wilkesboro = 50.2 inches and the annual snowfall = 3.4 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 106. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 213. 87 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 23.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 44, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Wilkesboro, Wilkes County, North Carolina which are owned by the occupant = 53.73%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 32 years with median home cost = $134,240 and home appreciation of -2.32%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $6.08 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,320 per student. There are 15.6 students for each teacher in the school, 378 students for each Librarian and 385 students for each Counselor. 8.91% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 16.54% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 9.61% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).