Burlington, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
 Atlantic Bank and Trust Company Building in Burlington | |
 Flag  Seal  Logo | |
| Motto: "Belong in Burlington" | |
  Burlington  Burlington | |
| Coordinates:36°04′34″N79°28′05″W / 36.07611°N 79.46806°W /36.07611; -79.46806 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Carolina |
| Counties | Alamance,Guilford |
| Founded | 1857 (Company Shops) 1886 (Burlington) |
| Incorporated | February 14, 1893 |
| Named after | Word seen on a passing train[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | James B. Butler |
| Area | |
• Total | 31.82 sq mi (82.41 km2) |
| • Land | 30.26 sq mi (78.38 km2) |
| • Water | 1.56 sq mi (4.03 km2) 4.87% |
| Elevation | 673 ft (205 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 57,303 |
• Estimate (2023) | 60,032 |
| • Density | 1,893.4/sq mi (731.05/km2) |
| • Urban | 145,311 (US:243rd)[4] |
| • Urban density | 1,579/sq mi (609.7/km2) |
| • Metro | 179,165 (US:249th) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 27215, 27216, 27217 |
| Area code | 336/743 |
| FIPS code | 37-09060[6] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2403956[3] |
| Website | www |
Burlington is a city inAlamance andGuilford counties in theU.S. state ofNorth Carolina. It is the principal city of the Burlington, NCMetropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Alamance County, in which most of the city is located, and is a part of theGreensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC Combined Statistical Area. The population was 57,303 at the2020 census,[7] which makes Burlington the18th-most populous city in North Carolina.
Alamance County was created whenOrange County was partitioned in 1849. Early settlers included several groups ofQuakers, many of which remain active in theSnow Camp area, German farmers, andScots-Irish immigrants.[8]
The need of theNorth Carolina Railroad in the 1850s to locate land where they could build, repair and do maintenance on its track was the genesis of Burlington, North Carolina. The company selected a piece of land slightly west of present-dayGraham. On January 29, 1856, the last spikes were driven into the final tie of the North Carolina Railroad project, uniting the cities ofGoldsboro andCharlotte by rail. The next day, the first locomotive passed along the new route. When the iron horse arrived in Alamance County, locals referred to it as "the eighth wonder of the world".[9][10]
Not long after this historic opening, the railroad realized a pressing need for repair shops. With Alamance County's position along the new line, it became the logical choice for the shops' location. After several debates concerning where the shops would be located, Gen. Benjamin Trollinger, a progressive Alamance County manufacturer, made an offer that settled the matter. Gen. Trollinger owned land just northwest of Graham, and he convinced several other prominent citizens owning adjacent lots to join him and sell their property to the railroad.[10] 57 buildings were constructed between 1855 and 1859, including structures for engine and machine shops, carpentry, blacksmithing, houses for workers and railway officials, and company headquarters. For a brief period, railroad directors changed the name of official name of "Company Shops" to "Vance" (1863–1864), the village returned to the "Company Shops" moniker in July 1864. During theCivil War, Company Shops remained a small village without many public utilities/services like churches or schools. It was only until 1863 that company stockholders approved city street layouts and the sale of private property in the village. Though, properties used for commercial purposes still had to be leased by the company and couldn't be bought. In 1866, the village was officially incorporated as "Company Shops."[10]
Through a series of leases and mergers, the railroad was leased toRichmond & Danville Railroad (1871), working as part of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and in 1893, the North Carolina Railroad was folded into the Southern Railway system. Following the leasing of the railroad to Richmond & Danville, many of the railroad jobs transferred to Richmond and Manchester. With the railroad shops no longer operated there, the citizens of Company Shops decided a new name was needed. In February 1887,[10] a contest was held to decide a name, and one person submitted the name "Burlington" after seeing it on a passing train.[1] An appointed committee for the town selected the name, and the name was officially changed through North Carolina State Legislature.[10]
Around the turn of the century, Edwin M. Holt established small textile operations along theHaw River and Great Alamance Creek. In 1908, Edwin M. Holt built the firstcotton mill in the South. From the establishment of this single factory, Alamance County grew to eventually operate 30 cotton mills and 10 to 15 yarn manufacturing plants employing 15,000 people.[11][12][13] Eventually, the early textile venture of Edwin M. Holt became known all over the world asBurlington Industries, and is now headquartered in nearbyGreensboro. Throughout this period, Burlington became a prosperous and vibrant little city filled with schools, churches, newspapers, telegraph and telephone lines, roads and a streetcar line—all in keeping with the latest "modern progress" of the times.[14]
Though textiles continued to dominate the local economy well into the 1970s, the people of Burlington knew they could not survive with only one industry. The country's involvement in World War II brought important local economic changes. In 1942, the federal government purchased and leased a 22-acre (8.9 ha) site toFairchild Aircraft Corporation for the construction of test aircraft. After two years of production, the site was leased toFirestone Tire Company for the Army's tank rebuilding program. At the close of the war, the federal government chose not to leave, but to utilize the property for government contract business. This decision would bringWestern Electric to town along with new employees from around the country. Their contracts ensured Burlington's participation during theCold War manufacturing and testing of emerging defense technologies. Four decades later (1991), however,Western Electric (then AT&T Federal Systems Division) permanently closed.[15][16][17][18]
During this century-and-a-half of economic change, Burlington grew, adapted and prospered. Originally the center of commerce for Company Shops, the downtown area still serves as the heart of today's community with financial services, government services, an expanded library, small shops, eateries and a restored theater. Downtown has also returned to its status as a major employment center, becoming the home toLaboratory Corporation of America, one of the world's largest biomedical testing firms and Burlington/Alamance County's largest employer.[15][16][17][18]
TheAlamance Hotel,Allen House,Atlantic Bank and Trust Company Building,Beverly Hills Historic District,Downtown Burlington Historic District,East Davis Street Historic District,Efird Building,First Baptist Church,First Christian Church of Burlington,Polly Fogleman House,Holt-Frost House,Horner Houses,Lakeside Mills Historic District,McCray School,Menagerie Carousel,Moore-Holt-White House,South Broad-East Fifth Streets Historic District,Southern Railway Passenger Station,St. Athanasius Episcopal Church and Parish House and the Church of the Holy Comforter,Stagg House,Sunny Side,US Post Office,West Davis Street-Fountain Place Historic District, andWindsor Cotton Mills Office are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[19]
On November 4, 2025,Beth Kennett became the first woman to be elected mayor of Burlington.[20]
Located in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, Burlington is characterized as having mostly flat land with a few rolling hills.[21]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.82 square miles (82.4 km2), of which 30.27 square miles (78.4 km2) is land and 1.55 square miles (4.0 km2) (4.87%) is water.[2]
The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Burlington has aHumid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[22]
| Climate data for Burlington, 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) | 89 (32) | 83 (28) | 89 (32) | 95 (35) | 98 (37) | 105 (41) | 105 (41) | 104 (40) | 103 (39) | 96 (36) | 86 (30) | 79 (26) | 105 (41) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 51.4 (10.8) | 55.1 (12.8) | 62.5 (16.9) | 72.1 (22.3) | 79.2 (26.2) | 86.4 (30.2) | 89.7 (32.1) | 88.3 (31.3) | 82.2 (27.9) | 72.9 (22.7) | 62.7 (17.1) | 54.3 (12.4) | 71.4 (21.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 41.1 (5.1) | 43.9 (6.6) | 50.9 (10.5) | 59.8 (15.4) | 68.1 (20.1) | 75.9 (24.4) | 79.6 (26.4) | 78.1 (25.6) | 71.8 (22.1) | 61.1 (16.2) | 50.9 (10.5) | 44.1 (6.7) | 60.4 (15.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 30.7 (−0.7) | 32.8 (0.4) | 39.3 (4.1) | 47.4 (8.6) | 57.1 (13.9) | 65.4 (18.6) | 69.4 (20.8) | 68.0 (20.0) | 61.3 (16.3) | 49.3 (9.6) | 39.2 (4.0) | 33.8 (1.0) | 49.5 (9.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −6 (−21) | 4 (−16) | 8 (−13) | 21 (−6) | 23 (−5) | 43 (6) | 48 (9) | 41 (5) | 29 (−2) | 24 (−4) | 15 (−9) | 3 (−16) | −6 (−21) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.96 (101) | 3.24 (82) | 4.44 (113) | 3.83 (97) | 3.63 (92) | 4.63 (118) | 4.39 (112) | 4.12 (105) | 4.91 (125) | 3.35 (85) | 3.21 (82) | 3.35 (85) | 47.06 (1,195) |
| Source:NOAA[23][24] | |||||||||||||
There are a variety of parks that can be found in Burlington, including Joe Davidson Park and the Burlington City Park. Upon visiting these parks one can find a variety of things for various activities, such as baseball fields, basketball courts, soccer fields, playgrounds, disc golf and tennis courts.[25]
The Alamance County Recreation and Parks Commission is made up of nine citizen volunteers and one representative from the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education and the Alamance County Board of Commissioners.[26]
The Alamance County Recreation and Parks Department manages parks and community centers at the following locations:[27]
Alamance County offers many hiking and paddle opportunities including the Haw River Trail and theMountains-to-Sea Trail. The Alamance County Recreation and Parks Department manages accesses to theHaw River Paddle and Hiking Trail at the following locations:[28][29][30]
TheBurlington Sock Puppets, members of theAppalachian League, a wood-bat collegiate summer league, play their home games atBurlington Athletic Stadium in Fairchild Park. They were previously known as theBurlington Royals from 2007 to 2020. The Royals were rebranded as the Sock Puppets following the contraction and reorganization of minor league baseball prior to the 2021 season. 2021 was the inaugural season for the revamped Appalachian League and the Sock Puppets. Prior to being known as theBurlington Royals, the team was also known as the Burlington Indians from 1986 to 2006.[31][32][33] Several current and former MLB players began their careers in Burlington, includingJim Thome,CC Sabathia,Manny Ramirez, andBartolo Colón.
The city of Burlington also operates the nearbyThe Valley Golf Course.[34]
The flagship of the Burlington Parks System, Burlington City Park offers more than 75 acres of activities for the entire family. It serves as the home of an amusement area consisting of a carousel, miniature train, boat and car ride, playground, amphitheater, baseball field, picnic shelters, and walking trails. A fully restoredDentzel Carousel is the highlight of the amusement area. As part of the National Historical Register, the carousel attracts thousands of visitors yearly.[35][36] The Burlington Carousel Festival, is held annually in the park.[37]
Burlington is home to theBurlington Boys' Choir, the oldest organization of its kind in the state.[38] It was founded in 1959 and has toured widely around and outside the United States. Its founder, Eva Wiseman, was inspired by theVienna Boys' Choir.[39]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 817 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,716 | 110.0% | |
| 1900 | 3,692 | 115.2% | |
| 1910 | 4,808 | 30.2% | |
| 1920 | 5,952 | 23.8% | |
| 1930 | 9,737 | 63.6% | |
| 1940 | 12,198 | 25.3% | |
| 1950 | 24,560 | 101.3% | |
| 1960 | 33,199 | 35.2% | |
| 1970 | 35,930 | 8.2% | |
| 1980 | 37,266 | 3.7% | |
| 1990 | 39,498 | 6.0% | |
| 2000 | 44,917 | 13.7% | |
| 2010 | 50,042 | 11.4% | |
| 2020 | 57,303 | 14.5% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 60,032 | [7] | 4.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[40] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 25,810 | 45.04% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 16,118 | 28.13% |
| Native American | 193 | 0.34% |
| Asian | 1,353 | 2.36% |
| Pacific Islander | 42 | 0.07% |
| Other/Mixed | 2,296 | 4.01% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 11,491 | 20.05% |
As of the2020 census, there were 57,303 people, 22,009 households, and 12,978 families residing in the city.
At the2010 census,[6] there were 49,963 people, 20,632 households, and 12,679 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,967.0 inhabitants per square mile (759.5/km2). There were 23,414 housing units at an average density of 921.8 per square mile (355.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 57.6%White, 28%African American, 0.7%Native American, 2.1%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 9.2% fromother races, and 2.4% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 16% of the population.
There were 20,632 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% weremarried couples living together, 17.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 33% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 20, 6.5% from 20 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The average age was 38.3 years.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,097, and the median income for a family was $49,797. Theper capita income for the city was $23,465. About 15.9% of families and 19.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 34.9% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.
The local school system is known as theAlamance-Burlington School System, which was created by a merger between the Alamance County School System and the Burlington City School System in 1996.[42][43]
Alamance Community College (part of the publicNorth Carolina Community College System) has campuses in Burlington and nearby Graham, offering multiple academic programs and specialized career training.[55]Elon University (a private 4-year university) is in nearbyElon.[56]
Amtrak'sPiedmont train connects Burlington toRaleigh,Durham,Charlotte,Greensboro, and other points in central North Carolina. TheCarolinian train continues toNew York with intermediate stops includingRichmond,Washington,Baltimore, andPhiladelphia.Burlington Station is situated at 101 North Main Street.[57]
Burlington opened its first public transit service, Link Transit, on June 6, 2016.[58] As of September 21, 2017, more than 100,000 people have used the service.[59] In addition, transportation services are available to its residents through the Alamance County Transportation Authority.[60] Locals can also ride the BioBus from nearbyElon University.[61]
Burlington is about 35 miles from thePiedmont Triad International Airport inGreensboro and about 48 miles fromRaleigh-Durham International Airport nearCary.[62][63] In addition Burlington is served by three major road corridors includingInterstate 40,Interstate 85, andU.S. Route 70.[64]
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The city's only indoor mall,Holly Hill Mall, is located at the intersection of Huffman Mill Road and Church Street (US 70).[74] An outdoor mall,Alamance Crossing, opened in 2007 at Interstate 40/85 and University Drive.[75] Just off I-40/85 is theBurlington Outlet Village (formerly known as the BMOC). At the time of opening in 1981, it was North Carolina's firstoutlet mall.[76]
Burlington has twosister cities, as designated bySister Cities International:[92]
Gwacheon,Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Soledad de Graciano Sánchez,San Luis Potosí, Mexico
Geographic data related toBurlington, North Carolina atOpenStreetMapMunicipalities and communities ofAlamance 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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