Sanford, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
 TheLee County Courthouse in Sanford | |
 Seal | |
| Nickname: Well Centered | |
 Location of Sanford, North Carolina | |
| Coordinates:35°29′16″N79°10′42″W / 35.48778°N 79.17833°W /35.48778; -79.17833 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Lee |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Body | Sanford City Council |
| • Mayor | Rebecca Wyhof Salmon[1] (D) |
| • City manager | Hal Hegwer[citation needed] |
| Area | |
• Total | 29.83 sq mi (77.26 km2) |
| • Land | 29.57 sq mi (76.59 km2) |
| • Water | 0.26 sq mi (0.67 km2) |
| Elevation | 358 ft (109 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 30,261 |
| • Density | 1,023.3/sq mi (395.11/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 27330-27332 |
| Area code | 919 |
| FIPS code | 37-59280[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2405419[3] |
| Website | www |
Sanford is a city in and thecounty seat ofLee County, North Carolina, United States.[5] Since its incorporation in 1874, Sanford has been an active railroad and industrial center, known as one of the nation's largest producers of brick and pottery products. The population was 30,261 at the2020 census.[6] Thegeographic center of North Carolina is located northwest of the city, inChatham County.[7]
Sanford was named for C.O. Sanford, a railroadcivil engineer instrumental in the building of the rail lines through the area that formed the foundation of what became the city of Sanford.
Sanford is located inLee County, North Carolina, which was formed from parts of the surrounding three counties in 1907. On creation of the new county, Sanford and Jonesboro were the major towns in the area. Rather than decide which would be the county seat, the decision was to place the county's new courthouse directly between the two towns. For decades, Lee County was the only county in the United States to have a courthouse with anRFD address.[citation needed] In 1947 Sanford had grown to such an extent that it eventually merged with Jonesboro. The town of Jonesboro became Jonesboro Heights, and the name of Sanford was kept for the town.[8]
The general Sanford area played key roles in theRevolutionary andCivil Wars, specifically regarding sites like theHouse in the Horseshoe andEndor Iron Furnace. Over the following decades, the Sanford area became an important source of coal,brownstone, and brick. In particular brownstone and subsequent brick production made Sanford a key provider of these building materials for areas throughout the United States.[9]
For seven seasons, 1941–42 and 1946–50, Sanford fielded a professional minor league baseball team. In 1941-42, theSanford Spinners played in theClass D levelBi-State League. After the war, a new Spinners team was a member of the Class D levelTobacco State League from 1946 to 1950. Home games were played at Temple Park. Led by manager Zeb Harrington, the Spinners won the regular season pennant three times.[10]
OnApril 16, 2011, a large tornado ripped through Sanford, demolishing a Lowe's hardware store and a warehouse, and destroying multiple mobile homes and buildings before moving intoWake County.
On October 21, 2014, Sanford established a formal sister city relationship withYixing, China. On October 5, 2019, Sanford established a formal sister city relationship withAtizapan de Zaragoza, Mexico.
TheBuffalo Presbyterian Church and Cemeteries,Downtown Sanford Historic District,East Sanford Historic District,Euphronia Presbyterian Church,Farish-Lambeth House,Hawkins Avenue Historic District,Lee Avenue Historic District,Lee County Courthouse,Lee County Training School,John D. McIver Farm,Railroad House,Rosemount-McIver Park Historic District,Sanford High School, Former,Seaboard Milling Company, andTemple Theatre are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[11][12]
Sanford is 42 miles (68 km) southwest ofRaleigh, thestate capital, 57 miles (92 km) southeast ofGreensboro, and 36 miles (58 km) northwest ofFayetteville.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.3 square miles (75.9 km2), of which 29.1 square miles (75.3 km2) are land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km2), or 0.88%, are water.[13]Little Buffalo Creek, a tributary of theDeep River, flows northward through the center of the city.Big Buffalo Creek flows through the west side of the city, and the entire city is part of theCape Fear River watershed.Lick Creek and its tributaries drain the east side of the city.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 236 | — | |
| 1890 | 367 | 55.5% | |
| 1900 | 1,044 | 184.5% | |
| 1910 | 2,282 | 118.6% | |
| 1920 | 2,977 | 30.5% | |
| 1930 | 4,253 | 42.9% | |
| 1940 | 4,960 | 16.6% | |
| 1950 | 10,013 | 101.9% | |
| 1960 | 12,253 | 22.4% | |
| 1970 | 11,716 | −4.4% | |
| 1980 | 14,773 | 26.1% | |
| 1990 | 14,475 | −2.0% | |
| 2000 | 23,220 | 60.4% | |
| 2010 | 28,094 | 21.0% | |
| 2020 | 30,261 | 7.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[14] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 12,785 | 42.25% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 7,138 | 23.59% |
| Native American | 96 | 0.32% |
| Asian | 448 | 1.48% |
| Pacific Islander | 26 | 0.09% |
| Other/mixed | 1,220 | 4.03% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 8,548 | 28.25% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 30,261 people, 10,418 households, and 6,723 families residing in the city.
As of thecensus[4] of 2009, there were 29,922 people, which was a 28.9% increase from 2000. The population density was 1,243 inhabitants per square mile (480/km2). There were 9,223 housing units at an average density of 383.2 per square mile (148.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 55.87%White, 29.19%African American, 0.50%Native American, 1.06%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 11.93% fromother races, and 1.41% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 19.03% of the population.
There were 8,550 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% weremarried couples living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 people and the average family size was 3.15 people.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,804, and the median income for a family was $39,447. Males had a median income of $30,527 versus $23,393 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $17,038. About 14.8% of families and 17.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.
Sanford is geologically located above the meeting of white beach sand andPiedmont clay, enabling the city to be a producer of clay bricks. In 1959, Sanford produced 10 percent of the bricks in the United States and was named "Brick Capital of the USA".[16] Brick production continues by manufacturers such asGeneral Shale and Lee Brick and Tile.[citation needed]
Sanford produces textiles, and a Wyeth vaccine facility became the area's largest employer in 2006.[17]
Sanford operates under acouncil-manager government.[18] The city council consists of the mayor and seven council members. Five of the council seats are ward (district) representatives, and two seats are citywide representatives electedat-large. Terms last four years and are staggered, with elections every two years.
The Lee County campus ofCentral Carolina Community College (CCCC) is located in Sanford. CCCC awards degrees, diplomas and certifications in a variety of programs.[citation needed]
The Lee County Schools public school system contains three high schools, three middle schools, seven traditional elementary schools, one year-round elementary school, and one alternative school.[19]
There are three public charter schools. MINA Charter serves students in kindergarten through 5th grade. Ascend Leadership Academy and Central Carolina Academy serve students in 6th through 12th grades.
There are two private Christian schools, serving preschool through 12th grade: Grace Christian and Lee Christian.
The city's newspaper of record isThe Sanford Herald, which has published continuously since 1930. The newspaper is owned byPaxton Media Group, based inPaducah, Kentucky.The Herald is a five-day-a-week morning newspaper and is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations and of the North Carolina Press Association.
The Rant[27] was founded in 2008 by former journalists with experience at several print publications, includingThe Sanford Herald. Initially a radio show, it became an online news site in 2014. In 2019, it began publishing a monthly print edition.
Raleigh Executive Jetport (ICAO: KTTA, FAA LID: TTA), formerly known as Sanford-Lee County Airport, is located 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Sanford viaU.S. 1. The airport opened in 2000, replacing the Sanford Lee County Brick Field, and provides both recreational and corporate services.
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The County of Lee Transit System (COLTS) is a coordinated transit system that provides transportation services in Sanford and Lee County.[28]
Sanford has twosister cities, as designated bySister Cities International:[33]
Yixing,Jiangsu, China
Atizapán de Zaragoza,State of México, Mexico
Geographic data related toSanford, North Carolina atOpenStreetMapMunicipalities and communities ofLee County, North Carolina,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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