The town of Wrightsville Beach occupies one of the chain of barrier islands along North Carolina's southeastern coast. These islands, geologically relatively young, presented prior to urban development a combination of wide sandy beaches, dunes, and marine forests.
Westward of the long and narrow barrier islands are the sounds and marshlands where sea water continually flows in and out across waterways and wetlands. The barrier islands are in a state of constant transition because of natural forces.
The island of Wrightsville Beach today is 1,000-5,000 feet in width and stretches almost four miles from Masonboro inlet on the south to Mason inlet on the north.
This is a man-made configuration that may not stand the test of time. When North Carolinians named the island it was called New Hanover Banks, a sandy barrier cut by shallow Moor's Inlet. The northern portion was called Shell Island.
Today, Moore's Inlet is bulldozed and closed, and Lumina Avenue and a magnificent wide beach run the length of Wrightsville Beach.
On the mainland side of Wrightsville Beach European settlers encountered a sound nearly two miles wide, a stretch of waterways, marsh and small islands.
Dredging of the Intracoastal Waterway earlier in the 20th century produced sand and clay which were compacted to form a sizable island in the sound that was originally called The Hammocks--now Harbor Island--between the barrier island and the western shore of the sound, which is punctuated by creeks, tidal flats and marshlands.
The entire habitat--ocean and barrier island, sound and creeks, was originally rich with salt water and anadromous fish along with turtles, raccoons and even alligators.
The city limits of the town of Wrightsville Beach today encompass not only the barrier island but also Harbor Island and a small portion of mainland. "The Beach," or the island itself, once owned by the State of North Carolina and known as New Hanover Banks. It was transferred into private hands in three separate grants between 1791 and 1881.
Development, however, was slow, impeded by distance and lack of transportation other than by boat. The established port city of Wilmington on the lower Cape Fear River, a municipality founded in 1740, sits ten miles by land to the Southwest, but the early owners of portions of New Hanover Banks could only reach the area by traveling on oar-driven skiffs or sailing craft down to the mouth of the Cape Fear River and then northeastward up the sounds or coast.
For a century after the beach passed into private hands there were no residents, and the only visitors were fishermen, drawn to the area by the great numbers of Spanish Mackerel and Blue Fish, and hunters who used marsh lands to the west to hunt game hen and game birds.
Sailing became a popular pastime in the area, and frequent races led to the founding of the Carolina Yacht Club in April, 1853. Club members erected a clubhouse, the first structure on what began to be called Wrightsville Beach (after the Wright family who owned land on the nearby mainland) as their meeting place. The Carolina Yacht Club held dozens of races every year, and is now recognized as the third oldest yacht club in the United States.
The Civil War disrupted these events for a few years, as many members of the club and their boats went into military service. The waterways adjacent to Cape Fear were busy with traffic during the war, with blockade runners making their dangerous, usually nocturnal dash from the Atlantic into the mouth of the river on their way to the port of Wilmington.
At least three blockade runners are said to have foundered on Wrightsville Beach itself, one allegedly carrying a sword covered in jewels, meant for the Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
The inaccessibility of the area began to change in 1875, when a charter was granted for the construction of a turnpike connecting Wilmington to Wrightsville Sound. The passage was completed in 1887, completely topped by oyster shells, thus earning the nickname "the Shell Road."
Later that year a charter was granted to the Wilmington Seacoast Railroad Company to build a track to extend from Wilmington all the way to the Hammocks. With rail transportation to the Hammocks and a footbridge to Wrightsville Beach, development of the island began to accelerate.
Another yacht club was erected, two hotels and several beach cottages, the first apparently built by Col. F. W. Foster. The Hammocks attracted a popular hotel, the Island Beach, in 1897, and in 1889 the rail line was extended across the Hammocks and Bank's Channel to Wrightsville Beach where it then ran southward along a route now marked by South Lumina Avenue.
Hundreds of visitors from around the state of North Carolina began to arrive each summer. From 10th and Princess streets in downtown Wilmington the train (after 1902, electric trolley) ride to the beach took thirty minutes. Until the automobile era the "Beach Car" trolley was "the lifeline of Wrightsville Beach," in one resident's recollection. (4) On July 4, 1907, for example, 8,700 passengers were carried to the beach on the popular line.
On March 6, 1899, the residents incorporated the Town of Wrightsville Beach. The population at this time cannot be determined with accuracy, but probably was not more than 40 or 50, most of them seasonal dwellers who did not live on the beach year-round.
Their civic commitment was soon tested. The great hurricane of 1899 swept in from the Atlantic and destroyed virtually everything on Wrightsville Beach, including the train tracks that connected it to the mainland. Like Hazel in 1954, the storm struck during the exact hour of high tide, and sent huge waves across the beaches, inundating the island.
The spirit of the people of Wrightsville Beach rose to the occasion. The railroad was rebuilt the very next year, and the electric trolley cars (after 1902) carried thousands of visitors to a beach that was fast becoming a main attraction not only for the people of Wilmington and much of North Carolina but for tourists from New York and other eastern cities.
Hugh MacRae, president of the Tide Water Power Company, the parent company of the trolley line, added to the enticements of sun and sand by building an immense public pavilion at the final stop on the line.
Lumina was constructed on 200 feet of ocean frontage at Station #7, the end of the line, and opened on June 3, 1905. Costing $7,000 to build--a very large sum in that day-- Lumina's 12,500 square foot complex presented visitors with three levels of games and activities.
A bowling alley, shooting gallery and snack shop occupied the ground floor, and a broad staircase led up to the dance hall with balcony for the band and onlookers.
The instantly-popular Lumina was enlarged several times to accommodate the crowds, and a movie screen was erected fifty feet into the surf.
In 1911, over 600 tungsten lights were placed along Lumina's exterior, and television news commentator David Brinkley, born and raised in Wilmington, remembers in the late 1930s changing light bulbs in the eight-foot high sign LUMINA on the roof, making the facility a glittering landmark easily seen from the mainland or from ships at sea.
In 1935 the trolley era gave way to the automobile, when a two-lane bridge was built across the Intracoastal Waterway to Harbor Island and then over Bank's Channel to the beach.
The Great Fire of Wrightsville Beach, Jan. 28, 1934, destroyed over one hundred cottages as well as the Oceanic Hotel, though Lumina survived.
Her lights went out during World War II, as naval authorities feared that allied shipping might be silhouetted against the brightly illuminated building, to the benefit of German submarines.
But Wrightsville Beach was far from the sea lanes, protected from submarines by shallow offshore waters. German U-boat Commander Erich Cremer, interviewed in 1984, recalled the waters off Wrightsville Beach as "a shallow grave" that protected the area from the coastal U-boat activity that raised anxieties at other points on the Atlantic shore.
A population of approximately 110 year-round residents in 1930 grew to 1500 in 1945. David Brinkley tells us in his autobiography, David Brinkley: A Memoir, that Wrightsville was not a place only for the rich, like some of the beaches of Long Island, Florida, and elsewhere. "Wilmington residents of even modest prosperity could have a house in town and a shingled cottage built up on stilts on the beach....For a schoolboy with a summer job at the beach making a little money working as a soda jerk...with girls all around in swimsuits that then seemed skimpy, the beach, the surf, Lumina with big bands playing every night, it was heaven."
Mostly heaven. But nature had a way of punctuating the good life at the beach. On October 15, 1954, Hurricane Hazel struck the mainland at the North Carolina-South Carolina border,hitting at high tide and at full moon with estimated winds between 125-140 MPH at Wrightsville Beach.
A storm surge of 12-14 feet above mean low water mark destroyed between 100-250 houses--estimates vary-- and damaged 500 more, again tearing out the Carolina Yacht Club and the town sewer plant.
Again, Wrightsville residents rebuilt. The seven-story Blockade Runner Motor Hotel open in 1964, reflecting confidence in the future of tourism at the beach.
Lumina era, however, was coming to a close. Crowds had diminished with the end of the trolley line, the building deteriorated, and was judged unsafe and condemned by town officials in 1972.
Historian Rupert Benson reminisced: "The finest orchestras of the country...the Sunday school picnics...pictures over the water in the evening for everyone to enjoy, a grand era of good enjoyment passed on. The auto changed all this and what a mess."
There was no Wrightsville Beach Preservation Society or other group to mobilize public support for at least the documentation of the famous landmark, if not the preservation of part or all of it, and Lumina was demolished in 1973.
Recent decades have seen a gradual in-filling of development until few vacant lots are left. A towering Shell Island Resort with attached parking garage was constructed at the edge of the inlet on the north end of the island in 1984--too towering, many residents thought of the awkward, ungraceful structure, and too close to the inlet, it was learned in 1996 as Mason Inlet began to migrate southward and threatened to erode the building's foundations.
Three thousand people now live on the island during the off-season, and the arrival of warm weather greatly increases that number. What brings them to cherish this place, whether as residents or visitors for the weekend?
Wrightsville resident and historian Rupert Benson gave an apt description when he wrote of the mid-century years: "Sky and sea are ablaze with sunset splendor and the snowy crest of the breakers tipped with the colors of the sunset...makes one feel God left his hand here."
The Lord Giveth, but occasionally, even on the beach, the Lord Taketh Away. In the summer of 1996, two large hurricanes made landfall near the mouth of the Cape Fear River--Bertha, on July 12 and Fran, on September 5. Both the island's piers were sheared back, hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged, and the imposing dunes topped by seat oats were leveled all along the coast.
Again, Wrightsville Beach citizens regrouped, and rebuilt their community between the broad white beach and the marshes, waterways, and glowing sunsets to the west.
Benson captured this resurgent spirit when he wrote in the aftermath of the Great Fire of 1934: "Public minded citizens of the Beach rose up and sought a new day.
Source: Wrightsville Beach NC
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Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Wrightsville Beach North Carolina
Spring Lake North Carolina
Spring Lake is a pleasant little town located in the northwestern end of Cumberland County, nestled between Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base. In the early 1920’s, the Town became a bedroom community for Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base.
Spring Lake NC is now more than twice its original size. The Fayetteville Technical Community College just opened their Spring Lake Center. Wal-Mart recently opened a new Super Center, and there are many other projects in the works. The Town is moving forward. No matter what part of the world you are from, you will find a piece of home in our diverse restaurants and shops of every ethnic variety. Diversity is our strength. There is a wide array of cultural and recreational opportunities as well. We are a small community with a big heart and offer a small town atmosphere, located only a short distance from the Research Triangle Area. We have an eye on the future to make Spring Lake the best place to live, work, and play.
Source: Spring Lake NC
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Friday, August 17, 2007
Rocky Mount North Carolina
Remarkable Rocky Mount NC, twice recognized as an All-American city, guarantees to make you feel right at home with a wide variety of restaurants - from unbelievably tasty home cookin' to the very best of the national chains, ample hotel accommodations in all price ranges, and a touch of "good ole southern charm." Remarkable... You bet!
Whether you're a lifelong resident of Nash county or a first-time resident, we want to help guide you to the many exciting activities, attractions, festivals, and special events the area has to offer. Remarkable Rocky Mount NC and the charming small towns of Nash county offer an interesting blend of recreational opportunities, historical sites worth exploring, sports events, plus arts and cultural experiences.
Rocky Mount, Nash county NC location is both convenient and easily accessible from all directions, making it the perfect spot for sports tournaments, family reunions, business meetings, seminars, conferences, and all kinds of special events as well as the best stop for I-95 and US 64 travelers.
The "New South" was emerging, and Rocky Mount was ready. A "Chamber of Commerce" was formed in 1904 and tobacco and "King Cotton" were staples of a booming economy.
In fact, by 1960 Rocky Mount boasted its ranking as the world's largest bright leaf tobacco market. It was also during this time that the area's economy diversified for the first time, spawning new industry and new job opportunities.
Nothing impacted the area more than the founding of Hardee's Food Systems in 1961. Formed by Rocky Mount natives Jim Gardner and Leonard Rawls, Hardee's grew to become a giant in the fast food business.
Today, Rocky Mount NC is home to major manufacturers in the fields of aeronautics (Honeywell), pharmaceuticals (Hospira), and diesel engines (Consolidated Diesel Co.). The area also boasts fast food franchising (Boddie-Noell Enterprises), food distribution (MBM Corp.), food preparation (Cheesecake Factory Bakery), agribusiness (Dale Bone Farms), and egg production (Braswell Foods), and residential development (Ford's Colony of Rocky Mount).
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Mecklenburg County NC
Mecklenburg County NC
Mecklenburg County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2006, the population was 827,445. Its county seat is Charlotte6. It is the most populous county in the state.
History
Mecklenburg County was formed in 1762 from the western part of Anson County. It was named for the German Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818), who had become queen consort of King George III the previous year. She is also the eponym of Mecklenburg County's county seat and largest city, Charlotte.
In 1768 the part of Mecklenburg County west of the Catawba River became Tryon County. The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was allegedly signed on May 20, 1775; if the document is indeed genuine, Mecklenburg County was the first part of the Thirteen Colonies to declare independence from Great Britain. In 1792 the northeastern part of Mecklenburg County became Cabarrus County. Finally, in 1842 the southeastern part of Mecklenburg County was combined with the western part of Anson County to become Union County.
James Knox Polk, the eleventh President of the United States, was born here in 1795 in what is now Pineville.
Law and government
Mecklenburg County is a member of the regional Centralina Council of Governments.
The County has two governing bodies: the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. Both are nine member boards, with six district representatives and three representatives elected at-large by the entire county. The current chairman of the Mecklenburg BOCC is Jennifer Roberts.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,415 km² (546 mi²). 1,363 km² (526 mi²) of it is land and 52 km² (20 mi²) of it (3.65%) is water.
Municipalities
Mecklenburg County contains seven (7) municipalities including the City of Charlotte and the towns of Cornelius, Davidson, and Huntersville (north of Charlotte); and the towns of Matthews, Mint Hill, and Pineville (south and east of Charlotte). Extra-territorial jurisdictions within the county are annexed by municipalities as soon as they reach sufficient concentrations.
One common school district, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), serves the entire county.
Adjacent Counties
Iredell County, North Carolina - north
Cabarrus County, North Carolina - northeast
Union County, North Carolina - southeast
Lancaster County, South Carolina - south
York County, South Carolina - southwest
Gaston County, North Carolina - west
Lincoln County, North Carolina - northwest
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 695,454 people, 273,416 households, and 174,986 families residing in the county. The population density was 510/km² (1,322/mi²). There were 292,780 housing units at an average density of 215/km² (556/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 64.02% White, 27.87% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 3.15% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.01% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. 6.45% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race, and growing. This is especially evident around the town of Pineville/South Blvd. and the area of Eastland/Central in Charlotte.
There were 273,416 households out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.70% were married couples living together, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.00% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.10% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 36.40% from 25 to 44, 20.30% from 45 to 64, and 8.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $50,579, and the median income for a family was $60,608. Males had a median income of $40,934 versus $30,100 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,352. About 6.60% of families and 9.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.50% of those under age 18 and 9.30% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
Charlotte
Cornelius
Davidson
Huntersville
Matthews
Mint Hill
Pineville
Original Townships of Mecklenburg County
In 1959, the North Carolina State Legislature revised laws that govern how cities may annex adjacent areas, allowing municipalities to annex unincorporated lands without permission of those residents.[1] Due to decades of an aggressive annexation policy, cities (especially Charlotte) have greatly expanded their borders,[2] diminishing or totally engulfing all of the original 15 Townships of Mecklenburg County. Although seldom mentioned by residents anymore, the U.S. Census still recognizes all of the Townships except Sharon Township.(see modern map).
Charlotte Township - completely annexed into the City of Charlotte
Mallard Creek Township - greatly reduced by Charlotte annexation
Crab Orchard Township - greatly reduced by Charlotte annexation
Clear Creek Township - greatly reduced by Charlotte and Mint Hill annexation
Morning Star Township - almost entirely annexed by Charlotte, Mint Hill, and Matthews
Sharon Township - completely annexed into Charlotte and eliminated
Providence Township - almost entirely annexed into Charlotte
Pineville Township - mostly annexed by the City of Pineville
Steele Creek Township - greatly reduced by Charlotte annexation
Berryhill Township - greatly reduced by Charlotte annexation
Paw Creek Township - greatly reduced by Charlotte annexation
Long Creek Township - greatly reduced by Charlotte annexation
Deweese Township - reduced by Davidson and Cornelius annexation
Huntersville Township - reduced by Huntersville annexation
Lemley Township - mostly beneath Lake Norman since it was created in 1963, and reduced by Huntersville annexation
Source: Wikipedia
Wake County, North Carolina
Wake County, North Carolina
Consistently rated as one of the best places to live and work in America, Wake County is home to NC State University, Research Triangle Park, the NC State Fair and 2006 Stanley Cup Champions, the Carolina Hurricanes. Wake County is also the center of state government, with our Capitol Building, legislature and many government offices located in Raleigh.
Wake County, North Carolina, is consistently rated as one of the best places to live and work in America! With our welcoming climate, major universities, nationally recognized public schools, exciting sports teams, a variety of museums and parks, great shops and restaurants, and emphasis on history -- Wake County has become home to many people who relocate here each year and is one of the fastest growing areas in the state.
Wake County is the second-most populous County in North Carolina. The County consists of 12 municipalities and includes Raleigh, the county seat and state capital. A unique mix of urban and rural small towns distinguishes Wake County from other counties and provides something for every lifestyle. The County has a population of more than 750,000 residents. The County’s General Fund budget is currently $747 million, and the County has approximately 3,400 employees. The County has a seven-year capital plan totaling $1.2 billion and grants in excess of $100 million per year.
The weather in Wake County is defined as moderate. The area's average annual rainfall is 44.7 inches per year, with an inconsistent annual snowfall of less than 2 inches per year. The average low temperature is 47 degrees, and the average high temperature is 73 degrees. The area enjoys long spring, summer and fall seasons, with relatively short winters. Highs can reach into the 90s during the peak of the summer and around freezing during the winter months.
Wake County greets more than 10 million visitors every year! Tourism brings $1.13 billion to Wake County annually -- that's $3.1 million every day! It also helps with employment, contributing to 21,500 direct jobs in the hospitality, retail and other service sectors.
With our welcoming climate, exciting sports teams, a variety of museums and parks, great shops and restaurants, and emphasis on history, Wake County has something to offer everyone -- no matter whether you are young or a senior, whether you are single or have a large family.
Geographic Facts
The size of the County is 549,000 acres, or 860 sq. miles, or 2,212 sq. kilometers. From east to west, it measures 46 miles. From north to south, it measures 39 miles.
The highest point in the County, about 540 feet above sea level, is a quarter of a mile north of Leesville.
The lowest point in the County, about 160 feet above sea level, is a half of a mile southeast of Shotwell, where Marks Creek flows into Johnston County.
The geographic center of Wake County is in Raleigh, near Broughton High School.
The County is considered to be in a transitional zone between the Piedmont uplands and the coastal plain and, therefore, within the fall zone.
The Neuse River and its tributaries drain about 80% of the County, and the southwestern part is drained by tributaries of the Cape Fear River. The stream network generally flows in a southeasterly direction.
History
The county was formed in 1771 from parts of Cumberland County, Johnston County, and Orange County. It was named for Margaret Wake, wife of Governor William Tryon.
In 1881 parts of Wake County and Orange County were combined to form Durham County. In 1911 Cedar Fork Township of Wake County was transferred to Durham County and became Carr Township.
Politics
Wake County is the second most heavily populated county in North Carolina, with, as of July 2005, a population of approximately 750,000. Although Democratic presidential candidates have only won the county in three of the last 12 elections (Kennedy in 1960, Johnson in 1964 and Clinton in 1992), the races have almost always been close, such as in 1980, when Ronald Reagan won by a landslide nationwide, but by a mere 1% in Wake County. Recently, Republican George W. Bush won the county in 2000 with 53% and defeated John Kerry in 2004 by a slim 51% to 49%.
Recently, statewide Democrats have fared well here; in the 1998 Senate Race, Democrat John Edwards won in Wake County, which helped him in his defeat of incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth. In 2000 Democrat Governor Mike Easley won here with 55% of the vote. In 2004, Easley won again in Wake County by nearly 20%, winning with 59% to 40% for opponent Patrick Ballantine. Democratic candidate for US Senate Erskine Bowles won in Wake County with 52 percent, despite losing statewide to Richard Burr by the same margin. In 2002, however, Republican Elizabeth Dole defeated Bowles with 55% of the vote here, and won by a large margin statewide.
Democratic voters are mainly located in the city of Raleigh, while Republicans are the majority in the rural areas in the north and western parts of the county. The outskirts of Raleigh, and the cities of Cary and Apex are where most of the swing voters are located.
Townships
The county is divided into twenty townships: Bartons Creek, Buckhorn, Cary, Cedar Fork, Holly Springs, House Creek, Leesville, Little River, Marks Creek, Meredith, Middle Creek, Neuse, New Light, Panther Branch, Raleigh, St. Mary's, St. Matthew's, Swift Creek, Wake Forest, and White Oak.
Adjacent Counties
Granville County, North Carolina - north
Franklin County, North Carolina - northeast
Nash County, North Carolina - east
Johnston County, North Carolina - southeast
Harnett County, North Carolina - southwest
Chatham County, North Carolina - west
Durham County, North Carolina - northwest
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 627,846 people, 242,040 households, and 158,778 families residing in the county. The population density was 291/km² (755/mi²). There were 258,953 housing units at an average density of 120/km² (311/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 72.40% White, 19.72% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 3.38% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.48% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. 5.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 242,040 households out of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.50% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.40% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.10% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 36.50% from 25 to 44, 20.40% from 45 to 64, and 7.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $54,988, and the median income for a family was $67,149. Males had a median income of $44,472 versus $31,579 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,004. About 4.90% of families and 7.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.60% of those under age 18 and 8.90% of those age 65 or over.
Municipalities
Apex
Cary
Fuquay-Varina
Garner
Holly Springs
Knightdale
Morrisville
Raleigh
Rolesville
Wake Forest
Wendell
Zebulon
Unincorporated communities
Auburn
Bonsal
Carpenter
Feltonville
Green Level
Kennebec
Lizard Lick
New Hill
Swift Creek
